Blackened Pork Chops (and those special nudges)
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Note: We no longer eat pork but I’ve found this recipe works beautifully on boneless skinless chicken breasts!
Blackened Pork Chops with Garlic Mozzarella Mashed Potatoes. Both recipes are available today!
Looking for a quick and delicious supper idea? This plate right here will give them something to come home to, starring blackened pork chops!
I’ve been messing around with a blackened chicken recipe for a while to put in my new cookbook (due out next year), and when I finally came up with one that I liked, I emailed it to my friend Jyl to get her opinion. I mean, just about everything tastes good to me so I like to get a second opinion before I go broadcasting things about, which usually means Mama or Jyl. Jyl called me right after supper telling me how much they loved the blackened chicken – and then the next night she called to say that while the chicken was good, the pork chops were even better!
So my blackened chicken recipe got moved to the pork chapter and today I’m bringing you blackened pork chops instead of blackened chicken.
Life is much more fun if we adapt.
Before we get to the recipe though, I wanted to talk a little bit about an experience I had recently with nudges. 🙂
We all get them from time to time and I’m sure I’m not the only one who stands in awe of what happens when we follow them – those little nudges in our hearts to act, to do something. Say a kind word, approach someone with a hug, or simply open our eyes and take notice.
A month or so ago my youngest, Katy Rose, decided she wanted to go into the church service with us instead of her usual Sunday school. My husband started with our usual “But Katy Rose, you’ll miss your friends!” but I felt a sense of let it be and shook my head discreetly at my husband. “It’s fine, let her come with us.” My son went on to his class because it is ultimately cool since they let them read the bible on their ipods (amazing how the tiniest concessions can get kids fired up about the things you want them fired up about) and the three of us remaining headed into “big church”.
We have a great church and an amazing music staff. As we sing, the air just feels charged with joy and hope and a spirit of wecandothisness (New word, my gift to you, no charge ~winks~). I was holding Katy Rose’s hand as we lightly swung our arms to the music. She turned to face me and I smiled down at her and took her other hand, both of us singing and grinning into each other’s eyes as we swung our arms back and forth to the beat.
I felt a nudge. Get down there with her.
Katy was looking up at me with such love in her eyes, the same look I gave my mother at her age. That look that says “You are who I am watching. You are who I want to be” and I got down on my knees so that we were the same height, still holding her hands as we sang and swung our arms facing one another.
Katy’s smile was so big it just about filled up her face and I couldn’t help but match it as I knelt in front of my little girl. Once the song was over I stood again and we turned our attention back to the service as we took our seats. I didn’t think too much more about it until last week when Katy came and got into bed with me early in the morning and put her arms around me.
“Mama, you remember that time when you got down on your knees so we were the same height and we held hands and sang together in church?”
“Sure do” I said.
“Mama, that made me so happy my heart cried.” She sniffed and I looked down to see tears pooling in her little seven year old eyes as she smiled up at me “and every time I think of it my heart just gets that happy all over again.”
I pulled her close and held her. “I know just how you feel Katy. So many times you and Brady make my heart feel that exact same way.”
“I’ll always remember that Mama.”
“I will too, Katy Rose.”
Her revelation took me by surprise. To me it had just been a little gesture, to her it was a whole lot more. It was a moment that she caught in her heart, like a photograph of a loved one we always keep close. We never know when moments like this will happen, but seeing how much it meant to my baby, I’m so grateful for the nudge that day.
You never know when something you do might end up being that moment for someone else. Pay attention to the nudges.
Have you ever followed a nudge and been grateful you did?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below
Now lets cook supper 🙂
You’ll need: Salt, Pepper, Butter, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and some pork chops, thick cut is preferable. This recipe will make enough coating for four pork chops but I’m just using three because that’s plenty for us.
***This is going to go fast to get a skillet and pour about 1/4 inch of oil into it and place it over medium heat to warm up really good. You want this ready as soon as your pork chops are coated so it is important to get your oil heating first.***
I like to use two pie plates for this. In the first one, I place all of my seasonings.
and mix ’em up really good.
In the second one, I place my melted butter.
Now dip each pork chops, both sides, into the butter.
Then into the seasoning mixture.
and finally place in hot oil.
Cook on each side until dark and crusty, anywhere from 3-5 minutes. Then remove to paper towel lined plate.
Be sure to serve piping hot for best flavor.
I’m serving mine with garlic mozzarella mashed potatoes and some spinach drizzled with rasberry vinaigrette.
Want the recipe for those Garlic Mozzarella Mashed Potatoes?
I just posted it so click here!
For the salad, I just used store bought Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing on fresh spinach leaves.
Isn’t it just bizarre that Raspberry has a “p” in it?
Ingredients
- 4 -3/4 to 1 ” thick boneless pork chops (about 2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch and place over medium heat while you prepare the chops.
- In a pie plate or shallow bowl, combine all seasonings.
- In a separate pie plate or shallow bowl, pour melted butter. Dredge each pork chops in butter on both sides, then press each side into seasoning mixture before placing in hot oil.
- Repeat with remaining chops. Cook in oil until each side is dark and crusty, about 3-4 minutes, then turn and repeat with opposite side and continue cooking until pork is no longer pink in the center, another 4-5minutes.
- Remove cooked pork chops and allow to drain on paper towel lined plate. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Be sure and check out the debut of Southern Plate Suppers in the new August/September issue of Taste of the South Magazine for a column on some of my favorite family activities this time of year as well as a complete supper menu with never before published recipes that will help simplify meal time and keep ’em running to the table!
“The only way to have a home is to make a home.”
~ Brooke Berman
p.s. girl, don’t you wish you had the eyeliner franchise for this bunch cuz we’ve all cried our off!
Christy I thought the corn bread salad recipe was wonderful I cook dinner for my church on Wednesday nights and every one loved it I mixed the spicy ranch with two cups of Mayo but I thought it would have been better if the dressing had been a little bit thinner do you have any suggestions
Christy, thank you for sharing from your heart. It made me tear up in a happy way. I felt what you were describing and made me want to run home & grab my little girl and let her know how precious she is to me. I have found myself lately, missing my childhood and my grandparents alot. I can sit on my Mother’s front porch in the rocking chair and see pictures in my mind of me running through the yard and picnics under the oak tree. I want to make sure that my children have those same precious memories to reflect back on. I want them to know how much they are loved and to cherish family moments like what you described. We just lost our last grandparent this past week and I am so thankful that she felt those nudges too and let us know how much she loved us too….Now that she is gone, I still can look back on those “nudges” and remember the special love from Grandma’s heart.
Instead of life is better if we adapt,perhaps life is better/more interesting if we think outside the box 🙂
It’s just better all around if we let it be better 😉
Wonderful of you to share those special moments with us readers. I have had so many of these through the years that I have just a slight tendency sometimes to forget to say a little bitty prayer of ‘thanks’ when they happen. Then I say two little thank you prayers to make up for my lack, lol.
Your blackend pork chops made me remember my first mom-in-law, whom I will always remember fondly as she had and always will have a special place in my heart and soul. We would be together for a ‘family’ dinner and something always got a little ‘extra brown’ while cooking. She was teased about the burnt dinner rolls one year back in the early 70’s; and she turned around and put one hand on her hip and the other shaking a finger and saying “now you hear me, those are NOT black, they are just DARK brown and I will NOT hear another word of it!” We were all soooo shocked into stunned silence for about all of 2 minutes then I looked at one of my sis-in-laws, then at her and she had an ornery twinkle in her eye that no one else saw and she made me snort and I burst into giggles and couldn’t stop laughing and all the guys were trying to shut me up in case she had another ‘burst’! She a shore skeered them fellers at our table, heeeheee. She and I would laugh over this many times when we got together and I would say, “are them thar rolls DARK brown enough yet?” and wink. Those men in our lives never did ‘get it’. lol It still makes me chuckle.
Well my goodness Christy, you had to have taken creative writing when you were in college. Your wording emotes such deep feelings that I’d swear you were an author of some sort!
Christy, sharing your recipes is awfully nice, but sharing your heart is the BEST!! I have had many of those Holy Spirit nudges (not surprising, really, since He was sent to live INSIDE us). Anytime we set aside our own needs and truly connect with another human being in a way that lets them know that they are valuable just as they are, God shows us His plan for relationships. We should ALL follow the nudges more often!
Have a great week, everyone!