Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts

Monday, January 3, 2011

Something Old: Apple Nutmeg Pork Chops

Welcome to a new year, food friends!

My new year's resolutions happen to both be food related (At first they were also vague enough that they'd be hard to fail, but Chase thought specifics would be better. Darn his motivation). Number one is to eat out less. Chase is in on this one. We've set it now at two meals every two weeks. So we could go out once a week and split a meal, or go out once every half a month and each get our own meal. Should be good for our budget and our health.

Second resolution is to keep up with the blog better. I realize that since I'll have to be around the internet a lot for job applications, there's no excuse to miss a post. So two a week, one old recipe and one new one.

Oh, food related news! Chase got me a wok for Christmas! We made lo mein last night with great success, and we're trying out Beef with Broccoli (and ginger!) tonight. There may be a lot of wok cooking happening over here, but I promise to keep mostly to recipes that don't require specialized equipment.

I will say, though, that the wok is awesome and you can get a solid one for about 10 bucks. Worth it.

Enough random blabber (I've missed writing these things!) This is a recipe that Chase and I "invented" early this summer when I first moved up to Columbus. I spotted a picture of this recipe a few days ago (thank you, Facebook) and decided it would be a perfectly delicious way to start the new year.

ps- Chili recipe on Thursday!!

Happy cooking!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Nutmeg Pork Chops June 16, 2010



Ingredients
4 pork chops
3-4 medium apples (Jonathan are ideal), sliced to medium thickness
½ cup sliced red onion
½ cup white wine (whatever's in your fridge)
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
3-4 Tbsp butter
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar. Add apple slices and toss with your hands until the slices are coated.
2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. After the butter is melted, places apples in the pot and give a quick stir. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
3. While the apples cook, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, lightly sear each side of the chops. Salt and pepper each side as you turn them.
4. When each side is browned, remove chops to a plate. Add the sliced onions to the skillet. Place the chops back in the skillet on top of the onions and continue to cook on medium heat (about 10 minutes).
5. When the onions are translucent and the chops are almost cooked through, add the chops, onions and any juice in the skillet into the apple pot (which you've been stirring during the pork chop portion). At this time, also add the white wine. Depending on the depth of your pot, you may need to add an extra splash of wine.
6. Cover the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the pork chops are fully cooked.
7. Serve the chops topped with apples and sauce. Enjoy.

Apples tossed in yummy tastiness. (ps- This is the pic at the top of the blog!)

The onions looked pretty, so I took a pic of them on top of the chops before
cooking them under the chops.


Everything simmered and ready for serving. Happy cooking!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Something Old: Cinnamon White Wine Chicken

I feel as if I've been posting a lot of simple recipes and neglecting the fancier ones. Part of this is because Chase and I tend to get to the end of the week and just want something comforting. But that's no excuse for not giving you something a little fancier for your table.

This recipe holds many good memories for Chase and me. Safe to say it's our go-to romantic recipe, as you'll see in the story below.

Romantic nostalgia aside, it's also a recipe with great depth of flavor and a party-worthy wow factor. Next time you are cooking to impress, try this puppy!

Happy cooking!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cinnamon White Wine Chicken August 25, 2009


It's been awhile! Between helping the boyfriend pack and move away (not my favorite activity), school starting, and a trip up to see my sister, there's been very little cooking beyond basic pasta and sandwiches.

This is
a recipe Chase and I have made before, on our first Valentine's Day in fact, so we decided to make it again as our last meal together before he moved away. Because that's a pretty romantic choice of recipe.

And you know we loved it if we made it twice! It's not as quick as some of the other recipes, but it's still easy and makes great leftovers. This is the perfect thing for a special dinner.

Oh, and did I mention? Leftover wine!

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 peeled and left whole)
¼ cup dry white wine
3 oz. tomato paste
2-3 cups spinach leaves, roughly torn
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Brown rice, cooked according to package directions

Directions
1. Combine salt, pepper and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Toss the chicken pieces in the mixture until completely coated.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
3. Add the onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown.
4. Add the wine and scrape browned bits from the skillet. Let cook until wine is mostly evaporated.
5. Add water, tomato paste, whole garlic clove, and chicken to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
6. While everything is simmering, prepare your brown rice.
7. After 20-30 minutes, add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted.
8. Serve the chicken over rice and top with grated cheese. Enjoy.

Chicken coated in cinnamon topping.

The cooked chicken takes a tomato bath.

All together now.

The extra spinach makes for a beautiful side salad.

Happy cooking!