Baked Pork Chops – A Reminder of Home

My Daddy and Step-Mother
Mildred Smith Hicks & Leon Fremont Richards
in their home in September 1964

Having grown up in a household where my father was a butcher for the local Safeway store and my mother worked in the same meat department, we had a variety of cuts of meat every day. Breakfast fare usually included thick slices of bacon, smoked, peppered, and honey cured. Occasionally a pork chop made its appearance on our breakfast plate beside the usual eggs and fried potatoes and onion. We didn't have that big of a breakfast every weekday because Mom spent long days at work and school was calling - we usually ran a little late with 4 teenagers and 2 elementary-aged kids to get ready. But the weekends found us all gathered in the country kitchen around the beautiful round oak table that my younger sister now has in her home.

Again on the weekends we enjoyed various cuts of meat that daddy patiently showed us how to prepare. Mom was usually in the garden or making biscuits.

Reminder of Home
I was reminded tonight of the thick pork chops that Daddy used to bring home and stuff with delicious dressing prepared just like you would for the Thanksgiving turkey. He would take a very sharp knife and cut a slit in the meat across from the bone and stuff it with cornbread dressing.

Request for Pork Chop
I had asked my hubby to please bring home some pork chops from the grocery (he usually does our shopping) because we hadn't eaten them for quite some time. He found some beautiful chops that were about 1-inch thick with the bone in. If you sometimes wonder how to cook pork chops that are that thick I find that baking them is probably the easiest thing to do.

Preparation of Meat
I rinsed the meat under running water and patted them dry. I had prepared a basil olive oil mixed with garlic salt and dry Italian seasonings that I placed in a shallow bowl. Then I rubbed this on all sides of each pork chop. I then wrapped them tightly in aluminum foil, placed them in a heavy cast iron skillet to bake in my 350º oven. I baked them for one hour.

They were delicious. And because I had wrapped them in foil I had no mess to clean up. Of course, they could just as easily be cooked in any ovenproof dish and if you chose to not use the foil, the chops would brown nicely. Mine were not as brown but tasted more like a pork roast.

You should try this method of cooking pork chops. I found I could not "fry" my pork chops all the time. Cooking them this way cuts down on the calories and fat.

Bon appétit.

Cook a Delicious Italiano Meat Pie Tonight

Are you like me? Busy with life and little time for cooking a meal that everyone will enjoy and that will be nourishing, as well? I have a reputation in my family of 5 siblings and numerous cousins of being the ONE that doesn't cook. I do believe they all think I can't cook and I like to perpetuate that myth! After all, it saves me from all the headaches of trying to put together a meal when we all get together! I have begun to cook more desserts for our family gatherings and even now that's beginning to be questioned. Is it just me, or am I that bad a cook?

So time is not the primary reason for my looking for easy, quick recipes. It's more than likely my dislike for creating culinary masterpieces! Not that I could!

This recipe was given to me a very long time ago by my sister-in-law. She came from a long line of Italians and she shared several recipes with me and our mother-in-law, Marilee. I made a few minor adjustments to fit my life-style and cook it quite often. I use it as my "safe" dish when having company!

Ingredients:

1 or 2 pounds ground beef

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped green or black olives

1/4 cup water

6 ounces tomato paste

1 package spaghetti sauce mix

2 Pet Ritz deep-dish pie crusts

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350°. Brown the ground beef in a heavy skillet, drain, and add green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and olives. Cook 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the water, tomato paste and spaghetti sauce mix. Cover and simmer approximately 10 minutes. While meat mixture is simmering sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the bottom of two frozen pie shells. Spread half of the meat mixture over the Parmesan cheese in the pie shells. Sprinkle 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese over the meat. Layer remaining meat mixture and Parmesan cheese.

Place the prepared pies on a cookie sheet so it will not spill over onto bottom of oven. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. One pie serves six. But I always make 2 pies so we'll have some left the next day!

This freezes well and my entire family loves it. I serve it with a green salad and hot garlic bread and they are happy and satisfied. I made 4 last Christmas and put them in the freezer before my family arrived so I wouldn't have to spend my precious time cooking instead of enjoying the kids.

I hope you'll give this a try, especially if your husband loves Italian food as much as mine does. It's so much better than spaghetti.

Also published by Judy Shubert at Associated Content.
Clipart supplied by "The Vintage Moth".