Day One-Hundred Seventeen - Grilled Pork Chops with Spice Paste (5.30.14)

Ingredients

• 4 (3 lbs total) bone-in pork loin chops
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for grates
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oil, sugar, salt, paprika, pepper and cayenne until a paste forms. Coat pork chops with paste and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 3).
2. Heat grill to medium-high; clean and lightly oil hot grates. Grill pork, covered, 5 minutes per side for medium. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Opinions

Potter: These were hands-down the best pork chops I have ever had. They came out super juicy and the flavors were amazing. It had just a hint of heat and sweet but was definitely a savory dish. You should definitely give these a try especially considering how quick and easy they are to make.

Katie: These pork chops were amazing. They were the best at home chops I've had - the flavors were great and the pork remained juicy! I've had comparable/slightly better in a higher end restaurant but I do feel these gave that dish of chops a run for it's money. I definitely plan on enjoying these again and highly recommend to others! :)

Day One-Hundred Sixteen - Pesto Bow Ties with Peas (5.29.14)

Ingredients

• 1 tube (2.8 oz) Amore Pesto Paste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz bow tie pasta
• 6-7 oz frozen peas
• 1/2 cup grated (or shredded) Parmesan cheese
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Whisk together the pesto paste and olive oil in a large bowl.
3. Add bow tie pasta, peas, and salt to taste to boiling water.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender yet still firm to the bite. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set it aside (if desired for thinning the sauce). 
5. Drain pasta and add it to the bowl with the sauce. Toss well, adding some of the hot pasta water as desired to thin the sauce.
6. Add the grated cheese and black pepper to taste. Toss again. Serve hot.

Opinions

Potter: This tasted pretty good. It was a very quick very easy recipe with a lot of room for options (see Katie's opinion below). I'm a big fan of pesto in general but I've never used the paste before, turns out it tastes pretty darn good. Next time we'll have to try and make our own home-made pesto and see if we can beat it.

Katie: This pasta dish was good. The recipe definitely leaves room for testing out different things. You can use various pastas, green vegetables, cheese and also could add some other spices. It didn't take long to make so it is a good one to have when time is tight.

Day One-Hundred Fifteen - Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (5.28.14)

Ingredients

• 1 tube frozen biscuits (if using smaller tubes, suggest using 2)
• 1 package breakfast sausage
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• Pepper to taste
• Paprika (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven as directed on biscuit packaging.
2. Brown the breakfast sausage.
3. Add 1 Tbsp flour and 1/2 cup milk, stir until well mixed and thickening up. Repeat twice.
4. Add pepper to taste and stir.
5. Serve gravy over biscuits. Sprinkle paprika on top if desired.

Opinions

Katie: I am a big fan of biscuits and gravy and love making it. It is an easy dish and even though there is your typical recipe as above you have flexibility to shake up the ingredients and try new things. I used hot breakfast sausage for this batch which didn't need any additional seasoning and they turned out great.

Potter: I love me some biscuits and gravy. This batch was delicious, I even had some for leftovers. Super-easy, super-fast recipe. Definitely give this one a try.

Day One-Hundred Fourteen - Chicken Schnitzel (5.27.14)

Ingredients

• 4 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (or more) whole wheat (or regular) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour on a plate. Beat eggs and Dijon mustard to blend in a shallow baking dish. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow baking dish, adding remaining 1 cup panko, or more, to dish as needed throughout process. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, then dip into egg mixture, turning to coat evenly; carefully coat with panko, pressing panko gently to adhere to chicken. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (pan should be large enough to hold 2 breasts). Add 2 chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter to skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Transfer chicken breasts to plates and garnish each with parsley and a lemon wedge.

Opinions

Potter: This turned out absolutely delicious. I have no idea what exactly distinguishes schnitzel from fried chicken, maybe is the mustard, but either way this was great fried chicken. Juicy on the inside and amazingly crispy on the outside. I definitely recommend giving this one a try, make sure to watch it fry because it only took about 4 minutes to cook. 

Katie: This dish was great. I really don't have anything to add to what Potter states above as he captured it all. Try it out!

Day One-Hundred Thirteen - Gyros (5.26.14)

We ordered from Athens Gyros tonight. They were delicious and huge. Definitely give this place a try if you like gyros!

Day One-Hundres Twelve - BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (5.25.14)

Day three of our Memorial Day weekend the group meal was barbeque pulled pork sandwiches. They were delicious. We don't have the recipe from our friend, but if we get it we will update this post. It seemed to be a pretty straightforward, simple recipe for pulled pork, but not certain. The flavor was sweeter opposed to spicy.

Day One-Hundred Eleven - Steak Kabobs (5.24.14)

Night number two of Memorial Day weekend was steak kabobs. We didn't grab a picture for this dish either, oops! Take our word for it though, they were well plated and appearance was mouth watering.

Marinade Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)

Other Ingredients

• 4 1/2 lb top sirloin (could use any meat)
• 6 bell peppers
• 3-4 medium onions
• kabob skewers

Instructions

1. Cut bell peppers and onions into square pieces (about 1-in x 1-in).
2. Remove marinated meat from refrigerator and stir.
3. Assemble kabob by alternating meat, peppers and onions as desired.
4. Grill kabobs to desired doneness.

Opinions

Potter: They were delicious. We marinated the meat all day then prepped the kabobs with fresh onions and multiple colored bell peppers.

Katie: The kabobs were great! I think the best I've had. Marinating the meat all day definitely paid off and the flavors were awesome. The only thing I would have changed was maybe keeping them on the grill a bit longer to get more char on the edges, but that is a fine line since you don't want to overcook the meat.