June 9, 2011- Left Overs

We ate in shifts tonight.  Katie was hungry first and had a chicken strip which she dipped in ketchup.  Ben had a long commute home, so I ate by myself after getting Katie cleaned up.  I ate left over mahi mahi from Tuesday with a salad.  Ben ate a pork chop left over from Wednesday when he got home. 

June 8, 2011- Mesquite Pork Chops

Ben worked later than normal tonight, so I fed Katie before he got home.  She had a slice of left-over pizza for her meal.  Ben and I ate broiled pork chops that I marinated in Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade.  I usually overcook meat.  So, it was high praise when Ben said they couldn't have been cooked better:)  We had a side caesar without croutons to go with the pork chops. 

The best part of the meal was when Katie, who was watching "The Voice" in the den, came running in and said she needed a microphone.  I jumped up, pulled my mic from the closet, told her not to drop it or hit it on anything, and let her go.  She held it up to her mouth, humming and dancing along with the singers.  When each song ended, she would run into the dining room shouting "I did it!"  How awesome!  I love that little girl:)

By the way, "The Voice" is a fantastic new singing competition on NBC.  Far better than American Idol in my opinion. 

Thursday, 3/31/2011

Happy 31st birthday to my brother, Matt!  

I didn't get to celebrate with my brother today, but I did get a photo of his birthday cake from my dad.  They used lifesavers as candle holders on top of his cake.  What a fun idea!

We marinated and grilled pork chops and had a side of roasted broccoli with garlic for our dinner tonight.  The chops were marinated in Grill Mates Peppercorn and Garlic marinade for half of the day.  They cooked on Direct Medium heat for ten minutes, five on each side. 

Katie was a really good eater today.  She ate the pork I gave her without any complaints and even asked for more.  She tried the broccoli, but ended up spitting it out.  Since Ben and I only started liking broccoli last year, we can hardly blame her.  I was just pleased she was willing to try it.  Perhaps she doesn't like how crispy and charred we make it.  To be honest, I know I couldn't eat it raw or even steamed.  The garlic and charred flavors help me forget it's broccoli:)

Thursday, 3/17/2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We finished off a couple night's worth of left overs tonight.  Ben and I split the remaining pork chop from Monday and the Kung Pao chicken from Sunday.  Katie had a bowl of whole wheat penne pasta with cheddar cheese melted on it.  To our surprise, she ate most of it!  

In honor of today's holiday, Ben and I added green food coloring to our margaritas and to Katie's flavored water.  She thought it was soo funny to have a bright green drink.  And after dinner, we slurped down some green jello.  Katie enjoyed playing with it, but wasn't interested in eating much of it. 

The green margarita.

Katie with her St. Patrick's Day drink.

Monday, 3/14/2011

Today I marinated three, one-inch thick pork chops in Weber Grill Creations White Wine and Herb marinade mix.  The pork chops were in the marinade, in the refrigerator, for three to four hours before I broiled them.  I took them out of the refrigerator for the last hour so that they would get back up to room temperature.  They were broiled on high for 7 minutes on each side.  They were very tender and moist with great flavor.  

I made a side salad of spinach, goat cheese crumbles, mandarin orange segments, and balsamic vinaigrette.  Katie gulped down her oranges immediately and then spent 1/2 hour horsing around before she finished eating her small portion of pork.  We had to bribe her with one more piece of orange in order to get her to finish eating.  At the end of her meal, she said she wanted ice cream.  While Ben and I discussed her request in code,  she announced that she was "all done."  Discussion done.  More ice cream for us:) 

Sunday, 1/9/2011

For tonight's dinner we finally finished off the pork chops I broiled last week.  I reheated them in the toaster oven, wrapped in foil in a baking pan.  I cooked them at 300 degrees for a half hour or so.  They turned out pretty good.  Much better than if they were just microwaved. 

For our side dish, I prepared broccoli.  This is the first time I have made a broccoli dish that I intended to eat...EVER.  I've steamed it for Katie before, but it is historically one of those foods that makes me gag.  A couple months ago, our friends Laura and David served baked broccoli for us, and both Ben and I liked it. I should point out that we were both very brave to try it:)  Since I knew we liked that preparation, I got the recipe from Laura to use tonight.  I followed the directions for adding garlic, and it was a success!  Here's the recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

ROASTED BROCCOLI

Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will turn tough when cooked. For Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, stir 1 tablespoon minced garlic into the olive oil before drizzling it over the broccoli.

Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4-5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Wednesday, 1/5/2011

I marinated three large, bone-in pork chops for our dinner tonight.  I used Grill Mates Peppercorn Garlic marinade packet.  This may have been the first time we used this flavor on pork.  It turned out REALLY good:)  I broiled the chops on high for 8 minutes on the first side and 7 minutes on the other.  I think we agreed that they were done perfectly:)  We had a caesar salad for our side dish. 

When I look back at my previous posts, I see that I frequently marinate the meats we eat.  I don't think I ever marinated or broiled before I met Ben.  So, thanks Ben for introducing me to that method of preparation. 

Wednesday, 11/17/2010

We finished off the left over pork chops and couscous tonight.  I admit, we were too lazy to fix veggies to go with the meal today.  Again, Katie wouldn't try any of the pork and would only eat the couscous.  She is adorable when she says "couscous":)  She is adding more words to her vocabulary every day.

It is impossible to keep track of the words she can say.  She is still only saying a couple words together, and most combinations include the word "it".  For example: have it, want it, need it, hold it, take it.  I'm sure it won't be long before she is stringing more words together.  She is also trying to sing a bit!!!  When we listen to songs on the iPod (high-pod in Katie-speak), she will randomly shout out words she knows.  There are even a few "la, la, la's" during her favorite Caspar Babypants songs:)  What a joy she is!

Monday, 11/15/2010

We had marinated pork chops, roasted garlic and olive oil wheat couscous, and a green salad for dinner.  I marinated the pork chops in Stubb's Pork Marinade for six hours.  I broiled them in the oven on high for 7 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second side.  They were cooked perfectly according to Ben:)  Couscous continues to be a big hit in our house.  Katie loves it, but it is even more messy than rice.  It gets everywhere.  I like how quickly it cooks--only five minutes after the water boils.

For our green salad, I added diced pears and glazed walnuts to sweet butter lettuce.  I dressed the salad with a delicious homemade balsamic vinegar and honey dressing.  A little of this dressing goes a long way.  I have historically used too much when I have made this salad.  Tonight I used less than normal, but it was still too much for Ben.  Even so, he gladly finished his salad.  

Wednesday, 10/27/2010

Tonight we grilled the pork chops that I didn't defrost in time for last night's meal.  The pork chops were part of the bulk meat purchase I made at the beginning of the month.  They were beautiful, bone-in chops that were full of flavor.  We dredged them in Char Crust's roasted garlic and peppercorn dry-rub.  I've been very pleased with how long the dry-rub has lasted us.  It was definitely worth the purchase price.  The pork chops came off the grill moist and delicious.  

We each made an iceberg lettuce wedge salad to go with our chops.  Ben used blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles.  I used Italian dressing on mine.

Note: It's been a busy week since I updated the blog.  I remember what Ben and I ate each day, but can't remember what Katie ate each day.  Forgive me for leaving her off of a couple posts while I catch up:)

Wednesday, 9/29/2010

Tonight we dined on left over pork chops.  I thought we were going to have enough for three meals, but we chopped some up for Katie and will only have enough for two and a half meals.  No, she didn't eat any of the pork we gave her, but she touched it enough that we won't be saving it for later. 

I made a green salad to go with the pork chops.  It included mixed greens, strawberries, and glazed walnuts tossed in poppy seed dressing.  Ben liked it enough to have a second, small helping.  Katie enjoyed her strawberries too. 

Monday, 9/27/2010

I love it when Ben tells me what he wants for dinner.  It saves me the time of trying to come up with something to make.  This morning he said that he was in the mood for pork chops.  I purchased three, pre-packaged, thick-cut chops at Fred Meyer.  Let me pause and say how annoying I find this.  Why do I have to go to a meat counter in order to buy an even number of pork chops?  I want to purchase two or four pork chops at a time, pre-packaged.  To resolve today's odd quantity purchase, I sliced each chop in half.  Ta-da...six chops.  Unfortunately, this means we will be having pork three times this week, instead of two times.  Ugh.  That's a lot of pork.  

I marinated two of the chops in Stubb's Pork Marinade and four of the chops in Grill Mates Zesty Herb Marinade.  Ben had a zesty herb chop, and I had a Stubb's chop.  Katie had an apple cinnamon breakfast bar and raisins for dinner.  She is usually a fan of pork, but tonight she wouldn't touch it.  Katie watched me cut the chops this afternoon and called them bacon.  That's pretty close for a 21-month-old.  Ben and I had a caesar salad on the side. 

Monday, 8/30/2010

Other than beer-battered halibut fillets, I usually don't go for pre-made frozen entrees.  But, tonight I tried something different for dinner. Out of curiosity, I wandered down the frozen dinner aisle at the grocery store.  I found and purchased Fred Meyer's Private Selection brand "Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops".  They were actually pretty good.  Ben said they tasted kind of like his stuffed pork chop recipe.  The chops were stuffed with andouille sausage, red bell pepper, and seasoned rice.  It also seemed like the chops had been rubbed with cajun herbs and spices.  I was rather pleased with the amount of flavor they had.  

Since we came home with a pound of spinach from the birthday party, it seemed appropriate to make a spinach salad to go with our pork chops.  Oh, and we are still drinking left over wine too:)

Wednesday, 8/4/2010

We enjoyed leftover pork chops with stir-fried bell peppers this evening. Katie was kind enough to eat some of the pork today. Yesterday she wouldn't touch it. And, the bell peppers, red and yellow, were really good. Ben sauteed them in olive oil, salt, and minced garlic. I expected to have leftover peppers, but ended up eating 1/2 of them. They were super tasty. Unlike my previous attempts, Ben managed to avoid burning the garlic. Nicely done Ben!

Side note: at 9:40pm, Ben and I polished off the blackberry cobbler with a little ice cream. YUM!

Tuesday, 8/3/2010

Tonight we broiled marinated pork chops for our meal. I marinated them in Grill Mates Zesty Herb Marinade. They were pretty thick chops and would have been better baked than broiled. We had a simple spinach salad--spinach leaves, sunflower seeds, and an Asian sesame dressing. Katie worked on a pb&j sandwich, leftover from lunch.

Tuesday, 5/11/2010

Katie and I did a super quick grocery store run this morning after her breakfast. Usually, when I want to purchase boneless pork chops, I can't find the right quantity or thickness. But today, I hit the jackpot- two pork chops in one package, weighing just under a pound. Plenty for the three of us, plus a little left over for Katie to snack on.

I marinated them in McCormick's Grill Mates Southwest Marinade. We use these marinade packets a lot; all of the flavors are great. Most just take a little water, oil, and vinegar. Although I usually marinate meats for 8-10 hours, today, the pork chops only got an hour or two- didn't matter, they were really good. I grilled them on medium direct for 10-12 minutes. I spooned on extra marinade as I flipped them so that they were good and coated. Ben would have been ok if they were a little less done, but said they were a good compromise. I like my meat cooked more than he does.

For a side dish, we had iceberg lettuce wedge salads. Ben topped his with blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles and added some crumbled bacon I baked earlier in the day. I had some of the bacon and used an Italian dressing. Since Katie doesn't eat salad greens yet, I steamed some broccoli for her. I know, I know...it's crazy that I would cook it for her, but won't eat it myself. Truth be told, Ben won't eat it either. But, I did put it on my plate so that she would see it coming from me. I even pretended to eat a piece she passed to me. Oh the sacrifices I make for my daughter's health:)