Asiago-Crusted Pork Chops - Yum!

So tonight I decided to be daring and I cooked pork for the first time in a loooong time.  I'm always nervous cooking pork and beef because I have such a hard time figuring out when it's done and I'm all OCD about germs and stuff from the raw meats.  So anyways, I decided to make some asiago-crused pork chops (Cooking Light recipe here).  I didn't use asiago, but used an asiago blend instead because Trader Joe's had it so nicely pre-grated for me (I <3 TJ's).  

Step 1 - Move pug so you can open the fridge.  A substitute for this step is to entice said pug with a baby carrot and lead her away from the fridge and then scurry over and take out all the ingredients as quickly as possible.  Then curse silently to yourself when you realize you left the pork chops in the fridge.  Repeat step as necessary.

So I made the bread mix and breaded my pork chops.  The cheese wasn't finely grated so it didn't stick together as much as I would've liked but good enough.  Then I fried them up!  Now here's where I realized that the recipe grossly underestimates cooking time.   This needed way longer than 3-4 minutes on each side at medium heat!   I agonized over how long to cut the pork and cut into it numerous times trying to check on its doneness.  I then supplemented this with research on trichinosis and feared of parasites (but upon much research I discovered that the cases of trichinosis in the US are only like 12 a year, and usually from wild game.  Modern pork is much better and so the risk of trichinosis is way less.  But you still want to make sure your pork is cooked through but a little bit of pink is ok.  Just make sure the juices run clear and rest the pork a bit after cooking so it can heat through.  Ok enough with my paranoid sidebar).

I'm telling you, the lemon and sprinkled fresh thyme make a huge difference!  I didn't think they would but they really make this recipe.  Such a great finish to the pork.  I supplemented my meal with some baked kale chips (I'm OBSESSED with these) and beer (oooh yeah).  Please don't judge my portion sizes.  I'm a meat fiend.  I decided to forgo any rice or grain because I just wanted more meat!

See how often I had to cut up the pork to check inside?  Ugh.  Next time I'm going to heat up the pan a bit longer and cook about 10 mins on each side.

Please keep in mind also that the entire time I was cooking and then eating, I had to suffer this begging face.

Sorry lil pug.  Only I get the pork chops.  Please don't hate me!  Here, have another baby carrot!