For today Im making a Amouse-Bouse Pork Chop dish with Spinch flavored Rice and Pan-Seared Brussel Sprouts on the side.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 center cut bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
2 cubes beef bouillon
1 mini-sized rice
1 tablespoon of Spinich Stock
3 pieces of Brussel Sprouts

Directions

Combine the salt, sage and black pepper in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the chops.
Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the chops for 5 minutes per side, or until well browned.
Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan over high heat, combine the water and the bouillon and stir until bouillon dissolves.
Add this to the chops, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer chops for 45 minutes.
Cook the Rice.
After a while, Put the Spinich Stock on the rice and stur it.
Pan-sear the Brussel Sprouts.
Put the food on the plate.

This is a great way to cook pork chops fork tender.

Enjoy the food Judges.

Citrus and Basil Kissed Crab Salad

If you long for the ocean or just love the taste of crab, this simple salad will succulently delight you. The crab is tender and lemony while the snap beans lend a dynamite little crunch.

Serves 4

For the crab:
1 pound fresh cooked crab meat*
Juice of a lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled lengthwise, finely sliced crosswise

For the salad:
8 cups mixed greens
1/2 pound green or yellow snap beans, trimmed, steamed crisp tender, drained, patted dry
4 lemon wedges

Toss crab ingredients in a medium-sized bowl to coat. Set aside. Divide mixed greens among four chilled salad bowls. Mound one-fourth of the crab mixture onto each bed of greens. Arrange snap beans around the crab and serve each with a lemon wedge.

For the basil Oil I need
leaves from 1 bunch of fresh Basil
1/2 cup olive oil
salt

I brought a saucepan of water to a boil with a bowl of Ice water to the side. I then blanched and shocked the basil. Drained it well, then I squeezed the basil to remove as much water as possible. Transferred the basil to a  blender. I added the olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt to the blender and blended into a smooth puree (about 1 min.) I then strained the basil through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl and set it aside.

Salad:
3 large ripe tomatoes (2lbs)  beef steak preferably, cored and cut into four thick slices

seedless watermelon cut into 12 three inch long batons

8 oz. firm sheeps milk feta cheese cut into 8 2' batons

Place 3 slices of tomato on each plate. top tomato with 3 pieces of watermelon and 2 pieces of feta cheese per plate.

Garnish:
1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
herbed fleur de sel for serving
small fresh basil leaves

drizzle salad with the vinegar and a tablespoon of basil oil.place a spoon filled with herbed fleur de sel on the side. Garnish with the small basil leaves and serve.

I present to you Ariane's tomato, watermelon, and feta salad

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Ariane%27s+tomato,+watermelon,+and+feta+salad&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=browser-rockmelt&tbo=d&channel=omnibox&biw=1298&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=7NSvOAyiNBt6VM:&imgrefurl=http://iwasborntocook.blogspot.com/2012/07/watermelon-feta-basil-salad.html&docid=H9ILArTZH-O-6M&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXEHAD4Mbjs/UAilNNQNLlI/AAAAAAAABvI/EUa1pFWXM_U/s1600/watermelonfeta2.jpg&w=450&h=300&ei=zXChUKDFJOrC2wXp6oH4Dw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=791&vpy=155&dur=2922&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=164&ty=65&sig=116341553246261462482&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=212&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:82

Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta with Strawberry Mousse and Puree

Ingredients:
¾ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 teaspoon gelatin
? cup creme fraiche
1 cup strawberry puree (about 8 ounces strawberries)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon gelatin
½ cup heavy cream
? cup strawberry puree (about 3 ounces strawberries)
4 teaspoons sugar

Instructions
Panna Cotta: Add 1 tablespoon cold water to a bowl and evenly sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin over the water to allow it to bloom. In a pot combine heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, over medium heat bring to almost boiling, stirring occasionally, and remove from heat. Add cream mixture to the gelatin and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture to remove the vanilla bean solids and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the creme fraiche and whisk until smooth. Pour panna cotta evenly into 4 glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Strawberry Mousse: In a separate bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water. In a pot heat 1 cup strawberry puree with 1 tablespoon sugar, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the gelatin, whisking until dissolved – let cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the strawberry puree using a plastic/rubber spatula. Pour mousse evenly over the 4 panna cotta glasses, using a spoon to even it out. Refrigerate.

Strawberry Puree: Add strawberry puree and sugar to a pot and over low heat stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature and evenly pour over the 4 panna cotta mousse glasses. Refrigerate. Serve tops with fresh strawberry slices.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/3972114111_9437a3c61e.jpg

Parmesan Tulie and Green Pea Mint Sorbet

Instructions:
Serves 8

8 ounces Parmesan or Asiago Cheese, coarsely grated
5 ounces frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Measure 1 tablespoon of cheese and form it into 2-inch rounds or ovals. Repeat until you have eight rounds or ovals of grated cheese and place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet or silicone mat. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly brown.
Remove from oven with a spatula. Working quickly, form each into cone shapes to make a tuile. If cheese becomes too brittle, return to oven for 1 minute.
In food processor puree peas, fresh mint, creme fraiche or sour cream and salt until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and freeze. Puree again and return to freezer to set. Pipe or spoon the sorbet into the Parmesan tuiles and serve immediately.

Tomato Crostini

1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped pitted green olives
1 teaspoon capers
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (1-inch-thick) slices French bread baguette
Cooking spray
1 garlic clove, halved
Preparation

Preheat oven to 375º.
Combine first 9 ingredients.
Lightly coat both sides of bread slices with cooking spray; arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 4 minutes on each side or until lightly toasted.
Rub 1 side of bread slices with halved garlic; top evenly with tomato mixture.

challenge OVER!

soon we will know who won the quickfire challenge.

indeed!

i have turney's scores! i dont have topher's scores just yet! hopefully he will get them in soon! i really hope his internet isnt cut off!

ok i'm just gonna post the top 2 and bottom 2!

bottom 2:
lea
kelly

top 2:
Realchance
NickiMinaj

the winner of the first quickfire challenge is......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
..
..
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
NickiMinaj!! i'll tell scores when i get back

NickiMinaj- 18/20
Realchance- 15/20
Koolmanmadden- 14/20
Tuninho- 13/20
jman96- 10/20
zed55- 8/20
lea- didnt post
kelly- didnt post!

elimination challenge will be posted sometime today!

Hint: thats the total of mine/turney's scores altogether!

Congrats Nicki