100th post

I realized this afternoon that my next post would be my 100th post.  I was initially planning on preparing something a fancier in celebration but I just didn't have the time this evening.  I walked in the door right at 5:35 p.m. tonight which means I had 35 minutes to say hello to S, change clothes, get dinner going and get out the door so I could be at the gym by 6:30 p.m. for my training appointment.   As I was staring in the fridge to see what I could pull together quickly I noticed the jars of sauerkraut that I made a month or so ago.   You can find the sauerkraut recipe in my post titled Oktoberfest Update from late September.

Menu
Pork Chops with Homemade Sauerkraut
Roasted Red Kuri Squash with Mint
Alexandra Potato Dumplings

To make the pork, in a oven safe baking dish I layered the bottom with some of the sauerkraut, added two bone-in pork chops that I seasoned with black pepper and then topped it with the remaining sauerkraut.  The sauerkraut has plenty of salt to help season the pork so don't add any additional salt this dish.  Cover the dish with a lid and placed it in the oven on 325 degrees.  I put it in the oven right before I walked out the door.

I found the squash recipe in the November issue of Bon Appetit magazine, Roasted Squash with Mint and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.  The recipe actually calls for acorn or butternut squash, however I had some slices of Red Kuri squash in my fridge so I went with that.  I also omitted the toasted pumpkin seeds just to avoid the extra step.  I think it still turned out really great.  I placed the squash slices on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  I called my husband when I left the gym and he threw them in the oven.  The squash was ready to come out of the oven shortly after I got home.  I drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and topped them with mint leaves.

The potato dumplings were by far the easiest part of the meal.  When I got home I put a pot of water on the stove and followed the boiling instructions.  When they were finished, I drained them and placed a tiny bit of butter on them and seasoned them with some pepper.

Chris was very happy because he was able to start watching the Bears game and dinner was ready by 7:30 p.m. so we weren't eating as late as we normally do on a night I go to the gym.  So everything worked out well.  Even better was the fact that the meal was quite good.

This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears