Cider Pork Chops

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine***

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 bone-in pork loin chops (7 oz. each)
1 T. canola oil
1 C. sliced celery
4 green onions, slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 C. apple cider or juice

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add pork chops and toss to coat. In a large skillet, brown chops in oil. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute the celery, onion, garlic and thyme for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Return pork chops to the pan. Add cider. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160*. Serve with a slotted spoon.

I'm not a big fan of pork chops for some reason. I think it's because they usually come out too dry for me, but they turned out moist and nice with this recipe. HOWEVER, I had to use apple juice because cider is hard to find this time of year, and the juice mixture was WAY too sweet for me. The original picture showed the juice/celery mix over the pork chop, so that's how I served it. I would not make this again just because of the sweetness factor. If you're one of those folks who likes applesauce with your pork chops, this might be the recipe for you. (And for the record, we DID have brussel sprouts for dinner, too, as the picture shows. I'm a veggie girl and I think they're great!)

Family Chef's Grade: C