Saving chicken broth

This is a really just a tiny useful technique thing, but we find it really helpful in our house.

Whenever I used to make chicken broth, I would wait till it cooled, then find old tupperware, jars, etc to put the broth in. The problem is, I mostly use broth in small quantities, so it was a pain to thaw just some of that broth for use.

What I do now instead is to pour the broth into a muffin pan, clear some space in the freezer, and then leave it to freeze overnight (got the idea from lifehacker or somewhere online). In the morning, I put about an inch of hot water in the sink, set the muffin pan in the hot water until the broth chunks are loose, and then use a chopstick or butter knife to remove the chunks, which I store in a plastic bag in the freezer. For my muffin tin, they're almost exactly 1/2 cup of broth, perfect for use in sauces and similar recipes.

Here's a fuzzy picture of some of my broth muffins:

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Thick-cut Pork Chops

These intimidating chops were actually pretty easy to cook. They're called an "Iowa Chop", and they're just a thick-cut, bone-in, center-cut chop. I've discovered that the secret to juicy pork chops is to start with a cold pan and obsessively checking the temperature . I find they're best just under 160 degrees. Pork Chops 2 1-lb. Iowa Chops 2-3 Tbsp. salt 2 Tbsp. white pepper 2 Tbsp. dried sage 2 Tbsp. Smoked (or regular) paprika 3 Tbsp. oil Sauce (optional): 1/2 c. chicken broth 1/2 c. white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) 2 Tbsp. corn starch 1 tsp. white pepper 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 c. cold water Preheat the oven to 350. Pat the chops dry with some paper towel. Sprinkle them liberally with the salt and spices and allow them to warm up to room temperature while you start the quinoa and chop the cauliflower. Place the oil in your pan, but do not pre-heat the pan. Add the chops to the pan and place them on the stove. Heat the pan up to medium, turning the chop

Graphic pig pictures below! >>

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Graphic pig pictures below! >>

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