Baked Beets (p194 Ad Hoc at Home) with Pork Chops (Eden Farms)
I don't think I have had beets for a long time. I remember eating beets as a child especially pickled beets. They have a nice soft buttery texture. Add a little salt and pepper and it just became a delight to eat. My wife, on the other hand, through no fault of her own, did not think so. She says that it wasn't the texture, which is often something that she doesn't like, but the taste. So as an offer for the future, I could make potatoes this same way and also, in a separate tin foil package and that way she has something that she should like, and I should have something that I should like. Anyways, I liked them, and I think I will make more with them, though with Shannon's dislike, it may prevent me from making things like Borscht, which are beet laden.
The other side of this meal were some fairly thick cut pork chops from eden farms. I seared these in my large 12" pan, about 4-5 minutes per side, and then stuck them in the oven (which was at 350°F). I put them in with the beets (shelf above) and let them cook. I probably should have put them in a little bit later, so they were they would've been a little bit cooler in their core, but they still turned out great.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Gorgonzola and Walnuts
So I bought figs, I took some Prosciutto out of the freezer (I had bought it on sale). By the time that I went to make this, the figs had a nice white fuzziness to them. So being that I wasn't particularly set on feeding moldy produce to myself or my wife, they got tossed. So what to do. I thought about running down to the store to get them, but me, in a store, where I'm already hungry? Not a good idea. So I ended up making a nice simple Egg, Prosciutto and Arugula sandwich. I cooked the Prosciutto in the pan a little (you don't have to, I was just going for a slightly crisp texture), then cooked the eggs and went from there. It turned out pretty well, I think. I put a little bit of Dijon mustard on it, and it was fantastic.
Grilled Burgers with Meyer Lemon Butter (p68 June 2010 Bon Appétit)
I made this the same night that I mowed the lawn, so I guess I didn't make these, really. It just turned into burgers, some baked fries and some leftover baked beans. It worked out pretty well I think, but I guess perhaps I should make this sometime, but after mowing the lawn, I really don't want to spend long at all cooking dinner.
Pork Burgers (Eden Farms) with Root Beer Baked Beans (p87 June 2010 Bon Appétit)
Porky pork pork. Even though I complained about these a bit, they still turned out pretty well. I think they could've been better, and I think I'll be making some baked beans more often. Maybe without the root beer and perhaps pinto beans...anyways...I'll have to try more baked beans recipes. The pork, as always, turned out well.
Rigatoni with Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce
Quick, simple, fast, and delicious. I made it, we ate it, we both had it for lunch the next day and it was gone. Need I say more?