Porkalicious

Pork noun (1) The fresh or salted flesh of swine when dressed for food (2) government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage
verb, slang To have sexual intercourse


Sometimes, Gentle Reader, I'm at a loss for witty, attention-grabbing ways to open posts. I mean, how many different ways can you introduce another story about a recipe gone wrong?

On our last Monday of freedom from the boy, pork chops were on the menu. Last Friday, I bought a family pack super-cheap at HEB for meals later on, but I had a recipeI really wanted to try and seeing as I how I was having chicken fatigue...well, Monday night here at Chez Boeckman-Walker was all about pork--the noun, not the verb (probably much to the husband's disappointment).

Honey and Spice-glazed Pork Chops1/4 C honey
2 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
4 4-oz. boneless center-cut loin pork chops, about 1/2" thick
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the honey, mustard, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
3. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.
   
4. Cook the chops 2 min. on each side or until browned.
   
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the honey mixture.
   
6. Cook the chops 10 min. or until done, turning them once.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 T glaze)

Nutritional Info
Calories: 321
Fat: 12.1 g
Sat fat: 4.1 g
Protein: 34 g
Carbs: 18.7g
Fiber: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 92 mg
Sodium: 557 mg

The Faudie's Futzings
Surprisingly, I didn't futz with this one at all. I will say this: I'm not sure if my chops were center-cut or not, and I'm not sure how it could possibly matter, except perhaps for nutritional considerations. I don't know enough about pork cuts to know for sure.

I also only thawed three chops since I'd bagged up the family pack into four or five three-chop portions for freezing. Because I only had three and perhaps because they might have been a bit smaller than 4 ounces each, I had a lot of glaze. Not that I'm complaining! It was absolutely delicious and would probably make a great glaze for chicken. Very flavorful and very easy to make--my favorite kind of "extra touch" to make yet another chicken breast a little different.

Of course, my taste buds might be too unworldly to really judge this dish. For many folks, some condiment combining honey and Dijon--or ersatz versions thereof--probably is well known to them, so this dish might be nothing spectacular for those people. I myself never have consumed a honey-mustard preparation: not as a dipping sauce for pressed-chicken-meat-particulates nuggets, not as a sauce atop a burger or a steak or as a dressing for a salad. Yes, I know, Gentle Reader, I really need to get out more and try new things. But I prefer to do that at home, where I'm in control of the ingredients and have a lot better idea of what's going in to the foods I eat.

To accompany the pork chops, I whipped up a batch of jerky couscous, sans the chicken (obviously).
Since I wouldn't be adding chicken that had been dosed with jerk seasoning, I added a tablespoon (might have been two) of it to the chicken broth before boiling and a tablespoon to the spicy vinegar-olive oil concoction ya pour over the cooked couscous. Delicious!

And now to close the post, here's another fun pork-related bit of pop culture. Enjoy!

Watch 1x06 This Little Piggy in Animation | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Wonder Pig Rocks My World!