8. New Zealand: Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Veggies

Cory had his 4th snow day today - 4th! I thought it was funny until my car slid down a large patch of black ice onto a somewhat busy road. Luckily, the road was clear -- but the 20 second experience reminded me that sweet children shouldn't be venturing out on underpowered busses in these conditions :).

I found a few fun New Zealand recipes, but roasted grapes sounded too fun to pass up... this one is inspired by http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/.

Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Veggies
4 boneless pork chops (if bone-in, cook longer)
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
5 carrots, chopped
4 yellow potatoes, cut in eighths
2-4 T olive oil, or to taste
salt and pepper
8 small bunches of seedless red grapes (about 5 grapes each)


Take pork chops out of fridge before prepping vegetables. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a large roasting pan or baking dish with PAM. Toss vegetables with olive oil, S&P in a large gallon ziplock bag until coated. Pour into bottom of pan and bake for 15 minutes. Rub pork chops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on top of vegetables and bake for 20-25 more minutes, turning the pork chops over and stirring the vegetables half way through. Add bunches of grapes and return to oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meat and vegetables are done cooking. Serve each pork chop with veggies and grapes, using only 5-10 grapes per serving (a little goes a long way!).

The verdict? Yummy pork chops -- they were perfectly cooked, and the veggies were delicious. The grapes ended up tasting more like cherries, which rested wonderfully with the pork. They were very sweet, though -- so use sparingly! This meal was super easy and yummy - and beautiful in the pan. Happy snow day to us!