Granola-Crusted Pork Chops and a Review - Golden Girl Granola

I was recently given an opportunity to review some of the flavor offerings by Golden Girl Granola. I've always been a granola fan. One of my earliest memories, however, was not about eating granola but making it at summer camp as a kid to feed to the goats (no pun intended). As you may already have gathered, I'm also a big yogurt fan, and granola makes a great topping for yogurt, not to mention ice cream, etc. Golden Girl offers seven flavor combinations: Forest Maple (maple syrup and almonds) Creative Cranberry (cranberries, coconut, almonds) Blueberry (blueberries, coconut, almonds) The Original (coconut, honey, almonds) Home Sweet Honey (honey and coconut) Truly Tropical (mango, cashews, coconut) Chocolate Decadence (chocolate, coconut, almonds) What I love about Golden Girl is that they have managed to achieve that perfect balance between sweet and savory. Some granolas are rather blah, while others have a cloyingly sweet coating. A Shirley, Massachusetts-based company, Golden Girl sources its honey from the Merrimack Valley Apiaries in Billerica, Massachusetts. They produce a lovely wildflower honey which is used raw, unfiltered, and unheated for the best possible flavor. I'm hoping that as the company grows, they will begin incorporating a wider variety of fruits and nuts to their mixes, and maybe some seeds. In the meantime, you really can't miss with what they offer now, and it sounds like a great company, not only for how they came to be and operate, but what they do for their community. You can read their story here. I think their mission statement speaks volumes in itself. I've been out of town for a bit, taking in the recent festivities celebrating the 100th anniversary commemorating the Armenian Genocide, but before leaving, I did have an opportunity to partake of some of my sample stash. If you've been following along, you saw that I enjoyed (several) bowls of homemade Coconut Yogurt topped with Creative Cranberry and then made a fabulous breakfast including Forest Maple Granola French Toast. Even before that, I had posted a recipe for Scalloped Potatoes with Thyme in which I alluded to the Granola-Crusted Pork Chops. I was holding out until I had a chance to try the other flavors before writing up this post. Each was as perfectly balanced as the last - great flavor, light crunch, perfectly sweetened. INGREDIENTS :  2 pork chops Salt and Pepper Dijon Mustard 2 c Golden Girl The Original granola Let your chops sit out for a while to warm up so you're not shocking them by putting them in a hot oven while still cold. Pat the chops dry and trim any fat. Season on both sides with a bit of salt and pepper, then rub with a light coating of Dijon (What goes better with honey -granola- than mustard?) Press the coated chops into the granola on both sides to coat. Transfer to casserole dish (buttered or sprayed if not going on top of scalloped potatoes as mine did) and cover lightly with foil - starting covered will prevent the granola from burning. Bake at 350 for 30", then uncover and continue until golden and cooked through - total time will depend on oven, baking dish, etc. Can you see how juicy? The Dijon creates a nice seal. You can find Golden Girl Granola in Fairway Markets, as well as many Whole Foods, Hannaford, and several other markets. You can also order online. Golden Girl comes in individual 14-oz. resealable bags or by the dozen in 3-oz. snack packs. A big thanks to Thought for Food & Son for bringing Golden Girl to my attention and to Golden Girl for providing me with the samples to review.  Although I was provided the product for review, all opinions are strictly my own. This is not a paid post.