1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat with the olive oil, onion and celery. Sweat the onions and celery until tender, then add the garlic.
2. Add the rice, broth, paprika, cumin, oregano and thyme and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Fluff rice with a fork and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

4 medium pork chops
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Lightly toast the cumin seed, then grind in a mortar and pestle. Combine with paprika, oregano and a generous amount of salt and pepper and rub pork chops. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove pork chops from fridge and bring to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Place a baking sheet in the oven and allow it to get hot. Rub pork chops with olive oil and add to the baking sheet. Allow to brown, then remove from the oven and turn them over. Return to the oven to finish cooking. Allow meat to rest before serving.

Makes 4 servings

2 cups green beans, trimmed
1 cup button mushrooms, halved
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
water

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Steam the green beans until bright green, then plunge into ice water.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for a minute.
3. Add the green beans to the skillet and toss. Fry for another minute to warm, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

I found 6 pork chops at the grocery store for , so I decided to pick them up. I actually bought them a couple of days ago and let them sit in the fridge with the spice rub, so good for me. I seasoned them simply, like Cajun Pork Chops, with chili powder-like spices. I would've added some cayenne or something if I was just making this for us, but the desire for spiciness doesn't seem to run in Shannon's family. I think I subconsciously compensated for that a bit by adding more black pepper than I normally would've to the Dirty Rice, but that's alright.

I thought that I had overcooked the pork chops, but Shannon's mom remarked about how they were very tender, so that's good. These were sort of flattened out pieces of pork, compared to the more succulent pork chops with the rind of fat I know and love. I think that's part of the reason they dried out so quickly. The seasoning was good though, and it's a simple recipe, so it's worth going with. I don't actually know what determines what "dirty rice" is, but I keep seeing boxes of "rice a roni" type products for dirty rice, so I just went with the ingredient list. The internet tells me it often includes kidneys, but I don't think anyone would love me if I snuck kidneys into their food. I ended up making far too much rice for 4 people, but the leftovers can easily be used as a base for soft tacos or something.

For my veggies I made a variation of the Tangy Mustard Carrots I made back in January. It's not quite the same without the whole grain mustard, but the sweet tang definitely adds something to carrots, especially if they're sort of bland. I also made Lemon Green Beans and Mushrooms, which I thought I'd posted a recipe for earlier, but I guess I just refer to them as the quintessential side dish at The Keg that Shannon has grown to despise. However, everyone liked my version, probably because it's not overcooked and doused in salt. So far, I'm 2 for 2 with this whole thing.