Pork Chops with Garlic & Wine

I'm back!!!

It's been forever since I've blogged...it's good to be back. In case you missed it, we have been ridiculously busy with LIFE lately! I got a new job, we moved into a new (bigger) apartment and have been busy with other stuff. I'm going out of town this weekend so I HAVE to post this week! :o)

Guess what?

.

.

.

I HAVE A DISHWASHER NOW! I guess I have to change my slogan (is that what it's called in the blog world?) at the top of the page! We've only been here a little over a week and I am already in love with it!

OK...I'll quit babbling. Back to the food.

This is one of "The Pioneer Woman's" recipes and Oh. My. Soul.

Delicious.

If you're not following her blog, go do it.

Here's the link to the original recipe: The Pioneer Woman: Pork Chops with Garlic & Wine

The only thing I did differently, is I used 4 pork chops instead of 6, but didn't change any of the measurements of any other ingredients.

What you need:

4 whole pork chops (medium to thin)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Salt & pepper

1.5 cups red wine

1/2 cup beef broth (more if needed)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

18 whole cloves of garlic (I didn't count, I just used 2 whole heads)

1 tablespoon butter (additional)

Salt & Pepper both sides of the chops.

Heat your oil & your butter in a heavy skillet over high heat.

Sear the chop on both sides until they have that beautiful look. 2-3 min per side.

You don't need to cook them through yet, just get the outside looking yummy.

If you haven't already peeled your garlic yet, do it while the meat is searing.

Do it as fast as you can. It's the most annoying, tedious task ever! That's what I was thinking until I decided to search for ways to do it faster.

Here's a fun one.

Throw all of your cloves into a large bowl, place another large bowl on top if it.

Shake the mess outta that garlic, and look at it! Most of the peels should have fallen off.

Back to the chops.

Remove them from the pan once they're nice and brown, reduce the heat to medium-high and toss in those garlic cloves!

Stir them around and cook for several minutes or until they get nice and golden brown.

Add your bay leaf (I added 2 cause I kinda love them) and red wine. Stir it around and let it reduce (TO THICKEN BY COOKING), you can turn the heat up if needed.

Cook it until it's thickened, add in the beef broth (more if necessary) then put the chops back in so that they're swimming in the sauce.

Let the chops cook in the liquid for awhile.

Add the balsamic. Shake the pan to get it distributed throughout the pan.

Let cook for a few more minutes or until done.

Remove the chops from the pan again. Let the sauce reduce a little more until it's very thick and the garlic is soft. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle in some salt and pepper.

Arrange pork chops on a platter, and pour the whole pan of sauce (even the garlic) over the chops.

*You may substitute white wine for a lighter sauce.

This is definitely going to become a staple in our home! Tastes so fancy, but once you have all the sauces stocked in your pantry, it's actually very inexpensive!