Cheesy Sweet and Tangy Fried Pork Chops

The 2 things I have found that my boyfriend loves almost as much as video games (keyword "almost") are my cat Catatafish and delicious food. Well let me change that, it would be a tie for second between video game and delicious food with Catata coming in fourth and me in first (I've told him it is ok to love video games more than me but he just won't listen).

Anyways, one of our new found loves with food is using the deep fryer. I was fortunate to receive a deep fryer for Christmas after all the hints I gave him ("Babe! These stuffed mushrooms would be delicious deep fried!" or "Omg, can you imagine what real authentic deep fried fish and chips would taste like?!") and I have to say it was one of the best gifts ever aside from my fancy knives.

So when dinner came around my eye caught the deep fryer and I knew it was time to bust the bad boy out! Since we love us some country fried steaks, I decided to deep fry us some pork chops! And since I had recently just talked to my mom, the combination of pork, apple sauce, and sauerkraut were stuck in my head (I mentioned to her I was cooking pork and she informed me of my Nana's favorite way to eat them as the combo I just mentioned). Going off of this combo I decided to use apple in the marinade and add some cheddar cheese to the mix since sauerkraut and cheddar go well, and apple and cheddar go well, so why wouldn't all three! The meal came out way better than expected, which made me super happy that I wrote it all down! If you make these, I am sure you won't be disappointed! Enjoy!

• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Apple Cider
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1/4 cup and 2 tsp Flour
• 4 3 oz Pork Chops
• 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Butter
• 3/4 cup Sauerkraut
• Oil for frying in (I use peanut or canola oil, but any oil will do)

Step 1: Combine the honey, brown sugar, apple cider, mustard powder, cayenne powder, and 1 tsp of flour in a bowl. Mix well until it is smooth and not lumpy. Cover the pork chops in this mixture and set aside. 

Step 2: Set up the deep fryer and turn to 350 degree Fahrenheit. If you don't have a deep fryer, use a nice sized pan with a large enough rim that will be able to hold enough oil to cover the steaks while cooking (turn stove top to medium high).


Step 3: Go back to your pork chops and place 1/4 cup flour on a plate. Cover the pork chops in this flour on all sides and set aside (you may or may not need more flour, so keep it on hand). Once the frying oil is hot enough, start cooking the pork chops for 5 minutes each.

Step 4: While the pork chops are cooking, pull out a small sauce pan and combine the milk, butter, cheddar cheese, and 1 tsp of flour and melt at low to medium low heat. Stir every so often to make sure the cheese melts. At the same time in another sauce pan, heat up the sauerkraut on low heat.


Step 5: Once the pork chops finish, place them on a plate and cover them in the sauerkraut and then smother them in the cheese sauce. Before serving, add a pinch of black pepper if you wish. Enjoy!


Yield: 2 servings (2 pork chops each)

Deep Fried Apple and Brie Bites

This is a recipe I created after receiving a deep fryer for Christmas. These come out tasting just like little mini Apple Pies or Apple Empanadas.

Beware, this recipe can get messy so you will want to make sure you have some extra paper towels waiting in the wings. Also, these can be reheated in case you are bringing them someplace. Just make them before you leave, and when you get to your destination just heat them up in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Enjoy!

Apple and Brie Filling

• 3 Fuji Apples
• 1/2 lb. Brie Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 20 crushed Vanilla Wafers

Step 1: Peel and dice apples to very small bits. Set aside in a large bowl when done.

Step 2: Break up Brie cheese into very small pieces and add them to the apples. Add in honey, vanilla extract, and crushed wafers to the bowl and then stir. You should end up with a very mushy looking but very tasty apple concoction. 

Step 3: Set bowl in the fridge while you prepare the Funnel Cake batter.

Funnel Cake Batter

• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the egg until it is frothy. Slowly start combining the other ingredients into the egg until smooth. The mixture should be a little on the thicker side so if you feel you need to add more flour, be my guest!

Creating the Apple and Brie Bites

• Apple and Brie filling
• Funnel Cake batter
• 20-30 crushed Vanilla Wafers (to coat the bites in)
• Oil for frying

Step 1: In a deep fryer or large pot, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2: While oil is heating up, it is time to get messy. Carefully roll the Apple and Brie mixture into little balls or clumps, making about 5 or 6 at a time. Drop them in the Funnel Cake batter and coat them evenly. Once coated, drop them in the crushed wafers and coat them, giving them a nice Vanilla Wafer shell.

Step 3: Once oil is fully heated up, add bites to the oil and fry until golden brown. Once browned, remove from the fryer and set aside on some paper towels to dry off. Bites will be a little soft as they first come out of the fryer, but will stiffen up after cooling a bit.

Step 4: After you have fried up all the bites, place them on a plate and server warm! Feel free to add a little dash of confectioners' sugar on the top of them before serving!

Yield: Makes about 24-36 bites, depending on how big you roll them