Chocolate Castles as wel

Jason & Tracy (our oldest of our 5 kids) had us over for dinner last night. That is such a treat to be invited over to our kids houses to eat. It is refreshing to be at their tables and sometimes catch a glimpse of seeing a little bit of yourself in them, as they cook, serve and entertain others. Was a delightful evening and the food was scrumptious. Tracy told me she got this out of Giada’s cookbook. We didn’t leave a crumb on our plates. She even had us chocolate truffles for dessert that she had bought from Whole Foods. Thanks guys, it was such a nice evening.

2 tables olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic,minced

6 sun-dried tomatoes

1 (10 oz) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out well

1/2 teas salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 teas pepper

1/4 teas dried thyme

1/4 cup (2 oz) goat cheese

1/3 cup reduced fat cream cheese, softened

4 (4 oz ea) center-cut porck chops

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 lemon, zested

2 tables lemon juice

2 teas Dijon mustard

Warm 1 tables olive oil in a nice size sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook until well combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium size bowl. Add the softened goat cheese and the cream cheese.

Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with the spinach mixture (about 1/4 cup). Sprinkle salt and pepper over each pork chop.

In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon zest and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tables olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add the chops.

Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 min per side. Transfer the chops to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat, scrapping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet as the broth begins to thicken. Cook until broth has been reduced by half, (about 8 min)making a light sauce to drizzle over each chop as you serve them.

Tracy served these with baked butter-nut squash, drizzled with cinnamon and olive oil and baked Brussels sprouts.