Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

The first time I made these, I kid you not, my girls asked for seconds.

Of the meat.

This had never happened before–EVER.  (Ok, unless you count breakfast sausages, but that’s just a different sort of thing.)  And the funny thing is that neither one of them will voluntarily eat mustard.  So yes, these Mustard Glazed Pork Chops do contain 1/3 of a cup of Grey Poupon (it’s a killer deal at Costco!), but you needn’t like mustard to like them.  Or love them, as the case may be.  They’re tangy and delicious, and they’ve become a family staple.  I usually serve them with carrots, since the glaze on the meat complements my usual brown-sugar-and-butter glaze for carrots so nicely.  Tonight I either had an especially good pork loin (so much easier to buy one whole when they’re on sale in the fall and cut it into chops! because really, who doesn’t prefer boneless pork loin chops, no matter what the recipe says) or I cooked it EXACTLY the right amount of time, because it was even juicier and more lovely than usual.  I don’t even bother to baste, by the way.  (Opening the oven multiple times during baking when you have an almost-20-month-old walking around always seems like such a bad idea.)  What I DID do several years ago that I have never, ever regretted is spend $15 on a digital meat thermometer.  No more cooking pork (or chicken) to death because you’re afraid it might not be done enough!  I will warn you that I’ve never gotten the glaze to be completely smooth, and it doesn’t thicken a great deal, but frankly, if you care much about aesthetics in cooking, you probably want to give up on my blog.  I’m not great at making things look pretty, and I’m pretty much all about taste.

To finish off a slightly crazy evening with the kiddos–I’m not gonna lie, there may have been some silly string inside the house (those who know me KNOW that was my hubby’s idea!)–we got to read Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, since my oldest chose it for her bedtime book.  If you have girls and HAVEN’T read this yet–I am appalled.  Put it on hold at your local library IMMEDIATELY so that this great wrong can be rectified as quickly as possible!  And while you’re at it, get the rest of Kevin Henkes’ mouse books.

You won’t regret it.  I promise.