Wordless Week, Episode Eight: Beef Stir-Fry with Snow Peas, Broccoli, and Bell Peppers

Pork Chops with Peppers and Green Beans

The May 2010 issue of Everyday Food offers a recipe for Pork Chops with Peppers and Green Beans that is simple and tasty. I'm always looking for ways to sneak more vegetables into our meals, and this is a good one. You simply grill bone-in pork chops with some salt and pepper, and make the veggies separately to pile on top of the cooked chops.

I substituted garlic for the ginger because I forgot to buy fresh ginger, and I left out the jalapeño because I was feeding a 3 year old. The green bean and roasted pepper combination was unexpectedly good. I love roasted peppers, and fresh green beans are welcome on my plate any time.

This was one of the dishes I knew my husband would complain about, so I served him a plain pork chop and made some Rice-A-Roni wild rice pilaf on the side, which he likes. I'd prefer to ditch boxed sides altogether, but we compromise with rice and I often make my own with onion, garlic, parsley, and chicken broth instead of the plethora of unpronounceable crap that goes into a box of rice mix.

Day Twenty-Four: Arroz Con Pollo

Day 24 of Operation: Expand Horizons is another recipe by America's Test Kitchen, Latino Style Chicken and Rice, aka Arroz Con Pollo (registration required).

I've eaten Arroz Con Pollo before, as prepared by my amiga puertorriqueña Becky, but I've never cooked it myself. This version is simple, if a little time-consuming. My husband thought it lacked a certain something (maybe spiciness?). However, it was good, and certainly deserved a try.

Day Sixteen: Breaded Pork Chops and Wild Rice with Mushrooms

Day sixteen of Operation: Expand Horizons seemed like it would be a very picky-husband-friendly meal. It wasn't his favorite, but he didn't hate it. The March 2010 issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food brought both new recipes for this dinner- Breaded Pork Chops and Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Parsley.

The pork recipe makes 8 chops and is actually a freezer batch. I made 3 chops and skipped the freezing. I don't know if this made a difference, but the crust didn't seem to adhere well to the chops. The recipe indicates that any other herb can be substituted for the fresh sage. I never have sage, but I have thyme in a pot on my back patio, so that's what I used. It usually matches well with Dijon mustard, and this was no exception. The chops were a little too mustardy for our tastes. They also took longer to cook than the recipe indicates, but I also don't broil meat on the top rack for fear of burning the outside and having a raw middle.

The mushrooms and wild rice was a good basic side that I will make again. It's a simple mixture of cooked wild rice blend, sautéed mushrooms, garlic, and fresh parsley. The recipe called for some fresh lemon juice at the end, but I didn't think it needed any so I omitted it.

I have a trusty container of Rice Select rice blend that I use frequently. It contains white, brown, wild, and red rices, and has a mild, nutty flavor that I really enjoy.

The EDF recipe calls for making the rice according to package directions. I find that packages vary, and Martha's people often use less water than I do. My way of making rice is very simple and no-fail.

In a straight-sided sauce or sauté pan, combine 1 part rice with two parts water, a drizzle of olive oil, a good sprinkling of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the top of the rice is no longer submerged and there are holes throughout the surface. Remove from the heat and let it stand for 5-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and seasoning to taste.

You can also make a simple pilaf by heating some olive oil in the pan and sauteing some chopped onion and minced garlic before adding the rice, water, and a bouillon cube for extra flavor.

Day Eleven: Pineapple-Stuffed Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Rice

Day eleven of Operation: Expand Horizons was a pair of Martha Stewart recipes-Everyday Food's Pineapple-Stuffed Jerk Chicken, from June 2008, andPineapple Rice, from July/August 2007. I had made the rice before and liked it. I thought it would pair well with the new chicken recipe.

The chicken wasn't our favorite, but it was fun to try something different. There was something about the jerk seasoning we didn't like- probably the allspice. However, I may use the same idea of pineapple stuffing in chicken for another meal, using a honey-soy glaze instead. The pineapple rice recipe is paired with pork kebabs that use this flavor combination, and they are great.

I served fresh green beans on the side. Baby Chef was quite helpful during prep time. She snapped all of the beans by herself!

Day Ten: Red Beans with Andouille Sausage

Day ten of Operation: Expand Horizons brought a simple dish from the minions over at Martha Stewart Omnimedia: Everyday Food's Red Beans with Andouille Sausage. This one is completely idiot-proof, cheap, filling, and weeknight simple.

Recipes from Everyday Food have shown themselves to often be quite bland, so from the start, I made a modification to the recipe. It calls for adding the sausage to the beans after they are cooked- I left it in while the beans simmered to add flavor.

Don't skip the important overnight soak of the dried beans. I'm glad I looked through the soaked and drained beans instead of just dumping them into the pot- there were several dozen "rogue beans" that had not benefited from the soak and looked as though they hadn't been in water at all. I picked them all out. Who wants random hard, undercooked beans ruining the pot of deliciousness?

I served the red beans and sausage over plain white rice, and we had cornbread and iced tea on the side to round out a fine Southern meal.

Properly soaked beans on the left; rogue beans on the right. Remove them and discard.