Christmas is done and hopefully everyone is a bit more relaxed about entertaining, gift giving and everything else that comes with the holidays. This is the week to relax when everyone is home and together.
I like to make great meals at home and enjoy them with my family. It is nice to go out and give yourself a break, but nothing like cooking a meal at home, from scratch.
This particular one is quite easy to make. I usually don’t end up making pork chops too often. I don’t really care for the pork quality we get in most stores. I tend to stick to local meat from Whole Foods but somehow the pork is not that great. Once cooked, it tends to dry up since it is so lean.
I decided to pick up pork chops and challenge myself. I have seen many time on television how most cooks brine the pork to make it juicier. It is a great idea, but I find it a bit time consuming and laborious. So, I figured out a short cut. I had apple cider in my fridge. I used that as the base and added some salt- a brine has a sweet, tangy and savory element to it. I brined the chops overnight and cooked them the next day with a glaze.
The glaze was again a combination of apple cider, apricot jam and of course- smoked paprika. I am obsessed with smoked paprika right now- I absolutely love the flavor. Well, the chops were amazing with the tangy glaze and amazing roast potatoes. I also served roasted brussels sprouts- recipe to follow.
Click here for the recipe… »
As I was looking at the different dishes I have posted for Thanksgiving, I realized I was missing a soup. I usually don’t serve a soup for the big feast but a lot of people do – I thought I should come up with one that will echo the fall, holiday flavors.
Thanksgiving is not complete without a yummy stuffing. We never make the stuffing from the box- we like the one from scratch. The good thing about homemade stuffing is that you can make it in advance. This could be put together a couple of days before the big dinner and refrigerated or frozen.
I have to eat brussels sprouts on Thanksgiving- it is a must. I like them best roasted till they are nutty and yummy. This particular one of course has Latin flavors- chorizo to be specific. I like the Mexican style chorizo, which is the fresh and uncooked variety. I love the yummy garlic and paprika flavor of this sausage. It enhances any dish to a new level. I have been making brussels sprouts with walnuts and a cream sauce. This one is a bit different- it includes pecans and the delicious sausage. It is a very simple dish to put together and all the prep work, including cutting the brussels sprouts, shallots and pecans. You can do it the day before and put the dish together in the morning. It can be reheated right before you sit down to eat. Enjoy!!
I am very proud of this recipe. I combined a bunch of peppers, garlic and onion and roasted them till they became soft and deliciously nutty. I then blended the veggies with cream and milk- I basically made a cream sauce to be used to make scalloped potatoes. I bought a reasonably priced mandolin. Usually they are quite expensive and not worth the money. They are handy to have around- as they make slicing the potatoes a cinch. I was done in no time. The whole dish took me hardly any time to make.
