Cindi's Cubby

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Mike and I are enjoying a fire in the fire pit tonight. We had a dinner of grilled steaks, mashed potatoes and tossed salad and our outside with blankets and some single malt Scotch.

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This makes me ridiculously happy. See the new sprout? Yay!

Makes 2 to 4 pork chops </p>

What You Need

Ingredients

For the brine (optional):
3 cups cold water, divided
3 tablespoons salt
Optional flavorings: 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf

For the pork chops:
2 to 4 pork chops — center cut, bone-on, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick (about 1 pound each)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Equipment
Shallow dish (for brining)
Large cast iron, stainless steel, or other oven-safe skillet
Tongs

Instructions

1. Brine the pork chops (optional): If you have time, brining the pork for even a brief period adds flavor and ensures juiciness in the finished chop. Bring 1 cup of the water to a boil, add the salt and optional flavorings, and stir to dissolve the salt. Add 2 more cups of cold water to bring the temperature of the brine down to room temperature. Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and pour the brine over top. The brine should cover the chops — if not, add additional water and salt (1 cup water to 1 tablespoon salt) until the chops are submerged. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
   
   
2. Heat the oven and skillet: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Place the skillet in the oven to preheat as well.
   
   
3. Season the pork chops: While the oven heats, prepare the pork chops. Remove the chops from the brine; if you didn't brine, remove the chops from their packaging. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set the chops aside to warm while the oven finishes heating.
   
   
4. Remove the skillet from the oven: Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and set it over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Turn on a vent fan or open a window.
   
   
5. Sear the pork chops: Lay the pork chops in the hot skillet. You should hear them immediately begin to sizzle. Sear until the undersides of the chops are seared golden, 3 minutes. The chops may start to smoke a little — that's ok. Turn down the heat if it becomes excessive.
   
   
6. Flip the chops and transfer to the oven: Use tongs to flip the pork chops to the other side. Immediately transfer the skillet to the oven using oven mitts.
   
   
7. Roast the chops until cooked through: Roast until the pork chops are cooked through and register 140°F to 145°F in the thickest part of the meat with an instant-read thermometer. Cooking time will be 6 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops, how cool they were at the start of cooking, and whether they were brined. Start checking the chops at 6 minutes and continue checking every minute or two until the chops are cooked through.
   
   
8. Rest the chops: Transfer the cooked pork chops to a plate and pour any pan juices over the top (or reserve for making a pan sauce or gravy). Tent loosely with foil and let the chops rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

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It's cool here in New Jersey with clear, sunny skies! I can't even open up downstairs this morning, but I should be able to by noon or so. I love this weather.

What are you doing today? Mike bought a battery-powered hedge trimmer, so I am a bit fearful for our shrubbery. :-) I am just doing the normal cleaning and laundry. Tomorrow we are driving down towards the shore to finish a couple of our cases and then will have lunch at the Red Lion Inn, which is an old haunt of ours.

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Today is my firstborn's 33rd birthday. Time surely does fly! Their complex has a clubhouse with an outdoor pool and barbeque area. It is lovely. We had a cookout there, enjoying wings and barbequed chicken, grilled corn on the cob and potato salad. Jeena did a great job, considering that she had to bring over coolers to keep the food safe, all of the beverages, paper products, plus Dylan and his baby stuff. We had a lot of fun!

After swimming and a bottle, Dylan passed out. He is seven months old now and is a joy.



Mike and I are so proud of the son, the husband and the father that Shaun has become.

I waited for quite a while for LJ to purge the journal of Opalescence. I received a notification yesterday that they had and that the user name was available.

So, welcome to my new name. It's the same, without the underscore. All of my friends will be added automatically, so there shouldn't be any problems.

:-)

Put 'em up, nurse! I am not happy!

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