Aromatic Apple Cider Pork Chops

It's better than this picture makes it look. I promise.

These are amazing. They smell like Christmas and taste even better. My former roommate made them for dinner group one night, and I've made them multiple times since then. The original recipe came from the Food Network website and was for chicken, but I like the pork chops so well that I haven't tried the chicken. I leave the decision up to your preference, because what matters is that the combination of apples, onions and thyme is divine. It's perfect for a special occasion (still looking for something special for Valentine's Day?), but it's easy enough for any night. Yum.

Difficulty: easy
Prep time: about half an hour
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 thickish pork chops or boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves (although this time I didn't have them and it was still good)
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Heat oil and one tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat (although I really like making it in my electric fry pan because I tend to splash less with all the liquid, but it might also be because I'm in love with my electric fry pan). Season with salt and pepper and sear the pork chops for about four minutes on each side.

Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, onion, garlic, apple, thyme and bay leaves. (For Christmas, my mom also added some cinnamon and nutmeg, which was tasty.) Saute until the onions soften and the apples go kind of golden, 5-6 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes.

Put the pork chops back in the pan and add the apple cider. Bring the cider to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer it until the pork chops are cooked through. (You can leave them on for 12-15 minutes, depending on how thick you like your sauce.)

The whole thing is quick and delicious - although I recommend making sure whoever you're cooking it for is in the room smelling it and thinking you're super amazing while you make it. It's a hit.