Sometimes you win...

...Sometimes you booze.

$3.99 at Trader Joe's and not bad.

I think I got a little cocky on the heels of my Nutella masterpiece, and I decided to experiment again. Well, it's a hard fall from grace, and I'm humbled. Okay, my cocoa-inspired recipe wasn't terrible. But I wouldn't make it again. It fell somewhere between bland and good. Just needed an extra kick of spice -- which I considered adding but I was afraid it would totally cancel out any hint of the ingredient of the month.

Proof I tried.

I made pork chops using a rub I adapted from a recipe I found online calling for way more cocoa than I used, 1/3 cup coffee grounds (really?), cinnamon, chili powder, olive oil, salt and pepper. I opted to not use the coffee grounds thinking I could sub in some brilliant ingredient, and now I'm wondering if I should've just opted out of the whole recipe. Therefore, I decided not to post it. It's not worth the effort.

A-1 makes everything better.

To make up for it, I'm going to post my mom's simple and fabulous "Red Pork Chops" recipe. She has been making them for as long as I can remember; a quick, economical choice for feeding a family of seven. My mom, who is a fabulous cook, wonders why we continue to request them for family dinners and birthdays. There is obviously a comfort-food, feel-good memory association going on with these, but also, they really are THE BOMB!

Recipe goes something like this:

Red Pork Chops

Thin boneless chops, I cooked 5
Half a large onion, sliced
1 Can tomato soup
1 Small can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
Italian seasoning, to taste
Garlic, to taste

Brown the meat (in spicy garlic oil helps), add the onions and turn heat to low. Add the tomato soup, half can of the tomato sauce, half tomato sauce can of water, salt, pepper and seasonings to taste. Cook on low for 45 min-hour. I mean it, the meat needs to simmer and bathe in the sauce for a long while; you won't regret it. Serve with mashed potatoes because the whole point of red pork chops is to drown the sides in the gravy-style sauce you've made. Enjoy!