WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

I'm trying to clean out my freezer before I go and buy other than perishables at the grocery store. I saw some pork chops the other day so I thought I would cook them for dinner last night instead of chicken....I have gobs of chicken.

I bought a cookbook at Hillcrest Thrift Shop a few weeks ago, but hadn't gotten around to looking at it closely. It's one of those good ones....The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I picked it up during a slow spell at the thrift store. I cashier and recently it has been so busy I haven't had time to hardly think between sales. But that day, I did. I saw one or two recipes that looked interesting, so decided to just buy it.  Can't beat $3.00.

Yesterday afternoon I got it out and checked the index for pork chops. Six pages into the pork section, I saw the recipe Oven-Fried Pork Chops. "Oven-Fried" caught my attention immediately since we are trying to cut back on fried foods.

The only ingredient I didn't have was the pineapple juice. I considered using orange juice, but remembered I had crushed pineapple and most recipes call for the pineapple to be drained. I knew I would have to make something with the crushed pineapple by the end of the week, but I knew that shouldn't be a problem.  

Then like a flash, I remembered my baked pineapple casserole. Recipe HERE. That would go great with the pork chops....so deciding to cook some frozen vegetable.....and dinner was planned.

Since I would have both the pork chops and the pineapple casserole in the oven at the same time, I decided to use my smaller cookie sheet with a wire rack for the roasting pan with rack. It worked perfectly. I could turn it around in the oven half way through when I had to turn the pork chops over and the 1 quart casserole dish would fit perfectly in beside it.

My husband really liked the pork chops. He said they tasted as good as any restaurant could prepare. Wasn't that nice? I told him I didn't think about it until I was preparing the dish, but it might be good to prepare the egg mixture and let the pork chops soak in it for 30 minutes or so before dipping them in the breading mix. He said he liked it just the way they were. (I still think it might be a good idea)

OVEN-FRIED PORK CHOPS

4     pork chops (boneless or bone-in) 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1     large egg (I used 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
3     tablespoons pineapple juice
1     tablespoon soy sauce
1/2  cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (I used my garlic/herb loaf breadcrumbs I made  + 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning)
1/2  teaspoon ground ginger
1/4  teaspoon paprika
1/4  teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Trim fat from pork chops, if necessary.  

Combine egg, pineapple juice, and soy sauce in a shallow bowl and whisk gently. (I just used a spoon since I was using the egg substitute.)

Combine the breadcrumbs and the seasonings using a whisk.

Spray a roasting pan or you can use a cookie sheet and a wire cooling rack with cooking spray. It is important to spray the rack so the meat won't stick to it.

Dip the chops in the egg mixture, turning over to coat both sides.

Then dredge the chops in the breadcrumbs getting a good coating on the chops. (See how I make my own breadcrumbs Here.)

Place the chops on the wire rack (I only had 3)

and then spray each side with cooking spray. (This step is very important. The recipe said to drizzle melted butter over the top, but I know spraying well works better.)

Bake 20 - 25 minutes.

and then turn them over and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes....

or til done.