Greek Marinated Pork Chops

The first time I had Greek food was in Chicago on a trip with a group from Lindsey Wilson College. I didn't like it. I can't remember what I ordered, but I remember not liking it. And if I recall correctly, nobody in the group really liked their food, either. The one exception was some kind of fried cheese that came to the table still flaming. That stuff was delicious. But something has happened as I've gotten older...I've found that I now enjoy Greek food. I love the flavors now and find that I use them a lot in my cooking. I've even found a fabulous Greek restaurant about two blocks from my office. Anyway, yesterday afternoon I was looking over some blogs for some ideas for dinner this week, and I came across a recipe for pork chops in a Greek marinade. I didn't need to buy anything (except for the pork chops, which were already on the list), so these went on the menu.

Oh my goodness! They were wonderful! They were so flavorful and moist. I absolutely loved the lemon flavor with the oregano and garlic. I usually grill four pork chops for the two of us so that there are leftovers, but we ate all four of these tonight! (They were small, though!) David and I both decided that this recipe will make it to our regular rotation, and that's saying a lot! If you're tired of having ho-hum pork chops, try these! They are delicious!

Greek-Seasoned Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon and Oregano

Amanda's Cookin'

4 boneless pork chops

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano (I don't know that my oregano was Greek, but it was good!)

2 tsp. minced garlic

fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Greek oregano, garlic, and black pepper. Trim all visible fat from pork chops and place in large Ziplock bag or flat glass dish. Pour marinade over pork chops and marinate in refrigerator for 4-8 hours (I think I marinated mine for more like 11 hours), turning a few times if you're home.

To cook, remove pork chops from refrigerator and wipe off excess marinade. Dry chops with paper towels and let come to room temperature while grill heats up. Grill pork chops and enjoy!

TWD: Honey-Wheat Cookies

These cookies are a perfect illustration of one of the reasons that I love being a part of the Tuesdays With Dorie group. If they hadn't been "assigned" to me for this week, I would have never made them, and that would have been a shame. I may have a new "almost-favorite" cookie!
I never would have thought that I'd make a cookie that contained wheat germ. Heck, I didn't know what one would do with a jar of wheat germ! But I bought a jar, and I'm glad I did! (And I did buy the "honey crunch" flavor, because I thought it just sounded tasty!) These cookies are so simple...some of the ingredients include wheat germ, lemon zest, and honey. I loved the flavor of these cookies. They were sweet from the honey, but I loved the slight lemon flavor. They taste like something I've had before, but I can't put my finger on it.

As I was rolling these cookies out, dredging them in the wheat germ, and pressing them into rounds, I found myself thinking about my grandfather, Grandydaddy. He owned and worked a cattle farm that I grew up on. He was on the farm every single day, and I loved to go "help" him, especially when I was little. He had a barn full of cats, and I loved to try to catch them! The farm was the one he grew up on, and "The Ol' Homeplace" is still there. It was his parents' house (my great-grandparents), but now it's in a state of disrepair. Anyway, he had a refrigerator in the house that held two things: Pepsis and Zagnut candy bars. I remember loving to stop by that house for a can of Pepsi and a Zagnut with Grandydaddy. And the whole time I was rolling, dredging, and pressing, I remembered eating those Zagnuts with Grandydaddy. He passed away about 10 years ago, and guess it's been even longer than that since I've had a Zagnut. These cookies didn't taste anything like a Zagnut, but I was so glad to have those memories while I baked!

If you're interested in these tasty little cookies, visit Flourchild's blog. It looks like she had a ton of fun baking these cookies with her daughters, so I guess Honey-Wheat Cookies will hold lots of memories for her, too! Please, don't let the wheat-germ freak you out or turn you away from these cookies. If it hadn't been for TWD, I'd have never made them, but I'm so glad I did! Yum!

TWD: Tartest Lemon Tart

If I had to choose one single word to describe this tart, it would be intense. This has got to be the most lemony lemon dessert I've ever put in my mouth. If you don't like lemon at all, don't touch it. If you like lemon, a little, give it a try...it'll make you love lemon. If you already love lemon...make one right now! It's fantastic! This week's recipe was chosen by Barb, who has a great blog called Babette Feasts. Barb, thanks for picking something non-chocolatey!

There were lots of concerns from my fellow TWDers this week about the possibility of some bitterness, because this recipe uses the whole lemon. Yes, everything! (Well, except the seeds.) Some folks encouraged us to just go for it, just seeding the lemon, chopping it up, and throwing it in the blender, bitterness be darned. Other folks suggested boiling the lemon to get a little bitterness out. Still others suggested zesting the lemon, cutting away the pith, then throwing the zest and lemon wedges into the blender. I, personally, feared the bitterness. So I joined the group who spent a little extra time zesting the lemons, seeding them, cutting away the pith, then putting the zest, wedges, and juice in the blender. And, miraculously, there was no bitterness at all!

Other folks had some issues with the filling not setting up, or boiling over in the oven. Another miraculous event: no boilage, and it set up perfectly!

Now, let me tell you my issues. The flavor was fabulous! However, I have a heavy hand with doughs. I like kneading. And I'm forceful. Those are two things that Dorie says we shouldn't be with her shortbread crust! I forgot that until I had jammed that darn crust into the edges of my pan and pressed and pressed and pressed to make it level. I've done that twice now. With the Chocolate Cream Tart and now with this one. I think I've learned my lesson, though. The dough was good, but it wasn't that sandy, shortbready texture I knew it should be. I'll behave myself with my next tart. My final issue: I need a tart pan! I've used a pie pan and this pan, whatever it was, and it's just not the same. I'm not getting the fluted edge, and I can't pop the tart out for pretty pictures. (The tart pan will go on my wish list. However, a new house is first on my wish list, so once that's built, maybe I can get me a tart pan!)

If you're a lemon-lover, definitely make your way over to Babette Feasts for the recipe. You won't be disappointed!