It’s the universal law of food. Everything always tastes better at someone else’s house. I don’t know why that is. It just is. So when we were visiting long-time family friends in
Nayarit, Mexico a few years ago, we spent the first part of the meal gobbling up a scrumptious Pan-Seared Pork Chop Casserole and the remainder of the time sitting at a tiny wooden table writing down every detail of every delicious morsel. The pork chop casserole has been a regular weeknight meal in the Montez Family for decades and makes for a deliciously flavorful fall dish. Unfortunately, it went the way of many recipes scribbled down in the “gotta-have-this-recipe-right-now” moment. It got forgotten about and lost in life’s shuffle. That is, until this weekend when un-cluttering and re-organizing the kitchen cabinets were on the agenda. Wahoo! Long lost and now loved again. You’ll be lickin’ your chops over this one!
brandy
Pork Chop Casserole
Homemade Apple Chunks
Blender Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce
The Story
Betty was my buddy. I don’t care what anyone says, I still believe there was a real Betty Crocker (okay, maybe not – she was actually the brainchild of a home economist named Marjorie Husted who developed Betty into the iconic home-helper for General Mills). But I don’t care. Betty was the pal who hung out in my kitchen all through my college years – at least in the pages of my now grease-stained, ripped, dog-eared, duct-taped Betty Crocker Cookbook. That thing made me a rock star with the boys! Jan’s kitchen was the best place ever for my hungry guy pals. I owe a lot of it to Betty, especially the bread pudding recipe that you can’t find online these days. I guess through the years, General Mills, Marjorie Husted, or whoever changed up the recipe, perhaps to make it simpler. But none are quite as tasty as the Deluxe Bread Pudding on page 188. Yes, I still remember what page it’s on, after all these years. I’ve added an extra egg and a few minor changes here and there – like using a blender – but the basic recipe is right here. Betty would be so proud of me, and she’d be thrilled that I’m passing it along to you. I’ve included a very simple Brandy Sauce to go with it.
