Fig jam and pork

A friend recently gave me a jar of fig jam. I knew I liked figs, but I wasn't sure about the fellas. Turns out one does and one is not sure.

I also wasn't entirely sure what to do with fig jam. It has all the typical fruit jam uses, and I hear it is really good on toast. But it seems to be more...substantial than a berry or apple jelly or jam. So I decided to make a sauce for pork chops.

Now look. I know this is a food blog. But I am terrible about writing measurements down. And I only got one picture of the final product. And the boy photobombed it. But I am a writer, so I can tell you all about it. Here's how it went down.

I sauteed boneless pork chops in the cast iron skillet. I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper and paprika. You could use your favorite grill seasoning or garlic instead.

After the chops were done, I removed them and kept them warm. Then I started with some olive oil and onions. I used a red onion, sliced in thin half moons. A little salt and pepper and then let them get happy, as Emeril would say. You want them pretty soft, nice and caramelized. Deglaze with white wine. Then add some apples, thinly sliced. I used 2 Granny Smith apples, and I didn't bother to peel them. I added a little dry thyme at this point. A little more wine to keep things moving in the pan.  

Next came the fig jam. I heated it through and then added a little more wine to thin out the sauce a little. I tasted the sauce and didn't think it needed anything else. Except a little butter. Sauce always needs a little butter.

Plate the chops, spoon the onions and apples on top, add a little more sauce. Baby carrots with a just a little butter, salt and pepper made a nice side dish and voila! Dinner was served. Oh, I almost forgot the biscuits. Jeffrey had mentioned a couple of times that he was really hungry. And I had made him help clean out my car, so I made biscuits. No muss, no fuss, just the Hungry Jack recipe here. No cheddar, so I used mozzarella and garlic seasoning instead.

John is not necessarily a fan of the fig jam I think, but otherwise, this dinner was a big hit!

I just want some S and P

We Americans will accessorize anything. Need some new kitchen towels? There's probably a different color and theme for any possible decorating style you can imagine. The same goes for plates, and utensils.

And boy is it true for salt and pepper shakers. A friend of mine who is certified as a nutritionist made me switch to Pink Himalayan salt. I did, and I'm fine with that choice. Still tastes good, and if it will be better for me than regular salt, great. My only objection is that I use a grinder, and it's hot over a pot of boiling water! So I thought I would look for a salt box, and get some already ground pink salt that I can use for just such an occasion. Today, I was surfing through Wayfair, and decided to look there. Side note - this blog is not a criticism of Wayfair - I have found some really good deals there and this same phenomenon is probably universal. 

There were 1,125 hits for salt and pepper shaker. I looked, because I was curious. Of the 1,125 to choose from, 31 of them were in the 'greater than' $125 price category. Seriously? Who needs a Waterford crystal salt and pepper shaker set? 

We actually have a few sets ourselves. One set belonged to one of my Grandmothers, so while I have no idea if they're antique or valuable, I am glad to have them. And one set was a very cool gift from some friends. It is a house and the witch's legs from 'The Wizard of Oz.' That set is also sentimental, as our family worked on a local production of that show several years ago. 

After looking around Wayfair for a while, I got the idea for this blog, and now I will still have to do the 'ow, that's hot' dance when I salt boiling water to make pasta or rice.  

The weather outside is frightful, but at least there's oatmeal cremepies

When foul weather looms, people gather supplies, and food is often at the top of the list. In Pennsylvania, where I grew up, bread and milk were the top two staples when a snowstorm was on the horizon. But here in Hurricane Alley, we skip the milk -- the last thing we want to do is pack the fridge with more perishables when we might lose power. We do go for the bread though. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are always comforting.

My family has its own traditions when it comes to stocking up for tropical wether. I think it was in 1999 when we first had Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies during a hurricane. I was pregnant, very pregnant, and close to my due date. So when Hurricane Floyd was bearing down on the NC coast, we decided to stay with friends in Wilmington (NC) to be closer to the hospital. No one wants to be stuck on an island, in labor, during a storm, after all. Of course we pooled resources to prepare. They had young children, so they were probably the ones who bought the oatmeal creme pies. We were there for what seemed like weeks as the storm slowly made its way through the area. Really, it was just overnight. I don't even remember why the oatmeal creme pies became a "thing," but they did. It was our inside joke from the whole experience. And to this day, this chewy, sweet snack food is still on our list of needed items when preparing for a storm.

This weekend was no exception. Tropical Storm Hermine was passing by, due to be gone by Saturday morning. Of course we all worked on Friday. Though school was released early, the boy was called in to work a couple of hours late that afternoon. And being the excellent child he is, he brought home the oatmeal creme pies as directed, the large back-to-school pack even. 

Fortunately, Hermine was only a Tropical Storm, but we were fully prepared in any case.