Emily's Favorite Pork Chops and Mom's Broccoli Rice Casserole

If you've been following my blog, you know I that I got a good deal on pork loin. This is the reason for pork chops again.  This is one of my favorite pork chop recipes.  It's called Crunchy Pork Chops.  I found it in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which happens to be one of my favorite cookbooks. It's well worth the money if you don't own it. My husband bought it for me for Christmas a couple years back.  He is so thoughtful when giving gifts.

Of course I had to change the recipe a bit, so ...

Here is what you need:  3 cups of corn flakes, about 1/2 tsp of the following: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, paprika.  Mayo, and 4 pork chops (about an inch thick)

Start by getting out your food processor. If you don't own a food processor I suggest getting one.  I use mine all the time; so often in fact, that I keep it on my kitchen counter with my mixer.  My husband bought it for me for my birthday a while back.  Again, very thoughtful.  Love him!

Getting back on topic, put the corn flakes and the seasonings in the food processor and process until they are ground up.  Add in two tablespoons of mayo and pulse until it comes together.  If you don't have a food processor, put the dry ingredients in a large Ziploc and use a rolling pin to crush. Then add in the mayo, close the bag and work it in with your fingers.

Take each chop and rub it with mayo on both sides.  To avoid washing hands several times, rub all four chops with mayo before moving onto the next step.  After the chops are coated, wash your hands.  If you used a food processor dump the mixture into a pie plate. If you used a bag-leave them in the bag.  Place each chop in the pie plate or bag and coat the chops with the mixture.  Place them on a wire rack (such as a cooling rack) and then put the cooling rack on a cookie sheet.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Use a thermometer to check the temperature. It should be at 135 degrees. Transfer to a plate and let rest until the internal temp. reaches 145-150 degrees.

Notes: If you don't like mayo, don't worry about it. The chops don't taste like mayo, it's just used to keep them moist.  Try different seasonings in the corn flake mixture and find your own favorite combination.

Mom's Broccoli Rice Casserole

My mom has been making this for as long as I can remember.  If memory serves right, she made this for family gatherings and potlucks.  I don't remember having it on a regular basis, it was sort of a special treat.  It's a great way to get a grain and a veggie on the table in one dish. And cover up the taste of broccoli if your kiddos are picky.

What you will need: Rice, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta, milk, broccoli, 1/2 cup of margarine.

Before I start, I must say sorry to my mother, because this may not be the way she makes it;)

Boil one cup of water.  Once boiling, add one cup of instant rice.  Cover and remove from heat for five minutes.  Bring back to heat and add 1/2 cup of margarine, soup, 1/2 cup of milk, and Velveeta.  Cook for a bit until it starts to come together. I don't cook it until the Velveeta is melted.  In a separate pot, blanch the broccoli.  I usually use frozen, but I guess you could use fresh. Pour everything in a greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Since I was making this with the pork chops (at a higher temp) I didn't cook the broccoli first. I just put it in frozen.  I also forgot the margarine (oops) and it turned out fine. So if you want to cut some calories, there ya go!

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615486/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295047828&sr=8-1