The plumcot...why not?

Another fun find during the grocery shopping trip mentioned in my previous post were plumcots. If I'm not mistaken, they were on sale. Never having had a plumcot before, I decided it was high time to ride myself of that particular ignorance. I selected three succulent looking victims, (ended up being less a dollar for all three!), and added them to the already growing number of fresh fruits and veggies in my basket at the time.

Granted, like many Americans, I tend to be slow to actually snacking on fresh fruit when I'm standing in my kitchen looking for something to munch, so it's taken me a few days to actually get around to trying these pear-green beauties. I love plums, and I've recently become a fan of fresh apricots (I grew up eating the dried ones). True to my beliefs about trying new foods, I took a massive bite of the fruit, and let the juices run down my mouth. Upon first taste, it was like biting into a ball of honey. The flesh was extremely sweet and fairly mushy. The skin had a delightful tartness that cut into the almost unbearable sweetness.

I'm not really a fan of very sweet fruit, I actually prefer tartness. When shopping for grapes, most people sample them for sweetness; I go for the ones that look hard and will likely be more sour. Tart berries are the best. I even prefer watermelon that's not very sweet (I also like it warm rather than cold). So while it would be an overstatement to say I hate the plumcot, I'll just say I'm not really a fan. To each; her own. I've still got two more, and I promise you, they won't go to waste.

Just in thyme

I love going grocery shopping early in the morning. If you've never done it; you should. It's so luxurious to go in, and feel unrushed. You actually have time to compare labels, prices, and make a more thought-out decision. I tend to feel like I have more freedom to be creative and let the food speak to me. I also find I tend to make less impulsive buys, because I can walk around slowly and really think about each purchase. Seriously gang, give early AM shopping a try.

Anywho. this morning, I heard some good things coming from the pork chops that were on sale, so I snagged a pack. It was a pretty good deal. I got 8 nice sized chops for under $5! With a find like that, you have to do something tasty to celebrate!

Garlic-Thyme Pork Chops

What you need:
1 stick of butter
pork chops
1-2 tsp garlic powder (or granules)
1-2 tsp dried thyme leaves
salt & pepper

What you do:

Melt about half of the butter in a large pan.

Season the chops with the thyme, garlic, salt & pepper.
Place chops in the hot butter. There really should be a nice layer of melted butter, maybe as much as 1/4 inch thick, but definitely enough so that it comes up the sides of the chops.

Make sure you've got the pan under a low fame. We're not trying to fry the chops, just make a little butter hot tub for them. Let everything hang out for about 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick your chops are. Turn the chops over. They should have some good browning on the first side. Allow the other side to cook another 5-7 minutes, and you're done!

You can toss some chopped or sliced onion into the pan after you remove the chops, with a bit of extra oil or butter, for a tasty topping for the chops.

Slowly cooking the chops in butter makes them SO tender and yummy! I hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, let me know how it goes!

Happy eating!