Hawaiian Pork Chops

Aloha my beautiful blog readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Even though it's almost winter, and Christmas is right around the corner, I'm going to bring back the summer vibes just for this one recipe that you won't regret trying to make. According to Michelle Cavalier, the maker of this recipe, this is a "great meal when friends drop in unexpectedly" (A17). This month's recipe is Hawaiian Pork Chops. This meal not only takes about 30-45 minutes to make (depending on how skilled you are at cooking ), but it's also very sweet and truly gives off its Hawaiian vibe. This recipe makes about 4 servings but you could always tweak the amount of ingredients for the amount of servings you want to make. For example, if you want to make double the amount of servings, then you will have to double the amount of ingredients you'll need to use.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 4 ounces each)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced onion rings
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced- sodium beef broth
• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chucks (undrained)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons cold water

• OPTIONAL (but recommended): Hot cooked rice - as much rice as you desire

Ingredients (The water is in the white cup)

Steps into making this dish:

1. The number one first thing you have to do before cooking ANYTHING, is to wash your hands!

2. Now that you've washed your hands, sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork chops. In a large non-stick skillet, coat it with cooking spray. Then, cook the pork chops at about 4-5 minutes on each side (or until it's lightly brown), and once it's cooked, remove the pork chops from the skillet, move the meat to a plate, and keep the skillet warm (Cavalier A17). 

Step 2 - Cooking the Pork Chops

3. "In the same skillet, saute green pepper and onion until almost tender. Stir in the broth, pineapple, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar. Bring this mixture to a boil. Return the pork to the pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 6-10 minutes or until meat juices run clear" (Cavalier A17).

Step 3 - Boiling the mixture

Step 3 - Adding he meat back into the pan

4. Combine cornstarch and water until it's smooth; stir it into skillet and bring it to a boil. Cook the mixture for about 1-2 minutes (or until thickened). Serve over rice if desired and enjoy your meal! (Cavalier A17).

Final Product

This recipe was an amazing recipe to make and tasted absolutely amazing! It really brings back the summer vibes into your kitchen and is an easy recipe for anyone to make. I, honestly, have never cooked an actual meal, but I've always wanted to learn how to cook, so being able to make this meal and have it taste good was such a big accomplishment for me! My experience making Hawaiian Pork Chops shows that anyone can cook this meal!

Question:

If you wanted to bring the summer vibes back into your kitchen, what would you make and why? What kind of food would you want to make that was from a different culture than your own? Why?

Citation: 

Cavalier, Michelle. "Hawaiian Pork Chops." The Taste of Home Cookbook: Best Loved Recipes from Home Cooks like You. Greendale, Wisc.: Reader's Digest, 2014. A17. Print.