Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

The first time I made this was with my husband. We saw it on America's Test Kitchen and it was fantastic! But a few weeks ago, when I searched for the recipe I couldn't find it again. Thanks to Smitten Kitchen this is the same thing! It's fabulous. I love how this method makes sure the entire pork chop stays crunchy. No soggy breadcrumbs here. You've got to try it. (by the way if you go to her blog, she has GORGEOUS prep pictures)

Enjoy!

{CRUNCHY BAKED PORK CHOPS}

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4 (6-8 oz.) boneless center-cut pork chops 

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread

1 small shallot, minced

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press 

2 T. vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 T. Romano cheese, grated (or Parmesan)
1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
2 T. minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 c. plus 6 T.  flour
3 large egg whites
3 T. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle of oven. Tear bread into 1 inch pieces. Place in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet. Add and toss in shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool bread crumbs to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, Small lumps will still be in the batter, so don't freak out.

Increase oven to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack really well with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Easter Treat: Rice Krispie Bird's Nest

This is great for little kids, but I've got to be honest, they taste pretty darn good too! But I'm kind of a sucker for rice krispie treats. 

We made this today with our little joy school group. The kids were so excited putting the grass on and the eggs. They were adorable. 

Enjoy!

{RICE KRISPIE BIRD'S NEST}

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1/4 c. butter or margarine

1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows

6 c. Cocoa Rice Krispies (I usually do less, because I like them gooey)

Frosting (make your life easier by just using canned)

Shredded Coconut

Green food coloring

Jelly Beans  

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter for 30 seconds. Add marshmallows and stir until they are coated in the melted butter. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until marshmallows and butter are melted and fully incorporated.

Form rice krispie treats into muffin pan. After they sit for a few minutes, go back and push down the centers to form a bowl shape for the nest.

In a small mixing bowl, stir the green food coloring into the shredded coconut to color it green. 

Put a dab of frosting in the bowl of the nests. This acts as a "glue" to keep the grass in place. Sprinkle the green coconut (grass), on top of the frosting.  Finish with jelly beans for the eggs.

Creamy Ravioli & Spinach Soup {CROCK POT}

 

I'm running out of time to post soup recipes while we're still experiencing winter weather. It's been such a mild winter here, but I know from the past {almost} 30 years {yikes!} that we will get more snow here in Utah before we're through. So keep this soup recipe handy for the next cold evening!

This was such a sophisticated and elegant soup. If you can really say that about soup. I guess I just did. I absolutely loved it and would have happily paid full price for it at a restaurant. Lucky for me, I didn't have to. Plus, I got to eat it for a few days in a row!

It was also divine with this side dish. Let me tell you about this. No doubt you've had bread with oil & vinegar. But not like this...This is Costco's Rosemary herb bread. And the dip is Basil Olive Oil and Fig Balsamic Vinegar with grated Romano cheese. Holy smokes!! Talk about flavor overload. It was the BEST version of bread and oil, I've EVER EVER EVER had.

So where do you get these flavors of oil & vinegar? Well, it was a gift to us, but the wise gift-givers got it from the Mountain Town Olive Oil Company. I have yet to go in there, but once we're out of these bottles, you can bet I'll be making a trip there to refill. Divine!

Enjoy!

{CREAMY RAVIOLI & SPINACH SOUP}

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1 envelope alfredo sauce mix

4 c. water

1 (14.oz) can vegetable broth

1 1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen cheese ravioli (the original recipe called for tortellini, but I had a hard time finding it)

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

6 c. fresh baby spinach leaves

Ground black pepper

Finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

Place dry white sauce mix in a 4 quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in ravioli. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour more or high for 45 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. Sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and shredded Romano cheese.

Source: www.bhg.com