What’s for Dinner?

Sometimes (a lot of the time), taking the time to cook a healthy and tasty meal just seems like too much work and always seems to take too long. You sit there for an hour mincing and chopping and burning just to wolf it down and fall asleep on the couch. Well, there are two things wrong with that description of dinner. I thought I would address the first with a meal that I really enjoy making that is SUPER simple. That takes care of the time factor. While not a “set it and forget it” meal its very close.

The second part has to do with wolfing it down and falling asleep. If I were French I would say something like “Pfft. You Americans *grumble grumble* pffft!” But I am not French so I will say this “Appreciate your food!” Taste it. Talk about it. Think about it. Enjoy it and respect it. You took the time to cook it now take the time to taste it. I don’t really care if it tastes bad. Chew it and appreciate it and maybe try to figure out why it doesn’t taste so good and maybe how to make it better next time. Maybe I am being too critical by associating this lack of respect for food with our country *cough* McDonalds *cough* but I am tired of getting weird looks when I try to discuss the meal when I am out with friends at dinner. Food comes so easily now for most of us that I guess it is easy to take it for granted but take some time with it and you might learn something new.

Now on with the recipes!

Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Summary: Quick easy sprouts

Ingredients

• Brussel Sprouts – As many as you like
• Salt – your call, I like to give them a good coating
• Pepper – same as salt
• Oil – A few glugs

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss your brussel sprouts in a bowl with the oil, salt and pepper.
3. Throw these onto a baking sheet and place in the oven.
4. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Give them a shake every so often to make sure they are cooking evenly
5. Thats it!

Recipe: Roasted Carrots

Summary: Another quick veggie for dinner

Ingredients

• Carrots – about a pound works best for me
• Salt – a smattering
• Pepper – ditto
• Garlic Cloves – 3 to 5 smashed
• Olive Oil – a glug or two
• Red Wine Vinegar – a splash

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Clean up your carrots (wash ans scrub or peel)
3. Toss the carrots in the bowl with the oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and cloves.
4. Put them in an oven safe dish and cover tightly with tin foil.
5. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.
6. You can take the foil off and finish them for 10 more minutes to give them some nice color too.
7. Done!

Recipe: Pan Fried Pork Chops with a Simple Shallot Sauce

Summary: Really quick and easy pork chops

Ingredients

• Pork Chops – 2 or 3
• Oil – a glug or two to fry
• Salt and Pepper
• Shallot – half (for 2 chops) to a whole (for 3 or 4)
• Cooking wine – A splash to deglaze
• Stock or water – you can use chicken or vegetable
• Butter about 1 to 2 tablespoons

Instructions

1. Season your chops with salt and pepper
2. Add a glug of oil to the pan and begin cooking
3. After about 4 mins check the chops, they should be nice and golden. Time to flip!
4. After about 4 more minutes they should be done but if they are very thick you might need to give it more time. Give one a little cut and see. If they are done, remove to a plate.
5. Hopefully you are using a stainless steel pan and have some nice brown gook clinging on. This is Fond. It’s magic. Its little browned pieces of meat that stick onto your pan. Here is what you do with it…
6. Toss a few glugs of stock in there and use a spoon or spatula to rub it over some of that Fond, it should come off and turn the mixture brown. Now add your shallots, butter and cooking wine and simmer it up. You only need to do this for a few minutes. Use your taste buds to know when it’s done.
7. Drizzle the sauce over the chops, plat them with some sprouts and carrots and you are done!
8. Enjoy!

Quick Notes

I don’t measure too often so I apologize for generalizing. If you don’t know use a little and then add more, you can always add more.

Posted: February 22nd, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: Recipes | 5 Comments »

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