Skillet Chops-n-Rice

This one takes me back to those early years of marriage.  Think two newlyweds: shockingly young, blissfully in love, dirt poor, painfully idealistic, several sizes smaller...you get the picture?  When I got married, all my prior ambitions were shoved recklessly aside to make way for keeping house and cooking.  I truly reveled in making meals for my Hubby.  What a chance to be creative and inventive and show my love!  

I'll never forget the first time I made fish.  We were not six months into our union, and everything was terribly sweet and sensitive between us, a kind of innocent tenderness that, sadly, does evolve into a more relaxed, familiar, realistic understanding as time goes by.  (You remember, girls, those glory days...back when they were putty in our hands!)

I proudly plunked my platter of perfectly poached fish onto our tiny maple table, set with my pretty Pfaltzgraff grapevine plates and shiny Oneida silverware.

My darling Hubby looked a little nervous.  I wasn't sure why.  He said grace.  It was a lengthy prayer, unusually long and drawn out.  When he got to the Amen, he didn't immediately start to eat, but uncharacteristically made a little small-talk.  Now I was puzzled.  "Aren't you going to eat?" I inquired.  "Well, yes, of course," he stammered.  Hubby picked up his fork, speared a bite of the fish and gulped anxiously.  I watched, frowning at bizarre behavior from a man who was known to be an Eater.  The fork made its way to his open mouth, but stalled partway there.  He sighed, then slowly began moving the fish toward his mouth once more.  Suddenly his open mouth snapped shut.  He dropped his fork, took a deep breath, looked up at me sheepishly and said, "Honey, I love you, but I just can't eat fish."

Thankfully, he does eat pork!  I've been making this recipe since the beginning.  It's my own, more-from-scratch version of something similar that my mom used to feed us.  Skillet Chops-n-Rice is perfect on a night when you don't have a lot of energy.  It's a one-pan deal, with only a few minutes of chopping and about an hour on the stove top.  The wonderful aroma permeates your kitchen with the homey, inviting smell of pork chops and thyme.  Serve with green beans or a spinach salad.

Skillet Chops-n-Rice

 an original recipe by Kelly Jo Vanderstelt

1.  Saute' in skillet over medium heat until meat is nicely browned:

• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 4 to 6 Pork Chops, lightly seasoned with pepper to taste
  
• 4 Stalks of Celery, thinly sliced in half-moons
• 1 Onion, chopped

2.  Stir in:

• 3 1/2 Cups of Beef Broth (or equivalent Water and 1 Tbs. Better than Bouillon Beef )
• 1 Cup Brown Rice, uncooked
• 1/2 Tsp. ground Thyme

3.  Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer ambitiously for 45 minutes to an hour, or until rice is cooked and pork is done.

Serves 4 to 6.

Tip: Do not add salt until the end (if needed), or the rice will take forever to soften.