Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

Once in a while, a recipe comes along in your life that is so good, you just have to make it over and over. It becomes a regular for your family or when entertaining guests. Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops is such a recipe. Let me tell you how much we love these chops!

My mouth starts to water just looking at these pictures. Juicy, thick cut pork chops cooked and then smothered in the most delicious sweet caramelized onion, bacon, and apple cider sauce; tangy, bright, and full of flavor that tastes incredible! For the onion hater... I hate onions too. Really. I make this confession because I LOVE them in this recipe. They are delicious and I don't feel like I'm eating onion. Seriously, this recipe is an absolute joy to cook! Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops will make you feel like a skilled chef whipping up a masterpiece; yet with a little prep it's super easy and fast~about 30 minutes. Your home will be filled with a mouth watering aroma that foretells of greatness to come. I am being dramatic, but it's true! It's hard to describe just how lovely this recipe turns out until you try it for yourself. You'll never serve pork chops the same way again.

This recipe calls for thick cut pork chops; they should be about one-inch thick. I sometimes have difficulty finding thick chops, most are cut to just half the thickness needed. I've had success most times at good ol' Walmart. I purchase the chops specifically marked "Thick cut". Thin chops just don't withstand the cooking time in this recipe and will over cook~ turning into the standard 'dry as leather' pork chop.

The other main ingredient in this recipe is the apple cider. When in season, you have lots of varieties to choose from. Go for cider that is opaque, (you can't see through the juice) thick with apple pulp. I've found this creates the most exceptional flavor for this recipe. Out of season it can be near impossible to find this kind of cider. Not to fret, I turn to a supermarket staple that is always around- Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. It does great in a pinch. Plus you can drink the rest with your meal and it makes a lovely pairing with the main dish!

My most favorite part of cooking these up is frying the bacon, onion, bay leaves and Thyme for the sauce. There is something about cooking this combination of ingredients together that sends a heavenly aroma into the air. I am a lover of fresh herbs and they are amazing in this dish. If you can't find some sprigs of thyme at the store, use ground/powdered thyme. It will dissolve into the liquids yet still flavor the sauce well. This is one recipe that you definitely should read through entirely before starting. I like to prep all my ingredients for this recipe before I start. Doing so ensures you have a great experience with it. Enjoy!

Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 boneless, skinless pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 slices of bacon, minced
• 1 sweet or yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pat meat dry on both sides with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12 inch metal skillet (try to avoid non-stick for this recipe) on medium high. Brown the chops well on just one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the minced bacon to the skillet and cook until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Mix in onion, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and a pinch of salt, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The onion should just be beginning to brown. Remove the lid and continue cooking and stirring often for another 5 minutes or until the onion is well browned.

3. Gently stir in the cider, again scraping up browned bits. Nestle pork chops into the pan, browned side up. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until center of chop registers 140 degrees, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer pork chops to a plate and cover with foil to rest. As it rests, return onion sauce to a simmer. Whisk together the corn starch, water and mustard, then whisk the mixture into the sauce. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour onion sauce over chops and serve.

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Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon

Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon is a deliciously beautiful and simple Italian supper that only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, it's a great recipe to treat yourself after a long and stressful day.

The key to moist, tender shrimp is to be careful not to overcook them. Seafood is notorious for cooking up very quickly, especially little critters like scallops and shrimp, which you can take advantage of if looking for a quick meal. In this recipe, follow the visual cues and the shrimp will finish cooking off heat, giving you shrimp perfection.

If you can only find whole shrimp that is not peeled or de-veined at your grocery store, you will need to add

about 15 or so extra minutes to the prep time as you'll need to de-vein and peel the shrimp at home. I find the easiest way to do this is to use a sharp paring knife. Cut a shallow slit down the back of each shrimp. Pull the shell off and discard it. You should see a little black 'line'; that's the vein. With the tip of the blade, lift up and loosen the vein and pull it out. Touch it to the paper towel. It should stick, then you can easily move on to the next shrimp. Most grocery stores carry de-veined, easy peel shrimp, so hopefully you won't have to worry about this step anyway ;0)

If you love shrimp, you'll love this recipe. Shrimp scampi is definitely my favorite way to enjoy shrimp, and this recipe is a play on the scampi flavors with the addition of  pasta and  a light sauce to make it a great weeknight meal. Enjoy!

A few time saving tips: Mince the onion and press the garlic before you begin the recipe. The lemon can be squeezed (for fresh lemon juice) and parsley minced in step 4 while the pasta is cooking.


This recipe adapted from

Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic and Lemon

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 to 6 servings)

• 1 and 1/4 pounds large shrimp (about 31 to 40) peeled and deveined
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 6 separate tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved into 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 pound of linguine
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (or regular parsley if flat leaf is not available)

Instructions

1. Set a large dutch oven or stockpot with 4 quarts of water over high heat on the stove for the pasta.

2. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt, a pinch of fresh ground pepper and the sugar to season it. In a 12 inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat until it's just beginning to turn brown. Add the shrimp, and arrange them quickly so they are in a single layer in the pan. Cook for 1 minute without moving them. Stir and continue to cook until they are spotty brown and just pink at the edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and cover tightly with foil. Set aside.

3. Now add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet until melted. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes, stir and cook for about 30 seconds, and add in 1/2 cup of broth. It will sizzle quite a bit, that's normal. As it boils, scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. When it's nearly evaporated (about 2 minutes) add in the rest of the broth and the dissolved cornstarch mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, another 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside.

4. The pot of water for the pasta should be boiling at this point. Add the linguine and 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al-dente. (There should be directions on the package for this.) You can take this time to squeeze the juice from the lemon and mince the parsley, stopping occasionally to stir the pasta. When the pasta is done, scoop out about 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

5. Add in the remaining two tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, parsley, sauce and reserved shrimp (including any shrimp juice that may have accumulated) into the linguine. Toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, adding the pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Baked Gnocchi with Basil Tomato Sauce

Here it is, my favorite recipe for gnocchi!

The gnocchi is baked in a tomato and fresh basil sauce made from scratch, topped with a heaping portion of shredded Mozzarella (the good kind, not that low-moisture skim stuff). If you've never heard of gnocchi, see my last post on Easy Fresh Gnocchi.

This is so fast and easy to make, you'll love that it can be cooked up any week night you feel like comfort food. It goes from the cupboard to the dinner plate in less than 30 minutes!

You can use store bought or your own home made gnocchi. If using my recipe for gnocchi and you've frozen it, boil it first before making this recipe. Keep in mind this will add about 10 extra minutes of prep time to your schedule. If you are using store bought, you can proceed immediately with the recipe. Partially cooked packaged gnocchi can be found in most supermarkets in the pasta isle.

For this recipe, the gnocchi is sauteed in olive oil in a NON STICK SKILLET (please make sure you use a nonstick skillet, ask me how I know) until lightly browned and crunchy on the exterior, (Which is absolutely fabulous on it's own; think fried potatoes.) A simple fresh tomato sauce is then made with minced onion, garlic, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a can of crushed tomato and lots of freshly chopped basil. The fried gnocchi are tossed in this sauce, and topped off with shredded mozzarella. The the whole shebang is popped into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

If you have a large oven safe nonstick skillet, you can pop the whole thing into the oven. If not, simply transfer the tossed gnocchi and sauce into a dish that is oven safe. The cheese is melted into bubbly gooiness in the oven, really putting this dish over the top! Italian cooking at it's finest. A meal you'd probably spend $18 bucks on at some fancy restaurant, and you can enjoy it at home for about $2 a serving! Great cooking at home comes with practice, but a great recipe will give you a tremendous head start :0)

Baked Gnocchi with Basil Tomato Sauce

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound vacuum packed gnocchi or homemade
• 1/2 onion minced
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle and set oven to heat to 475 degrees.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet (If you have one that is oven safe, use it.) over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the gnocchi and saute until golden brown and crispy on the outside, transfer to a dish.

3. Increase the heat to medium high and add the remaining olive oil and the onion. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. stir in the crushed tomato and water and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the basil and browned gnocchi to pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, until the gnocchi is heated through about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to an oven safe dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella, or if using an oven safe dish, sprinkle the cheese over the pan, and slide into the oven. Bake the gnocchi for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in some spots. Serve.

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Fresh Easy Gnocchi

Guh...Juh... what's that you say? Pinocchio? No, it's Gnocchi! If you've never heard of it don't worry, its not exactly a standard household staple just yet. (Not in the US anyway.) Gnocchi (pronounced 'Nyo-kee') is an Italian potato pasta that is quickly gaining popularity for it's delicious flavor and unusual shape. It can be sauteed, baked or added to soup. Basically anything you can do with pasta you can do with gnocchi!

Fresh pasta always starts out as a dough and gnocchi is no different. Gnocchi dough is made by kneading mashed potato with egg, olive oil, salt and flour. The finished dough should not be sticky but very silky and smooth. I use instant mashed potatoes made from potato pearls, as they the perfect consistency. I save myself the work of mashing, and I don't have a ricer to make super smooth mashed potatoes. The traditionalist would boil a couple russets until super soft, and peel then mash while still hot. The mashed potato needs to be very warm/hot to help absorb the flour and other ingredients.

Then comes the fun! It's play dough time. The little kid deep down inside gets to come out as you roll the dough into long 'snakes' and then cut it into small pieces.

Here's a fun fact about pasta: It's different shapes are mean to 'hold' different types of sauces. For example, long thin strand pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine is for silky, thin sauces with small bits of food. Tubular or shelled pastas are shaped to hold chunkier, thicker sauces.

Gnocchi have 'ribs' or 'grooves' pressed into them so that they too can hold pasta sauce. They are very versatile and can be used for thin or thick sauce (ragu).  If you find you really like to make gnocchi at home, you can be super authentic and get a gnocchi board (a small hand-held wooden board with grooves that run the length). I'm all about saving money and prefer to use something we all have in the kitchen: a dinner fork.

Something I really love about making gnocchi at home is that I can make a huge batch and freeze them for

later. After rolling ridges into the gnocchi, skip the boiling step and simply lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Pop then in the freezer for about an hour. Scoop them into freezer bags by the handful and you've got a great versatile pasta ready to become a fast weeknight meal! When you're ready to use them, plop them strait into a boiling pot of water, or even spread them out on a baking sheet and cook them in a 350 degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes for a crispy exterior (which is my favorite way to eat them). I hope you have fun creating these cuties at home. I'll be sharing my favorite recipe for baked gnocchi in my next post, so make sure you follow my blog so you don't miss it :0)

Homemade Gnocchi

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 45 minuts

Cook Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

1.Place the very warm mashed potato on a heavily floured surface. Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour around the edges of the mashed potato. Add the egg yolk, salt and oil in a small depression or 'well' in the center of the mashed potato and begin to incorporate with a fork. When thoroughly mixed, begin incorporating flour into the potato mixture by hand.

2. Knead dough, adding more and more flour until the dough is no longer sticky and very smooth and soft. Pull a small handful of dough away and roll it into a long skinny 'snake' on your work surface approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. With a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 3/4 to 1 inch-sized pieces. Repeat with all the remaining dough.

3. Set a large pot of generously salted water on the stove to boil. With a fork, press and roll dough pieces along the tines (starting at the top and rolling downward) to create ridges all around each piece of pasta. At this point some prefer to let them sit out for an hour to dry and firm up a bit. But they are just fine to cook immediately too. Place the gnocchi into salted boiling water (in batches if needed, so as not to crowd the pot). When they float to the top they are done, so scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Place them in another bowl with ice water.

4. When all the gnocchi have been cooked and placed in the ice water, drain the water and drizzle olive oil over the gnocchi or a large spoonful of your sauce and toss to coat. This prevents the pasta from sticking together. Store in the fridge covered with a plate, not plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, make or heat your sauce, add the gnocchi and warm on the stove top or oven. Serve.

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Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

A plate of Quick Italian Sausage Dinner. Look at that color!

I love the intense color and flavor of this recipe. You'll love that it's done in less that 30 minutes. It's a win win combination for any weeknight meal.

No these are not beats. They are purple potatoes :0)

One of the perks of living in Idaho is that we can enjoy an amazing diversity of potatoes.Yes, those really are purple potatoes! Were you as surprised to see purple potatoes as I was? I was very skeptical at first, until I cut into one. I was shocked as deep purple juice dripped onto my cutting board and even more delighted when I opened the potato to reveal an intensely colored flesh. Let me be the first to say they taste great, just like any other potato. I was told to avoid making them into mashed potatoes (the color was unappealing because adding milk, butter, etc. just makes them look grey). Once I knew what to avoid, I decided exactly which dish I would prepare them in.  Quick Italian Sausage Dinner!

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner is one of our new favorite weeknight meals.
It's a savory meat and potatoes dish that is very

quick and easy to prepare. I choose one red bell pepper and an orange or yellow one for a mix of bright colors. The recipe calls for red potatoes, but I wanted to try the purple ones we brought home from the farmer's market. This recipe makes a lot of delicious sauce too, and I love dipping a thick slice of crusty bread in to sop it up from my dish.

When preparing this recipe, I personally prefer to remove the sausage casings before I cut the meat into chunks. I just take my knife and gently run it down the full length of each sausage and pull it off. If you don't have an extra minute to do this that's totally fine. The casing shrinks a bit when cooked and makes the sausages have a bit of an hour glass shape :0)

This is definitely a recipe in which you should prepare all ingredients (chopping, measuring out etc.) before you begin cooking! It goes very fast; but that's the point right? And of course if you don't happen to find purple potatoes at your local supermarket, red potatoes will do just fine :0)

Equipment needed: 12-inch frying or saute pan with a well fitting lid, and a microwave safe mixing bowl.

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 bell peppers, cored and sliced thin (any combination of red, orange or yellow)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon of sherry or balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's just smoking. Add the sausage pieces and brown lightly on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. While the sausage is browning, place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and add a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and ground pepper (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each). Toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the bowl (without removing the plastic wrap) half way through to help the potatoes mix and cook evenly.

3. Once the sausages have been removed from the skillet, drain off all but one tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the bell peppers and onions and saute over medium high heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the broth, and oregano, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. (If you are using a nonstick pan there won't be any.) Bring to a simmer. Nestle sausages and potatoes into the vegetables and cover, reducing the heat to medium low. Cook until the sausages are no longer pink in the middle and the potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the vinegar and season the entire dish with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with slices of baguette or other crusty bread to soak up the savory sauce.

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Ginger-Maple Poached Salmon

Ginger-Maple Poached Salmon served with couscous and Maple Glazed Acorn Squash.

I have grilled, baked, fried and sauteed fish. Never have I poached it. 'Poached' is a fancy word for cooking in flavorful juices or water. This recipe was uncharted territory for me, but I am ever zealous to expand my knowledge and skills in preparing great food. Plus, this recipe was super fast, I made it in about 30 minutes, making this a great weeknight dinner. 

You'll find this recipe is actually quite simple and allows you to bake side dishes like Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash in the oven while you cook the main course on the stove top.  A 12 inch saute pan or frying pan with a well fitting lid is essential for this recipe. The fish is elevated from the pan bottom (so as not to scorch) by a simple trick; sliced lemon. The fish simmers and absorbs the flavors of your liquid while staying nice and moist. When you're finished cooking the salmon, simply boil down the liquid to concentrate the flavors and make a lovely pan sauce to drizzle over the fish.

Ginger-Maple Poached Salmon

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons Ginger Beer
• 1 tablespoon Grey Poupon mustard
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 medium shallot, sliced thin (about 3 tablespoons)
• ¾ cup water
• 1 skinless salmon fillet (about 2 pounds) thickest part should be about 1 ½ inches
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• Salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

Slice the top and bottom of the lemon off. Slice the rest of the lemon into 8 to 10 thin slices (about ¼ thick). Arrange the lemon slices in rows in the bottom of a 12 inch skillet with a well fitting lid. There should be four rows, fit them however you can. (I usually place three rows vertically and the fourth horizontally above or below.) Whisk together the maple syrup, ginger beer, mustard, vinegar, shallot and water in a small bowl. Gently pour the mixture into the pan with the lemons.

Using a sharp knife, cut the fillet into four equal pieces. Place each piece of fish over a row of lemon slices, skinned side down, (the grey side) in the skillet and turn the heat to high. When the liquid has reached a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the sides of the fish are opaque and the center of the thickest part has reached 125 degrees. This can take anywhere from 11 to 16 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. Carefully remove the fish and lemon by using a flat spatula to slide under the lemons and remove both from the pan. Place on a paper towel lined plate and tent loosely with foil.

Return the pan to high heat and reduce the poaching liquid until about 2 tablespoons remains, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Place each fillet on a serving plate, lightly season with salt and pepper and drizzle pan sauce over top. Can be served with or without the lemon slices underneath.

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