smothered pork chops

smothered pork chops

let the roomie buy meat for the week while i was sick. never again. everything is.....not what we like. so, trying new ways to cook things in crockpot. this was a hit. but, "next time thinner chops".  served with rice and spinach sauteed in oleo, red pepper flakes and garlic.

3 large boneless 1 1/2" thick pork chops
2 packets of powdered pork gravy
4 cups of water
1  4oz can of sliced mushrooms; drained
1 cup of tofutti sour cream
tsp ground pepper
tsp dried parsley

in crock pot whisk gravy mix and water until smooth. add pork chops, parsley, pepper and mushrooms. set crockpot to 165 or high. cook until internal temp of thickest chops reaches 165. right before serving, whisk in sour cream.

forgive my bad camera and ugly plates. plates aren't mine.

vegan pancakes

1 cup of flour
1 tbsp of sugar
1 cup of vanilla soy milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp baking soda
dash of salt

~preheat stove to med-high.
~mix dry ingredients. add the milk and oil. mix until smooth.
~drop spoonfuls of batter onto heated pan. flip when pancakes began to bubble on top.
~cook until browned on both sides.

traditional meals

is there really a such thing as a traditional holiday meal?

with the many different diets and cultures melding, it's just not true. we were talking at work about Xmas dinner. my family does something different every year. one year, we'd grill steaks, fish and portobello mushrooms.  another we'd have a big pasta dinner (i'm 100% italian heritage btw). this year, the oldest asked me to make ham.  so ham, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes (the only request from the younger son), cranberry sauce, nan bread, and cobbler/crisp. not sure which type of cobbler yet. i have a "last minute" list for the boys for today or tomorrow. they pick whatever fruit looks best.

some people said you MUST have turkey on thanksgiving and ham on Xmas. it's too strict a rule for me.

spaghetti squash

i managed to find a 4lb spaghetti squash at the store for $2.50
simply cut in half. scoop out seeds (guts as the kids call it). drizzle with oil and add crushed black pepper (a lot of it). place flesh side down on a baking sheet. cook in preheated oven on 375 for 45min to 1 hr. then, using a fork, shred into a large bowl.
spaghetti squash is mild. so, we serve it with marinara sauce.

no photo as it wasn't much to look at. forgive.

finally a decent soy yogurt

silk live key lime pie soy yogurt

picked this up at whole foods. it does have a tart taste. i was surprised. tastes like a normal yogurt. wish it was a bit thicker. but, still....try it.