Apple Pork Chops with glazed carrots

The prepared apples

After cookingOn the plate
Dinner!

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES

2 tsp. butter 1 c. sliced apples 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 center cut pork chops, 1/2" thick, well trimmed 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper Melt butter in a large nonstick frying pan; saute apples until tender but not mushy. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Push apples to one side or remove to serving plate. Fry pork chops in liquid from apples until almost cooked, turning to brown both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until chops are done. Don't overcook as chops will become rubbery. Arrange a chop on each plate and serve apples over chops. Makes 2 servings. One serving: 1 chop plus 1/3 cup apples - calories 236. Low sodium diet: Omit salt.

Some things for this recipe:

• After removing the apples, there wasn't a lot of liquid left to brown the meat, so I added a bit of apple juice and cinnamon and browned the pork in that.
  
• It wasn't very specific about "cook until chops are done". I transferred the browned pork chops to a casserole dish, and cooked them covered for 10 minutes @ 400 degrees, and 10 minutes uncovered. Then I put the apples over the top of them and let them cook for 5 minutes more.

Source: Pork Chops with Apples

August Schell Brewery Tour

August Schell brewery is located in New Ulm, MN about 1.75 hrs SW of the Twin Cities. It's the 2nd oldest family owned brewery in the U.S. For 2$/person you get about an hour long tour + 6 beer tastings + 1 glass of the beer or root beer of your choice.

When you get the the brewery, it's about 1/2 mile walk from your parking place but they also offer a shuttle. I'd recommend either walking there or walking back especially during the fall. It's a tree lined slightly uphill walk and very pretty. (see picture). The tour does not go into the actual brewery but is a very informative historical tour.


Other pictures from our tour:
An old boiler:
Antique bottling machine:
The Schells Old Time Band instruments:
Copper Stein:
Unfortunately my pictures of the beer wagon did not turn out and my batteries died (I had yet to put the good batteries in my camera and was just using standard AA batteries) so I don't have more pictures of the grounds, the resident peacocks and deer either. :(

This is the Schell mansion (built for $5000 back in the 1800's):

And this is the "copper kettle" also installed around the same time as the mansion was built, this though cost $25,000 in the 1800's!



My favorites of the ones we tried were the Caramel Bock and the Octoberfest. Maybe it's not that I don't like beer that much, it's that I don't like ales very much? I've also discovered I really really like Sam Adams Octoberfest beer and if ever in Vegas again, their Sin City Amber.