Smothered Pork Chops
4 bone in pork chops
1/4 heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Ground pepper and kosher salt
All purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
2 sliced yellow inions
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
Season the chops with salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, combine the chili powder, garlic and flour. Dredge the chops in the dry mixture, leaving about 2 T of the dry mixture to use later for thickening. In a heavy skillet, heat a 1/4 cup of oil until it shimmers. Cook pork chops about 4 minutes per side. Set chops aside, wipe the skillet, lower the heat. Then add onions and remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook onions about 20 minutes, or until caramelized. Add the butter, and then sprinkle in the remaining flour. Stir in the heavy cream and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Add the pork chops back to the pan and cook about 10 minutes more.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
3 medium sized acorn squash
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 sage leaves, chopped
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
8 oz. baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1/3 c. heavy cream
1 c. grated Fontina or Monterrey Jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Carefully cut the squash in half, through the stem. Scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet cut-side up. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Flip each half over, placing them cut side down, and continue to roast for 15 minutes or until very tender. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. While the squash is roasting, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the sage and cook for 30 seconds or until dark green. Add the sausage to the skillet. Cook until fully browned, breaking up the sausage with the back of a spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage-sage mixture to a bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release their liquid and the onions are softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and heavy cream. Stir in 1/2 cup fontina cheese until well combined. Stir the sausage back into the mixture. Let simmer for a couple of minutes then remove from the heat. Flip the squash cut-side up and divide the filling among each squash half. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is warm throughout. Garnish with more fresh thyme leaves and black pepper before serving.