the chance meeting of me and a pork chop.

Hi. So I had written a lovely little post about these pork chops. Eloquent and witty and stuff. And then something happened and I lost the whole thing. And I don't want to write it anymore because I'm peeved. So I am giving you the recipes and a lovely photo and you will have to wait until next post for more words from me. I'm upset with the computer. I need to take a moment.

Try these pork chops. They are really yummy.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated and SmittenKitchen

Serves 4

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (or a chunk of a nice italian loaf)
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites or one whole egg
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Garlic-y White beans and Spinach

1 can white beans
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
a couple handfuls of spinach
lots of good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet and lightly sauté the garlic until fragrant. Add white beans and heat through. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Finish with more olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.