Saturday, December 21, 2013

Hello . . . Meals on Wheels?

by Pa Rock
Man of the Kitchen

I took a quick trip through the local grocery this evening that set me back close to a hundred dollars, and, as almost every consumer knows, you don't get much of anything for a hundred dollar bill.

(I can remember my mother filling the entire back seat and floor of a big sedan with groceries - for twenty-five dollars or less.  That was in the 1950's when gas occasionally dropped below twenty cents a gallon and a pack of smokes was a quarter.)

One prize that I did secure on today's trip up and down the grocery aisles was a package of really nice-looking, boneless pork chops.   They were destined to be supper.

The chops were in the pan simmering over a low heat when I got an email from an old friend in the Midwest who proceeded to describe a gourmet meal that he had cooking in the crock pot.  And while my friend's meal sounded wonderful, I was too focused on those pork chops to be covetous of his slow-cooker masterpiece.

My mindset changed, however, after I had set out one of my finest paper plates and started digging through the cabinet in search of an appropriate side dish.  Cream-style corn sounded good, or maybe some baby peas.  Even a few new potatoes would hit the spot.  But my vegetable shelf was bare.   I diligently began searching the nearby shelves for any stray cans of veggies that might have been misfiled, and I finally came up with something that could do in a pinch - and the pinch was definitely on!

After cutting up the pork chops into bite-sized pieces, I opened a single small can of beanie-weenies and poured them straight onto the plate.  Absolutely no preparation required!

You cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but, if he is hungry enough, he might come up with a few new tricks of his own.

(Note:  For those fearful of what I might create for Christmas dinner, please know that I am going to be a guest in the home of my friend Marjorie.   She runs a holiday rescue for the culinary clueless!)


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