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Here it is, Feb. 2 and it’s Ground Hog Day. I never did hear if the little fellow saw his shadow in Punksatawny, Penn., but I don’t think it really matters anyway. According to the calendar, we’re going to have six more weeks of winter, regardless if he sees his shadow or not. Ground Hog Day takes me back to our farm in Scandia where we raised pigs/hogs. You, who are or were hog farmers, know that they would often root (dig) around in the ground looking for whatever.

On Ground Hog Day Paul, our 7-year-old son, came home from school with a picture he’d drawn that was supposed to be a ground hog. We won’t talk about his artistic talent but it looked like one of our hogs. He changed clothes, went out to play and soon came running back to the house shouting that there was a ground hog in the pig pen. I asked why he thought it was a ground hog and his replay was, “because he’s a hog and he’s digging in the ground, so it must be a ground hog!” In the eyes of babes!

I looked up the word ground hog in Webster’s dictionary and it says, “The ground hog is the same as a woodchuck.” So, I looked up woodchuck and read, “a common rodent of northern and eastern North America having a short-legged, heavy set body and rough brown hair, also called a “ground hog.” Kind of a cute little fellow. (I think I know someone like that––I’ll never tell.)

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Obviously I’m not doing ground hog recipes but the hog part brings to mind pork and that’s what it is today. I think today’s recipes are really good and I hope you’ll think so, too.

CREAMY PORK CHOP CASSEROLE

6-8 boneless, 3/4 inch pork chops, trimmed of fat

2 T. butter or margarine

seasoned salt

1 can cream of chicken or cream of celery soup, undiluted

1/2 c. dairy sour cream

1/4 c. milk

1-24 oz. package frozen hashbrowns, thawed

half of a 3-1/2 oz. can French fried onion rings

1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In large skillet, brown chops in butter 5-6 minutes on each side, over medium-high heat. Season with seasoned salt.

While chops are cooking, combine in a large bowl soup, sour cream and milk. Stir in hash browns and the half can of onion rings.

Spread in buttered 9x13 baking pan. Layer chops on top and remaining 1/2 c. onion rings. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 4-6 servings.

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I like the flavor of the sauce in beef stroganoff. Try it over pork chops.

STROGANOFF-STYLE

PORK CHOPS

4 boneless butterflied pork loin chops, 1-inch thick

2 T. canola or vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

8 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced, or one 4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

1/4 c. water

1 t. prepared mustard

1/2 t. salt

1 T. flour

1/2 c. sour cream

hot cooked, medium-wide noodles

In large skillet, over medium heat, brown chops for 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

In the drippings, saute onion and mushrooms until tender. Stir in water, mustard and salt; bring to a boil.

Return chops to skillet for 20-25 minutes or until pork is tender. Remove chops to serving plate; cover with foil to keep warm.

In small bowl, mix flour and sour cream until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; stirring, cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Serve mushroom sauce over chops with noodles on the side. Makes 4 servings.

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If you like doing stir-fry recipes, be sure to try this tangy pork chop recipe.

CASHEW PORK STIR-FRY

1 lb. boneless pork loin chops

2 T. canola or vegetable oil, divided

2 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally about 1/4-inch thick

2 ribs celery, sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick

1/2 c. cashews, whole or halves but not small pieces

SAUCE

1 T. grated orange rind

3/4 c. fresh orange juice

1 T. cornstarch

3 T. soy sauce

1/3 c. corn syrup

1/4 t. ground ginger

Cut chops into thin strips and set aside. Heat 1 T. oil in large skillet, or wok, over medium heat. Add carrots and celery; stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove veggies; set aside. Pour rest of oil into skillet. Add pork; stir-fry about 3 minutes.

Combine sauce ingredients; stirring well. Add veggies, cashews and sauce to pork. Cook, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until thickened.

Serve over cooked white or brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: A good salad to serve with this dish is: combine torn romaine lettuce with drained mandarin oranges and mix with oriental or a honey-flavored salad dressing.

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Do you fix spareribs or country-style ribs the same way all the time? Try this honey-plum sauce recipe for a nice change.

RIBS WITH HONEY-PLUM SAUCE

5-6 lbs. pork spareribs or country-style ribs, cut in serving size pieces

1 medium onion, quartered

SAUCE

1/2 c. soy sauce (I use low-sodium.)

3/4 c. plum jam

3/4 c. honey

2-3 garlic cloves, minced or you may use 1/4 t. garlic powder

Put ribs and onion in Dutch oven or large pan. Add water, just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. When bubbling, skim off foam with a strainer or spoon. Lower heat, simmer, covered for 50-60 minutes or until ribs are tender. Drain.

Save the liquid. I freeze liquid in small containers to use when making pork gravy or to use in pork chop suey or chow mein.

Transfer ribs to a shallow baking pan (9x13). Combine sauce ingredients; brush sauce over ribs. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes, brushing occasionally with sauce. Serves 6.

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Thought for today: Self trust is the first secret of success.

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