"Red Goat" Chops with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Tonight I made a common meal with a new twist: pork loin chops baked in a red wine sauce, topped with a red pepper spread and goat cheese served up with some butter-roasted brussels sprouts. Here is the recipe below:

 Here's what you'll need:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
3 Tb. butter (or olive oil)
Salt & pepper to taste

 Pork loin chops (1 for each person)
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. red wine (I used Cabernet)
3 garlic cloves sliced
Salt & pepper to taste

 For the sprouts:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Halve the sprouts, place on baking sheet face up.
Melt butter in microwave about 15 seconds. Spoon butter onto each half (this way you won't over-butter). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for approx 15 minutes.

 For the chops:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork chops into an oven safe dish. Add olive oil and red wine into dish. Turn chops over once to make sure each side gets coated. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until center is no longer pink. (Because they are cooking in red wine, be sure and cut into the center to check thoroughly).

While the chops are cookin', prepare the goat cheese and red pepper spread by taking approx 1 Tb of each per pork chop (so in this case it was 3 Tb of goat cheese and 3 Tb of the red pepper spread), mix together in a bowl. I had to microwave the mixture for about 15 seconds to soften the cheese. When the pork chops are done, place on your plate and spoon topping onto each chop. Serve with the brussels sprouts and enjoy. This dish would go great with a nice Chardonnay. I only drink reds, so I, of course, washed it down with my Cab.

Whisking in West

Welcome to the new face of my blog! Get out your whisk, I have some recipes for you!

With Biltmore Inspirations' new catalog comes a meal planner for 5 weeks! You can now know what to do and how to use the food you buy.

Today's featured food item: Red Hot Pepper Spread.

This delightfully spicy spread features red peppers and jalapenos complimented by sugar and vinegar

Appetizer: Puff Pastry Brie Bites with Spicy Cabernet Jelly

½ cup Biltmore Cabernet Sauvignon
¼ cup Biltmore Inspirations Red Hot Pepper Spread
¼ pound brie cheese
18-inch square sheet of puff pastry or uncooked pie dough
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add Cabernet Sauvignon to small sauce pan over medium heat. Reduce by 85% (until almost syrupy); stir in Red Hot Pepper Spread and cool briefly in refrigerator.
Divide brie into 8 bite-sized pieces.
Dock pastry dough with a fork and cut into eight equal pieces, then brush with thin layer of egg wash.
Place brie onto pastry and wrap pastry around cheese. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet; brush tops with egg wash. Bake 10 minutes.
Top with cabernet jelly, and serve immediately or at room temperature.

Main Course: Israeli Cous Cous ‘Risotto’ with Red Pepper Sauce
Serves 4
1 jar of Biltmore Inspirations Red Hot Pepper Spread
1 (8.8-ounce) package toasted Israeli couscous (about 1 ¾ cups) cooked and cooled*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup diced yellow squash
¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
*Any other dried cooked pasta can be used as well

Add olive oil to a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook until soft and translucent.
Add the zucchini and squash; cover and cook 5 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.
Add the cooked pasta and let boil until hot.
Mix in the Red Hot Pepper Spread and leave on the heat until heated through, then remove from the heat and add the parsley and cheese.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

Tonight I am going to whisk this Red Pepper Sauce together with some soft goat cheese and approximately 1 Tbs per pork loin chop together. I am going to bake the chops at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes and then top with my "Red Goat" spread, and then broil for about 5 minutes. This will be served with roasted brussels sprouts. As I make it I will take pictures and then post them later on with more specific details of the recipe.

New Year, New Designs

 Our new Spring/Summer catalog is out! This is exciting with over 40 new items to bring in the new year. As we recover from the holidays and get our lives back to "normal," we can relish in the new ideas that Biltmore Inspirations has to offer. Spring Cleaning takes on a whole new meaning! The photos below are just a taste of the wonderful things we have to offer.

This year is going to be a great one. Biltmore Inspirations has grown tremendously in the last 6 months - they have delivered as a company and as a great place to work. I love these products. They are high quality, as is the customer service team. Biltmore Inspirations prides itself on their goal to be the best in the direct sales companies.

There are a couple of wonderful things we're offering for the month of January. First, you earn double host dollars! For a party with sales over $250, instead of earning $25 you get $50. And it goes up and up and up!

Also, if you've ever thought about joining Biltmore Inspirations, this month you can join for $149! The starter kit includes over $900 worth of swag! The culture of this company is just great. The people are sweet, the leaders are experienced and ready to help, and the company is solid - just to name a few things here. Please feel free to contact me with any questions! You can email me or just leave a comment!

Continued Prayer

 This post below was made by Anna's father a few hours ago (early morning Saturday):

"Where ever you are in the world at this time of day please hold Anna up to our gracious and loving Father. Brian Peterson just called to report that Anna has experienced a seizure and the medical team has sedated her and taken her back for a cat scan. Pray for wisdom and alertness on the part of the techs and the doctors. Pray that Brian would lean hard on the Lord and allow Holy Spirit to minister to him. Pray that Anna will respond to the Lords healing in her mind and body."

The post below was an update from Anna's mother last night: 

I am home from the hospital – it is 11:23 pm I am praising God because at 9:10 pm Anna opened her eyes. She held them open for about 10 minutes, then closed them. But about 5 minutes later she opened them again and when I left at 10:15 they were still open. She tracked with Brian for a little bit and when he showed her a picture of Micah and explained that he had been born, her eyes teared. Before opening her eyes she was very agitated and called: "Mama". When I went over and took her hand she squeezed it tight and then nuzzled her had into my shoulder.

Once she opened her eyes, she became very calm.

Praise God, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Once again she still has a long way to go but each day brings more progress.
The next major prayer request besides the brain continuing to wake up, the kidneys functioning efficiently, the heparin dose regulated, and her blood numbers to continue to normalize, is that when they take the pic line out of her neck, that they do it with skill and that the bleeding is very minimal. Because she is on blood thinner she is at greater risk to bleed. They are suppose to take it out between now and the morning.
Again, please continue to pray for no infection. Pray that as she wakes more fully, she isn't frightened by the look of her arms and torso.

And please pray for the children. Nathan will be 5 on Monday so pray we can celebrate his birth with great joy.

Once again, thank you and please give God all the honor and glory

Another update on Anna

Below is an update I read this morning on Anna. It was posted on Facebook by Anna's mother. Praise God that things seem stable and are in the process of healing. She is still critical, but stable, which is a good start. I believe by now she has received over 21 units of blood (which is about twice the amount in an adult) to save her life. It is very important to donate! Thank you for all your prayers! 

Update on Anna. Today was a very good day. There is no bleeding since removing the packing and they did not have to give her any blood or platelets during the procedure, her blood coagulation numbers are normal, her blood pressure is good and her heart rate is good. The drainage from the tube in the abdomen area is watery and pink as it should be.
This evening they began feeding her a nutritional supplement into the stomach through a tube in her nose. They took her off the sedation medication for a "sedation vacation" as the doctor called it because it gives the brain a chance to "wake up". Dr Sherman said he likes to do this daily when the patient is stable. The "vacation" only lasts a little while and they don't let the patient wake up, just stir a little and perhaps respond to requests like "move your hand" etc. Anna's eyelids were moving as I was talking to her and I said: "if you hear me, squeeze your eyes" and she did!!!!
After we left, Brian texted Greg to say that she opened her eyes and raised her hand off the bed a little. You can imagine his joy.

We brought Micah home from the hospital today so… Tonight should be interesting for Greg and I as it has been a long time since we awoke to feed a baby several times during the night.
To be honest, I am kind of nervous thinking I won't hear him even though he is in the room with us.

So dear prayer warriors, I ask that you praise God for the good progress that we saw today. Prayers are needed for the clots to dissolve, her kidneys to efficiently function, for the swelling to begin to subside (she seems at least twice her size), for her hemoglobin to stabilize, for her platelet count to rise.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Randi
PS If you like to read blogs, check out my daughter-in-laws at www.thegregoires.blogspot.com She gives updates on Anna as well as a wonderful perspective on the power of prayer.
She said that she normally gets 60 – 70 hits following each posting . Yesterday in a two hour period she got 3000 and in the past two days she has gotten over 10,000 hits. People are praying for Anna all over the world and we are grateful.

All praise, honor, and glory goes to God

My Dear Friend Anna

Our dear friend Anna Peterson, pictured below, was pregnant with her 7th child when this picture was taken. The post below was copied from Anna's sister-in-law's blog page. Please read and pray for our dear friend. Anna's husband, Brian, was our pastor in Fresno and he was the one who married me and Tom, and baptized Ryan. Three of their kids were in our wedding. The Peterson's are dear friends and our hearts are breaking over Anna's situation right now.

Brian and Anna with Samuel, Kiah, Kate, TJ, Nathan and Meghan (oldest to youngest)

Charles' sister, Anna, went into the hospital on Friday morning to have a baby.  Just a routine induction.  The baby, Micah William Peterson, entered the world yesterday morning, December 31st 2011, weighing 9 lbs. 14 ounces.  A healthy baby boy!! 

Anna however, has had a lot of complications since his birth.  She had passed out during the delivery due to massive blood loss and the doctors had to perform an emergency c-section.  While in the OR, Anna continued to lose massive amounts of blood, as well as having seizures.  In order to stop the bleeding, she had to undergo a full hysterectomy.  Meanwhile, we were receiving rapid text messages via my mother-in-law to pray desperately for her.  As you can imagine, it has been a scary ordeal for the entire family. 

After surgery, Anna's vitals began to stabilize.  She was still in critical condition, however, things had started improving.  The bleeding had seemed to stop.  She had begun to wake up and was able to communicate by writing on a notepad.  She was taken off the ventilator and was breathing on her own.  All very good signs.  By last night, they were able to move her to the ICU wing. 

Then, just within the past several hours, the bleeding has started back up again.  Blood clots have been found in her legs and lungs.  She has needed 12 bags of blood.  Anna was immediately whisked back into surgery.  The issue now is that she is both bleeding and clotting at the same time.  She has been re-intubated and is sedated again. 

Charles' parents are enroute to California as I type.  One of the most difficult things for them has been that they live on the opposite side of the country.  In fact, the whole family does.  As everything has unfolded over the past 48 hours, everyone feels helpless.  We have had to keep reminding ourselves that the BEST thing we can do for Anna and her family right now is to pray......and to spur others on to pray for her as well. 

Please, would you pray for Anna right now?  Would you stop what you are doing and take a moment to "lift your eyes until the hills" towards the Great Physician?

"I lift my eyes up to the hills - where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

~Psalm 121