Back in Action

Apparently my body felt as if the last four weeks would be the perfect time to catch some sort of illness every other week. Tuesday night my throat began to ache, so I took some ibuprofen, went to bed, and tried to ignore it. Well, on Wednesday morning, it was quite hard to ignore the extreme pain in my throat, but I got up, got ready, and went on to work anyway. I made a doctor's appointment for that evening and as it turns out I have strep. Terrific. But now, thanks to one "mis-faxed" prescription, a breakdown in the Rite Aid parking lot because of the lost faxed prescription, a bottle of medicine an hour after I should have gotten it, a good night's sleep, and day of rest, I am feeling better. I do hope that this is the last round of sickness for me for a long while.

Last night, as I sat in Rite Aid waiting for my prescription that I wasn't supposed to wait for, I thought of many things. One- it's awful to be by yourself when you're sick. Two- I realized that there was no way that I was going to be able to make myself something to eat. Three- I would have to buy yogurt- which I really dislike- to accompany the medicine. So finally after I retrieved my meds, I ran into the grocery store and grabbed the first 3 yogurts I saw and a frozen dinner. So ladies and gentlemen, last night I dined on Stouffers turkey and mashed potatoes. Thank you Stouffers for making life easier for sick wives whose husbands are in Colorado.

Today, I watched TV and rested most of the day. So, I spent my energy tonight to make dinner. It was time to get back in action. I made a recipe from January's Food Network Magazine: Pork Chops with Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes. I changed it a little to use some of the ingredients that I already had and to make it 2 servings instead of 4. For this recipe (my version) you'll need: 3 medium sized gold potatoes, 2 cloves of garlic-sliced, 2 boneless pork chops, 2 tsp of sage, evoo, 1 medium onion- cut into wedges, 1 Granny Smith apple cut into thin wedges, 1/2 cup apple cider, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tbs butter, salt, and pepper.

1. First dice the potatoes and add them and the garlic to a sauce pan. Cover them with cold water and boil them for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season the pork chops with the sage, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tbs of evoo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pork chops until they are golden brown on each side. This takes about 4 minutes. Once they are golden, transfer them to a plate. Drain out the liquid from the skillet, wipe clean, and heat 1 tbs of evoo back in the skillet. Add the onion and apple and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the cider.
3. Place the pork chops back in the skillet and cover. Cook for 4 more minutes, turning once to cook them through. While that is working, drain the potatoes, and transfer them back to the pot. Add the butter, salt, and pepper. Using an electric mixer, mix the potatoes, slowly adding the milk until creamy.



It was good- you should try it! Well, I'm off to rest up- back to work tomorrow. Four more days and husband will be home!