How to Grill the Perfect Pork Chop with Oakview Farm

The secret recipe to a perfectly grilled pork chop from an Ohio hog farming family.

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. They have compensated me for my time, arranged the visit I'm sharing today, enjoyed the delicious grilled pork chops, and supplied me with loads of pork products I'll be using in recipes to come.

Want to win a Family 4 Pack of tickets to the 2017 Ohio State Fair PLUS coupons for 4 Free Meals at the Ohio Pork Council Food Stand in the Taste of Ohio Café? 

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This time of year there's a buzz to shop locally and support small businesses.  I know that by choosing to spend my cash in a local business, nearly half of each dollar spent stays in my local economy. That money will keep on circulating around, supporting the people and places near me. That's why I buy local. Well, that and I think fresh food tastes better so I may as well enjoy it.

I want to challenge my readers to expand their support past a single day of the year, and commit to making one Saturday a month Small Business Saturday. I've got an idea for you--instead of just buying holiday gifts from small businesses once a year, what about staples? Can you think of an item you could source locally? How about food [this site is about food, after all]. Perhaps a condiment, spice rub, loaf of bread, honey, eggs or meat? Choose to buy that item exclusively from your local source for the next 4 months. What about gifts for other people--in the form of gift certificates to local businesses? Talk about a win-win situation!

I've been supporting my local farmers by participating in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share for over a decade. I started this website to help other folks like me make the most of the fresh produce both while it's seasonally abundant and by putting it by so I could keep on eating locally even in the winter months. Over the past couple years I'm learning how convenient it is to source my meats locally as well. Once my spouse decided to stop eating meat unless he knew where it came from, it became imperative for me to up my local meat game. When the Ohio Pork Council invited me to tour a local hog farm I immediately emailed my spouse and asked, "are you free next Monday to go visit a farm with me?" Many photos in this post where taken by him.

Now, before I get to the farm visit, I'd like to share a little bit about Ohio Pork.  If you're buying pork at the farmer's market or at a farm store you can be reasonably sure it was locally produced. Did you know that by buying pork sold at grocery stores, like the Kroger down the road, you continue to support Ohio farm families? There are 3,500 farms in Ohio raising pork--for our region and for a lot of the East coast as well, as Ohio is one of the closest pork-producing states to one third of all Americans. Click here for more information about Ohio Pork.

Now I'll tell you a bit about the Ohio hog farmer I met, Mark Runyan of Oakview Farms, before getting to the title of this post--the Runyan family's secret to the perfect grilled pork chop.

Oakview Farms is a 4th generation hog farm located in Urbana, Ohio. During our visit we met with Mark's parents, Bud and Ruth, as well as his son Myer. Bud and Ruth live next door to the store, Oakview Farm Meats, and we divided our visit between the 2 places. I learned so much and I am afraid I'll skip over some parts [I may know a tad more than a civilian about pork production thanks to my degree in Animal Science] and I don't know what you don't know, you know? For example, when you buy meat at Oakview Farm Meats, or at the farmer's market, that meat is frozen. Why? Just like Clarence Birdseye knew that freezing vegetables right after they are picked ensures the best quality product, freezing meat after it's harvested results in the best quality product. Yes, it makes me need to plan ahead to use move meat to the lower shelf of the fridge to thaw the day before, but it's worth it. You can't beat that kind of freshness.

I was expecting to see some pigs on this tour, but I didn't and I'll tell you why: biosecurity. The Runyans care more about the health of their livestock than they do about my desire to take a picture with a pig, and that is how it should be. We all carry germs with us, and if my germs were to get a pig sick, they'd need antibiotics. To avoid needing to give hogs antibiotics it's just easier to make the barn a secure facility. So, no piggie pictures. Check out this barn quilt, instead!

In addition to routine antibiotics, do you know what else these pigs don't get? Hormones! Hormones are not permitted for use in growing pigs. Period. This is a federal regulation. Pork producers don't use hormones. End of story. What about GMOs? There are no genetically modified food animals on the market. What about hogs being indoors vs out of doors? The answer to this question makes sense to me--as pigs have skin similar to ours, pork producers do their best to keep their livestock comfortable. That means keeping hogs cool in the summer and warm in the winter. That way, the pig's energy is used towards growing, not to regulate its temperature based on changing conditions. After all, the most efficient way to get the pig to a market weight is the most cost effective for a pork producer, and we're all looking for value.

Each time I talk with farmers I come away impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge in their chosen fields and amazed at how small our planet is. Earlier this year I visited with John Ludy, a cheesemaker in Wisconsin (and my Dad's high school classmate) who has travelled to Eastern Europe and South America sharing new ideas in cheesemaking. Mark's been to Sweden, Mexico and China in efforts to produce a quality pork product from the ground up, so to speak. You see, when folks began breeding hogs to be more lean and muscular, that carried with it a piece of DNA known as a stress gene--the animals didn't fare well when handled. When Mark Runyan shared how his family emptied their farm and started from scratch with Swedish hogs 20 years ago it just reinforced the fact that farmers are constantly trying to improve using the best research available. By starting over with the Swedish hogs, which do not have the stress gene, Mark is helping pork producers improve throughout the world. His son Myer is a recent graduate of OSU so I'm interested to see what the future brings.  From the DNA of the animals to their living conditions, care is taken by the Runyan family to produce the best pork that they can at Oakview Farms.

Mark's newest venture is with Pam Bowshier, of Cosmic Charlie Breads and Threads. I first saw Mark & Pam two years ago at the Montgomery County Food Summit, where they spoke about their virtual farmer's market (I wrote about it here). Together they've formed Hippie and the Farmer. This started when Pam was selling her vegan breads and Mark was offering samples of grilled Oakview Farm meats. They put their products together [like peanut butter and chocolate in a Reese's cup] and the result is a savory success. In the summer months they offer a Harvest Moon subscription box with produce, meats and breads. In the winter they offer a Cucina Rustica box--farm fresh frozen dinners. That's a great way to make eating locally-sourced food accessible to a wide variety of folks.

Stay tuned, I've got a bunch of recipe ideas from this gem!

In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing another one of the Runyan family's favorite ways to enjoy pork, Ruth's Sweet Sausage Bread, but for now I wanted to share what we ate for lunch. Bud grilled up these absolutely perfect pork chops, and Ruth supplied delicious side dishes (as well as breakfast at the beginning of the visit--bacon inside the cinnamon rolls? You bet!). When I asked for a favorite recipe to share, all three generations suggested these pork chops. We certainly enjoyed them, and I hope you do as well!

Perfectly Grilled Pork Chops
By The Runyan Family, shared by Kirsten Madaus

The secret recipe to a perfectly grilled pork chop from an Ohio hog farming family.

Prep time: 00:05
Cook time: 00:15
Total time: 00:20

Yield: 1 chop per person

Ingredients:
1 ribeye pork chop, about ¾ to 1 inch thick
Lawry's seasoned salt

Instructions:

Preheat grill to direct medium heat, about 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle Lawry's seasoned salt on both sides of the chop.

Grill for about 5 to 8 minutes, then flip to the other side.

Continue grilling until the internal temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit, another 5 to 8 minutes.

Serve, and if you're lucky enough to have some of Ruth's hash brown potato casserole and sweet sausage bread (recipe here) you're lucky, indeed.

For more information on Oakview farm, including hours and location, please click here. For more information on cooking pork, please click here. For more information on Ohio Pork, please click here.

I'm sharing more recipes on my Pinterest boards, follow me there. If you like a good peek behind the scenes like I do, follow me on Instagram. Need a good read? I'm sharing articles of interest on my Facebook page, follow me there. Want to know How to Use This Blog?

Tips for a Small Batch Thanksgiving

Practical ideas for cutting back, paring down, simplifying and enjoying the holiday more when you have fewer people at the Thanksgiving table.

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One of the most relaxing Thanksgivings I have had was a deliberately low key affair. Because it was my house/my kitchen/my table, we did have 2 kinds of locally sourced vegetable sides from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share as well as stuffing and mashed potatoes and warm rolls and turkey and gravy and pie.  But not too much . . . .

It's adorable how the dogs get in line when we're serving in the kitchen.

Last year we were 3 at the Thanksgiving table. By choice. My spouse was deployed, and while we've often shared others' tables during previous deployments, I just didn't have it in me again. I wanted to relax, chill out, spend the day in my jammies, watch my friends in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and just not fuss with being at a certain place or eating at a certain time.  I felt selfish and indulgent and I went with those feelings because, when he's on his 5th deployment, I've kinda earned the right to say 'nah, thanks but no thanks, we're good staying home'. I don't need to pretend.

That's not to say I'm not grateful for the offers of well-meaning friends and family. I appreciate the love and support that surrounds us each time he's gone.  Each place we live manages to surpass my expectations of what 'support our troops' means to the families back home. As an aside, I'll offer a couple of tips if you've got a friend or neighbor who's dealing with a deployment: don't wait for her/him to ask for help. Offer concrete suggestions for ways you're comfortable lending a hand. From shoveling snow, raking leaves, mowing grass, edging the sidewalk, picking up a gallon of milk or some children's cold medicine while you're out running errands, taking and sharing your photos or recordings of the school play--there's something you can do to lighten the load of the family left behind that they'd appreciate but won't ask you to do. Show up. Offer. And if your offer is declined--offer again at another time. I'd imagine these tips would work for chronic illness or other long term situation where folks need kindness.

Small Batch Sweet Potato Casserole (Small Batch Thanksgiving)

Topped with crunchy pecans and mini marshmallows, this lightened up small batch sweet potato casserole makes a tasty side dish for a small Thanksgiving gathering.

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Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers over the years have some things in common. One is growing amazing sweet potatoes. It seems every year the size, shape, and sheer number of sweet potatoes in the farm share box increases. No complaints here--just compliments! We went from a family who would occasionally eat sweet potatoes at Outback Steakhouse and Boston Market's Sweet Potato Casserole to a family who enjoys Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili and Roasted Sweet Potato Nachos at home.

Since Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes for me, when I planned our Small Batch Thanksgiving I knew I'd be including a version of sweet potato casserole (alongside a full size batch of MA's Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole because 5 pounds of mashed potatoes for 3 people sounds about right). I like the Boston Market sweet potato casserole, so I searched Copykat Recipes for a similar one. I changed up the recipe--reducing the butter and sugar, replacing the oatmeal cookie crust with just marshmallows and nuts, shrinking it to fit in a 3 cup baking dish--and made it my own. This was a keeper last year, and will return to the Thanksgiving table this year. Our sweet potatoes in the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (which accommodates potatoes, onions, and garlic as well as winter squash) are ready to be of service.

How to Make White Pizza with Arugula and Sausage

A fast and easy white pizza with fresh creamy burrata cheese, peppery arugula, and Italian sausage.

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This colorful pizza is a tasty way to involve cool weather greens in a family style pizza. When your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share box is heavy on the greens, which happens at the beginning and end of the typical temperate season, it can be overwhelming. I wrote about my Greens Paralysis here, in a recipe for Slow Cooker Spicy Mustard Greens Soup. Rest assured, new seasonal eaters, even though I've been eating from the farm share for 11 years now, I still get stuck. There are myriad ways to eat greens. Having an idea of how to use each type of green (raw or cooked) helps a lot and is part of the reason I started this website.



Arugula is such a versatile green. This Fall we've been enjoying it as the basis for hearty main dish salads, tossed with a red wine vinaigrette and topped with boiled eggs, beans, peas, goat cheese, dried fruits and nuts. I've tossed arugula into pasta dishes for color, nutrition, and to get it out of the crisper while it's still fresh. I've processed and frozen arugula as arugula pesto when I didn't think we'd have time to eat it fresh. A leafy green that's yummy both raw and cooked is useful indeed.

Regular readers know that I am often working up to a year ahead. Since I'm a seasonal eater, by the time I get the photos out of the camera and the scribbled recipe notes onto a screen we're onto a new season. In fact, the Thanksgiving recipes I'm sharing now were created (and photographed and enjoyed--hot!) last year. I enjoy sharing ways to use the farm share here, but my family likes to eat food while it's hot, and I like to kick back and enjoy our Friday Night Pizza & Movie nights with them. So what I'm fixing for dinner tonight may appear on Instagram, but won't be on the website for a while.

Roast Pork Loin with Yogurt, Mustard, and Fresh Dill

This recipe starts with a boneless pork loin, slathered in a yogurt/mustard/fresh dill coating, then roasted to juicy tenderness. Served alongside dilled carrots, French breakfast radishes, and mashed potatoes it's a wonderful Sunday dinner.

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. They paid me for my time, I bought my ingredients and created this recipe.

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The unifying theme today is the massive pile of fresh dill I have from my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. In my garden, I'll let my dill go to seed for all the pickles I put up and my plants petered out months ago. The dill from Mile Creek Farm is still going strong, though, and I've got a lot to work with. In the past I've shared How to Make Dill Butter, but I had more dill than that. [Two more big bunches like the one shown in the photo below.] I used some to make the Roasted Carrots with Fresh Dill shown alongside the pork. I used more tossed in with my mashed potatoes, though not full on MA's Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole like I'll be making later this month for Thanksgiving. I'll vacuum seal/freeze some of this fresh dill, and dehydrate the rest in the oven. I'll be making my own spice blend for my Spiced Cottage Cheese Potato Chip Dip which has my family unduly excited.

It's been a while since we've had a big Sunday Supper sort of meal. While my family eats together most nights of the week, the resumption of activities once the school year starts means that we are more fractured around the dining room table certain evenings. My son and I eat early, before leaving for hockey practice on hockey nights. My spouse and I often eat together while our daughter is at her weekly sewing class. Warm weather and busy weekends mean that we haven't sat down to a more traditional meat & potatoes kind of meal in forever!

When the Ohio Pork Council asked me to come up with a recipe for pork loin, chops, or tenderloin I headed to my local farmer's market to ask Jean Mattis of KJB farms what she recommended. She sold me a piece of boneless pork loin, perfect for roasting, then snagged another market goer to give me tips on how to cook it. Talk above service! Then I headed to volunteer at the thrift shop and got Emily's tips for using yogurt, mustard, and fresh herbs to make a flavorful crust for roasted pork. Finally, my fellow prep cooks at work helped me brain storm some vegetable side dishes using more of the abundant fresh dill. It really took a village on this recipe!

Golden Beet Muffins with Caramel and Chocolate #MuffinMonday

These decadent muffins owe their golden hue to roasted beets. Take them over the top with chocolate chips on the inside and a caramel drizzle. Eating your beets for breakfast never looked so good!

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I'm used to getting scarlet beets in the farm share. For years I've been searching for recipes that will entice my family while using up the beets from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. I've tried sweet and savory preparations with mixed results. One thing that is consistent is that beets + chocolate go well together in a sweet baked good, but sometimes the vibrant color (found in nature--no dyes necessary) is off-putting. Other times, like in my Cocoa Beet Chocolate Chip Muffins, it can really look cool.

When I opened up the farm share box to see a bunch of golden beets I was delighted. Now, maybe I had a chance to remove the shocking pink aspect of the beet dishes from the equation, and just let the earthy-sweet flavor of the beet work its magic.  I roast beets wrapped in foil (scrub them good but don't peel, drizzle with a bit of vegetable oil or water so they steam) in a 400 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for 45 to 90 minutes or until tender when you squeeze the foil packet. After that you simply slip the skin off the cooled beets and you're ready to use them however you like. Roasted beets will keep in the fridge for several days and can be frozen for several months, though when you thaw them I hope you don't want lovely slices as the plant cell walls will have burst during the freezing and they'd rather be smashed into puree.

Roasted Carrots with Fresh Dill

Roasted carrots tossed with fresh dill and spices makes an easy suitable for a variety of eating styles.

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Carrots are unsung vegetables. They can hang out in the crisper drawer for weeks before supporting soup stocks or transferring hummus into my face. They are one of the innocuous vegetables to encourage picky kids to eat. Rarely do they get a moment in the spotlight. A few years ago I noticed I'd amassed a bunch of bags of carrots from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, so I celebrated HashtagCarrotWeek and shared a variety of recipes using carrots (breakfast through dinner).

When I got a particularly uniform group of carrots from the farm share, along with yet another bunch of fresh dill, I decided to combine the two in a roasted side dish. Ok, truthfully I tossed in some French breakfast radishes to the roasting pan as well, but this post is about the carrots because they really shined with this treatment. My dad is getting more out of the weekly bunches of radishes, eaten on buttered bread, so I'll leave those to him.



I think these carrots would be a terrific holiday side dish. Since I used olive oil they are vegan, and would be useful if you need a side dish for a crowd of eaters of varying styles. I served mine with roast pork covered in a yogurt/mustard/dill sauce, a quickie version of my Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole (with fresh dill added) and the dill on dill action worked nicely. Stay tuned for the pork recipe--it's coming up next month!

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Kale Soup

Colorful as well as flavorful, this soup recipe combines sweet potatoes and kale with chicken and . . . maple breakfast sausage? Yes. Just try it. It's yummy!

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When the weather cools off I'm ready to make up a pot of soup. Seeing folks' soups simmering on Instagram compels me to head into the kitchen and make some soup for my family. Usually I open the fridge and see what farm share produce needs to be used up. I think all great soups started out that way--with whatever was on hand--and it remains my go-to method for soup making.  Using flavorful ingredients (stock instead of water, sausage instead of unseasoned meat) are a couple of shortcuts to a warming, filling, and enjoyable soup experience.

In the past I've shared several soup recipes. My Spicy Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder remains perennially popular on Pinterest. (No charge for alliteration). The Six Ingredient Spicy Mustard Greens and Chorizo Soup was my first time using sausage for double duty--as both a seasoning and a protein--a short cut I now use often while cooking for my family. When we're feeling under the weather, my Thai Turkey Cold-Busting Hot & Sour Soup is just the ticket. And underpinning all of these soups--stock. Doesn't matter if it's chicken stock or vegetable stock, using the scraps left from the farm share and turning them into soup stock is just plain Frugal, Eco, Farm Fresh Feasting. Or so I coined it 4 years ago.

I keep a bag in the freezer and each time I chop carrots, onions, or celery--the tops, tips, peels and or skins go into the bag. Mushroom stems if I'm making beef or vegetable stock. Then I add some bones (for beef, turkey, chicken or ham stock) and I've got the beginnings of a great soup.  In fact, I picked up chicken necks and backs at the farmer's market recently and my next 'day off project' will be to simmer a big ol' pot of chicken stock.

Roasted Beet Appetizer with Gorgonzola and Pickled Red Onions

A vibrant vegetarian way to start a meal, this recipe combines tender roasted beet cubes with tangy pickled onions and gorgonzola cheese. Add a bit of pistachio for crunch and your meal is off to a memorable start!

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I'm trying a new tactic to encourage my family to eat the beets from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share--small plates. I'm sure it's old hat to many folks, but it's a new idea for me. I mixed up a batch of this roasted beet appetizer and, instead of having folks help themselves like I usually do, I put a couple of tablespoons each into a few of my Polish pottery ramekins. These are the perfect size for a snack of trail mix of cheez its [though if you're having the Extra Toasty kind those things are like CRACK and you'll actually burn some calories jumping up off the couch to refill your little dish every few minutes].  If you've got little dishes that hold about 4 ounces (half a cup), and less adventurous eaters--give this method a try.

When I get beets in the farm share, I quickly perform Vegetable Triage on them. I cut off the greens first, if they are present. I constantly crave Sautéed Beet Greens and make that for breakfast/brunch whenever I have access to beet greens. Once the greens are removed, the beets can hang out in the crisper drawer for at least a week. This is a Good Thing when you're overwhelmed with life and aren't really prioritizing using up the fresh produce. If you've got space, you can even freeze roasted beets for several months. They come out very soft, so freeze them whole and handle gently if you'd like them to retain a cube shape. If you do plan to mash them, say, to make Cocoa Beet Chocolate Chip Muffins, then you'll be just fine with freezing/thawing roasted beets.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Parmesan and Pepper--with Barber Foods

Cubes of tender delicata squash roasted with fresh garlic and spices then topped with Parmesan cheese makes an easy and colorful side dish to celebrate Fall.

This post is sponsored by Barber Foods. I bought my ingredients and Barber Foods paid me for my time to create this recipe.

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I'm glad to feel a chill in the mornings now that Fall is here--it makes me happy to turn on the oven so I can convert the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share produce into new and delightful dishes for my family [and new ideas for you!]. For us folks who eat seasonally, the change of season provides a change in the contents of the farm share box--a return of greens plus the arrival of winter squashes in all their glory. The farmer's markets and grocery stores are brimming with gorgeous piles of squash, too.


Winter squash is one of the best parts of joining a CSA farm share. Because these squash can be stored in a cool dry place for months, you can be eating locally grown produce well into the winter. I've even cracked open a butternut squash in April! This is one way I feed my family local produce all year long. I turn a basket-lined bookcase in the basement into the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve, and each week I add all the squash and potatoes from the farm share.  I walk past the SWSR while I'm doing laundry, so it's easy to keep an eye on things.

I feel fortunate I'm getting lots of delicata squash this year. Unlike the other winter squash varieties, the skin on a delicata is edible. That means I get those pretty green and orange stripes on my plate! The first way I ever prepared delicata squash was Alanna's Delicata Squash with Hot Pepper Glaze, and it was a nice spicy change on my Thanksgiving table. Lately I'd been eyeing my delicata hoard and thinking that this roasted dish, with cheese and a bit of a kick, would be a good side dish this Fall. I seem to concentrate on the sides, since I'm always trying to use up all my fresh local produce, and the entrees become an afterthought.

Purple Sweet Potato Muffins with Caramel and Streusel #MuffinMonday

These candy-sweet muffins start with vibrantly-hued purple sweet potatoes coloring a sturdy oatmeal base. With caramel chips inside, and streusel on top, this is a sweet treat that's pretty to eat.

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One of the perennially fun aspects of being a part of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share is the ever-revolving door to new produce. Each year I discover new varieties of vegetables and fruits, new favorites, new 'must-haves', and yes, new . . . . 'what is this and what do I do with it?' items.

When you get a new color of an old favorite, like sweet potatoes, you can just have fun. No need to invent uses for an unfamiliar vegetable. Instead, I can play with colors--like I did with my Purple and Orange Overnight Sweet Potato Pecan Monkey Bread or my purple, green, and golden Mardi Gras Braided Bread.

For this month's Muffin Monday recipe I got creative with some purple sweet potatoes from the farm share. I wanted a wholesome base, so I started by soaking rolled oats in vanilla yogurt similar to my standard overnight oat muffin recipe (my 4th post ever!). I wanted a decadent muffin so I used some softened butter in the batter. I wanted something that could be deliciously sweet for a morning coffee, so I tossed in some caramel chips to the batter. Finally, I wanted something that reminded me a bit of sweet potato casserole, so I topped the muffins with streusel topping.

If you get colorful veggies and want to play around with them--guess what? Your freezer is your friend. In addition to being long-storing like onions and white potatoes, cooked sweet potatoes also freeze well. Once thawed, you can use them in a myriad of ways to add moisture, color, and flavor to baked goods.

Whole Wheat Pear & Pecan Streusel Muffins #MuffinMonday

A buttery oatmeal streusel tops these whole wheat pear and pecan muffins.

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I like to bake a batch of muffins to welcome new families to my town.



Typically I'll grab a seasonal fruit (no Beet and Horseradish Muffins for someone I don't know well) and make something sweet and snack-like, then pull them out of the oven, take some photos--and a bite of one--then send my daughter off with a basket of warm baked treats. [Not the one I took a bite of, I finish that one. And my kids get to eat some, too. I give away the rest.]

These muffins were no exception--a new family moved in a few blocks away, and I had a couple of pears to use up. I was in the mood for streusel, so I threw this together.  The recipe is loosely based from the general muffin recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but with lots of adaptations for the spices and mix-ins.

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Pizza

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. I bought my ingredients then created this recipe, the Ohio Pork Council paid me for my time.

Grilled Italian pork sausages, bell peppers, and onions top this pizza with plenty of cheese from both provolone and mozzarella. Since everything is cooked on the grill, your house stays cool while you enjoy the flavor of a sausage and pepper hoagie in pizza form.

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The purpose of this post is to get my readers to take a short survey about Ohio pork (you don’t have to be an Ohio resident to respond). When you take this survey, you’ll be entered into a Le Creuset Dutch oven giveaway. Since it’s free for you to be here there’s not even any purchase necessary to enter. You’ve got nothing to lose! Why not? Go take the survey now, I’ll be waiting with the pizza when you get back. 

The link to the survey is here. Enter to win!

I’m supposed to share what I love about Ohio pork today, and since we’re talking about love that means talking about my spouse. He returned from his 5th deployment a different man. I'm not talking about the time he went on his 4th deployment, and he went online and fell in love. Instead, my spouse now prefers to know more about the protein he eats than just “it was marked down at the grocery store”. For him, it’s a natural evolution from knowing who grows our produce—by joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share—to knowing more about the proteins we choose to eat by sourcing them locally as well. Since I want to keep my time in the kitchen simple and fix one entree for the family, I needed to find new sources of protein.

My spouse took this photo (cuz that's me on the right).