Balsamic Pork Chops and Green Beans

Let the lesson for today's post be: Read the entire recipe before you decide to make it!

This evening, after plans for dinner with friends fell apart, I came home and contemplated what to make for dinner. For me, an opportunity like that usually involves paging through my collection of Everyday Food magazines for items I've flagged and skimming them to see if they seem like the appropriate amount of effort for the evening. I settled on Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops (from the March 2009 issue) and Green Beans with Cider Vinaigrette (from the June 2008 issue). Only after returning from the store (with the only 3 ingredients I needed to buy: pork chops, green beans, and garlic -- not bad considering I hate recipes that require me to misc, items that will sit in my pantry / fridge forever with nothing more than a pinch used), did I realize that the pork chops required an hour to marinate (I wanted to eat asap!) and the beans are actually served cold (not what I was looking for on this cold rainy night!).

I managed to improvise and still have a pretty good meal. A couple notes:

• The pork chops need to be marinated in a Balsamic Rosemary Vinaigrette (also from March 2009). I didn't bother with the blender - too many dishes to clean. I just pressed the garlic into the mixture which I combined in a cup with a spoon. Way easier.
• Since I didn't want cold beans, here's what I did: I steamed my beans with some pressed garlic on top. Meanwhile I mixed together more pressed garlic and the other ingredients. (I substituted Red Wine Vinegar for the Cider Vinegar b/c I don't need another type of vinegar in my kitchen - I have 3 already!). Once the beans were done I dumped them in a bowl and mixed them with the vinegar / mustard mixture. It worked out pretty well. I'd make them again.