4 six ounce pork chops
3 medium red onions, quartered (optional)
1 cup dry vermouth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme
salt and pepper

1. Arrange upper rack in oven and preheat broiler.
2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and arrange on an oven-proof dish with onions, if using. Put the pork chops in the oven and broil for approximately 9 minutes per side until browned and fat has crisped.
3. Meanwhile, prepare sauce by bringing vermouth to a boil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and reducing to half.
4. Combine cornstarch and cold water and stir into the vermouth, returning to a boil and allowing to thicken slightly, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the vermouth from the heat and add the garlic and thyme. Brush pork chops and onions with sauce and allow to set while pork chops rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

16 ounces rice stick noodles
2 cups spinach
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
salt and pepper
hot water

1. Soak rice noodles in enough hot water to cover until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add onions and garlic, sautéing until tender.
3. Add the spinach to the onions and garlic and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Drain and add the softened noodles, frying until lightly crisped, about 5 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Makes 2 servings

As much as I love cooking, it's very hard to get back into the routine of cooking for myself now. It's especially difficult because we still haven't found the time to go to the grocery store and pick up anything. Thankfully I still have a decent amount of food in the pantry and freezer or I'd be having cereal for supper. I found a recipe for Pork Chops with Vermouth that looked interesting, so I tried that. I'd never really had vermouth by itself before, so I was a bit skeptical. I tried a gin tomato soup once that was absolutely terrible and I was expecting a similar outcome. The vermouth sauce tasted sort of like a combination of apple juice and white wine, so it's not surprising that it would be recommended to go with pork. You could likely substitute apple juice for the vermouth, if you desired. The chops themselves are broiled, which is the best way to get the crisped fat that I love so much.

Using the only perishable item in the fridge, I made Spinach and Rice Noodles. I wasn't sure if rice noodles would really work with non-Asian flavors, but I decided to give it a go. I'm not sure I'm going to make rice noodles with tomato sauce or pesto anytime soon, but simply flavored with garlic, onions and a bit of parmesan this spinach and noodle dish was pretty good and a decent compliment to the pork. I still think I'd stick to the standard pasta fare for something like this, though.