Pork Cutlets with Baked Hominy and Cheese

Starting with preparation of the baked hominy, a first-time recipe I read about last week in the J-Walk blog, of all places. Sounded good, as I'm a fan of hominy, and I'm always looking for new ways to get picky eaters to try new things (you know who you are)

Recipe follows, with my modifications from the original and comments [in brackets]

Baked Hominy and Cheese
Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) white or yellow hominy, rinsed and drained
  [I used a can of each]
• 12 ounces process American cheese, cube
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper [omitted]
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional [didn't have]
• [2 dashes Worcestershire sauce]
• [1 tsp. hot chili sauce]

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat egg. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 45 minutes or until bubbly and top begins to brown. Stir once, after 20 minutes, to mix it all up well] Let stand a few minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Ready for the oven!

Preparation of the cutlets began 2 weeks ago with the purchase of a pork loin on sale. Sliced off 6 1/2" cutlets, smashed thin, breaded and frozen. (Another 3/4 pound was cut up for stir fry and frozen, and then remaining 2 1/2 pounds was frozen for pork roast.)

So, here's the cutlets, all nice and snug in their vacuum-packed goodness. While the bags are pricey, they pay off when freezing items like bulk-packed meats--no freezer burn.

The vacuum-pack process had an added benefit with this meat; the breading "wed" to the cutlets and stayed nicely attached throughout the cooking process.

When the baked hominy was finished, I increased the oven temp to 400°F and placed a foil-covered, lightly-oiled baking pan into the oven for a quick (5 min) warm-up; then added cutlets to pan. These cook quick - about 7-9 minutes per side. Remove, let sit a minute or so on a paper towel and serve!

~= The Finished Goods =~

Served with cornbread muffins, courtesy of Jiffy, and honey.
Verdict: Cutlets were cooked to perfection - tender, juicy, and breading was just the right crispiness. Hominy had mixed results. JLaw ate half a serving and was trying to figure out why "the potatoes" tasted different... so my objective of serving hominy a more palatable way to a picky eater was met. I was too heavy of hand with the hot sauce, we both thought, and next time I'll add half the amount. Would taste better with a mixture of cheeses, which will be a future modification, too. Overall, a keeper.
Leftovers: Can be frozen. Mine will end up dinner this week, however.
Sources: Cutlets, Dad. Hominy: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Baked-Hominy-and-Cheese