Did You Say Pork Chops

We all have our routines and schedules. Working folks cram responsibilities such as housework and grocery shopping into the weekend. Retired folks can spread it out to suit our particular lifestyles. Since I don’t drive, I am homebound throughout the week. It might sound hum-drum, but it gives me time to get things done at my own pace.

The only requirements I have is that by Friday the house is clean from top to bottom, the laundry is done, the menu for the following week’s meals is ready, and a shopping list from that menu is complete. That’s all. Preparing a weekly menu is more involved than just meal planning. There are other things to consider.

I will admit, there are times when I feel like saying to the guy “Take it from here. Just tell me what to cook and I’ll cook it.” But if I were to do that, you can bet we’d have pizza, burgers and tacos rotating until the end of time. Okay, there might be some ribs or a smoked brisket thrown in for good measure. And Chinese. Hum, guess they have more variety than I originally gave them credit for. Although if they were cooking, we’d have a stack of take out menus stuck to the fridge.

Generally speaking I start planning our menu weeks in advance. I mean, have you seen my cookbook collection? There are over 200 cookbooks cramed on the shelves.

And then there are recipes pinned to Pinterest (12,000 and counting) plus the endless Google searches. What a great time to be alive and healthy enough to still take care of my family. Thank you, Lord Jesus for this and so much more.

Today is Wild Card Wednesday. That means anything goes. So here goes nothing . . . Remember to love one another as God loves you. And know that you are blessed every day. Rejoice and be glad.

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Buttermilk-Mushroom Pork Chops
10 medium White Mushrooms
1 tablespoon fresh Basil
1/4 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
6 boneless Pork Chops
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup White Wine
1 (10 oz) can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup Buttermilk (see note)
2 cups Egg Noodles
1/2 tablespoon dried Basil, garnish

Note: To make your own buttermilk simply add 1 tablespoon White Vinegar to a cup of regular milk and let sit on the counter for at least 15 minutes. Then use as you would buttermilk

Clean mushrooms, slice into quarters. Mince the basil, set aside.

In a shallow bowl, mix flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and all the pepper. Add pork chops, one at a time, dredge to coat; shake off excess.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; brown pork chops in batches if necessary to avoid over-crowding. Transfer chops along with any drippings to the bowl of a slow cooker.

In the now empty skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Pour mushroom mixture over pork chops; sprinkle with fresh basil.

Covered, cook on HIGH until chops are tender, about 2 hours. Whisk together soup, buttermilk and remaining half teaspoon salt; pour over pork chops. Cook, covered, on LOW 1 hour longer. Stir before serving.

While the pork chops cook, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook Egg Noodles, keep warm until ready to serve. When ready spread pasta out on a large rimmed serving platter.

Place pork chops over noodles; ladle on the sauce then sprinkle with dried basil for a splash of color.

Delicious with some steamed green beans.

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God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.