Rosemary Sage Pork Chops & Sage-Braised Tomatoes

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

When Chris got back from California, I found myself seriously craving meat. After all, for the past week, I’d basically subsisted on eggs and cheese. And vegetarian I am not.

It’s not like Chris or I are huge meat eaters—in fact, we’re in agreement that large chunks of it, like in steaks or, er, roasts or whatever (I don’t even know any of the correct terminology to talk about meat), just don’t taste good. Furthermore, we rarely venture beyond ground turkey or chicken, out of ignorance I guess. I just don’t know how to handle anything else. (I aim to learn though, as a consequence of this blog!)

But, I do eat it more often than not, in slivers or in other bite-sized morsels, and for dinner usually. In fact, and this relates back to the difference between cooking for myself and cooking for my significant other and me, Chris thinks “eggs” and “cheese” are a poor substitute for meat. They’re not as filling. Or satisfying, I suppose. And that’s cool, we’re in accord. We’re totally in accord. We’re lucky how much in accord we are. In matters of taste, that is.

I could never be a vegetarian. Maybe a part-timer though.

These pork chops cook up beautifully. Was it the sage? The rosemary? The wonderfully aromatic flavor of the garlic? They were the only three ingredients after all, although I also attribute the chops’ satisfying (and not dry!) taste to the hot stove and the lid that kept all the moisture in.

And yes, I was totally sated afterward. I forget how much I like pork.

Avert your eyes if you find raw meat unappetizing!

heirloom tomatoes, condensation and all

I decided to cook up some tomatoes as well. I know, it’s blasphemy to apply heat to heirloom tomatoes. But I expect they’ll be in my kitchen pretty much nonstop for the rest of the summer, so I figured I could spare a few to go alongside the meat. (but I’ll be damned if I ever do anything to watermelon other than eat it in freshly-cut slices! I feel very strongly about this.) I’ll attribute this sentiment to Rose Carrarini of Rose Bakery—she seems to have a good eye for preparing vegetables deliciously.

I love the sweetness of cooked tomatoes. I mean, these guys were tender; they melted in my mouth; they accompanied the pork wonderfully.

ROSEMARY SAGE PORK CHOPS

Serves 2

From Big Oven

Ingredients:

2 pork chops, bone-in, about 8 ounces
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pat dry pork chops and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil on medium in a skillet that will contain the pork chops. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the sage, rosemary, and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the pork chops on top of the garlic mix. Cover and let cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Flip chops, re-cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium, for another few minutes, until the chops have cooked through.

SAGE-BRAISED TOMATOES

Serves 2

Inspired by Rose Carrarini

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 stalk celery
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 to 10 leaves of sage
1/2 cup water or stock

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan and cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, tomatoes, and celery and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add water and sage and turn heat to low. Continue cooking until tomatoes are very soft and liquid has been reduced.

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Biscoff Bourbon Bacon Cookies

Recipes

Christiana George

Updated Date:
December 19, 2022

Father’s Day is coming up around the corner. Looking for a manly treat to make for the fathers in your life. How about these Biscoff Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies? They are huge in size and flavor. They are packed full of Biscoff Cookie Spread, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, Boar’s Head Natural Smoked Bacon, and Nestle’s Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks. Need I say more?

I am really starting to dig bourbon. This bottle that my neighbor lent me is going to good use. Don’t worry, they did get some of these cookies as well as the Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Fudge I made last week. They haven’t complained so far.

Only the good stuff goes into these cookies. That means real bacon, Biscoff, and large chunks of chocolate. Nothing but the best for my man. When complete, the dough will be a bit oily, but sticks together well. I tested it by grabbing a chunk and rolling it into a ball in my hands. If you can do that, then your dough is perfect.

I used my large cookie scoop for these. You know, the one that doubles as an ice cream scoop. These are not dainty girly cookies. I flattened out the dough a little and I may have rearranged a few of the chocolate chunks a bit. I also sprinkled a little sea salt to the tops of each cookie before baking. The cookies did spread after cooking. Um, yeah, like to the size of my hand. Now that’s a manly cookie! At this point you can definitely smell the bourbon. But can you see all the bits of bacon, oatmeal, and thick chunks of chocolate? Just make sure the kids don’t get a hold of these. Not all the alcohol burned away. You have been warned. These are adult only cookies.

I handed these out to several neighbors, guys and gals, for taste testing and no one gave them a bad review. They are crispy at the edges and soft in the middle. They have so many flavors all melded together. It’s a flavor party in your mouth. One of the neighbors requested I make more. There are going to be some happy dads in town this Father’s Day.

Biscoff Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 15 minutes + 3hrs chilling

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert snack bourbon whiskey biscoff bacon chocolate chips Father’s Day cookie American

Ingredients (11 extra large cookies)

1 large egg
1 cup Biscoff cookie spread
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon ( about 7 slices)
1 cup chocolate chunks

optional

a sprinkle of sea salt

Instructions

In a stand mixer cream together the egg, Biscoff, and sugar on medium/high speed until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes).

Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the bourbon and mix on low until fully combined.

Next add the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and baking soda. Continue to mix on low until the dough begins to form. It will be a bit oily, that’s okay.

Add the oatmeal and chopped bacon, mixing until fully incorporated.

Finally, add the chocolate chunks and mix until evenly distributed. You make have to do some by hand because the pieces are so large.

With a large scoop, place cookie dough mounds on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place cookie sheet in the fridge for at least 3 hours before baking. This will prevent them from spreading too much.

When ready, remove from the fridge and allow dough to come to room temperature before placing in the oven. You can preheat your oven to 350º F during this time.

You can also sprinkle each mound of dough with a little sea salt if desired.

Bake cookies at 350º F for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave on the cookie sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Softbatch Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Cookies by Averie Cooks