Stuffed Chops

We had a busy weekend with my in laws in town, a birthday celebration for my mother in law and various activities.  When they left town on Sunday, I had a couple of 1 1/4 pound chops to be dealt with.
I decided to stuff them after a conversation with Dr. Adam Burdorf on Friday. He was making something and we got to talking about making some sort of stuffing with various ingredients. Pork lends itself easily to fruit fillings so we investigated different kinds of fruit items. I had to stop on the way home to pick up some groceries so I picked up a can of apricots. I just didn't want to deal with reconstituted dry fruit or fresh although dry apricots soaked in whiskey had a certain charm.

I picked up the canned apricots and goat cheese and gave my mother in law a choice between steaks or chops and she chose steaks. We had a nice dinner with her favorite potatoes (pan gratin) and fresh yellow squash.  After they left on Sunday, I made the chops.

Apricot and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chops

2  1 1/4 pound chops, pre salted over night and a deep pocket cut into the sides
1 package herbed goat cheese, about 3 ounce
4 slices toasted bread
1 shallot minced
5-6 apricots chopped coarse
1 teas thyme
Cream to moisten
Salt and Pepper to taste

The chops were pre salted inside and out then brought to room temperature after spending the night in the fridge covered.

I mixed the filling in a bowl and stuffed the chops generously then placed them in a iron skillet heated with a bit of oil. I let the crust on each side for 5-7 minutes before roasting them in a 325 oven for about 30 minutes.

Yep they were as good as they look. We had sides left over from Fridays birthday dinner and a meal was made.

BLT’s the Serious Eats Way

So tonight we had the in-laws in town and decided to take advantage of summers bounty, red, ripe tomatoes that beg for bacon and lettuce.

Mission accomplished thanks to Mackenzie for the tomatoes and Serious Eats for the inspiration and mayo recipe.

For those of you not a follower of Serious Eats, you have to toast (fry) your bread in the bacon fat, shred your lettuce pick the best summer tomatoes any make your own mayo. Make sure you salt your tomatoes.

The mayo is easy with a immersion blender and  narrow bottom container, just larger than the head of the blender.

1 fresh egg
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t dijon mustard
1 med clove of garlic
1 cup of salad oil
Salt to taste

Place ingredients in order. Head of the blender to the bottom and blend on high, lifting a bit till all the oil is used and it is thick and smooth. Add salt to taste. 

Crisp bacon is key although, personally, I prefer softer bacon. Generous mayo on both slices of toasted bread then shredded lettuce. I love iceberg but any will do depending on your preference. Then those lucious tomatoes, salted followed by the bacon and the top bread. So tasty.

Dinner with Friends

Just the first round of plates..

A nice summer evening with friends at El Basha Mediterranean Grill made for some catching up and great conversation about travel and family. The table was laden with treats from the Middle East and we enjoyed the best of the Mediterranean diet (and the worst, deep fried kibbe, yum), domanthes, hummus (the best in Omaha), platters of baba ganoush, falafels and tabouleh.  We finished with mint tea and baklava and the night ended with plans to gather again. Thanks to Dr. Akkad for picking up the tab, Mark David and Jerry Abdouch for the reminiscing. Great evening.

Eating Omaha....Dairy Chef

I am not sure how the discussion started but hamburgers came up as a topic Sunday at church.  The best in Omaha was discussed and varied widely but there were a few places we had not yet tried.

It was rainy, really rainy Sunday and I knew the Dairy Chef always had a line and was only going to be open a while longer before it closes up for the winter. Knowing this,  we set out for Sunday dinner at the Dairy Chef, claimed by a few to be the greatest burger in Omaha (Elkhorn actually but they are a part of Omaha now so...). Now we have been around and there is a lot to compare too but we decided, since the weather was working in our favor, to hit this place and see what's up.

It is a tiny little spot with a lot of outdoor seating but a door to an interior that was deceptively larger than it let on. About 6 tables were on the inside afforded us a place to sit, so we placed an order, took a seat and waited.  Food is cooked to order here so a short wait.  Lots of Sunday families and little kids.  The burgers showed up with lettuce, tomato and onion. They were large and juicy. So juicy that Brenda's bun was soaked. Mine was okay and tasted really good and a heaping of fries completed the meal. We did not try the ice cream but best burger in Omaha? Still debatable, I have to go to Dinker's again to make sure but I would definitely hit this spot again. Two burgers, fries and a drink for $14. Not bad.  I have to go back for the ice cream. They pile it high here.....

Slow to the Party...

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/traditional-chimichurri

After all these years I made chimichurri sauce for our T bone steaks tonight. I actually cooked the steaks directly in the grill rather than Sous Vide first. They were tasty, a little more done than I like but that sauce! Herby, fresh and a touch of heat. I used the Food and Wine recipe above. Bright green and crazy tasty on the meat. We have a new fav in the house. I just happened to have a half bunch of chopped parsley in the fridge I had wrapped in a moist paper towel inside a Ziplock. The rest was pure inspiration. It ended a nice day after a disappointing film, ‘Book Club’. What a waste of film and talent. Brenda and I were the only ones under 70 in the house but they all thought it to be laugh out loud funny. Really? They were all ladies, your Grandmas age. I found it disconcerting but redemption showed itself in the parking lot  where one of the seniors took a nasty tumble and nurse Brenda to the rescue. We helped get her back on her feet, offered some basic medical advice and got her into the passenger seat of the car.  Maybe God has a plan after all for us to be in the right place at the right time?
Try the chimichurri on your next steak or chop. I bet it’s great on fish too. Yum.

Weekend Company

Our favorite couple came and spent the night Friday so besides a nice Friday meal we had to have a delicious Saturday breakfast.

I saw Bobby Flay make a nice French toast casserole type dish and was inspired to try to make a cinnamon roll type French toast.

Using a smaller casserole dish for just the four of us, I picked up a loaf of Brioche from Trader Joe's as well as a jar of salted caramel sauce. As Ina would say "how bad can that be?" Of course in my haste to get things on the table at the right temperature, I forgot to photograph the final product but here goes:

Caramel Pecan French Toast casserole

1 loaf of brioche
1 jar of salted caramel sauce
6 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon
2 teaspoons of  vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2-3/4 cups cream or half and half
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbls Butter
Pecans about 1/2 -3/4 cup

I used most of the loaf of bread and stacked it in a greased medium casserole dish, slightly overlapping and tearing some in half to fill the sides.  Mix the custard ingredients, eggs, sugar, cream, vanilla salt and cinnamon till well blended and pour over the bread. Press the bread into the mixture, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, pre heat the oven to 375. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with brown sugar, dot with butter and place the foil covered casserole in for about 30-40 minutes. Check to make sure the custard has set up then add the pecans sprinkled over the top and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes. When out of the oven, microwave the caramel sauce for 30 seconds to loosen it up and pour a fair amount over the top of the casserole. Serve immediately.

Not for the faint of heart but this was tasty morning treat and had a nice cinnamon roll taste to it. We had scrambled eggs and bacon and sausage to round out the meal with a good cup of hot coffee.