Some of you will notice a pattern here ... yes this is a recipe I tried as I work to empty my cupboard and freezer.

This time I had thick-cut, boneless pork chops and more orange marmalade than I could ever know what to do with.

After an online search looking for a recipe requiring ingredients I mostly had on hand, I finally settled on this one for orange-glazed pork chops on allrecipes.com.

Pork often comes out too dry for me. And apparently it may be because I've been following the federal government's guidelines that say pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 to kill the parasite that causes trichinosis.

After a review of cooking Web sites and a brief talk with N&O food writer Andrea Weigl, I've learned that's way too high. Pork doesn't need to be cooked to more than 145 degrees. Trichinosis, more common in less developed areas where pigs eat garbage, isn't really a problem in the U.S. anymore. And trichinosis is killed at 137 degrees anyway.

Orange-Glazed Pork Chops from allrecipes.com

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (3/4 inch) thick bone-in pork loin chops
1 small lime, thinly sliced.

In a small saucepan, add cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and water until smooth. Stir in the marmalade, lime juice, oil and garlic until blended. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir mixture for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened.

Put the pork chops in a greased dish. Spoon glaze over pork, turn to coat. Top with the lime slices. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until temperature reaches 145 degrees.

My substitutions: I had boneless pork chops, which worked fine. And I substituted lemon for lime since I had lemons on hand. 

Looking for more recipes? Go to www.trianglemom2mom.com/eat and check back here every Wednesday.