My Dad

When company came, Mom always had to do most of the entertaining.  With his twinkling eyes and smile, though, Dad made people feel welcome, too.

Another thing he did when we were kids was make us feel important.   At a wedding, he would beckon us over, put an arm around us, and say proudly, “These ones are mine.”

Once, when we were in town, a friend told me to ask Dad for a dime so we could share a bag of potato chips.  I didn’t want to do it, but Dad gave us a quarter!

If you asked to see a barn kitten, look what happened J

Mom said that when I was coming home from Ottawa on the train, Dad wouldn’t let anyone else go to the station in St. Lazare to meet me.  There he was at 2 or 3 am.  I kissed his leathery cheek and we drove home in companionable silence.

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Here’s a spicy recipe I’m sure my Dad would have liked.   

PORK CHOPS with a SAVORY TOMATO SAUCE

            Thank you to Eileen Larson of Saskatoon for sharing this recipe.

8 oz mushrooms

2 small to medium onions  (this will look like a lot but it cooks down)

4 slices bacon

5 to 6 lean pork chops

1 tbsp canola oil

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp flour

1 ½ tbsp. paprika

1 cup boiling water (or vegetable broth)

1 bouillon cube

½ cup cream

2 tbsp ketchup

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

Salt to taste

·        Slice mushrooms and set aside.

·        Chop onions and set aside. 

·        Cut bacon into small pieces and set aside.

·        Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

·        Heat oil over high heat in large frying pan.  Add pork chops in a single layer and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Brown on both sides.  Take pan off heat and transfer pork chops to a large  (at least 13x9) baking dish.

·        Distribute mushrooms over the pork chops.

·        Lower heat.  Add onion and bacon to frying pan.  Fry slowly for 10 minutes.

·        Sprinkle with paprika and flour.

·        Add cream and bouillon gradually, stirring until smooth.

·        Simmer for 5 minutes.

·        Stir in catsup, ¼ tsp cayenne, and ¼ tsp pepper.  

·        Pour over chops and mushrooms.

·        Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

*Serve with a green vegetable as the sauce is quite reddish.