Blah Monday

I'm officially calling the Monday after Daylight Savings Time Blah Monday.
I've barely felt like moving today.

I got up at the regular 6:15, made Jane's breakfast, did a couple of errands... in a complete fog. Which is oddly appropriate because the mountains are socked in with this drippy, hanging, dense, wet fog today. I don't want to think. I don't want to answer any questions. I don't even want to look at anybody today. I want to sit (curled up in my great grandmother's afghan) poke at the fire and eat something warm and tasty and comforting - without a lot of effort.
Thank heavens for the chest freezer.

I think one of the biggest treats when we were all at home, was the rare occasion that mom would buy smoked chops at the market. There was just something a little bit cheating about eating bacon shaped like a pork chop. That smallest bit of crispy fat around the edge of the chop, the salty / sweet sensation as it hits the tongue, the odd Dr. Suess-y pink cure coloring... even now I can close my eyes, smell a pan full of fresh biscuits in the oven, the smoky - fattiness filling the air. I don't see them at the market very often, so when I do see them, I'll buy a package... or two.

Rooting around in the chest freezer today - I found a pack of 2 chops.... and some Southern Style Green Beans I had frozen from a big pot I cooked up over the summer. We ate like oinky little pigs for lunch... now I'm pulling the afghan completely up over my head and ignoring everyone until tomorrow.

Smoked Pork Chops
with Red-Eye Glaze
Glaze makes enough for 2 Chops
Ingredients
2 Smithfield Farms Smoked Pork Chops
1/2 Cup Strong Coffee
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Crushed Pink Peppercorns
Dash Garlic Powder (optional)
Large Skillet

• Fry  the chops in the skillet on medium high heat until the meat begins to caramelize and the fat renders and crisps up on the edges
• Remove and set aside
• Add the Coffee to the same pan and de-glaze
• Add the honey, vinegar and pepper and reduce by 1/2
• Serve immediately with fresh biscuits, leftover mashed potatoes (when just happened to be in the fridge) and some good southern style stirred pole beans

You can find the other recipes for the sides here:

Southern Style Green Beans

Jane's Buttermilk Biscuits

Read More