Boneless Pork Chops with Coffee Dry Rub

My wife and I cook pork loin or boneless pork chops fairly regularly, so the other day I went in search of a new recipe to change things up a bit. And what I found was a dry rub that involved coffee grounds, and which I had to adapt somewhat for the spices I had available. And just to spoil the surprise, we couldn't have been more pleased with the results.

Ingredients - this will make enough for 2 pounds of meat, or maybe more depending how liberally  you apply it.

·  4 teaspoons salt

·  4 teaspoons ground coffee

·  4 teaspoons chili powder

·  2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

·  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·  1/2 teaspoons onion powder

·  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·  1/4 teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)

·  1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (or subst. ground coriander)

·  1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes (or subst. tumeric)

Mix your ingredients thoroughly, using a whisk or large fork, in a bowl large enough that you will be able to lay each chop (or loin) in the bowl and cover it with the rub. Although I found that the rub stuck to the meat well enough, some may want to use an egg wash or first dip it in milk to increase the stick-to-it-tiveness.

I prefer to apply the rub several hours before I'm going to cook it, so as to give it some time to marinate and absorb a little more of that flavor. So apply the rub to both sides of the pork, put it in a suitable bag or container, and replace it in the refrigerator.

If you're going to grill your pork chops or loin, several minutes before you're ready to put the meat on, turn the grill on a medium heat, so that the grill temperature will rise to about 500 degrees. Depending on your grill the thickness of your meat, the pork will likely need about 7 minutes on each side, though the second side may need less time. Hopefully, your results will be as tasty as mine.

If You Haven't Had Butternut Squash...

If you haven't had Butternut Squash, then you owe yourself an apology for depriving yourself of a treat. Inspired by some fellows I know that cook quite a bit, and with our recent success with spaghetti squash, I decided to branch out and get a butternut squash to prepare for Valentine's Day dinner. Having decided that, I found a recipe (here) that seemed within my grasp, though the proposed 10-minute prep time must be for somebody who knows how to handle one of these monster gourds; I went well beyond that in my prep. After cubing the squash, and applying the following ingredients (minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parsley), I popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for 55 minutes, and thereafter had a wonderful dish that will certainly find its way onto our plates again.