A Mellow Monday’s Pan Seared Supper

February is fading fast into the rearview mirror. March is nearly upon us. On the National Food Front, today is National Pistachio Day. Did you know that Pistachios aren’t actually a botanical nut but rather are legumes like chickpeas and lentils? Yeah, I didn’t know that. Learn something new every day.

Guess what! We aren’t going to share a recipe using Pistachio despite the fact that today is their day. We’ve shared some amazing Pistachio recipes in the past such as Pistachio-Crusted Cod with Citrus Salsa and Lemon Pistachio Truffles. So why aren’t we talking Pistachio something today? Honestly, I can’t say. Things have been a bit off lately for me. I’ve been playing it safe in the kitchen – relying on variations of familiar recipes like Frito Chili Dogs, and Chicken Fried Steaks and Navy Bean Soups. Pretty basic stuff. I know I’m getting old. I don’t feel old – most of the time. I don’t think I look my age either. But lately I’ve been fuzzy – forgetful. Even when whipping up a new rendition of an old favorite, I find myself reading the instructions a few times before making a move. And more frequently than I care to admit, I find myself standing in a room and wondering why I went there. I’d talk with my doctor if I thought it would do any good, but right now I’m not on favorable terms with her. We disagree.

I’ve had a cough for months. When it first developed, she immediately said it was COPD, I insisted it wasn’t. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Chest X-Rays show my lungs are clear. Blood Oxygen levels are between 99 and 100%. At no time do I experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, mucus production or wheezing. I told her if I had COPD I would not have been able to hike five miles a day at altitudes of over 8,000 feet. Hiking feels good. The only thing I’ve had for six months now is this nagging cough – at times almost convulsive. While the last month has seen marked improvement, I still cough several times a day. At least now I’m sleeping almost all night, so that’s a big improvement. Now that I’m sleeping, maybe I won’t be so spacy. Wow, I didn’t mean to go into all that. I guess I could just hit the delete button, but I won’t. We’ll just get back on track.

Lately it seems that I’ve been in the mood for down home cooking. Foods reminiscent of my childhood, with modern, convenient spins. Take today’s Skillet Pork Chops – I can remember as a child we ate a lot of fried pork chops. Those chops were dipped in egg, then drugged in flour and fried in oil. Maybe a little salt and pepper for seasoning and that was it. Dad would whip up some gravy. You’d think we were going to have mashed potatoes with those country-fried chops. But no, my Mom’s Asian influence was generally in charge of the side dishes, which meant fried pork chops, country gravy and rice. To tell you the truth, I like country gravy on rice. Hubby does not. He thinks when I want to serve rice with gravy, I’m weird. Maybe. But that’s okay. Weird is interesting.

So, for today’s Mellow Monday Supper, I thought why not fry up some of those pork chops hidden in the freezer? Yeah. This simple supper really hit the spot. It’s not as heavy as those of my childhood, but comforting none the less.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Stove Top Stuffing
Pan Seared Chops
5 thin Pork Chops
Seasoned Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Mesquite Seasoning to taste

Season pork chops with Seasoned Salt; pepper and Mesquite Seasoning to taste. Set chops aside.

Seasoned Flour
1/2 cup Flour
2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Barbecue Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon Butter

In a pie tin mix flour, seasoned salt, pepper, barbecue seasoning and cayenne pepper. Dredge pork chops in the flour mixture, shake off excess.

Heat oil over medium to medium high heat in a large skillet. Add butter, let melt, swirling the pan to coat. Fry chops on the first side for about 3 minutes, until beautifully browned. Flip and continue to fry another 1 to 2 minutes, until cooked through. Serve straight from the skillet, drizzled with pan drippings if desired.

Easy Stove-Top Pork Stuffing
2 Celery Ribs
1/4 White Onion
1/2 cup Butter, divided
1 teaspoon Mesquite Seasoning
1-1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 box Stove-Top Pork Stuffing

Melt 4 tablespoons (1/4-cup) butter in a sauce pan over low heat until just beginning to foam. While the butter melts, chop celery and onions. Sauté vegetables in the butter over medium heat until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with Mesquite Seasoning.

Add chicken stock to the pan, bring to a rolling boil. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter, stir to melt butter into the stock.

Empty Stove-Top Stuffing Mix into the pot. Lower heat, allow stuffing to absorb the liquid. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve alongside the pork chops.

Buttery Sweet Corn
1 can Sweet Corn
1 tablespoons Butter
Salt to taste

Drain corn well. Place in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add a pat of butter and a little salt, gently warm until ready to serve.

The pork chops are flavorful and tender, the stuffing has a hint of smokiness from the Mesquite and the sweetness of the corn balances out the meal. Simple, quick and oh so tasty!

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 Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life;
You have the words of everlasting life.