Comfort Food: Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce (and yes I used canned soup!)

When life is full of ups and downs, sometimes you just start craving 'comfort foods'.   Typical comfort foods might be homemade chocolate chip cookies, hot macaroni and cheese, rice pudding, roast and potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna casserole...  things typically from your childhood that somehow make you feel better when you eat them.

This week I craved a food from my childhood that I almost never make anymore as my husband is not a fan of pork (outside of bacon, which he loves!).  Since he was currently working 1000 miles away and I could have anything I wanted for dinner without anyone else chiming in their opinions, I made myself pork chops with mushroom sauce... the same way my mother used to make them; with canned soup.

It was hot.  It was delicious.  It was exactly what I needed and wanted.  And the way this week is starting out?  I think I better go buy another can of soup and see if we have more pork chops in the freezer.  I think I might be in need of a lot more comfort food!

Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

2-4 pork chops (bone in or out - up to you but bone-in has more flavor)
1 can mushroom soup
salt & pepper
oil
water*

Heat about a tablespoon or two of oil in a pan over medium high heat and brown both sides of the pork chops, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  When they are golden brown with bits of dark brown, place them in an oven safe dish or pan.  Turn off the heat and immediately add about 3/4 c water to the frying pan to deglaze the pan.  As you scrape the bottom of the pan and stir the water it will make a wonderful sauce.  Add 1 can of mushroom soup to this mixture and pour over the pork chops.  Bake at 375 until the pork chops are done;  typically for my oven and meat it's about 35 minutes.  This pairs well with potatoes.

Deglaze the pan while hot

*use more water if the sauce is too thick. You can use up to 1 1/2 cups of water to a can of soup. When I make this for the whole family I double the soup and sauce and serve with mashed potatoes with the sauce as a gravy. Delicious!

Dark Sweet Cherries and Vanilla Ice Cream with a Sprinkle of Walnuts.... Mmmm

Cherries are a fruit my mother never bought when I was a child.  Cherries in our home came in the form of a can in ooey gooey glaze that she used to make Cherry Dessert.  That was it.  Nothing else.  Ever.  There are sour cherries and sweet cherries, and when the dark sweet cherries are in season and readily available in your grocery, it's time to enjoy a nice sundae or cherry malt on the deck, after dinner, as the sun goes down.

Although you can put the mixture into a blender, I've never found it necessary.  Instead, I scoop vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt into a glass, cut pieces of cherry straight from the pits (use a small paring knife and just cut around the pit, giving you about 4-5 perfectly sized pieces and then toss the stem and pit into the trash) and top with some chopped walnuts.  You can use whipped cream on top if you would like.  

As the ice cream softens I mix mine with a spoon while eating and enjoy a pink tinged 'cherry nut' ice cream that is so perfect on a late summer evening.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp on the Grill with Sweet Onions on the Side

 

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

1 lb. bacon

2 lb. shrimp (shelled and deveined but with the tail on)

Lemon Pepper seasoning

Garlic Pepper seasoning

Olive oil

Optional:  yellow, red and green peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini - chopped large

I find this recipe cooks best if you precook the bacon for a few minutes so it is translucent and about 1/2 of the way cooked (and cooled a bit) before you wrap the shrimp but you don't have to if you don't have time.  I was really hungry this night and didn't want to but the bacon cooks more evenly and crisps better if you do.  

 

Slice the bacon into thirds or halves lengthwise.  Wrap a piece of bacon around each shrimp and place on a tray.  When all are wrapped, drizzle with olive oil and season with a mixture of lemon pepper and garlic pepper mixes.  Chop vegetables on the side.  Place all on a grill pan with holes (I use a pan pizza style pan with the holes in the bottom) and cook over medium high on your grill, turning to get all sides of the bacon crisp.  If the bacon is not crisp enough but the shrimp is done, place on a metal tray and finish quickly under the broiler in your oven.   Do not over cook the shrimp or it becomes hard and rubbery (which is why I prefer to precook the bacon strips before wrapping).  Mmmm.

Bacon wrapped shrimp with chopped onions on the side

 

 

 

Skunk Deodorizer

I can honestly say that in the past 5 years of running this website I've never featured a recipe for... skunk odor remover! And thankfully I didn't need to mix any up this weekend but a run in with a skunk during some errands made me look up the best 'odor deodorizer' I could find. This one seems to be the most popular and featured on a dozen of the most promising sites I researched.

The little guy that stalked me during one of my errands - yes in the day time and yes in the rain!

Skunk Deodorizer

1 quart hydrogen peroxide (3%)
1/4 c baking soda
1 t liquid soap - laundry or dish

Mix and use with a wash cloth to wipe down the pet or skin. For clothing and dark haired animals be warned that peroxide fades and causes 'red' hair or highlights.

My "Fall Back" Food - Greek Pizza

My regular readers know life is rather crazy right now.  In the middle of selling our home and relocating 1000 miles away.. my husband and daughter are already in the new state so she could start school there and not switch mid-year.  I'm here selling our home and just got our other two kids off to their respective colleges.  We are currently in an odd (and new) chapter in my life when it comes to cooking.  It's no longer "How many extra are we going to have around the house at dinner time...."  to "I wonder if anyone but me will be here at dinner time...."

Everyone has quick and easy 'Fall Back" meals.  You know, the meal you 'fall back' on when it's dinner time and you are hungry and want something you know you have the ingredients for and it won't take long to make.  This Greek Pizza is one I've made for years (and blogged about numerous times) and I make it often... but I make it different every time based on what we have on hand!

If you haven't tried it yet, give it a go.  I can eat this twice a week;  it's that yummy and simple!

Greek Pizza
(I left the spinach off in the photo above and added artichokes.  Play with your food!)

1/2 c mayonnaise
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c crumbled feta cheese
1 - 12 inch pre-baked pizza crust, homemade crusts or 2-3 thick flour tortillas
1/2 c oil packed sun dried tomatoes
olive oil (or oil from the sun dried tomatoes)
1/4 pitted Kalamata olives,, chopped or sliced
1 t dried oregano
2 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and dry
1/2 small red onion, sliced into rings

Heat oven to 450.  Mix the mayonnaise with garlic and 1/2 cup feta.  Spread this over your pizza crust or over 2 or 3 thick flour tortillas.  Top with tomatoes, olives and oregano.  Bake until heated through.  Toss the spinach and onion with about 1 tablespoon olive oil or if you have it - oil from the sun dried tomatoes.  Tops the pizza with the spinach mixture and the rest of the 1/2 cup feta.  Return to the oven for about 3 minutes.   Slice and serve!