Website Recipe: http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/main-courses/pork/rustic-garlic-balsamic-pork-chops.php
The Picture:
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| Garlic-Balsamic Pork Loin Chops with Roasted potatoes and Green Beans |
Okay the differences between what I did and the recipe: Number one, I just got a pound and a half of pork chops which was three pork chops (you will want to get 4 chops if feeding a family of four). Number two, I chose to marinate and roast my chops rather than cooking them on the stove (you could marinate and grill them as well). So essentially, take the garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil and mix them together. Rub that onto the chops and then drizzle whats left into the marinating bowl. Cover it and stick it into the refridgerator for up to 12 hours (I did it for 7). When you are ready to cook the chops put them into a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how done you want them. ALL DONE! So super easy!
The side dish: Take 4 or 5 red potatoes and quarter them, depending on the size you might want to cut the potatoes in half and then quarter the halves so that they will cook more evenly. I cut the potatoes into four pieces and needed to cook them longer than I thought and they were still slightly underdone. drizzle some olive oil on them and season with salt and pepper, roast them for 10 minutes. Make sure your green beans are thawed out (if you are using frozen) drizzle them with oil and season with salt and pepper as well. Take the potatoes out of the oven mix in the green beans and put the whole thing back in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
One of my readers pointed out that since I stress the ease and affordability of these recipes that I should give you a prep time and cost breakdown so I will be doing that from now on:
Prep: For this particular recipe the prep was short, easy, and to the point! It took about 5 minutes to mix the garlic, oil, vinegar, and seasonings together and rub them on the meat (mostly cause I use pre-minced garlic =), and another 5 to cover the bowl and stick it into the fridge. When I was ready to start dinner (so after the marinating time for the meat and the defrosting time for the green beans) I preheated the oven while I was preparing the potatoes (so 5 to 10 minutes there) I did the dishes while the potatoes were in the oven on the first go around (5 to 10 minutes) and then once I mixed the green beans into the potatoes (5 minutes) I put both the meat and the potatoes into the oven... 20 minutes later it was time to serve! So all together pre-prep was 10 minutes, 7 hours to marinate and defrost, actual prep time was 5 to 10 minutes, and cook time was about 25-30 minutes. Most of the time I had empty hands where I could do something else at the same time (a lot like crock pot cooking).
Cost Breakdown: For those of you who know me this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart since both my husband and I are budget counselors :). I didn't include the cost of staple items you would most likely have in your pantry or fridge since those are once in a while purchases not a purchase for every meal. So I didn't include the cost of the pre-minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar.
On my shopping trip I spent $9.04 for a pound and a half of pork loin chops, $1.77 for 5 red potatoes, and $0.99 for a 12 oz bag of frozen green beans for a total of $11.80. If you are feeding a family of four you would divide that number, $11.80, by 4 to get $2.95 per person. In other words to feed a family of four it cost a little less than $12 for the whole dinner or about $3 per person! The only fast food restaurant I know that could get CLOSE to a full meal for four people for $12 is Del Taco and it certainly isn't going to be as healthy as this was!
Finally, The Verdict:
As my husband really doesn't like the texture of pork I will not be giving you his opinion (as I am sure you already guessed it), however, my opinion is this was a very filling and tasty meal. Not a spectacular, set off the fireworks in my mouth meal, but a satisfying, its been a long day and I am glad it only takes a half an hour to make dinner meal. It was yummy, it was easy, it was fast, it was something I won't be ashamed to say that I had for dinner, and it was affordable. As far as I am concerned those are the 5 best endorsements anyone can ask for at the end of a normal day in my crazy household! See you tomorrow! =)
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