Pina Colada Pork Chops with Tropical Fruit Salsa ala ~DKBB~

Pina Colada Pork Chops with Tropical Fruit Salsa ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Jenn Tidwell in Summer 2016 Taste of Home magazine)

Pork Chops and Sauce

1 can (10 oz.) frozen pina colada mix, thawed and divided OR 1 cup of pina colada drink mix

2 to 4 boneless pork chops

Salt and cracked pepper

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. lime juice

⅛ to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. cold butter 

• Place ¾ cup pina colada mix in shallow glass dish; add pork chops, turning to coat all sides; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Drain pork, discarding marinade; sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper; grill, covered, over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes on each side (let stand at least 5 minutes before serving).
• In a small saucepan, combine chicken broth, remaining pina colada mix (or ½ cup of pina colada mix), lemon and lime juices, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and cook uncovered until liquid is slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes; remove from heat and whisk in butter 1 Tbsp. at a time until creamy.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 mango, peeled and finely chopped

2 kiwi fruit, peeled and finely chopped

½ medium not-quite-ripe banana, peeled and finely chopped

1 small avocado, peeled and finely chopped

2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. minced fresh cilantro (optional)

1 tsp. minced fresh basil (optional)

• Mix all salsa ingredients together.
• Serve pork chops with salsa and sauce; brown rice makes a nice accompaniment for this dish, and the sauce works well on the brown rice.

Panzanella ala ~DKBB~

Panzanella ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Jannine Fisk in Summer 2006 Taste of Home magazine)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

6 cups at least day-old ciabatta bread (or French bread or any desired kind of artisan bread),

   cut into 1-inch cubes

10 to 20 grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Anaheim pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 red/orange/yellow pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces

Cucumber/zucchini/yellow squash, diced (optional)

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (optional)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coarsely ground pepper and kosher salt to taste

¼ to ½ cup Italian salad dressing

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the bread cubes (in 2 batches if necessary); cook and stir until toasted - about 8 minutes (do this in 2 batches, if necessary).
• In another pan, cook the bacon pieces almost to crisp; remove from heat and drain.
• Combine bread cubes and veggies (except for tomatoes), basil (if using), and pepper and salt and toss to mix well; drizzle Italian dressing over this and toss well to thoroughly mix it in.
• The longer this sets before serving, the better.
• Serve with the tomatoes and bacon as garnishes. More salad dressing can be added to individual servings as desired. This saves well (just save the tomatoes separately) and tastes even better the longer it sits.