Have I Convinced You Yet?: Recipe

I've been thinking about this...seriously tossing it around in my head like a giant salad. If I haven't convinced you by now that you can serve up really great food in a short time, then I've not succeeded in carrying out the mission of my blog. Of course there are recipes that cannot be accomplished in 30 minutes or less as there are recipes that you want to cook for a long time - the longer the food cooks the better it tastes. And by now you know that I am equally as enamoured by those as I am about quick fare. However, this is weekday cooking so the rules change...dinner (and clean-up) needs to be done easily and swiftly.

So here I am with another creation that I know is (whose slogan is this?) good food, fast. To be truthful, I had imagined making stuffed pork chops when I bought these at the store. I thought about semi-butterflying them so that I could stuff them with sauteed wild mushrooms and cheese and spinach and maybe even some spicy sausage. With each day that passed since the purchase, I realized I was just way too tired to accomplish that during the week so who was I kidding? I'm not Martha Stewart! Tonight on the ride home from work, with my tummy growling at me, I thought about pork chops with a thick coating of Parmesan cheese and herbs.

I mean it, I began dinner prep at 6:01 p.m. and we were eating at 6:28 p.m. You can't get much easier than that! Dinner was rounded out with (naturally) couscous and a steamed vegetable. Gotta love those steamer pouches!

So if this doesn't convince you then perhaps you'd rather read a blog about restaurants!

Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Pork Chops
4 pork chops about 1/2 lb. each (with the bone)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, and sage
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese and herbs. Mix well. In another bowl, beat the eggs and set aside. Combine oils into a large, deep, frying pan and heat on medium-high heat until very hot - about 1 1/2 minutes. Meanwhile, dip each chop in the egg and then into the bowl with the cheese mixture. Coat heavily on all sides. Set onto a plate and when all are ready, place them, gently, into the pan. Cook the chops on each side about 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Be sure to turn them twice or so to ensure even color on both sides.

Remove chops from the oil and place on brown paper bags to absorb oil. Sprinkle each with about 1 tsp. Parmesan cheese and serve.