dinner tonight: 2 recipes = 1 delicious meal...

Followers of my blog for any time might have noticed a lack of recipe posts lately.  The truth is that in the late winter, early spring doldrums I just haven't been inspired to try anything new.  Nothing was peaking my interest and we were getting in a bit of a slow cooker dinner rut. Even some of the favorites in our meal rotation feel stale when eaten over and over again. 

Then, last week, a side dish popped up in my Google Reader that sounded and looked good enough to pull me out of my recipe funk: Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans.  I grocery shopped for the few ingredients I didn't have on hand Monday and took boneless pork chops out of the freezer to defrost.  Tuesday night's dinner was on it's way to being planned.  But, what to do with the pork?  I needed to find a skillet recipe - the oven would take too long and the grill? Buried in the back of the garage. Somewhere.  So, I turned to the girls on a message board I frequent and came away with what turned out to be a delicious suggestion for Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops. I cooked both dishes at the same time, taking about 30 minutes total.  Here are the adapted recipes:

Herbed Potatoes and Green Beans
Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

1 lb. red potatoes, diced evenly
3/4 lb green beans, end trimmed
Chicken broth, at least 2 cups
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1 tsp garlic powder
Paprika
Salt & Pepper

1. Spray cooking spray in a large skillet with lid.
2. Turn heat to med-high, add potatoes
3. Flip after 5 minutes, or when golden brown. Brown other side.
4. Pour in chicken broth until potatoes are halfway covered, about one cup. Cover and allow to steam over med-low heat 5-10 min until liquid is almost absorbed.
5. Add more broth, again covering potatoes halfway.  Add green beans, onion, garlic and sprinkle with paprika. Stir well. Replace lid, steam 5-10 min, checking often (may need to add more liquid).
6. Once veggies are cooked through, raise heat to reduce broth.  Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Oregano Garlic Pork Chops
Adapted Redbook

4 boneless center-cut pork chops (1"thick)
3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 tsp Tastefully Simple, Garlic Garlic)

1. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, seasoning both sides.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil on med-high, add pork chops when hot and cook 4 minutes per side.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add butter, oregano and garlic. Cook, turning pork every 2-3 min until finished.  Remove from heat, cover with foil and let stand 5 min. Spoon drippings over pork when serving.