Honey Pork Chops

Today I am sharing one of my most favorite easy, quick, ingredients-always-on-hand dinners.  Let me fist confess my saying that I am typically not a fan of pork chops.  I don't know what it is about them, but this meat was never one I went to for any meal.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, my husband LOVES pork chops.  I stumbled across this recipe about a year ago now, and thought I would give it a try.  I think it was the honey and brown sugar along with the desire to make my hubby a IC-approved dinner that he would love that made this one happen.  The original recipe is on allrecipes, but I've changed the amounts of a few things.  Find the original here, and my preferred method is below.  Whether you are a pork chop lover or not, you've got to love a dinner that requires all easy and on-hand ingredients.  I like to serve these with a homemade bread and a vegetable for a well-rounded yummy meal.

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops

Salt

Ground black pepper

4 Tbls packed brown sugar

4 Tbls Honey

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add pork chops and cook until brown, turning once.  Place in 9x13 baking dish.

3. Combine brown sugar and honey in a small bowl.  Microwave for 20 seconds, and stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of honey mixture evenly over-top pork chops
5. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven.
6. Remove from oven, flip chops, and spread with remaining honey mixture.
7. Bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Serve making sure to spoon some of the extra drippings over top your chops!

Being Rejected

Sorry for my absence. I have been mad at my IC, and I have (sadly) taken it out on the blog.

I recently received an e-mail and packet in the mail because I was a match for a leukemia patient needing a bone marrow transplant.  I was ecstatic   I have known people whose lives have been saved because of a transplant.  To know that I was a match was something special; it was a way for me to help someone.

I'll make the short story shorter: after filling out a brief health form, I was rejected because I have IC.  In their words, because of the unknown cause of interstitial cystitis as well as the lack of formal research, I could not be allowed to donate.  This rejection hurt more than I would have ever imagined.  I know having IC means that I can't eat normally.  I know having IC means intimacy is a pain it shouldn't be. I know that having IC means change after change in my daily lifestyle.  I did not know that having IC meant that I couldn't be a donor.  I did not know that IC meant that I couldn't save a life.  

Receiving the phone call was like someone looking at me and saying, "You are not healthy, and you are not enough."  Now the logical, smart part of myself knows that this is malarkey.  I am enough, and I try daily to be healthy- my healthy is just different than other people's.  

This experience has taught me a lot about having IC as well as what it means to help.  As a friend said, "It (IC) may be preventing you from this one opportunity, but there are SO MANY ways you can still serve people and ways that you'll be BETTER at serving people because of it"  I'm happy to say that after a week I can see that her words are incredibly true.  Having IC does not keep me from mentoring my sweet friend at a local elementary school.  Having IC does not keep me from counseling people through unexpected pregnancies.  Having IC does not keep me from serving my husband, loving my family, or being a devoted friend.  Having IC gives me perspective; it gives me an understanding of what struggling to be healthy feels like.  It gives me an understanding of having a condition that can't be seen.  It gives me an understanding of invisible pain.  It gives me an understanding that can help others struggling through similar situations.

So I leave you with this thought: IC, or any condition, can only limit you as much as you let it.  Sure there are bad days, days that are very hard to get through, but they are only days.  Recognize the condition, eat right, make smart choices, reduce stress, and most importantly live the life you were given.  Rock it and live it well, because you were placed on this Earth for a reason.  If you don't live your life, no one else will.   

Pesto Grilled Cheese

Pesto is one of my favorite ic-friendly sauces.  I have it on pasta and pizza often, but last night I decided to try it on a grilled cheese.  I'm happy to report that it was delicious.  What is better than gooey melted cheese, a bold punch of pesto, and bread that is soft on the inside and buttery crunchy goodness on the outside? Not much.  The sandwich was enough by itself for my dinner, but the hubs had some canned soup with his.  All-in-all, this is something I will be making again soon!

Recipe makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices white bread 

butter

1/4 cup pesto

3 slices white american cheese

3 slices cheddar cheese

4 Tbl Parmesan cheese 

1. Heat skillet to medium heat

2. Spread butter over one side of bread.  Place butter side down in the pan.  Spread pesto, top with 1/2 of cheeses, spread more pesto, top with another slice of bread, spread top of sandwich with butter.

3. Cook until toasty, flip sandwich and cook until that side is toasty.  

4. Repeat for the other sandwich and enjoy!