Company's Coming: Dinner Edition

When we have company -- either overnight or dinner guests -- I like to serve Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy.  It isn't difficult to prepare, is always well received and is one of my family's favorite recipes.

Normally when I cook something for the first time, I take out the offending ingredients -- the things my family won't eat -- and, in the case of most entree recipes, add a can of mushrooms.  The recipe for Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy has the distinction of being one of only a few in my recipe box that I didn't have to change to suit my family's taste.

The pork chops take an hour to cook, but the time it takes to put dinner on the table can be shortened by doing prep work ahead of time.

Chop the onion and green pepper and store them with the mushrooms in a covered container or resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Combine the dry ingredients -- flour, salt and pepper -- in a resealable plastic bag and set aside.  The pork chops will be coated with this mixture, but it will also be used to thicken the gravy.  For this reason, I use Wondra instead of all-purpose flour.  Wondra, also known as gravy flour, is a finely ground all-purpose flour that dissolves instantly and is unlikely to form lumps.  If you don't have Wondra, use all-purpose, but not self-rising flour.

When you're ready to cook, coat the pork chops with the dry ingredients. The easiest way to do this is to put the pork chops in the plastic bag two at a time.  Seal the bag and shake it until both sides of the pork chops are thoroughly coated with the mixture.  Set the coated pork chops aside and continue the process until all the pork chops are coated.  Don't discard the remaining flour mixture.

Melt the margarine over high heat in a large 12-inch skillet.  Put four pork chops in the skillet; don't put more than four in at once because overcrowding will keep the meat from browning properly.  Cook the pork chops for one minute; turn the pork chops over and cook the other side for one minute.  The pork chops will be light brown and there won't be any pink on the top.  Transfer the pork chops to a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Repeat the process with the remaining pork chops.

Notice the color of the pork chops 

after being cooked for one minute.

The rest of the recipe is pretty straight forward.  Saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms in the same skillet until the onion and green pepper are soft.  Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture over the vegetables, stirring to combine.  Slowly stir in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for two minutes or until the gravy is thickened, stirring constantly.

The thickened gravy.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in lemon juice.  Lemon juice may sound out of place in this recipe, but it serves an important purpose. Lemon juice enhances the flavor of food without adding many calories. Pour the gravy over the pork chops, spreading to cover all the pork chops. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350° oven for one hour.

Ready to be covered with foil and baked.

The pork chops cook in the gravy which keeps them moist and tender. The gravy is delicious over the pork chops, but it's even better served with a starch, such as rice or mashed potatoes.  Add a green vegetable and you've got a delicious dinner.

I've always had good luck with this recipe which is one reason I like serving it to company.  When our company leaves, I know they leave content, well fed and, more often than not, with a copy of the recipe.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

6 to 8 Servings

1/2 cup Wondra or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

6 to 8 boneless pork chops (1-inch thick)

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper (I use frozen)

1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add pork chops, two at a time, tossing to coat.  Set remaining flour mixture aside.

Melt margarine in a large 12-inch skillet.  Cook pork chops in margarine one minute; turn pork chops over and cook the other side one minute. When done, transfer to a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

In the same skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms until the onion and green pepper are soft.  Stir in the reserved flour mixture. Gradually add milk, stirring to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.  Pour gravy over pork chops.  Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° for 60 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels

Rice: From the Paddies to the Table

For a long time, I only had four rice recipes:  plain white rice, Spanish Rice, Broccoli Rice Casserole and Wild Rice and Mushrooms.  That number grew to five when I found the recipe for Mushroom Rice Casserole.

Rice is a quick and easy dish to prepare.  The only ingredients you need are rice, liquid and seasoning.  The additional ingredients that can be added to rice are limitless.  The most important thing to remember is to use the right type of rice for the dish you're preparing.  Rice is classified by size and each variety is best suited for certain dishes.

Long grain rice is long and slender.  When cooked, it's tender and the grains separate easily.  It's best for main dishes, soups, salads or plain white rice.

Medium grain rice is shorter and plumper.  It's chewier and sticks together more than long grain.  It's good in desserts.

Short grain rice is round and fat.  When cooked, the grains stick together. The Italian short grain rice, Arborio, is used to make risotto.

Brown rice has the hull removed.  It's slightly chewy with a nut like flavor. It takes longer to cook than regular rice.

Wild rice isn't even rice, but an aquatic North American grass with edible grains related to rice.  It's more expensive and is often combined with regular rice when cooked.

Instant rice has already been cooked and dehydrated.  It only takes a few minutes to prepare, but the flavor is bland.

Converted or parboiled rice, such as Uncle Ben's, has been soaked, pressure steamed and dried.  It takes a little longer to cook than regular rice.


The recipe for Mushroom Rice Casserole uses long grain rice and five other ingredients:  butter or margarine, mushrooms, onion, cream of mushroom soup and beef consomme.  Unlike a lot of recipes, the rice doesn't have to be cooked ahead of time.  It's sauteed with the mushrooms and onion, but only long enough for the rice to soften.  All the ingredients are mixed together, put in a casserole dish and baked for an hour.


I always use margarine and 98% fat-free soup.  You can use regular soup if you prefer, but I don't recommend using butter to saute the ingredients. Butter burns easier than margarine, unless you use clarified butter.


Clarified butter is butter that's been melted at a low temperature.  The fat rises and the milk solids sink.  The clear liquid left in the middle is clarified butter.  It has a higher smoking point which makes it better for sauteing food at a high temperature.


I love to serve Mushroom Rice Casserole with Marinated Baked Chicken. Not only do the dishes complement each other, they can be baked at the same temperature and for the same length of time.  The casserole is also good with Baked Salmon Patties.  If you want to serve it with the salmon patties, put the rice in to cook 15 minutes before the salmon.

Marinated Baked Chicken, Mushroom Rice Casserole

and Broccoli with Lemon.

Many times when I've taken this dish to a potluck dinner, people have mistakingly called it Dirty Rice.  It may look similar, but Dirty Rice has meat in it, usually ground chicken or turkey livers and gizzards.  Regardless of what people call the casserole, I always come home with an empty dish!

Mushroom Rice Casserole

6 Servings

5 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 (8 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can beef consomme

Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over high heat.  Saute the mushrooms and onion for 3 minutes.  Stir in the rice; saute for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove skillet from heat.  Add the soup and consomme; mix well.  Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover with foil.  Bake at 350° for 60 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels