Mashed Potatoes

I know it sounds a bit corny but seriously neither of us are into gifts for special occasions. What really means more to both of us is good food and spending time together. On my special days my husband makes his famous breaded pork chops. These beautiful chops are custom cut to one and a half inches thick at the butcher shop the day he is going to make them. They are then given his special treatment, baked in the oven resulting in luscious pork chops anyone would die for! There are always left overs because one of the pork chops is simply too large to eat. My husband managed to make the chops for one of my special days recently despite the kitchen being under renovations. That really meant a lot to me!

Herbed Mashed Potatoes

The following day I was left with the expected left overs. Now the problem with left overs is unless you do something different they are left overs. Not that there is anything wrong with left overs as any frugal cook will tell you but that doesn't mean they have to be the exact same as the meal before. Always make your meals interesting even left overs.

The meal: I took one of the left over pork chops and sliced it about a quarter inch thick being careful to keep the breading in tact. Then I placed the slices in a baking dish, added a couple of tablespoons of water as pork has a tendency to dry when reheating and covered. I wanted something different for the potato but not an in your face different. I steamed 6 medium peeled potatoes then hand mashed them with sour cream, herb & garlic cream cheese and a small amount of half & half. [The next time I do this I will just use regular cream cheese and an herb blend to match the meal.] Served with a tossed salad and nibblet corn it was a nice meal that wasn't too taxing on the kitchen given its condition.

Sorry, it not a fancy meal but when doing kitchen renovations it's better than nothing :)