After controlling the blood from slamming my finger in the gate this morning, I was off on my morning jaunt delivering teenagers to seminary and school. Then, if Monday wasn’t planned better, I returned to find my love sitting in the middle of the kitchen covered with cinders and soot. The ol’ girl obviously had a fit last night when she pulled a Kilauea and bellowed a gust of disgust during last night’s evening tryst. And, she was only asked to make Quesadilla’s!
We had flames nearly two feet tall and with an out dated fire extinguisher, it was all we could do to douse our amusement with a few pounds of flour. Although it accomplished what we needed it to do, it created one of the biggest messes I have ever seen. It looked as if Gold Metal met a pyroclastic flow as dust and debris settled in and on every nook and cranny. Black soot and powdering flour was all over the place except on top of the stove where it turned gummy after my son’s added water to ensure it would not burst in to flames a second time.
All dressed in a mask, gloves, knee pads and cleaner I eagerly knelt in despair to pay homage to My Mistress, The Kitchen. As I sprayed her sides and the cabinets surrounding her, I was given a reminder that we still had a hole in the ceiling as a small made the soot and flour turn in to a small whirlwind over the counter. (Last week, another water leak caused the ceiling above the dinette to come crashing down.) Again.
I am not sure what it is about being salary-less that causes the sky to fall, but in the last two years of unemployment, I have replaced a gate, replaced the lawn mower and blower (they died), a water heater, two kitchen ceilings due to water leaks, two stoves that caught on fire, a dryer that burnt up, a washer that had a fit and quite on us, replaced three faucets and clean every filter known to man when the water softener blew up its guts and clogged every pipe and appliance screen throughout the house.
Did I mention that this month we had a $2K car repair, it was my son’s 15th Birthday last week and all I could do was take him to the Salvation Army to shop and, it is raining outside bringing copious amounts of radiation while gusts last night took out my back fence?
Guess I’ll stuff a pork chop
Parmesan Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops
6 Thick Cut Pork Chops (extra lean – All Fat Removed)
4oz. Parmesan Cheese
4 c Spinach Leaves
4 Sliced Thick Cut Bacon
½ c Beef Stock
Preparing the chop: Trim all fat from Pork Chops. Insert steak knife in the small end of the pork chop. Cut through Chop without breaking through edges with tip of knife. If you hold the chop in your hand and slice extremely slow, you can feel the knife as it cuts through the inside of the meat. Do not allow knife to pierce through edges and try to keep the initial hole you make with the knife as small as possible.
Chop bacon in to small pieces and cook until crispy. Drain and dry.
Add Beef stock to pan with bacon grease and keep heated.
In a Cuisinart, add Parmesan Cheese, Spinach and Bacon bits. Pulse-chop until all is incorporated. You can make this creamy or chunky. Creamy is easier to insert.
Using a pastry bag without a tip (or a freezer bag with end cut off), fill bag with Parmesan mixture. Squeeze in to hallowed chop. Over filling is okay. If the hole is too big in the chop, tie chop with cooking twine to close.
On a very hot grill, sear Chops until firm. They will be uncooked in the middle.
In a baking dish, place grilled Pork Chops. Top with heated Beef Stock and sprinkle with grated Parmesan Cheese.
Please in a preheated 350o oven for 30-35 minutes.
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