One day last week I worked right up until 5PM, dashed out of the house to pick up the girls at daycare and just before doing that threw a pack of pork chops from the freezer into the microwave to defrost.
After daycare pick up, we made a mad dash for the one and only grocery store and picked up a few essentials along with some sweet potatoes to accompany the uncooked pork chops.
Now if I had take out restaurant options on the prairie, I probably wouldn’t work as hard as I do to make a family meal each night. Make no mistake we frequent the local restaurants but there is no McDonald’s drive-thru within 85 miles of our home and Applebee’s Carside To Go is 100 miles from us.
Usually I have a meal plan long before 5PM on a weeknight.
But this night in particular was hurried.
In matter of 30 minutes, the girls were home with me in the kitchen and we were quickly preparing our evening meal. On the prairie, the evening meal is called supper. But you might call it dinner.
I didn’t take enough pictures to truly document our easy and quick meal preparation.
I peeled six sweet potatoes and sliced them, laid them into a baking dish with a small bit of water, covered and put them into the microwave to steam.
Somebody though trying a raw sweet potato was a good idea but she wasn’t impressed. Instead she resorted to the pantry with her sister to play “grocery store” while I cooked.
The pan-fried pork chop recipe I use is straight from The Pioneer Woman.
Her recipe is for her meat-loving husband and my husband is no different. He loves these pork chops as does my eat me out of house and home teenage son. Even the little girls mow them down.
Plenty of season salt, black pepper and flour is the coating.
Throw them into a frying pan with a little butter and canola oil.
Fry them on the first side for 2-3 minutes until the edges get golden brown.
Flip them over and cook another 1-2 minutes.
As I fried the pork chops, the sweet potatoes steamed in the microwave.
I tossed the sweet potatoes in a little orange juice and brown sugar.
Before serving the pork chops, I opened a can of whole cranberry sauce (or you can make your own fresh cranberry sauce) and placed a generous spoonful on each pork chop.
We had some homemade pickles and not pictured but very tasty was my mom’s homemade bread with the meal.
Within 45 minutes of starting with nothing cooking for supper, we were sitting down at the dining room table to eat. My husband walked in the door and set the table while I was finishing up cooking. The teenager got home from basketball practice and poured glasses of milk for everyone.
Not having take out options for supper has its advantages.
What’s your favorite Hunk of Meat meal to prepare?
Let me know and then hop over to my friend Leah’s feature Hunk of Meat Monday for her Whiskey Duck recipe along with numerous other linked up recipes.
Seriously, we have the same dishes!! Love the PW’s recipes for their ease and quickness. Looks delish!
I do a pork sirloin roast in the crock pot. Cook on low with a can of root beer, all day. When ready, drain, shred meat and add your favorite bbq sauce.
These chops look great. I have made Leah’s Italian beef before and it turend out good!
Yum! These look great! We just posted a link to them at our Facebook page! Check it out! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kansas-Pork-Association/65989263077
Small town living does have it’s advantages…wish I lived with you for your tasty dinners! We typically have a menu too, with me making my grocery run on Mondays in GF. Have to make sure we’ve got the ingredients we need!! Although I do like me some McDonald’s drive thru every once in a while 🙂
Jen Starcevic
Yum! That looks tasty! I think my favorite hunk of meat would be something made with chicken breast…and…CHEESE! hehe
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