Pork Chops with Carolina Rub and Skillet Potatoes

So obviously it's been awhile since I last posted! That's not because we haven't been cooking, let me assure you! Life got busy with end of the semester stuff, a new kitty, and a trip to Paris. But now that things have settled down, I'm going to do my best to regain my footing on blogging here. The primary reason for this is not because I'm necessarily learning anymore (I actually make dinner several nights a week now, all by myself!), but rather that Will and I would like to keep as honest of a log as possible of what we make. Because we make a lot of good recipes and if we document it, we're hoping it will help us remember better than when we open a cookbook and go "ohhhh that's really good-we haven't had it in awhile!"

Tonight, I'm going to blog about what we made for dinner today-a tried and true recipe that we haven't made in an incredibly long time, but is always a good, low-cal dinner. We made Pork Chops with Carolina Rub and our new favorite potato recipe, Skillet Potatoes. I'll admit, the potatoes certainly aren't the healthiest, but they are damn good.

I made the pork tonight (from the fresh cuts section of Earthfare*) and Will manned the potatoes. The recipes are below:

Pork Chops with Carolina Rub (adapted from Cooking Light, May 2006; serves 4)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (we didn't have this on hand so I substituted a 1/2 tsp of white pepper)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
(I added a douse of cayenne pepper and a Chipotle Rub from Pampered Chef for extra flavors)
4 (4oz) center-cut pork loin chops (or whatever pork chop you desire)
BBQ sauce

Combine spices and rub the pork chops with the mixture. Let stand 10 minutes.

Prep grill. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray (optional). Grill 4 minutes. Turn and grill 2 more minutes. Squirt some BBQ sauce on both sides of chop and rub it in with either a brush or by stirring it around the pan. Continue grilling until desired degree of doneness.

Skillet Potatoes (from Real Simple Solutions: Quick and Easy Meals)
1 lb red potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (or however many potatoes you have on hand...adapt as necessary)

Heat approximately 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potato slices and cook, stirring occasionally. (I recommend using tongs to flip individual potato slices once they begin to get crispy). Keep cooking until the potatoes are golden and tender (or crispy, if you prefer). Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. We also recommend adding fresh rosemary and thyme from your herb garden and some minced garlic, for extra flavor.

*We have begun doing the majority of our grocery shopping at Earthfare, a healthy supermarket, instead of splitting it 50/50 with Publix. We just transferred to purchasing fresh cut meats from Earthfare because for us, the quality far exceeds the price that you have to pay, which admittedly, is higher than a normal grocery store. However, knowing your meat has been grass-fed, contains no preservatives or hormones, and all the other health-conscious aspects Earthfare promotes, helps us sleep a little better at night and makes our tummies happier.