Coca-Cola Classic in the Kitchen

Recently I decided to see what I could make with a two liter bottle of Coca-Cola Classic. I have heard that you can cook with it but was not sure how the recipes would taste or turn out. I have never cooked with soda pop before but thought this would be fun. I managed to make Cola Pork Chops and Cola Beans. I was going to make a dessert with my giant bottle of Coca-Cola but discovered that Nick has a sweet tooth for Classic Coke as the bottle rather mysteriously disappeared from the frig. Both recipes were a hit!

Cola Pork Chops

Flour, Onion Powder & Garlic Powder
Oil
2 cups ketchup
2 cups cola-flavored carbonated beverage
4 tablespoons brown sugar
8 pork chops
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Sprinkle pork chops with onion and garlic powder, dredge in flour and brown in a frying pan in a little vegetable or canola oil.

Mix together the ketchup, cola and brown sugar.

Place pork chops into a baking pan and pour cola mixture over, coating well.

Bake for about one hour depending on the thickness of the pork chop.

Cola Baked Beans

6 Slices thick-cut bacon

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, 1 can drained and rinsed, 1 can undrained

2 - 15 oz. cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

3/4 cup cola

1 - 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained

2 tsp. dry mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp and golden. Drain bacon on paper towels. When bacon is coll enough to handle, crumble and set aside. Pour off about 1 Tbsp. bacon fat from skillet.

Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add cannellini and kidney beans, brown sugar, molasses, cola, tomatoes, dry mustard and crumbled bacon and stir to combine.

Cover skillet, transfer to over and bake until mixture is bubbly and juices have thickened slightly, about 1 hour. Serve hot.