Sunday, September 18, 2011

Breaded pork chops- GF

We've been so busy around here!

When we aren't dodging hurricanes (Irene, Lee, Maria) we are busy working. We are just getting into the busy season for retail, that means Jon and I both are gearing up for a few months of fun :)

When we do find some free time, we can be found outside in the back yard or playing at the beach. Fall has finally begun to show up in the south, and the temperatures are dropping to much more tolerable levels. I enjoy sitting in the sun a few minutes every day while listening to my ipod. Jon loves the early mornings- mid to low 60's.

When I do manage to drag myself inside to make supper, I want something quick and easy. Since I don't really eat much pasta anymore (even gf pasta) that leaves veggies, meat, and sometimes rice. But mostly, we just grill up a lean cut of meat and serve it with a salad.

I was feeling ambitious the other night and decided to try and make a gluten free, breaded pork chop. Jon was over the moon about these!

They are good enough for company. And no one would ever guess it's gf.

I hope you are enjoying this amazing fall season!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends!


Breaded Pork Chops
Makes 4 chops

1/2- 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
4 bone in pork chops
prepared yellow mustard

Preheat a large skillet with a few tsp of olive oil in the bottom (medium heat).

Mix the flour with the adobo, garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder together. Set aside.

Lightly coat each pork chop with a small amount of mustard.

Dredge the chops in flour, coating completely.

Cook the chops in the oil for 7-10 minutes per side until a thermometer reads 145 degrees (for chops, ground pork requires 160 degrees)

The crust will be golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Product Review-O-Rama

Here we are, September already!

Jon recently started a new job as an assistant grocery manager for a grocery store. He loves it. While at work one day he noticed a rather large selection of gluten free products. He came home and told me I should check it out.

So, we went to the store. We got some produce then hit the aisles. We were moving right along, then (cue the heavenly choir and the spot light) Gluten Free! Like 7 1/2 feet of joy. I hugged Jon and just soaked it all in. Rice flours, granola bars, cereals, pretzels, cake mixes, breads, buns, pastas, pizza crusts/mixes, and baking mixes. And- at fairly affordable prices.

I was beyond excited. So, we picked a few products to try. I tried to keep my expectations low. I've dabbled in some of these gluten free alternatives and some of the results were less than spectacular.Let me just say- I was very pleasantly surprised.

What did I get???

I got some white rolls made a Schar. They are a dedicated gluten free company.

Oh my word. These rolls made the best hamburger bun in the world! All I had to do was "refresh" them in the oven for 5 minutes. They tasted like "real" bakery rolls. Soft on the inside, crusty on the outside. It was so good. (Jon probably got tired of hearing how amazing my burger was...)

I got some Bob's Red Mill brown rice flour.
I usually make my own rice flour, but it's very hard to get brown rice into a super fine grind. White rice has had the hull removed so it grinds down into a fine flour. Brown rice still has the hull encasing the grain so when you grind it, the flour is sort of grainy in texture. I look forward to trying out Bob's rice flour. I'll keep you posted on the results.

I was super excited to find pretzels.

These bad boys were so good. They are made by Glutino. Another huge winner in my world. They will be perfect in my lunches. My only complaint is they need a little more salt. The flavor and texture are spot on. And dipped in mustard, yum.

And finally, I bought some Gluten Free Bisquick. 


 I am beyond excited about bisquick. BEYOND. All the reviews I have read for this product have been stellar. I'm just excited for things like chicken and dumpling soup, pancakes, cheddar bay biscuits, and so many more delicious things!

So, that's the reviews for now. I will leave you with a fun photo of some rain bands rolling in. They were the result of Tropical Storm Lee. I am still amazed at how fast these storms move. And, how far reaching the winds and rains can be. This storm originated in the Gulf. There was rain up and down the Eastern coast as a result. Simply incredible.


Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!