Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

I have been cooking. Promise. But finding time for cooking is not the same thing as finding time for blogging, unfortunately.

For Christmas Eve dinner I adapted a recipe for pheasant with wild-rice stuffing from the City Tavern Cookbook and applied to it to three Cornish hens. I think it was ok, but the burgundy marinade was probably a bit overpowering for the hens. Here they are ready to be roasted:

Finished product:

The most ambitious part of that endeavor was my first try at homemade demi-glace. I'm not a patient person, and demi-glace requires patience. Let's just say that. I think mine was too watery, but it did taste good.

What I'm really excited about, however, is the iPad I received for my birthday. I've used it several times already, along with the AllRecipes.com iPad application, which I really enjoy. Of course any user-upload site for recipes can be hit or miss, but I do find that the reviews on AllRecipes usually tell the tale pretty well. (Sidenote: If you make a recipe, but change over 50% of the ingredients, don't bother reviewing that recipe! This is a huge petpeeve of mine...a few substitutions, sure...but if you change the fundamental makeup of the recipe, you are no longer using THAT recipe).

At any rate, I wanted to plug this breaded pork chop recipe:
Parmesan Sage Pork chops

I have access to really great pork chops every weekend at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market, so I'm always on the lookout for good recipes. I really loathe dry pork chops, and previous attempts to bread them have always come up short. Not this one. The sage and lemon keep everything light, but the breading really seals in the flavors. I always use bone-in porkchops, but I imagine it would work well with cutlets as well.

Served here with salad of haricots verts and shaved watermelon radish:

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More October 2009 Real Simple Recipes

I've been enjoying the "A Month of Easy Dinners" issue of Real Simple (October 2009). I hope to try all of them, but some of them may have to wait until next Fall. This week, however, I managed to make the " Ravioli with Apples and Walnuts " and " Meatballs with Sautéed chard ". RAVIOLI WITH APPLES AND WALNUTS Modifications: I added some andouille chicken sausage we had in the fridge. Rating: 3.5/5 stars Notes: very good in concept and I liked the apples with the spicy sausage. I did find the dish to be too dry, however, and think I will toss it all in some truffle oil next time. Nice balance of flavors. MEATBALLS WITH SAUTÉED CHARD Modifications: none (served with whole-wheat couscous instead of suggested baguette) Rating: 4/5 stars Notes: really loved these meatballs--would make easy appetizers for a party, too. The combination of pine nuts, currants, cinnamon and pork gave them a Mediterranean taste and the moisture from the chard kept them fro

Winter Farmers Market: Sautéed Scallops and Herbed Rice

Somerville, MA is a great city. I love living here, and this year's new Winter Farmer's Market just added to my joy. It runs between now and March, and it has been inspiring to see people trudging out in the cold, ice and snow, to the Armory (yes, the market is inside). This past Saturday, I stocked up on locally grown leeks and potatoes, grabbed some hot Italian sausage from Stillman's , and then ventured upstairs to buy some FRESH FISH from Jordan Brothers Seafood. Yes, that's right: haddock from Gloucester, and scallops from Maine. Not frozen--fresh. When she showed me the scallops I might have cried, just a little. Oh, and I picked up a baguette, brioche, and potato bread. Scallops don't require a lot of fuss, but are easy to overcook. I pulled out my San Juan Classics Cookbook (San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, not Puerto Rico) and went straight to the shellfish section where I found a recipe for "Sautéed Prawns or Scallops" from Thibert

Quinoa Pilaf with Artichokes, Leeks and Sugar Snap Peas

More Quinoa! This was healthy, easy, and, "a way I actually *like* quinoa" as reported by my husband. The recipe is here , and I made the following notes: stir the quinoa in the oil and leeks for 2-3 minutes before adding the broth definitely use low-sodium chicken broth---quinoa absorbs salt very well and I found that the regular chicken broth was too salty. If you are using homemade stock or veggie broth, you are probably fine. I will add the snap peas last next time (with the artichoke hearts). I like my peas to retain their "snap." This is really a terrific meal for summer or to bring to a potluck.

THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

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