My wifes cooking

I'm always opposed to it, although I truely love it. I resist it as much as I can. It's not that she's not a great cook, she is. It's just that this down home, southern, country cooking is just sooooo  good that it has to have a downside to it. Like, it's loaded with calories, has too much fat or salt or it's just not organic.

So we spurgle. After all, it is New Years Day and although it barely fits the description of a tradition, it is pork.  FRIED PORK CHOPS with MILK GRAVY accompanied with LOADED MASHED POTATO'S and a CUCUMBER/RADISH SALAD  doused with a bit of GARLIC EXPRESSIONS DRESSING. (One of my favorite over the counter oil and vinegarettes)

The pork chop recipe is simple. Less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's not the recipe as much as my wifes talent on intuitively knowing they are done. Simple, right?  Coat with flour, salt and pepper. Pan fry in a mixture of olive oil and butter. Get them nicely browned and then put them in the oven on warm while you make the milk gravy.    Easy, she can do it, but I can't.

My job is to mash the potato's. This time I found a really unhealthy but delicious side. Skip the veggies, this is all the bad stuff. Think of the name, LOADED MASHED POTATO'S. To the boiled potato's, stir in milk and butter and mash with a potato masher until just combined. I left the skins on my potato's. Stir in Cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions, and salt and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon.

As we ate it I thought about how we blew away our New Year's resolution of dieting. One last fling ( maybe but doubtful)   The good news is we opted out of dessert. Peppermint ice cream with chocolate shell topping.