Oven fried pork chops, mixed veggies and corn bread tonight

[eleny]

It's so gloomy outside today since it's been mixed light rain and snow all day. But it smells good in this house. I'll be ready to pull an afghan over me and settle in with a book pretty soon and with Keith's and then Rachel's show on in the background.

:hi:

[cbayer]

1. Do you use that premixed "shake and bake" stuff for your pork chops?

I am thawing some and would like to oven fry them, but not quite sure how.

:hi:

[eleny]

2. I use Italian style bread crumbs

I also use Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs to wet them down.

It's been years since I've had the shake and bake kind. But I remember when that first came on the market. My mom thought she died and went to heaven. For chicken and then for chops, she was wild about them. Not many quick helpers available back then so it was a hit even though she was a scratch cook most of the time.

[grasswire]

3. comfort food here, too

I simmered a whole turkey breast all afternoon with onion, celery, and sage. Near dinnertime, I made a gravy with celery and onion sweated in butter with poultry seasoning, and Better Than Bouillon for flavor. I cut half the turkey breast into 1 inch chunks and turned them into the gravy to simmer for half an hour or so. Now I have to admit that I cooked off a box of stovetop stuffing for those who can eat carbs. And made a big skillet of broccoli and cauliflower with grated parm. Apple-walnut-dried cranberry salad. The house smells delicious.

The lesson? You can start with a frozen turkey breast at 1 p.m. and have it for supper.

[Tesha]

4. oh, that sounds perfect...

don't you love it when fall cooking time comes?

mmmmm - your kitchen smells delicious!

[Warpy]

5. The first winter storm rolled through NM yesterday

and it's cold as a well digger's butt so yesterday was the day for the first oven baked bread since early last spring.

This particular batch is truly amazing, a thin, crackly crust and bread that's almost like a soft roll inside with a very fine crumb. It toasted beautifully this morning and I keep wondering what I did to it to make it so good this time.

I looked at the date on the health food store yeast. It's now five years old and still going strong.

[eleny]

6. Your bread sounds so good

Maybe your yeast just mellowed a bit. A wild guess from someone who doesn't know squat about such things, but what the heck.