Recipe(tried): September Pork Chop Dinner....

Hello Friends,

It is a beautiful sunny day and the skies are sooo blue with puffy clouds floating by...now I hear and see on the tv that there's a tropical depression developing and they are keeping a close eye on it. I always get a bit concerned when they send a second plane up to check it out. Let's hope it doesn't become Hurricane Florence...

Tonight's menu is:

Orange-Mustard Glazed Stuffed Pork Chops
Lemon Rice Pilaf
Grilled Sugar Spiced Maple Sweet Potato Slices
Poached Pear with Yogurt Sauce

Enjoy!

Orange Mustard Glazed Stuffed Pork Chops

4 pork chops, thick enough for stuffing
(Marinate in juice of 2 sour oranges, 2 minced garlic, couple of fresh rosemary leaves, salt and pepper in fridge for at least 2 hours)

Stuffing:
2 T. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 c. bread cubes
2 T. chopped parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. grated orange peel
3 T. orange juice
1/2 c. golden raisins

Preheat oven to 375. Saute onion, celery and garlic in butter til tender. Add bread cubes and brown slightly. Remove from heat and add parsley, salt, orange peel, orange juice and raisins. Stir to blend well. Take pork chops out of marinade and brown in a skillet with a little olive oil. Stuff pockets in pork chops. Put chops on a rack over a pan filled with 1/2 inch water. Cover pan and chops with foil and bake 375 for 1 hour and 30 mts.

Orange Mustard Glaze:

1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. lite brown sugar
2 T. dijon mustard
1/4 c. orange marmalade
2 T. vinegar

Combine all ingred. in a small saucepan and simmer 15 mts.

Remove foil from chops. Por off water. Brush chops with glaze and bake 30 mts. more basting every 5-10 mts.

LEMON RICE PILAF

serves 2

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup long-grain rice
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon peel, chopped
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

In a small heavy saucepan cook the onion with the coriander and the ground bay leaf in 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the rice and cook it, stirring, until it is coated
with the butter. Add the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, covered, and
simmer the mixture for 17 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the
rice is tender. Stir in the chopped lemon peel and the scallion greens, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, and salt and pepper to taste.Grilled Sugar Maple Spiced Sweet Potato Slices

2 sweet potatoes
1 large zip-lock bag
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 butter pats
alum. foil

Wash sweet potatoes and slice lenghthwise about 1/4-inch thick. Place maple syrup, cinnamon, and brown sugar in zip lock bag, add sliced sweet potatoes and let air out before you seal up. Mush with your fingers so that all the slices are coated. Marinate in fridge tiol ready to cook.

When ready to grill, place entire contents of bag in foil and close up, poke some vent holes on top so steam can escape and put on grill for about 5-7 mts. You want them to be tender but retain crispness somewhat. Take out of foil and grill so that you can sear them a bit.

Poached Pear with Yogurt Sauce

2 pears, peeled, cored and sliced in half
water to cover 1 inch in sauce pan
1 T. sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
peach swiss-style yogurt

Put pear halves in a small saucepot with enough water to cover 1 inch over. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over and bring to slow simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes til tender. Put halves in individual serving dishes and spoon yogurt over.