Grilled Porkchop & 2 Recipes Involving Butternut Squash

Just found out you have to brine pork chop before grilling so it will remain juicy. I used this simple recipe, but halved the salt, then added 2 teaspoons each of dried rosemary and thyme – it gives the meat a nice flavor, especially because I make sure to rub some before grilling. What I did was use a strainer to drain the brine, and spooned the red pepper flakes-rosemary-thyme mixture.

• http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/quick-brined-grilled-pork-chops-recipe.htm

boil sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and thyme

marinate meat

pat it dry

rub honey and spices

meat is juicy, not dry at all

grilled pork chop with roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions

curried butternut squash soup

This is my first attempt to cook with butternut squash, and they’re looking too well done because I did not take them out of the oven right away. I also used olive oil instead of butter. Instead of pears I could have used apples, as one reader suggested; so I will try that next time.

• http://www.chow.com/recipes/30528-roasted-butternut-squash-and-pears

The curried butternut soup was extra spicy, because I added a bit of the red pepper flakes-rosemary-thyme mixture from the pork chop brine. It was yummy with a bit of a kick.

• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/curried-butternut-squash-soup-recipe/index.html