Giada’s Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Bobby’s Greek Potatoes (and pie!)

This afternoon, I tried to drink a slimfast. The three year old slowly came towards me, licking his lips: “Is that called chocolate milk, Jenn?” He whimpered and crept closer.  I took a drink. He eyeballed me. The six year old corrected him: “No! It has protein. It makes Jenn strong.”

I just sat there and wondered if it would be ok to lock myself in my bedroom for the rest of the day.

Instead of running away for the rest of the afternoon, we took the kids to the park to play.  We amassed a snail army, ate blackberries we found, and took turns down the fireman’s pole.  and when we got home, I made Parmesan crusted pork chops, Greek potatoes, green beans, and a fairy pie (also known as a raspberry lemon refrigerator pie).

The kids wolfed it down. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Recipes are linked above. Changes I made were minimal. I added frozen raspberries to the pie to make it pink and that was about it.

 

Chicken Sausages and Bacon…

It is so strange to be eating meat again.  I don’t find myself craving it or even particularly liking it when I eat it or cook it these days–but I do find the familiarity comforting.  And I really need the comfort.

(My husband is making me add this caveat: I really do like bacon.  It cannot be defamed.)

So, with wine in hand and indie singer-songwriter stuff that makes my husband groan playing on my laptop, I set out to make some comfort food on this peaceful Sunday evening.

On the menu tonight:

Potato soup (red potatoes, milk, flour, bacon and its grease, celery, old bay seasoning, s and p, onion, garlic, vegetable stock)

Tomato sauce with chicken sausage and oyster mushrooms

(crushed and diced tomatoes, red wine, chicken sausage, basil, s and p, oyster mushrooms)

Roasted acorn squash with brown sugar and chili powder

The squash will be for dinner tonight–along with a salad and porkchops.

The sauce will go with either polenta or noodles during the week for dinner or lunches.  The potato soup will reheat nicely for the same purposes.

Cooking with the Little Brother

My husband, 20 year old brother, and I went to visit my husband’s parents for a few days this week.  We left my 15 year old brother behind at home.  Poor little buddy was in charge of tending to my sick cat while I got to go on vacation.  So, when we returned to my dad and brother’s house, I asked the brother (Daniel) what he’d like me to cook for dinner–anything he wanted, especially for him.

The request?  Pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn.

So, on the three hour drive back to Daniel’s house, my husband and I picked up the ingredients for dinner.  The only thing I couldn’t find was parsley.  I could hardly believe it.  (Luckily, my dad picked some up on his way home.)

For Daniel, and with Daniel, we cooked fried pork chops, roasted garlic and parsley red potatoes, gravy, and corn.  I haven’t cooked pork chops in over a year and I was nervous about over or under cooking them.  But–they were perfect.  Everything was perfect.

I also planned on making  this, but Safeway didn’t have fennel, either! I saw this soup yesterday on Barefoot Contessa and it looks ridiculously good.  I’ll have to make it when I get home.

In other news:

My dad brought home brussel sprouts–on a stick.  Or a branch?