Beaches, Safety Tips,

A new one to me, they are now issuing regular reports on the safety and cleanliness of beaches in the US. As pointed out after a heavy rainfall, particularly in an industrial area, all kinds of pollution can get into the waters. For the map go to http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/ttwmap.asp seems like this would be a good site to bookmark for when you are on a beach vacation. In some cases it only gives one beach in the area, but, it will give you a pretty good idea about where you are staying. I have bookmarked it for our vacation. This, by the way, is a picture of a beach in North Carolina. There are miles of beaches there and its one of the things we love about the State.

On safety issues today they talked about choking and how to deal with it. It is a serious problem and I recommend you go to GMA to watch their videos if you haven’t done any first aid studies. I know my cousin lost her son because of swallowing a toy of some kind whilst in the pool. A very tragic thing to happen and it is not, by any means, unique. Most people of heard of the Heimlich Manoeuvre, but how many know how to apply it. Or what to do first.

Whooppee I have just heard my new PC is ready.

I have never cooked anything ‘jerked’ but the picture appealed to me so I thought I might give it a try.

Jerk Rubbed Pork Chops

Kitchen of Cat Cora

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 limes

2 tablespoons jerk seasoning

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless pork loin chops, each 3/4 to 1 inch thick (about 1 pound total)

8 fresh sprigs cilantro, for garnish

Cooking Directions

Zest one of the limes and juice it. Put 1 tablespoon lime zest and 1 tablespoon lime juice in a small bowl. Add the jerk seasoning and the olive oil and stir until the mixture forms a thick paste. Spread the lime-jerk paste on both sides of each pork chop and put the chops on a plate. Let the chops marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

To grill the pork chops, light a charcoal grill about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Place the chops on the grill. After 6 minutes, turn the chops and cook until they are brown outside and slightly pink inside, another 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the grill and let the chops rest for about 5 minutes. While they're resting, cut the remaining lime into wedges. To serve, place 1 pork chop on each plate and garnish with a lime wedge and 2 cilantro sprigs.

Cat's note: Instead of grilling, you can pan-sear the chops in a frying pan on the stove. Just add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan. Turn the heat to high and, when the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke, add the meat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn the chops and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Have a great day