Vanilla Cider Pork with Pears

Fall is here! And I have officially caught the cooking bug. It's even more fun this year because I have a husband to cook with/for so I get excited to try stuff out on him. He has yet to not like something yet, surprisingly. I am successfully converting him over to the ideas of soups (he has only ever known canned soups), pumpkin-everything, and fruit +meat.  Here was one of our dinners this week that helped with the latter. I got this recipe for a "Cuisine at Home" magazine years ago (I got it for a year-I don't remember why). I've adjusted it a bit, they totally lied about how long everything takes and I've made some substitutions to make it less costly, less fatty, easier to do quickly, and less alcoholic... it's still good, I promise.

Vanilla Cider Pork with Pears 
4 pork chops
2 pears (cored and quartered)
2 TBSP butter or margarine
1/2 C flour
1 C chicken broth
1 C apple cider (not juice)
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP water
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat (not high...don't be impatient you'll burn the poor pears). Saute the pears until lightly browned, remove from heat. Set pears aside.

Season pork with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour. Saute pork (in same pan pears came from) until cooked through, about 5 minutes each side (or more if your chops are huge like the ones from Costco). Set pork aside.

Deglaze that same blessed pan with the broth, cider, and cream. Bring to a boil and add vanilla (or vanilla bean if you are really going all out). Reduce the liquid to half (this takes about 4-5 min). Add a little roux (flour and water mixed to a paste) to get it a little thicker. Put pears and pork back in the pan and cook all together a few more minutes. Serve! (I always like to serve it with the recipe below)

Pecan Wild Rice
1 C wild rice blend
14 oz. chicken broth
1/4 C apple cider
1/4 C pecan pieces

Boil chicken broth and cider in a saucepan, add rice mixture. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in pecans and serve.