FOOD- Pan-fried pork chops, roasted red potatoes, and deep-fried portabella mushrooms.

Welp, it's New Years, and instead of getting crazy drunk or partying, I am hanging out at home. I did make a decent meal, however, and I will share it with you! You get what it is from the title, so here ya goooooo.

Mushrooms:
I found a package of two portabellas for a reasonable price. I didn't want them to go to waste, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to cook them. I concluded that deep-frying would be pretty good since I hadn't broken out the Fry Daddy for quite some time.

I did a traditional battering or coating for these. I think next time I will make an actual batter, since they didn't turn out as well as I hoped. I did a flour-egg wash-breadcrumb coating. If you don't know what that is look it up. I am too tired to type it all out. I fried them in a thoroughly-heated Fry Daddy (following all safety instructions). I let them brown pretty significantly, since I didn't slice them very thin, and I wanted them to cook through.

The flavor overall was OK. I think that I made them too thick and overcooked them overall. I think a little less brown and a bit more golden would have worked better. Also, I only have Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs, so a self-seasoned mixture may have been better. The mushrooms weren't very fresh I realized, so this held them back slightly.

Roasted Red Potatoes:

Pretty simple: diced some potatoes, tossed in canola oil, and cooked in an oven with a few spices. I used seasoned salt (hell yeah!), pepper, and a bit of rosemary. I don't like strong rosemary, so it all worked out pretty well.

I used a heavy pan, oiled and seasoned them, and baked them in a 400 degree oven. 'Nuff SAIIIIIIDDD.

Overall flavor was pretty good. The rosemary gave it very earthy notes (like potatoes need more help), but the way it all was worked pretty well. I think that a 350 degree oven would have worked better, but I ran out of time and needed it on the fly!

Pork Chops:

Again, simplicity was key. I had purchased a bulk package of pork chops that were discounted due to being in bulk, and also for not being the most "eye-catching" cuts. I had packaged them individually in zip bags, so it worked perfectly for two!

I cooked them in a medium pan in a bit of canola oil. I used salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder (the real powder, like flour, not granules), and a bit of onion powder. I went light on the seasoning since I wanted the pork flavor to shine. I used medium-high heat and browned them on both sides. I then turned the heat to medium-low and let them cook longer to temperature. I cooked them to a medium-well (which isn't technically recommended, but it is a bit more tender and flavorful).

Overall flavor was pretty good. Since the chops weren't "ideal" they were a little varied on cooking times, but flavor was good. The differing chops meant various fat formations, so that was a little disappointing at moments. The chops were more tender than I thought. They were pretty good and a bit of different protein than usual, so it was nice.


The meal itself was a bit "thick" or heavy. I should have mashed the potatoes and had a bit of gravy as well, or had a vegetable as well. It wasn't the most healthy meal, since all of it required oil in certain quantities. The flavor was OK, and it was a filling and different meal, which was what mattered overall. Anyway, that's it for now.

Later, y'all.

-Tim