Terrific Tuesday Night Menu!

Here's a quick, easy and VERY yummy menu for tonight!

What we're having:
Pork Chops with Spicy Apple Cranberry Sauce
Steamed Asparagus with Almonds and Parmesan

PORK CHOPS:
What you'll need:
-Bone in thick center cut pork chops
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-Milk
-Olive Oil
How you'll do it:
-Marinate the pork chops in milk or buttermilk for at least 30 minutes
-When ready to begin cooking, season each side of the pork chops with salt and pepper
-Preheat oven to 350
-In a saute pan, coat the bottom with olive oil, add the pork chops, simply to get each side seared, almost creating a "bark" if you will, giving you that nice crisp outside while still maintaining a juicy and tender center
-Switch the oven to broil and broil for about 5 - 7 minutes per side for Med. Rare, longer obviously if you want a more well done meat, season again w/ salt/ pepper to your liking

SPICY APPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE
What you'll need:
-about 2 cups of apple sauce, chunkier the better
-a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce
-allspice seasoning
-ground ginger
How you'll do it:
-combine all the ingredients in a small pan
-cook over medium heat, stirring often until it starts to gently bubble
-remove from heat; let cool
-spoon the mixture over the pork chops

ASPARAGUS WITH ALMONDS AND PARMESAN
What you'll need:
-A good bunch or two of asparagus spears - DO NOT USE CANNED! Use fresh!
-about a 1/4 of a cup of slivered almonds - shaved is okay as well
-about a 1/4 of a cup of shredded parmesan cheese - Asiago is also great if you prefer
-cooking spray
-a few pats of butter or margerine
How you'll do it:
-remove the tough ends of each asparagus spear
-microwave or steam the asparagus until just tender - really no more than 3-4 minutes
-put into cold water to stop the cooking process
-finely chop/ grind almonds by hand or in food processor
-combine the almonds with the cheese
-in a baking dish spray the bottom with your cooking spray and place the asparagus in the dish evenly on the bottom
-sprinkle the asparagus with the almond and cheese mixture and top with the pats of butter/ margerine
-bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the almond mixture is golden

ENJOY!!!