Pork and broccoli

I forgot to take the picture before David started eating...the portions were bigger and the presentation was cleaner as well. haha

The other day David and I were at the store and got a GREAT deal on chicken and pork. Needless to say, I started thinking of different ways to make a fast and simple dish  (but still have it be delicious) out of something so common. On Thursday we were pressed for time and so I literally thew some ingredients together and it ended up being a new favorite of David's! While David loves food, it is sometimes a difficult feat to have him say, "we should have this again sometime soon." So when he said that about this dish, I knew I had a success!

Please remember that I made this on the fly from some basic ingredients from the pantry-and so I wasn't too concerned with measurements...feel free to add or subtract any amount if you feel it would be too overpowering for your liking.

Orange Pork with Broccoli

1/4 cup onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp parsley

3 Tbs white wine vinegar 

1 tsp yellow mustard (can use a dijon if you want)

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

juice of 1/2 of a large orange

2 pork chops

I sauteed the onions in a pan, and while I was doing that, I added the rest of the ingredients together and let the pork marinade for about 5 min. I then took out the pork and put it  into the pan to sear it and get a good golden brown color-After searing both sides of the pork, I then added the marinade and let it simmer briefly. I then added 1 cup of water to the whole mixture and then covered the pan and let it simmer/cook for about 10-15 min until the pork was cooked through. 

After the pork is done, add the broccoli into the juice to cook for about 5 min or until bright green. Take out of the pan and serve! Enjoy!

Angel food cake french toast

Well, if anyone is like me, I love breakfast foods, and sometimes (as much as I hate saying this) they get a little old. So recently, I have been searching for a fun way to spice up the classic french toast and I found an idea just walking up and down the different bread isles at the store. I love angel food cake, and french toast-why not put them together? It's really simple, and I paired it with a semi-homemade orange syrup to add a kick. Enjoy! 

Angel food cake french toast 

1 pkg. Angel food cake

5 eggs

2 Tb. milk

1 tsp. vanilla 

1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

Heat your griddle to about 300 and while you're waiting for it to be ready mix in a shallow bowl your eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. (feel free to add a little more if you like-I start with this amount and depending on my mood I add a little more vanilla or lemon juice to my liking) 

Cut the cake into about 1/2-3/4 inch slices and proceed to dip and fry until each side is golden brown, about 2 min on each side. Remember to just dip the cake lightly-it soaks up the mixture really fast. 

I made this syrup today on the fly because I was craving something with a little zest-so I added a few things to our already bought syrup and voila! I loved it, and think that I will continue tweaking it a little. But until then, enjoy! 

Semi-homemade orange syrup

1 1/2 cups of regular store bought syrup

4 Tb. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tb. sugar

2 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

I just added it all together on a stove top (medium heat) and heat till all of the butter is melted. Don't let it boil because it will turn thick  I added a chopped orange wedge in the syrup for some extra texture and flavor.