Recently I decided to try a new recipe. I made orange glazed pork chops with rice and sauteed spinach with berries. I found a basic recipe but made several changes to it because I did not have all of the ingredients that the recipe called for. I also thought the the recipe I found was lacking flare. David helped prepare this meal. He often helps in the kitchen, but it was fun making something together that we had never made before.
I often try new recipes and add my own twist to make them unique. This time the results were awesome. The meal was described as phenomenal by my wonderful husband and Caleb ate every bite of his pork chop and rice. We will definitely enjoy this meal again in the future.
Pork Chops
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Arrange pork chops in the dish for as little overlap as possible.
- Sprinkle pork chops with garlic salt and pepper.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- At the 25 minute mark mix the glaze: Stir 1/2 cup orange juice (I used V8 Tropical Splash since I did not have any OJ), 1 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 2 tbls of orange marmalade, a dash of orange extract, 2 tbls of Grand Marnier and 1/4 c. packed brown sugar. The items listed in red are the items I added to the original recipe.
- Remove the pork chops from the oven. Pour the glaze over the pork chops, turning and spooning to evenly distribute the glaze.
- Return uncovered dish to the oven. Continue baking about 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pork chops – when overcooked they get dry and then tough.
- Spray a small saucepan with non-stick spray. Remove the pork chops from the casserole dish and pour the liquid from the casserole pan into the sauce pan. In a small bowl mix together 1 tablespoon flour and a couple tablespoons of hot water to make a smooth thin paste. Add this to the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the glaze bubbles and then thickens.
- Pour glaze over pork chops and rice.
Rice: For the rice I sauteed fresh green onion, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms in a few table spoons of butter. I mixed the rice and vegetables together prior to serving.
Spinach and Berries: I sauteed fresh spinach in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. When the spinach was ready, I stirred in fresh cut strawberries and whole blueberries. I then turned off the heat and covered for 5 minutes prior to serving. The heat released the tartness of the blueberries and the sweetness of the strawberries. I liked this dish and David thought it was alright however, both kids hated the mixture of spinach and berries.
Tags: Glazed Pork Chops