Rave & Review: Beer Pork Chops

Originally Posted By: Pork Chop Recipes

Ingredients: pork chops, salt, pepper, olive oil, beer, onion

Tools: skillet, knife, measuring spoon

Meat and beer--a match made in heaven!

4 thick-cut pork chops
Dashes of salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 12oz. can or bottle of beer
(Optional Add-in: 1/2 cup sliced onions)

Pair With: Garlic Asparagus with Lime

Directions: Season both sides of the pork chops with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chops and brown on both sides for five minutes each.

Add the (onions) and beer. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook until chops are no longer pink and the sauce is reduced, 35-45 minutes.


I used a light beer for my first attempt to make the chops and I think you could use just about any beer that you enjoy drinking. Since I used a beer that I like to drink with lime, I paired it with the Garlic Asparagus and Lime and some sauteed mushrooms. My time in the pan was a little longer than the original recipe used to make the chops more tender and the reduce the beer. Cook time might vary dependent on the type of beer in cooking.

Rave & Review: Ranch Burger Sliders

Originally Posted By: All Recipes, found via Styleberry Blog/Pinterest

Ingredients: ground beef, ranch seasoning mix, egg, saltine crackers, onion

Tools: knife, cutting board, bowl, whisk, rolling pin, sandwich bag, measuring cup, grill

Ranch dressing & cheese; strawberry mango salsa

2lbs. lean ground meat
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions: Preheat the grill for high heat.

In a bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the chopped onion and packet of ranch seasoning mix. Put some saltines in the sandwich bag, seal the bag, and use the rolling pin to crush the saltines. Measure out the crushed crackers, then add to the bowl. Add the ground meat and mix well.

Make sliders out to be a little smaller than the size of your palm, yielding roughly 8 sliders.

Place sliders on the grill and cook to personal liking.

Pair With: Go beyond the usual cheese, lettuce and tomato! Try topping your sliders with pepperjack cheese and homemade ranch dressing or strawberry mango salsa.


Once you go ranch, you can't go back--at least not back to the same plain ol' burger! One thing that could be swapped out or done differently is the use of wheat bread crumbles instead of the saltine crackers, as was done by Styleberry Blog. I used the saltines because they were easy. The onion was not overpowering; in fact, I hardly seemed to notice it as it was mixed with the ranch seasoning. Sliders are a great size to experiment with toppings. If you try something and don't like it, you can always wipe it all off and hose it down with ketchup. (Ketchup will fix just about anything.) Check your local grocery store's bakery as they might have slider buns, as I found.

Rave & Review: Strawberry Mango Salsa

Originally Posted By: McConkie Menu, found via Pinterest

Ingredients: strawberries, mango, red onion, basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper

Tools: cutting board, knife, potato peeler, measure cups, measuring spoons

The picture was an afterthought--better ones to come!

1 cup strawberries, finely diced
1 cup mangos, finely diced (cheat: use a potato peeler to get the skin off without wasting the good stuff!)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
6 basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (cheat: bottled lemon juice)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Optional Add-In: kiwi

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Pair With: low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, cinnamon pita chips, or use as a topping on chicken, burgers, salads


This is the first recipe I found on Pinterest that I actually went ahead and made. Not only is it incredibly easy, but it's especially delicious. It's a party hit and a versatile topping as any salsa could be. (I even used it to top a ranch slider burger, which I will be reviewing in a future post.) The only thing I tweaked in my repeat of this recipe was the quarter-cup increase of both the strawberries and mango, for two reasons: I like an even, easy cup, and I was afraid that the red onion might seem a little overpowering for my particular taste. I have also thrown in a kiwi or two when they were handy. I've doubled and even tripled this recipe for parties and there is never any left!