Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies--picture redo

Good thing I had so many lousy pictures in the earlier (okay, and sometimes even later) days of this blog, so that I have plenty of opportunity to remind you all about some of my favorite recipes.

This flourless peanut butter cookie wins on so many levels. It's delicious. It's easy. It's gluten-free. It's filled with good fat and protein. Yes, it has a lot of sugar, but evenso, I consider it a thoroughly acceptable weekday treat. Truth be told, I'd even eat it for breakfast in a pinch. (I haven't, mind you, but I honestly consider it a lot better than many of the breakfast foods out there.)

Now go put your kids to work and tell them to make you some cookies.

(And just for kicks, here's the old picture). And just in case you're wondering--yes, in real life they look pretty like the good pictures, not ugly like the bad.:

Mother's Day: A Belated Grief

It's not at all about food (although somehow I intended it to be when I started), but here's a post I wrote for Whitney Johnson's blog about my mother and writing and believing in myself . Enjoy.

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Someday I will learn to take a decent picture of meat. Someday.

Until recently, I've never been able to make a really great pork chop. I just didn't know how to cook it through without cooking it to death. Now I do. I also know something great to put on it. It's also easy--hurray--because I don't know about you, but today I don't want to do ANYTHING.

You can do this on the grill, but you can also do it on a skillet. That is what I did.

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Balsamic Glaze
adapted from Saveur
makes 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $5.25
(chops: 5.00, butter: .15, other stuff: .10, rosemary: mine was free, but fresh herbs will be a few dollars; if you don't have them already, feel free to use 1/2 tsp dried)

Note on vinegar: There are all kinds of flavors of balsamic, so you can just go standard or you can go all crazy. I used a blackberry one once for this and it was incredible. If you don't have balsamic, you can probably sub a red wine vinegar, it'll lack a little of the sweetness balsamic gives this.

Note on honey: This could be subbed with maple syrup or even sugar if you don't have honey.

4 pork chops
salt and pepper
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp butter
1-2 sprigs rosemary
oil for cooking

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a skillet. It doesn't have to get super hot (you don't want the oil smoking), but hot enough to sizzle when you put your chops on. Coat 4 pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook them in oil. Alternately, you can throw these babies on the grill.

In the meantime (or if you're grilling--do beforehand), combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pan. Cook until it's reduced (it'll boil, thicken, and reduce). When it's reduced, add butter and rosemary.

Use your balsamic mixture and baste it onto your cooking pork chops. Give it a little more every time you turn the pork chops.

They're done when they're at least 145 degrees at the center.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.