Table Talk: Sauteed Pork Chops with Quick Apple-Ginger Chutney

I knew I would like this week's recipe because I really like the combination of apples and pork chops.   And this didn't disappoint.

I couldn't find boneless pork chops.  I bought a roast and sliced it into chops.  It would have been better with a tenderloin, but I couldn't find one of those either.  And when your kids are relay racing through the store, sometimes you just have to grab something that says 'pork' and get the heck outta there.

I was a little nervous to brine my pork.  The last time I soaked a turkey in brine it turned into a ham, no joke.  (I was not happy.  It was the worst day ever.  I love turkey and tolerate ham.  And it was Thanksgiving.  The pilgrims didn't serve ham at Thanksgiving!)  When I saw brine in the recipe I had flashbacks to that horrid day, but then I saw that it was only for 30 minutes to an hour and not 3 days.  And also, it's already a pork product, right?  Ham goes well with apples.

Guess what!  They stayed pork chops.  Weird, right?

I didn't feel like my chutney really 'thickened' but it got to the point I was worried that there wouldn't be any juice left if I didn't say enough was enough. 

I would make this again for sure, I liked the ginger in there but I might add a little less next time and maybe try to puree the chutney.  Can I call it a 'chutney' if I puree it?  Tyler isn't a fan of cooked fruit with meat, but he really liked the sauce.  Or I guess I could just double the sauce ingredients and not give him any 'chunks' on his plate.  Or I could just tell him to eat it and quit being such a baby.  And maybe I could stop rambling.

If you'd like to try this week's recipe, you can get it at Michelle's blog (or you can buy the book).  She was our lovely hostess for the week and chose the recipe.  Thanks for the great pick Michelle!

Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce and Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I know it's Halloween.  I should be posting some kind of gruesome thing to eat.  Like those witches fingers or eyeball cupcakes or something.  But alas, I have no such post.  If it makes you feel better, it's a dead pig. ;)  

When I was growing up we used to eat pork chops with cream of mushroom soup over rice quite often and I loved it.  This is kind of a play on that but I think tastes a little fresher and is a bit healthier. We had it with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes but you could serve it with white or brown rice.  I had a pork roast in the freezer that I cut into pork chops but you could definitely buy them already cut.  This is a pretty painless recipe with few ingredients and not a lot of supervision.  I hope you like it as much as we did. :)

Almost Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos

I don't think I can call this actual Cafe Rio burritos since I didn't get the recipe from the restaurant itself. When I first got this recipe (from a friend at church), I didn't even know what Cafe Rio was.  I was sheltered.  I made it anyway because it seemed to be a big deal and I have been making it regularly ever since.  I have changed it a bit and I think I have it about how I like it. So if you like Cafe Rio (or Surfin' Tacos for my Hawaii friends), then you might like this.  The original recipe makes a ton and calls for a 5 lb pork roast.  I have scaled it back to be a bit more realistic.  Today when I made it, I only used a 1 lb pork roast and it was still plenty for our family of 4, leftovers included.