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cajun spiced pork chops

If you're looking for a good pork chop recipe, you've happened upon the right place. I discovered this version a few years ago on All Recipes and it has never disappointed. It's quick, easy and incredibly flavorful (but not too spicy, which I worried about with "cajun" in the title). And, to boot, I can bet that you'll already have most of the ingredients in your spice cabinet. You may be able to get by with only buying a few pork chops at your local grocery store or supermarket.



























1 tsp paprika   
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp rubbed dried sage leaves (I usually leave out this ingredient)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
 4 center cut pork chops

Mix paprika, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sage and garlic salt on a plate. Liberally coat each pork chop with the spice mixture. (I go ahead and mix these spices with some olive oil too. It makes the mixture stick to the pork chops a little better.)

Heat olive oil and several pumps of non-stick, butter-flavored spray (um, of course I use regular butter - not the flavored spray) in a large skillet over high heat. Place the pork chops in the skillet, reducing heat to medium. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. 

tomozzacado.
































I made up that name, just now. Because, in a mad dash to think of something quick and easy to eat last night, I made up this sandwich. After a quick trip to the grocery store and after throwing together some items in my fridge that I already had, I came up with this delicious, better-than-I-was-expecting combo. If you want to recreate it, it's so simple:

  • french baguette slices
  • sliced roma tomatoes
  • a tiny sprinkle of salt on the tomatoes
  • sliced avocados
  • whole milk mozzarella cheese
  • a dash of pepper on top
  • a light drizzle of olive oil, to top it off

Tomozzacado, it really is the perfect summer sandwich. Enjoy!

christmas baking party

I know, I know Christmas is over! But I never got around to blogging about this brilliant party idea. The week before Christmas my friend Kasey hosted a "Christmas Baking Party" in Brooklyn. She had all of the guests (it was a group of 7) submit their favorite Christmas dessert recipe to her in advance. She looked over the recipes, combined ingredients,  and then distributed ingredients among everyone who was attending. In total, everyone only ended up bringing a 2-3 ingredients each (since there was a lot of overlap), and we baked seven wonderful and different delights! We baked all together at Kasey's apartment, and at the end of the night we each took home a container with a variety of everyone's treats. Not only do I love to bake, but getting to take home everyone's favorite holiday dessert...well, it took the cake! This party was a terrific idea and would be fun at other times of year, too.









julia child's kitchen

A few weekends ago, I was at an exhibit that had a display of Julia Child's kitchen. In the event of full disclosure, I didn't/don't know much about her except that she was the inspiration for the movie Julie and Julia (which I also have yet to see). However, I was thrilled to see her kitchen! It was fantastic. And made me dream of the day when my entire job can consist of being in a kitchen all day baking and cooking. Ah, what a dream!