If homemade, from scratch, down-home comfort food is not for you. Then read no further.

This is NOT going to be a very popular post. But I’m not out to win any “popularity contest”. Never have been. Never will compromise myself to, either.

 

 

So here goes…..

I’ve been a little sad lately. WAY too much silliness going on. I totally get that we all want to be healthy. And healthier. But….the extremists and bandwagon-jumpers are making me crazy!!!!!! And they seem to be setting the “guidelines” for all to follow behind just like the clothes designers who want us to buy new clothes, shoes and purses every. single. year. And spend thousands of dollars on our houses because suddenly every house simply MUST have ungodly expensive granite countertops and brand new solid cherry cabinets!

 

 

Dredge your chops and get your ducks lined up! 

.

 

I’m sorry. But I DO NOT want to live to be 110 years old!! If you really think that you do, you need to visit a convalescent home. Even if you think that you’re treating your body like your own personally-prescribed temple, you will still be sick, very, and most likely mentally incapable. I would never intentionally place that awful burden onto others simply because of my arrogance of wanting to “live as long as possible”.

QUALITY of life is what’s most important. Not how many years you “live” to be.
Life is not a “contest”. Nor a selfish “quest”.

 

 

Fry your chops on both sides until gorgeously browned,
remove, add onions, and place chops back on top!

 

 

 

If you’re weary and are starting to cringe when hearing the words such as the latest trend, “gluten-free”, you’re not alone. If you’re in the 1% of people unfortunate enough to suffer from Celiac Disease, I’m very happy for you that your disease has now been front and center, (though there are so many other diseases that affect MANY more people), and that there are so many new alternative recipes for you to make.

Make no mistake about my point of this, though. Celiac disease is an horrific way to have to live. And I do feel that when diseases like this finally get noticed, that it is a WONDERFUL thing for everyone to want to help.

 

 

While the chops are baking, gather your gravy ingredients!

 

 

 

But when people jump on some kind of bandwagon about it, and start defining what Celiac disease patients have to eat as what we should ALL eat, all the while looking down their noses at those of us who enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich now and then and don’t care to use “coconut flour”, I find it borderline offensive. Ok. NOT borderline. They have CROSSED the line.

 

 

Make your gravy from the onions and drippings!
Add your reserved seasoned flour, cook, whisk in the broth and milk, and simmer.
Add more seasonings to taste, and stir in the secret to extra creaminess …
… a dollop of sour cream! 😉

 

 

I suffer from a very horrific disease, too, that has almost cost me my life more times than I want to ever even think about. It acts in much the same way that cancer does. There is NO cure and I suffer 24/7. I don’t wave flags about it, there are no ribbons for me, no rallies, no massive fund-raisers, and certainly no marches or parades.

And thank goodness, no shallow bandwagon food trends suddenly touting that everyone should now eat “this” way or “that” way just because they think it suddenly makes them look smart and want to join the Cool Kids Club. It would be offensive to me.

 

 

Serve with my homemade Mile-High No-Fail Sour Cream Biscuits!

 

 

 

I’ve lost all patience for the extremists trying to make anyone who doesn’t agree with their odd and personal choices of lifestyle, a new trend that all must, for this week, follow. Religiously. Even if you know it’s silly, you simply must cater to them when they visit, and put up with their speeches and condescending tone.

Sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, carb-free, salt-free, gluten-free, fish okay/not okay, during the week/but not on Sundays, meatless Mondays, Chia seeds, salts of every color, almond or coconut milk only, coconut flour only, 5:2 Diet, colon cleanses, Paleo, Neander-Thin, the Baby Food Diet, the 5-Bite Diet, the Werewolf Diet….really? REALLY??!!!

NO.

Just no. No no no.

*If you do not suffer from a disease, nor have any food allergies and want lose weight or eat healthier….

 1. Eat. Smaller. Portions. (Too much of anything is never a good thing. Cutting something out completely can be just as harmful).

 2. Exercise.

It’s that simple.

Then you can enjoy that piece of cake, that extra spoon of gravy, and that small ice cream cone now and then.

 

 

Whip up some of my Best Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes or
Garlic Onion & Chive Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
to help with all that delicious gravy! 😉

 

 

 

And yes, that down-home cooked meal just like Grandma used to make. Just don’t eat it every day, three times a day. Would you eat a (homemade) burger, fries, and chocolate shake every day, three times a day? Of course not. Fruits, grains, dairy, veggies, nuts, proteins and lean meats are important.

 

 

Lean pork, “the other white meat”, lightly coated and briefly fried,
then baked until melt-in-your-mouth tender with real, homemade gravy
using wholesome ingredients and no chemicals or preservatives!!

 

*Served with homemade biscuits, homemade mashed potatoes
and homemade creamed corn!

 

 

 

But there’s no harm in a treat now and then. 😉

Just be real.

 

 

 

Yield: 4 -5 servings

Southern Fried Pork Chops with Country Gravy

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Ingredients

Seasoned Flour Mix:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 regular table salt
• 1/4 tsp. creole seasoning (I use Cajun's Choice)
• 1/4 tsp. ground rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder

Rest of Ingredients for Chops:

• 2 thick-cut bone-in pork chops, approx. 1" thick and 1 lb. each, trimmed of fat if desired
• 2 Tb. butter plus 2 Tbl. vegetable oil for frying, melted together
• 1 onion, halved and sliced about 1/2" thick

For Gravy:

• ¼ cup pan drippings with bits on bottom of pan
• ¼ cup (4 Tbl.) butter
• *rest of seasoned flour from above
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2½ cups milk, whole or 2%
• ½ Tbl. sour cream

Instructions

For Chops:

Preheat oven to 350º.

In pie plate, stir together well the Seasoned Flour Mixture, coat both sides and edges of chops well, set chops aside to rest. SAVE SEASONED FLOUR. (*This is what you will use for the gravy later!)

In frying pan, heat together butter and oil over heat that is in-between medium-high and medium until hot and melted.

Add well-coated chops and fry for about 5 minutes on side one until golden browned. Turn, lower heat to medium if needed and fry second side for about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Lift one chop and place half of onions underneath. Do the same with the other chop adding rest of onions. (*Or you can remove them to a plate if that is easier, then put them back in over the onions.)

Pop into preheated oven and bake until done, about 25 minutes. (*This depends on thickness, yours may take less time). Remove chops to rest onto an oven-safe platter and place into cooled-down oven that is now set on low while you make the gravy.

For Gravy:

To pan that you cooked the chops in, add butter to 1/4 cup of the pan drippings plus all of the onions and melt over medium heat.

Whisk in flour until smooth and no lumps. Whisk or stir for 5 minutes to cook out raw flour taste. Do not brown, adjust heat if needed.

Add the broth and milk into a glass measuring pitcher, and slowly pour it into the flour mixture, whisking constantly, to keep lumps from forming.

Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring as needed. About 7 - 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir or whisk in ½ Tbl. sour cream well, until creamy and no tiny lumps remain. Check seasonings and add to taste. I add 1/2 tsp. more each salt and pepper for us.

Ladle over pork chops and pour rest into a gravy boat and serve hot, garnished with more pepper if desired, to serve over mashed potatoes.

Notes

These chops are quite large and are what you would expect to receive at a nice restaurant or famous diner, which would have you bringing home a "doggie bag" and make for wonderful leftovers! 1 chop is actually 2 servings. (*3 for those of us with smaller appetites!) So this recipe goes much further than you'd think.
*For single-serving sizes, just use smaller, thinner pork chops and decrease the times accordingly. Do not overcook chops, though.