After interviewing Robert Slater, who's written a book about Martha Stewart's trial and imprisonment, I mentioned that I'd recently made pork chops using one of Martha Stewart's recipes. Can't remember which cookbook it was in, but it was so simple that I think I can give it to you from memory.

3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (who's kidding who, Martha? I used Minute Maid and the world didn't come to an end.) 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or roughly six of those packets left over from the last time you had Chinese take-out) 1 clove minced garlic 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (yeah, right. I used 1 tablespoon of some dried thyme that's been in my cabinet since the Clinton administration. Again, world still spinning.) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons safflower oil (I used canola oil. Don't tell Martha, but it worked just fine.) 4 thick-cut pork chops. (Martha stipulates boneless, but since when is she the boss of you?)

Mix first five ingredients together. With a sharp knife, cut a shallow X on each side of each pork chop. Put them in a glass dish, pour marinade over them, set aside for thirty minutes.

Melt butter and oil in large skillet over high heat. Remove pork chops from marinade; pat dry, sear on both sides to caramelize meat -- about three minutes per side. Pour marinade into pan, and simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes. Remove chops to a heated platter. Crank up the heat and reduce the sauce by a quarter. (For novice cooks, that just means boil off a quarter of the liquid, causing the sauce to thicken and intensify.)

Pour sauce over chops, serve. (We had some cheese tortellini on the side, and a drizzle of this sauce was killer on that, too.)

I swear to you, this was a great meal and took no time at all. Say what you want about Martha, but the woman knows how to respect a pork chop. Now, we were only kidding about her next book being called, Martha Stewart: That Bitch Can Cook. Although, it really is a catchy title -- maybe she should consider it.