One of the staple meals in my household, as a child, was pork and beans. My mother would fry the chops before she added a large can of Van Camp’s Pork and Beans. The meal was quick and cheap enough to feed six people. More often than not, however, the pork chops came out tough and dry.

Years later, I found a pork chop recipe that I enjoyed enough to adapt to my own tastes. The recipe below involves using a pan, but you can slow cook the ingredients on low for 7 to 9 hours. These chops are great with Augratin potatoes and coleslaw.

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 clove garlic
1 T. oil
2 1/2 cups catsup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. hickory-flavored liquid smoke
1 cup onions, chopped

Directions

1. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in oil. Drain. Return to pan.
2. While pork chops are cooking, combine catsup, brown sugar, garlic, onion and liquid smoke in a bowl.
3. Pour mixture over chops and heat until just boiling. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until pork chops are white in the center.

Dishing with Style not only presents you with gourmet quality recipes, but teaches you how to present them to family and guests for the best eye appeal. Rory Trovato’s writing style is casual as she teaches you how to plan and serve a variety of meals.

The first recipe, Creamy Hot Chocolate with Kahlua, was presented in a wine glass that sat on top of a periwinkle-colored cloth napkin. The combination of the periwinkle and the deep brown of the drink caught my eye in an instant.

Before she lists the recipe, she explains what it is and gives suggestions on when to serve it and what ingredients she found were the best for this recipe. In the case of the hot chocolate, she says that she serves it after dinner and uses high quality chocolate for the drink, such as Lindt or Callebaut. The recipe is followed by more tips on how to serve the hot chocolate, along with tasty variations of liquers and garnishes.

Overall, I find this book very useful in its layout as well as the food presentation tips. Most of the appetizer and entree recipes are too exotic for my family’s tastes, at this point in time. Adults who enjoy California cuisine will love them, however.

The most aggravating aspect of grocery shopping is going to the store to pick up the ingredients that they have carried for up to a year, only to find that they no longer carry them. This doesn’t happen to me very often, but when it does it makes me mad, which makes me get creative.

My family loves my adapted version of the Campbell’s Soup Spicy Taco Bake recipe. So I decided to cook that because it was quick and easy. I sent my husband to the grocery store with a list. He called me fifteen minutes later and told me that our grocery store no longer carries Campbell’s Creamy Ranchero Soup.

At first, I was very disappointed. Then, as I was browsing the aisles tonight, I started brainstorming for a suitable substitute. I wound up buying Tostitos Medium Salsa Con Queso and using that. The result turned out cheesier and tastier than the Campbell’s version, even with my own adaptations.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef.
1 10-pack pkg. flour tortillas, cut into small strips
1 medium jar of Pace Picante Sauce (mild or medium)
1/4 cup water
1 jar Tostitos Medium Salsa Con Queso
1 pkg. shredded Mexican cheese
1 pkg. Lawry’s Taco Seasoning
2 dried arbol chili pods

Directions

1. Crumble ground beef into a a pan. Add the taco seasoning and stir. Brown and drain fat.
2. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, mix the beef, salsa, con queso, tortilla strips and half the shredded cheese. Spread evenly across the dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, garnishing with the arbol chilis.
3. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375º for 30 minutes.

I’ve never been a fan of mashed potatoes until I went to my husband’s parents’ house for Christmas Eve dinner for the first time. They were either too mushy, lumpy or tasteless. These potatoes have a smooth texture, thanks to the cream cheese. The onions, both fresh and fried, give this recipe a superb flavor.

My mother-in-law acquired this recipe years ago at a church function sometime back in the ’60s. These mashed potatoes have graced her Thanksgiving and Christmas table ever since.

Ingredients

2 cups mashed potatoes
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 T. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 6 oz. can French’s French Fried Onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300º.
2. Add everything but the last ingredient in a large bowl. Beat until fluffy.
3. Place potato mixture into a Pyrex dish. Top with the fried onions.
4. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until set. When it is finished, the onions will be dark, dry and cracked around the edges.

Serves 4