Tuesday, I offered to make dinner and take it to a friend. Then I came home and defrosted a huge package of pork loin chops. I studied up on The Pioneer Woman and read up in Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food. I. Was. Ready.
So, it's going to take 51 minutes to defrost all of those pork chops? No problem-o. I'm thinking ahead. I have time.
So, 51 minutes isn't actually enough time to defrost them? Well, OK then. Okey-Dokey.
I have corn bread. And a friend is willing to pick up a bagged salad for me. I have insider knowledge from Alice Waters. This is going to be great!
And then I suddenly have a sinking feeling that my friend maybe can't eat pork. Really? Quick phone call to check. Confirmed. OK, well, no-problem-e-o. It just so happens that I have a back-up plan (that involves my family eating pork chops for the next four days). But I maybe hadn't planned on making two entirely separate dinners that night.
My salad friend calls to ask if I need anything from the store, while I am in the middle of trying to pry two frozen pork chops apart. I am so grateful. She picks up the things I need for dinner #2, which is actually dinner #1, since it will be made first.
And it gets made and delivered. And then I start frying pork chops. And you know what? They are good. They are actually GOOD! So what if my shirt is ruined from splattering oil? SO WHAT if J has to put the little blue towels (Mom and Guff, you know what I'm talking about) down on the floor so we don't track oil all over the house with our FEET? J is happily eating a dinner he didn't cook (for once--the "didn't cook" part, not the happily part) and the kids are chowing down with no complaints and Bud is saying, "Mom, thanks for this dinner. It is SO delicious!"
Thank you, Alice Waters!!
And thanks for the tip I used on that last pork chop, too. The really big fat one that really couldn't be successfully pan-fried. You just pop it in the oven at 375 after it's browned! And in my new birthday huge cast-iron skillet, that's a piece of cake! Yesss!!
I really don't think it was Alice's fault that I completely forgot about that chop in the oven until about an hour later, when I was cleaning up. There was a funny smell, you see.
Whoops.
1 comment:
I'm impressed by the "30 posts in 30 days" plan--I'm not sure I'm up to trying that. One of these days I'd like to give you a call and find out what curricula you're using. We're probably going to start homeschooling next year and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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