Rosemary Pork Chops with Mushroom and Herb Orzo

Last year my husband and I tired to grow herbs. Tried. We had no luck with cilantro, basil, parsley or thyme, but the rosemary has hung in there!  I have not given up hope that (one day) I will have a green thumb, but I realized that growing things that require being fed every day is like having another child or animal, and momma ain’t go time for that.  Rosemary, apparently, will survive on rain alone. So, since rosemary is my only free herb, I experiment with it occasionally.  One pairing that has turned out really yummy with my rosemary is pork chops.  Throw a little rosemary, garlic and olive oil together on some bone-in pork chops for the grill – delish!  On the topic of pork chops, I’ve found that bone-in chops are soooo much better than their boneless friends.  You get that gem of a tenderloin, the meat seems juicier and more tender, and it doesn’t have the strange texture that the boneless sometimes does when it is only cooked to medium.  I digress.  So I built my Sunday dinner around rosemary and the meal turned out great.  I also decided to make another pot of orzo.  Once I stumble across an easy and tasty way of cooking something, I replicate the heck out of it (why reinvent the wheel??).  This time I married it with mushrooms, rosemary and thyme; same grain as a couple of nights ago, but totally different taste.  We ate this with lemon and parmesan roasted cauliflower and it was a dinner that the whole family loved.

Rosemary Pork Chops

4  bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1.) Combine all ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.
2.) Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Mushroom and Herb Orzo

1 1/3 cup orzo
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced sweet onion (about 1/2 a medium onion)
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 cups of mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

1.) Cook orzo according to directions on box. Drain, toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and set aside.
2.) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and butter in a skillet and sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms, rosemary and thyme. Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Add milk and sour cream, and cook until heated through.
3.) Pour mushroom sauce over orzo. Add parmesan cheese and parsley. Stir well until completely incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
2 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.) Cut florets out of cauliflower head, and then cut florets into halves or quarters (depending on the size of the floret).
3.) In a gallon Ziploc bag, add all ingredients and toss until cauliflower is evenly coated.
4.) Pour cauliflower onto a baking sheet and arrange into a single layer. Turn individual cauliflower pieces so that they are laying flat side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges/bottoms are golden brown.