January ICLW: Your Friendly Neighbourhood Hobbit

Welcome Humble Readers (and any of you stopping by from ICLW)!

Normally, at this time of month I try to put together some sort of witty intro, but I'm all fresh out of witty ideas. Soooooo....

Instead, we'll start with the basics. Our ttc/IF history is in the right hand column. We've been at this for two years, and even tho we've had two solid bfp's (and one iffy one), we still have no halfling to call our own. I'm 35, he's 38. We live on the frozen flatland of western Canada. I sell books for a living, he keeps the books for a living.

Like any hobbit worth her salt, I love simple things... good books, good friends, and of course, good food. My 'to read' and 'been read' lists are in the left hand column. Our menu for the week is also over there. And as for friends... well, this community has become a big part of my circle of friends. I look forward to meeting a lot of new people this week, and I hope you find something here to make you smile.

And now for the other purpose of this post...

Dinner tonight was another new recipe.

Pan-Fried Balsamic Pork Chops

(I got this from my recent purge of my cooking mags. I would love to credit them, but I can't recall which magazine it came out of.)

• Two boneless pork chops, at least 3/4 of an inch thick (I used the kick-a$$ Cos.tco chops)
• 1/4 cup plum sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp tab.asco
• Olive oil
• salt & pepper

Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium skillet. You don't want it to be too much bigger than enough space for your chops. Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper. Brown them on both sides. Don't try to move them around until they have browned well, that way otherwise they will tear. In the mean time, in a small bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, plum sauce, and taba.sco. Depending on how thick your chops are, you may have to reduce the heat and let them cook through. When they are 3 or 4 minutes from being done, pour the sauce over the chops and turn them in the sauce to glaze both sides. The sauce WILL splatter, so be careful when you pour it on and cover them for the last couple minutes.

I served them with my German Potato Salad (yum!) and peas. I think next time I will either cut back on the plum sauce or add a little more balsamic vinegar. They were just a titch too sweet for me. But overall, I think they turned out great, and my Beloved really enjoyed them. Hope you do too!