It’s the start of a new year, which means we are all trying to eat more healthy. (At least for a little while!) These pork chops are perfect for your New Year’s resolution – healthy and full of flavor!

I came up with this marinade years ago and have been using it for grilled pork chops ever since. I have never measured anything when making it, so when I decided to share this recipe I had to actually measure what I was putting in!

First I start with garlic, about 3-4 cloves depending on how big they are. Instead of mincing the garlic with a knife, I grate it using a microplane…

It’s just a fancy name for a miniature grater. If you don’t have a microplane, most regular cheese graters have a section on them this small. Grating the garlic helps it to stick to the pork chops better, and also releases more of its flavor.

Next I chop up a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. I always have some growing just out my back door, and the flavor goes well with pork.

They also sell fresh rosemary in the produce section of most grocery stores. I think the fresh herbs taste so much better than the dried ones you find in the spice aisle. If you’re not familiar with this herb, you just pull the leaves off the stem and chop them up – don’t use the woody stem.

Next is one of the best seasonings ever made – Montreal Steak Seasoning!

We use this on just about everything we grill! It’s awesome in hamburgers, on chicken, and of course on steaks! If you look at the ingredients on this stuff you’ll see it has so many different flavors in one jar, including onion and red pepper. It also has salt and black pepper already in it, so there’s no need to add those to the marinade.

I use about a tablespoon of the steak seasoning, then add about half a tablespoon of Tony’s seasoning.

Next I add in the liquid ingredients – the juice of a lemon, about 1/4 cup olive oil, and about 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything together and pour over your pork chops to marinade for a while before grilling.

I like to marinade them in a ziploc bag so all sides of the meat get coated. I usually do this in the morning so they have all day to soak up the flavors before we grill them.

Grilled is probably my favorite way to eat pork chops – I forget they are healthy because this marinade makes them so juicy and flavorful. Add some vegetables on the side and you have a perfect meal to kick off your healthy New Year!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki

 

My husband came home from the deer camp last week bragging about this casserole that another hunter’s wife had sent, insisting that I try it. So he got the recipe for me, and he was right – it is amazing!

With only four ingredients, it is super easy to make. The kids loved it, and it even made enough to have two nights in a row.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 lbs ground sausage (1 lb spicy plus 1 lb regular)
• 12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 blocks)
• green onions, chopped (I used about 3 bunches)
• 2 pkgs crescent dough sheets (If you can’t find the sheets, just use crescent rolls and pinch the seams together)

Start by browning your sausage in a large skillet until it is fully cooked. Combining the spicy and regular sausage gives this meal the perfect flavor for both kids and adults. While the sausage is cooking, preheat your oven to 365 degrees and spray a 13×9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

After the sausage is completely cooked, stir in the cream cheese until it melts (I used the 1/3-less-fat kind and it still tasted great), then stir in the green onions. Spread out the first package of crescent dough in the bottom of your greased casserole dish. Spread the sausage mixture on top of the dough, then place the second sheet of dough on top to cover completely. Bake at 365 for 20-30 minutes, until the crescent dough begins to brown.

(I actually baked the bottom crescent layer by itself for about 8 minutes before adding the sausage mixture and it came out perfect. I was worried the bottom layer would come out soggy if I didn’t.)

I suggested to my husband adding shredded cheddar or pepper-jack cheese to the sausage mixture, or even some other vegetables, because it just sounded so plain. He told me to trust him about how good it was with just these few ingredients, and I’m glad I did – it was amazing!

We had this for supper, but it would also be perfect for breakfast or brunch. I hope y’all enjoy this as much as we did! And thank you to whoever gave my husband this recipe!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki