Friday Night- Southern Style

Living in the South has many advantages: the culture, the slang, 4 seasons, hospitality, along with many others, but the most important one of all is the FOOD! Who doesn't like biscuits & gravy with a side of homemade preserves as a starter? Or better yet, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese? YUM-O. 

Those of you that know me, can attest to my love for mashed potatoes & macaroni and cheese.  If they are on the menu, I will always order them, so I would consider myself as a connoisseur of those two foods. Growing up, I developed a passion for cooking & baking; mostly for my father. You might ask why, but he was the best taste-tester because to him, everything was delicious.  He never complained nor made a sour face even though it was obvious the food was inedible.  My father and I were talking this week about how I used to have sleepovers just so we could have a "bake-off".  Of course everyone was a winner in his eyes.  He was telling me a story about one night the bake-off included tacos.  The meat was cooked, water and seasoning mix was added, but there was one problem... no one ever told me that the grease had to be drained.  So according to my father, there was 4 inches of grease in the taco meat.  Just one of the many memories made in the kitchen. Nothing in the kitchen was "off limits" to me.  It was my playground & I enjoyed just investigating and experimenting.  Sometimes I would just mix flour and water and make sculptures, baby food, bird treats; you cannot begin to imagine all of the things I made with flour and water.  My love for the kitchen has continued to grow and there is nothing I would rather be doing than cooking.

Us eating at Magnolia's

 Growing up we vacationed to Hilton Head Island and later Charleston, SC.  One of my inspiration's for the recipe that I am about to post comes from "Magnolia's."  This true southern quaint restaurant in downtown Charleston isn't much of a eye catcher from the street but their dishes will have you drooling for more.  This summer, I had the opportunity of taking my husband to the finest city in the South.  Of course he fell in love just as I had many years before.  I took him to Magnolia's one night and we both ordered the pork chop... we actually came back the next night and ordered the exact same thing it was so good.  It has taken me several months to finalize this recipe but I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Southern Fried Pork Chop with Creamy Macaroni & Cheese


Ingredients

package of pork chops (I like the thinner cuts better)
2c. bread crumbs
1c. parmesean grated cheese
2c. flour
3 eggs
2 tea. kosher salt

6c. cooked macaroni noodles
6c. sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1c. milk
1c. sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1Tbsp. dry mustard
salt & pepper

Mac & Cheese
1. Add the cooked macaroni shells, butter, and cheese in a saucepan.  Cook until the cheese is melted. (This will end up looking like a huge cheese ball but don't be scared).

2. Add this along with the other ingredients: milk, sour cream, eggs, soup, dry mustard, & salt/pepper in a crock pot.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours but you have to continually still it so that it doesn't stick to the crock pot. 

Pork Chops
1. You will need 3 separate bowls for breading the chops.  In the first bowl, wisk the eggs. In the second bowl, add the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, & kosher salt.  In the third bowl, put the flour.

 2. Put the bowls in order: flour, egg, bread crumbs.
3. Dip the pork chops in the flour, then the eggs (making sure that you let all of the excess egg fall off), then cover on both sides with the bread crumbs mixture. Do this to all of them.
4. Place the chop's in a skillet with oil (I like to use peanut oil) and fry on each side until they are golden brown. Approx 3-4 minutes on each side.

5. After you sear them, place them on a baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes. They should be white on the inside, not pink, but don't over cook them.

6. Enjoy