It has been so terribly hot and dry here in West Virginia the last several weeks. While Mr. FixIt was in town running errands today, I went over to the Piggly Wiggly to get pork chops for supper. As soon and I pulled into their parking lot, the first big drops of rain hit my dusty truck with resounding splats and I thougt, “Finally! We get some much needed moisture!” Alas, as soon as I got just out of town limits, the road was dry as a bone. Nothing at our house either.
I called Mr. FixIt to see if he was getting rain in town but there wasn’t anything to report. I asked him to stop at Witten’s and get some fresh corn and a muskmelon. The rain nearby did have an effect on our temperature and we rapidly dropped…first to the 80’s…and finally into the 70’s. Such a relief! It was the first time in a while I’ve felt like cooking.
I still watch Cooking with Brenda Gantt on Facebook and I’ve tried several of her recipes. When I make pork chops, I never get very adventurous with them. I usually fry them in a skillet with a touch of butter and salt and pepper. On rare occasions, I might use a dry rub and bake them, but I like to keep the salt content down. Miss Brenda makes a pork chop that has been dipped in buttermilk then dredged in seasoned flour and fried in a little oil in an iron skillet. I decided to try that.
So many times, when I try to make a meal with multiple courses, they don’t come out at the same time. Usually, one dish comes out overcooked and dry and the others follow along in stages. Last night, everything came out perfect. While the pork chop was fried, it came out moist and juicy and not overpoweringly greasy. When I make my corn-on-the-cob, I set the water to boil, shuck the corn, drop the ears in the boiling water, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn off the burner. The corn cooks perfectly and is never soggy. I cut up a cucumber a friend gave us, along with a Vidalia onion, and a couple of tomatoes from our garden. I took a shaker jar and added about an inch of olive oil, a couple inches of warm water, a good shake of a wonderful Lemon Pepper seasoning I bought at TJ Maxx, and a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar…shook it up well and poured it over the cut veggies. Added a little more salt and pepper to taste for a lovely summer fresh salad. I cut up a couple of crook neck squash from our garden and sautéed it in a little butter with some fresh cracked pepper. Lastly, I cut up some of the muskmelon in a bowl and called outside for Mr. FixIt to clean up for supper.
We ate in the dining room…an event reserved for those rare occasions when we have an actual full meal. Everything was wonderful and my sweetheart praised each course as he ate. I swooned over the corn. He swooned over the Tomato Cucumber Onion salad. (Thank you to whoever told me to try that. It was divine!) We both swooned over the pork chops. I really love squash sautéed. Mr. FixIt eats it boiled with a little butter, salt and pepper. He didn’t comment one way or another on the squash, but he ate it all. Our only disappointment was the muskmelon. It was mushy and flavorless. I haven’t had a good one all summer. I’m not sure what’s going on with them this year…maybe it’s the hot weather.
After supper, we went out and watched the deer in the far field. There’s a set of twin fawns…still spotted, but growing out of that phase. The air was cooler, so I gathered my things to sleep in the camper. It is such a treat to “camp”…even if it’s on our own property. The rain will make the grass grow and soon, we’ll be out mowing again. As my friend, Frannie quoted Kelly Dwyer the other day…
August is like the Sunday of Summer.
To paraphrase Ms. Dwyer…It’s like the last of summer. School has started. It’s Sunday night. I haven’t even started my homework that’s due tomorrow. I’m rushing to get everything done before it’s too late.
It would be easy to get caught up in that rush of completion and miss the last of these lazy, hazy crazy days of summer, wouldn’t it? So, here’s what I suggest…stop what you’re doing…pour yourself a tall, cool drink…grab a really great magazine…and go sit in the shade somewhere this morning before the heat of the day drives you back indoors. Then, tonight…go sit on the porch or out in the yard…and just….listen. I can guarantee you, you will NEVER sit indoors on a frigid February day and wish you hadn’t spent so much time outdoors in August.
?
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
2 Peter 3:8 ESV