Bon Appetite

Who says I can't cook? Oh......I did.....ha ha. Well, last night I could. I don't like to cook, probably because I don't think I can cook well, but I cook because I have to and as with everything else I do, I will put my best effort in it. The worst part of cooking for me is the selection process. What to have. Once that is done, I'm on the roll. Last night for dinner was no exception, and even I ate the food. It was really good. In searching for something different and something good, I found this recipe for Pork-Parmesan. Everyone was wild about it. I WILL share the recipe with you and you can judge for yourself, but don't get used to it. I'm not into the recipe scene,(I'll leave that honor to Tam-e) especially the ones that you have to be a graduate from a culinary institute in order to know what some of the ingredients are. I do read other recipes after I've determined I can pronounce all the ingredients and may even try a few, if there's not a lot of time involved. One note to this recipe......I improvised some, but I'll point out where I did. Enjoy!

Pork-Parmesan Sandwich (didn't make it a sandwich)
Makes 4 servings - Prep time 20 min - Bake time 10 min

Ingredients: 4 boneless pork chops(I used pork top loin)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used regular olive oil)

3 large cloves garlic (I sprinkled garlic salt)

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree(I used Classico pasta sauce with sweet basil)

1 large egg, lightly beaten (no substitute, I had that, ha ha)

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I crushed salad croutons)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (don't know,just sprinkled)

4 crusty rolls, split (I used texas garlic toast)

Directions: (after looking at my improvisions, I may as well have made my own recipe. ha ha)

1. Heat oven to 425. Pound pork chops to 1/4 inch thickness (I didn't bother)

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Press garlic cloves through garlic press; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more. (I skipped this process altogether)

3. Meanwhile, combine egg and water in pie plate. (I used bowl) and dip both sides of pork chops in egg mixture, dripping off excess, then lightly coat in bread crumbs; transfer to a clean plate.(didn't want to dirty another dish so I put the chops right into a heated skillet with olive oil.)

4. Heat remaining oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add pork; brown 4 minutes per side. (didn't I already to that?)

5. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce in a 9 inch baking dish. Arrange pork on top of sauce. Spoon 1 cup of sauce over pork; top with cheese. Cover and bake 10 minutes, until cheese melts.(I baked 30, the chops weren't done at 10) Divide and spoon remaining sauce on bottom of rolls (texas garlic toast);top each with pork and tops of rolls (no top). I served with salad.

I guess I did a lot of improvising, huh? I think I'll leave the "what's cookin' " to Tam-e.