Herbed Pork Chops

Temperatures are expected to soar into the 80's again this week in Atlanta.  When the summer gets this hot, I do everything I can to avoid turning my oven on to fix dinner.  I would much rather fire up my Big Green Egg instead of adding to the heat inside the house.  I found this recipe for herbed pork chops on spoonful.com.  They were exactly what I was looking for on a warm summer night. 
 
Herbed Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork loin chops, 1-inch thick
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• fresh parsley
• fresh rosemary
• fresh thyme
• fresh sage
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Brush chops with lemon juice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   In a small bowl, combine oil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage and pepper and mix well.  Luckily for me, I have an overflowing herb pot on my back porch.  I desperately needed to use up some of these delicious herbs because I couldn't bear to just throw them away. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Rub herb mixture on both sides of chops. Arrange in a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, if possible. (The dish will be good even if you don't have time to marinate.)
   
   
   
   
   
   Grill.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   I served my pork chops with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.  A perfect summer meal.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Ciao!
   
   
   

Grilled Cesear Salad

Grilled Caesar Salad

 

Oatmeal Packets

My family loves oatmeal.  We go through oatmeal packets like water at our house.  We eat close to 2 boxes (16 packets of oatmeal) every week.  Oatmeal is really good for us so I don't discourage its consumption but I do struggle to keep an adequate supply in the house.  I have tried making it from scratch but the packets are just way more convenient for the kids.

I have been trying to cut down on our grocery budget and I figured that if I could make my own oatmeal, we could save quite a bit of money on oatmeal alone.  The real test is, will my family like it just as well as the Quaker packets that I buy at the supermarket?












The ingredients are pretty simple: oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.










I put 1/2 cup quick oats, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt in each snack size ziploc bag.  (You could certainly cut the portions in half.)  Adjust the sugar levels to suit your family too.  My family likes pretty basic oatmeal, sugar and cinnamon, but you could add any sort of goodies that your family likes.

When your ready to eat, empty a packet of oatmeal into a bowl and add 1/2 cup milk. (or water)

Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.

 Let cool and enjoy.

My daughter REALLY liked the homemade oatmeal packets!   (She is the real connoisseur of oatmeal.)  She was actually really surprised that she liked it so well.  The best part is that I can control the amount of sugar and salt that goes into each packet if I make them myself.

Ciao!