FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATION By Christy Rost It’s Father’s Day, so treat the special dad in your life to a meal fit for a king. It’s easy! Just fire up the grill and prepare my recipe for Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Garlic Basting Sauce. Whether you’re planning a picnic by the lake, a dinner in the park, or cooking out in the backyard, this week’s recipe is guaranteed to put a smile on any dad’s face. Start with ¾-inch thick rib chops. If you don’t see them in the supermarket meat case, ask the butcher to slice them for you. The real secret to this scrumptious, finger-licking-good recipe is the sauce, a tasty blend of roasted garlic, ketchup, ribbon cane syrup, dark brown molasses sugar and a few other ingredients you’ll find in nearly every kitchen. If you are planning to grill away from home, roast the garlic in foil earlier in the day and pack it with the other sauce ingredients, still wrapped in foil. Or, prepare the sauce at home, transfer it to a spill-proof container, and place it in an ice chest with the pork chops. It doesn’t take much to make a dad smile – just some hugs, a card packed with loving sentiments, a few hours spent together, and a great meal. Thanks to these scrumptious pork chops, you’ve got the meal all wrapped up. Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Garlic Basting Sauce Ingredients: 1 large head garlic 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup diced onion 1 ½ cups ketchup ½ cup ribbon cane syrup or molasses 2 tablespoons Billington’s dark brown molasses sugar 1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 4 to 6 ¾-inch thick rib pork chops Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the head of garlic in a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and gather together the foil to enclose the garlic. Roast the garlic in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Remove foil packet from oven and set aside to cool. Preheat the grill. While the grill is heating, prepare the basting sauce. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. When the pan is hot, add remaining olive oil, swirling pan to coat with oil. Add onions and sauté until they are soft. Unwrap the roasted garlic and discard the foil packet. Using your hands, squeeze out the softened garlic from each clove and stir it into the onions. Discard the garlic skins. Raise the heat to medium-low. Stir in the ketchup, ribbon cane syrup, dark brown molasses sugar, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the grill is hot, cook pork chops on medium heat 5 minutes, turn to other side, and cook 5 minutes. Turn chops over, baste with sauce, and cook 4 to 5 minutes more. Turn chops over, baste with sauce, and cook 1 to 3 minutes, depending on thickness of chops. Pour remaining sauce into a bowl and serve with pork chops. Recipe serves 4 to 6. Get more of Christy Rost's recipes in her archives. Click here. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com