(Phaysis)

1/3 lb Center-cut pork chop (5/8″ will do)

Dust with seasoning salt

Rub on dollops of chili powder

Season with thyme, basil, oregano.

Pepper to taste.

Flip and repeat for second side.

Pan fry in olive oil; sear both sides of chop for 30 seconds before continuing to fry. Flip occasionally to prevent chop from curling.

Pull and serve with steamed turnips, salad, veggies, whatever. Prepare to be rocked somewhere around your face and/or mouth.

Always a crowd pleaser. You don’t have to go all out to make this tasty meal. Quantity is for roughly 3 servings, give or take. Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited.

• 1 lb top round or bottom chuck roast
• 1 white baking potato
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 medium-large carrots
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet Lipton Onion soup powder mix
• Olive oil
• salt
• black pepper

With a little bit of olive oil, sear roast in a skillet over medium heat, about 1~2 minute per side. Remove from heat and place roast into bottom of crockpot. Peel and chop the potato and carrots into chunks (remember, slow cooking will make anything soft…make chunks large enough to stay together on fork). Cut 1/2 onion into large shards. Toss veggies together, then add to pot, making sure to stuff into spaces around roast. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Dissolve soup mix into 1 cup water, pour over veggies. Place lid, turn on crockpot. Wait for a while. 5~7 hours should do, pig. 5~7 hours should do. Pull veggies early if they get too tender. When it’s all done, pull it, dish it out, and let it rock your face.

I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t cook; if ever a chance came up to cook, and I actually took it, I’d be the first to brag about myself and my culinary activities. That’s because it’s a once-in-a-while thing for me. Most of the people on this earth cook every single day, but each time I cook, it’s so rare…it’s a special event.

Tonight, I went by a suggestion from a coworker. We were talking about our holiday exploits and the kind of stuff we cooked up (I made pork chops one night and pot roast for xmas day — like woah). I mentioned that I was thinking about taking a half pound of ground beef and fixing it with macaroni and cheese. What he suggested was twelve orders of magnitude better than the bachelor-chow I was planning. I’m sure most of you know this dish, hell it may even be comfort food in your family, but it’s shit-simple and incredibly good.

Beefy Macaroni and Veggies
This is a single-skillet meal; makes 2 servings. Scale up to fit your needs or tastes.

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
• 2/3 cup diced tomatos, canned or fresh-chopped like mine
• 1/3 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can tomato paste (or a few squirts of ketchup if your cupboard is barren like mine)
• shredded parmesan

Brown the beef in a large skillet; season as desired. Set it to the side to drain like I did or scoot it to the edge of the skillet. Then dump the macaroni and a cup of water in the skillet to begin boiling. Then add everything else: diced tomatos, tomato paste (or ketchup, tsk-tsk), peppers, onions, garlic. Stir everything, then let that simmer, stirring occasionally for 7 to 10 minutes or so until the macaroni is done, the veggies are soft and semi-translucent, and the water is absorbed. Pull off a serving and top with shredded parmesan cheese. Serve with a side salad for a crunchy alternation.

I completely surprised myself. Tons better than Hamburger Helper(tm), and a heap better than my unoriginal bachelor meal plan. Another meal to my repertoire!