Buttermilk Pork Chops

As you all know, I was hanging out in Florida for BlogHer Food and I had the chance to attend a little forum put on by California Dairy. It was such a blast and I left ready to get back into my kitchen and whip up something fantastic. In fact, even though it was so much fun not worrying about cooking any of my meals I really did want to get back to it. And then I got home and life happened. These buttermilk pork chops actually were the result of totally spacing getting dinner ready. Look, everyone can’t be on top of dinner all the time.

Boy, I had no clue just how darn good I had it growing up. Seriously. My mom or dad woke me up (often by singing “it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up in the morning!”), they made sure I remembered important events, helped me with my assignments at school, did all the grocery shopping, paid the bills and I always had a meal ready for me in the evening. Always. I don’t remember Mom ever telling us to fend for ourselves or that is was Breakfast for Dinner, well unless it was a Saturday. How did she do it? I’m such a tired mom and not only that but sometimes just the thought of thinking of something to make is exhausting to me. I guess I let myself relax a bit too much in Florida because when I got home I went about my day and 4:30 hit and I realized I had nothing defrosting for dinner nor had I gone to the grocery store (which I love doing so I’d told Cade I’d do it when I got back). Apparently they had eaten my famous buttermilk syrup one morning as there was buttermilk in the fridge. So, what’s a girl to do when the family is going to be hungry in an hour and a trip to the store sounds like torture? Toss it all in a bag of course and let the inspiring weekend work its way into dinner.

I threw a little olive oil, buttermilk and Johnny’s Garlic Spread Seasoning into a Ziploc bag, smooshed it all together, Cade looked me like, “either this is going to be awesome or we may be having pancakes, but I’m with ya either way,” and I plopped in the pork chops. Pork chops don’t get made enough. Come on people, if you make them right they are awesome! Plus, I was trying to let things inspire me like I learned at BlogHer Food. I knew I loved a good sauce on my pork chops so why not try a marinade instead? Anyway, we let them marinate while I started on mashed potatoes then we grilled those babies up. That California Buttermilk is so rich and fantastic I was just crossing my fingers it would make the pork amazing. And, it did. Oh my goodness it was good. No, better than good, they were absolutely juicy and flavorful. So see, maybe I’m not as on top of things as my mom, but I’m still keeping my head above water and maybe one day I’ll learn to swim.

Anyway, Kristy from Sweet Treats and More and I attended a fun cooking demo with California Dairy and Chef Giorgio which was just amazing. He chatted with us about how California Dairy uses real farmers to create high quality dairy products and how he loves to really play around with flavors, textures and even temperatures (later that night at his restaurant we even had beautiful heirloom tomatoes with frozen coconut milk. It was amazing!). I especially loved how he talked about cheeses and letting them inspire you (you can find a full list of California cheeses here). So instead of a Mozzarella pizza he changed it to a Oaxaca Mexican cheese, switched to a Spanish sauce and cilantro instead of basil and he had a whole new pizza. Love the idea of playing around and letting where the product comes from inspire you. Which, as you read above actually brought about this meal.

And really quick, you guys, his restaurant was amazing. We had this amazing grilled cheese on garlic bread with guava on top. MY SWEET DELICIOUSNESS it was good. I could go on and on but check my Instagram under @ohsweetbasil if you want to see more. I cannot even explain everything, but if you’re ever in Miami you must visit The Eating House.

What Is Buttermilk?

Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream.

These days, buttermilk is usually made by introducing a bacteria culture to low-fat milk and then heating the mixture.

Buttermilk is produced from cow’s milk and has a characteristically intense sour taste caused by lactic acid bacteria.

Buttermilk is low in fat and contains most of the protein originally in the milk.

What Can You Substitute For Buttermilk?

For each cup of buttermilk, you can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup.

Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes.

You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk.

Can Pork Chops Be Pink?

Pork with a bit of pink is perfectly fine.

The USDA said its Food Safety and Inspection Service found that cooking pork to a temperature of 145 degrees and letting it rest for three minutes is just as safe as cooking it to a higher temperature.

Pork that has been cooked to 145 degrees may still look a little pink, but it is safe to eat.

Buttermilk Pork Chops

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