Good food

My dinner menu has gotten more ambitious! I tried a new recipe, just on a whim, and it turned out so well that I've decided to try a new recipe once every one or two weeks. (This is VERY ambitious for me, considering I've only just gotten the hang of making dinner most every night....) Included on the plan for the next two weeks: Peanut chicken (using the amazing dressing Mom and Dad brought us from Japan--there's actually a recipe for really great peanut chicken on the Smucker's website), Noodles Romanoff (a recipe that looked really good, fast, and easy in the Betty Crocker cookbook), and Halibut fried in potato flakes (the halibut is from a friend who brought some back from Alaska!). Ambitious, indeed! :) The new recipe I tried (twice last week) was so yummy (and easy) that I had to post it. I varied some things. I put more dressing than was asked for--actually, lots more. And I just used boneless chops, not bone-in. And....let's see....oh. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I do that a lot. It just tastes better. And seems less greasy. And I also used just plain old rosemary, instead of leaves. And the dressing was not reduced fat. So here's the recipe:

(by way of www.kraftfoods.com)
Quick & Easy Pork Chop Skillet


Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 29 min
Makes: 4 servings

4 bone-in pork chops (1-1/2 lb.), 3/4-inch-thick

1 tsp. oil

1/4 cup KRAFT Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Reduced Fat Dressing, divided

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves

1 can (15-1/4 oz.) pear halves, undrained

BROWN chops in oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. on each side. Remove from skillet; set aside.

ADD 2 Tbsp. of the dressing, onions, garlic and rosemary to skillet. Cook 3 min.

RETURN chops to skillet. Add pears and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing. Simmer on medium heat 10 min. or until chops are cooked through (160ºF). Arrange chops on platter; spoon sauce over chops.

****I also made up (well, I say made up, but I'm sure I've seen it somewhere) a side dish that was REALLY good, and went really well with the chops.

Slice about ten red potatoes lengthwise into skinny fry-like strips (okay, they're basically fancy fries). Coat them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt to taste (it's really good if you can use a salt grinder and do sea salt over them), and then either put oregano, rosemary, and garlic powder on them, or just put on some Mrs. Dash. (I recommend the latter.) Put them on a baking sheet in a 450-degree oven for 45-55 minutes, until golden and somewhat "wilted"-looking. :)

I'm actually having fun trying newer recipes. As long as they're relatively simple, and the ingredients aren't too outlandish (Spanish paprika, anyone?), I'm finding that I'm up for it.

*Just so everyone knows, I've also included several fast and easy recipes in my two-week plan....the three recipes mentioned above are really the only ambitious ones I've chosen to try. Line upon line....