Grilled Pork Chops with Blackberry Balsamic Sauce

Happy Tuesday pals!  Do me a favor, go get your grocery list and a pen/pencil/writing utensil of sort.  Go ahead, I'll wait.....(insert Jeopardy music here)....still waiting....ok got them?  Great!  Now put these ingredients on it ASAP.  This fabulously light and summer friendly pork chop recipe is so delish it must be made right away!

This is adapted from my FAVORITE of the moment cookbook Endless Summer by Katie Lee.  All of the recipes we've tried in it so far have been really yummy, utilize fresh summer ingredients and aren't too fussy or advanced. Not to brag but this cookbook author and co-host of The Kitchen is a Miami grad, making her superior to other Food Network folks (sorry GZ!).  Because she's one of the many awesome Miami alumni doing big things she came back to campus this spring for the Women in Leadership Symposium and signed this fabulous little cookbook for me :)  Like I said, not bragging, just saying.  Anyways, back to the pork chops.      

Grilled Pork Chops with Blackberry Balsamic Sauce

 Ingredients:
- 4 bone in pork chops, I used center cut about a half inch thick each (about 1 2/3 lbs. total)
- 1 qt. blackberries
- 1 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp.  ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dry mustard

Instructions:
- Reduce balsamic by half in a nonreactive saucepan over high heat.  Should take 7ish minutes once you get it up to a full boil.
- Carefully add the blackberries, occasionally give them a gentle stir until they are just softened, 2ish minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the berries to a separate bowl. 
- Continue to boil the balsamic until it has reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 3ish minutes.
- Carefully pour any juice that has accumulated in the bottom of the berry bowl back in to the pan, let simmer for another 30 seconds or so.
- Season with salt and pepper then pour over the berries in the bowl, you may want a spatula to scrape out every last bit of sauce.  Set sauce aside.

Yumm-o!

- Heat your grill (or grill pan) to medium (keep in mind pork is typically a low and slow kind of meat).
- In a small bowl mix together chili powder, coriander, cumin and mustard. 
- Season pork chops with salt, pepper and the spice mixture.  Give it a little rub so the spices really stick to it!
- Place chops on the grill and cover.  Cook for 2 and a half minutes (if your chops are thicker you'll need more time on each side).
-Flip the chops, cover grill and cook for another 2 and a half minutes. 
- Flip, cover and cook for a minute and a half.
- Flip, cover and cook for another minute and a half.
- Remove chops from the grill, tent with foil and let stand for 4 to 5 minutes.

Grilling credit: my husband

- Serve chops with blackberry balsamic sauce drizzled over top.
- Enjoy!

These pork chops are super flavorful with the spice rub on them but then the blackberry balsamic sauce really makes them sing.  So even if you didn't write the ingredients down and plan to make them tomorrow I hope you put them on your "to make" list soon!

Next up, it's time for some summer cocktails, stay tuned!

Cheers!
Steph

Seeing RED!

Happy weekend!  Unfortunately, I came down with a nasty little cough I picked up last weekend (so not ideal) so I was bed/couch bound for a few days.  BUT speaking of last weekend, it was downright fabulous!  We went to Miami because I had some Young Alumni Council meetings and we went to a show stopping event (more details on that below) plus we were with great friends at one of our favorite places in the world and so yeah it just makes my heart smile!  Here's a few pics from all the fun!

Ice Sculpture/Raw Bar at the Student Center Opening Gala

YAC friends all dressed up!

Breakfast splurge at Patterson's,
Eggs Benedict over Mac and Cheese (like woah!) with Loaded Homefries

Ok let's get serious about shoes now.  With awards show season as well as a super season of Courtney Loves Dallas on my regular TV watch list I couldn't help but splurge on some new shoes.  A girl needs a winter pick me up when its negative temps and dumping snow, right?!  Right.  Anyways, I had looked at these red suede Jessica Simpson pumps a few times but always talked myself out of them for one reason or another.  Their price dropped on 6pm.com and I recently found some outfit images on Pinterest that just downright inspired me so BOOM, they went in my shopping cart!

These little cuties will be perfect with tights and a skirt or slacks and a sweater for the office then can be transitioned into evening attire with a cute dress or some skinnies and a great top.  The versatility is so there (aka it's soo justified to add yet another pair of shoes to my collection)!

Originally I was looking at going with a more muted, Bordeaux like red but in true Miami girl fashion I fell for the Lipstick Red hook, line and sinker.  To christen these lovely school spirited (sort of) shoes I wore them at the opening gala of the new student center at Miami!  It seems like just yesterday I was hearing the university advancement staff talk about this new fundraising endeavor we'd be embarking on and now its here, a full fledged building for future Miamians to enjoy!  (Sorry am I bragging about my alma mater?  Oh well, #loveandhonor)  What was unique about this particular fundraising campaign was it was very grassroots.  They provided the incentive of getting your name in the building for a fulfilled pledge so of course as graduating seniors Chris and I decided to take advantage. 

Chris and I next to our names in the building

I probably should have taken these little kicks for a spin before the gala to break them in because I ended up with some pretty sore feet by the end of the evening but #fashionispain sometimes.  There was another pair of shoes in my shopping cart from 6pm.com but I'll share those at a later date!

I finished my Suja Juice Cleanse this week so stay tuned for a review plus I've got a soup recipe to warm you up during these wintery blasts we're having!

Cheers, stay warm!
Steph

Soup's On: Kale, White Beans and Tomato Soup

It's that time of year friends, time for Sunday Soup on WWSV!  This week I'm a little behind so it's not titled Sunday Soup but it was a hectic weekend!  During the fall and winter months Chris and I are big fans of soup for lunches so I typically prepare a big batch on Sundays.  Then I share my recipes with you!

This weekend we went to Miami, I had a meeting as well as our first annual 18 of the last 9 awards reception!

The inaugural class of 18 of the last 9!  Very inspirational and successful Miamians!

This event is something the Young Alumni Council has been working to get off the ground for a year.  Ok, sorry back to the soup, I just can't help but brag about my awesome council members, they seriously rock!

Sights from campus and our YAC meeting!

After my cleanse I had some ingredients leftover and one that I had in abundance was kale.  With my new MAJOR fruit and veggie cravings I figured lets put this stuff to use!  I feel like kale is under represented, it gets such a bad rap!  I can see why some aren't big fans because it is a little tough and its raw texture is a little strange BUT once you get comfortable with it it can be downright delicious.  I found this recipe as a side on Pinterest but I decided to add broth and make it a soup.  It's very yummy and fills you right up!

Kale, White Beans and Tomato Soup 

(this makes about three to four servings)

Ingredients:

- About a cup or so of kale, leaves removed from the stems and roughly chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes

- 1 can (14 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelli beans)

- 1 c. chicken broth (for vegetarians you can use vegetable broth)

- pinch red pepper flakes

- salt and pepper to taste

- sprinkles of parmesan cheese (for serving)

Instructions:

- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and let cook until just barely golden around the edges.

- Add kale (be careful, if it is still wet it will spit a little when it hits the oil) saute and occasionally cover to steam until kale is wilted.

- Add tomatoes, beans and broth then simmer a few minutes.  The amount of broth you add is up to you, I like lots of broth to my soups so I tend for a heavier hand with it.  

- Add red pepper flakes (a lot if you like it spicy or only a little pinch if you don't).  Season with salt and pepper.

- Serve and sprinkle with parmesan.  If you are making ahead (like I do for lunches) leave parmesan off until time to serve.  (If you have a dairy allergy you can leave the cheese off altogether, it still tastes good.)

So there we have our first soup recipe of the season, hope you enjoy!

Cheers!

Steph