Dinner courtesy of Stacey

Last night I had dinner courtesy of Stacey. No, I wasn't lucky enough to have her cook for me, instead I made two of the recipes she recommended.

Asparagus and Leek Risotto with Prosciutto was my first ever attempt at making risotto and I was really looking forward to it after hearing rave reviews from Stacey and reading reviews from Epicurious. I also decided to give a zillionth chance to making pork chops in hopes that this time they will turn out fork tender (as if!).

Risotto: I cut the recipe in half. Instead of using prosciutto I used thinly sliced Black Hill Ham. I also added sauteed mushrooms. The recipe turned out great even though I had to add more liquid than called for and it definitely took more time. But the flavors were great. I'll definitely try making another risotto in the future.

Pork: pork was another story. Seriously, am I being punished for

being Jewish and cooking and eating pork? The recipe Stacey told me about called for searing pork chops on both sides and then baking them at 300 for 40-60 minutes in a dish filled with some chicken stock and wine and covered with the aluminum foil. I seared the pork. It looked gorgeous. I then decided to cook it for an hour. OMG: it was absolutely dry on the inside, although there was plenty of liquid left in the pan. Maybe I should just leave pork out of my repertoire? Sadness. I might shred the remaining pork chops and slather them with BBQ sauce and have a sort of Sloppy Joe.

If anyone has fool-proof recipes for pork chops (boneless) please let me know. The only time I had success was when I drenched them in egg mixture, coated with crumbled up Doritos and cooked on both sides in a pan. Why mess with a good thing?