glazed pork chop dinner

I was in the mood for some down home soul food last week so I cooked up some of my favorites. While the glazed pork chops aren't exactly a soul food classic, pork chops in general are definitely a staple.

Both the Collard Greens and Potato Salad make huge batches that serve anywhere between 6-8 people. If you wanted to double the pork chop recipe and just make single batches of the greens and potato salad you can feed 8, rather than four. If you just make four pork chops you'll have plenty of left over greens and potato salad for the rest of the week!

This meal includes:

Glazed Pork Chops $6.55
Southern-Style Potato Salad $3.63
Collard Greens $5.06
Fresh Tomato (optional) $0.80
Total: $16.04

Serves: 4 plus left over greens and potato salad




Below is an example of my grocery list and a list of items that I already had on hand in my pantry or refrigerator. Use the grocery list as a guide but, as always, check the pantry list for items that you may not have or need to restock and check the grocery list for items that you might already have on hand. Adjust the lists as necessary.

GROCERY LIST
4 thick cut	pork chops
1 lb.	collard greens
1 whole	smoked ham hock
3 lbs.	yukon gold potatoes
3/4 cup	mayonnaise
2 sliced	green onions
1-2 stalks	celery

PANTRY ITEMS / ON HAND
1/4 cup	brown sugar
1/2 tsp	cayenne powder
1/2 tsp	garlic powder
1/2 tsp	paprika
2 Tbsp	chicken base/bullion
3 Tbsp	olive oil
2 cloves	garlic
2 lg.	eggs
1 Tbsp	sweet relish
1 Tbsp	mustard
1 Tbsp	red wine vinegar
to taste	salt/pepper
to taste	seasoning salt
to taste	red pepper flakes

STEP 1: Peel, rinse and cube the potatoes for the Southern-Style Potato Salad. Continue prepping the potato salad as usual.

STEP 2: After the potatoes have finished boiling, take a minute to wash the pot out and get the ham hock boiling for the Collard Greens. The potato salad will likely be finished first but can be stored in the refrigerator until the rest of the meal is finished.

STEP 3: When the collard greens have simmered for at least 30 minutes, begin the pork chops. The collard greens can simmer for an indefinite amount of time so just let them go as you cook the pork chops.

STEP 4: Plate everything up and dig in!


I added a sliced fresh tomato just for some color.

LEFTOVERS

You'll have nearly a whole bunch of celery left over so take a few minutes to wash it, slice it and freeze it for making a soup base later.



I froze left over celery and carrots from another recipe to make soup with as well. Celery and carrots are often simmered with onions to make soup. They give incredible flavor to broths.

You will also have leftovers of some other basics that are good to keep in your fridge (if you don't have them already) like mayo, mustard, relish and eggs. It should not be hard to make use of these items in the future!