I was trying to do something different. I made the recipe to take to a friend who had had surgery. It was around the Thanksgiving holiday and so I tried to steer clear of turkey-related dinners, guessing that they might have had their fill. I also wanted to keep a distance from what is at least my old standard, lasagna, imagining the possibility of their having eaten it for a solid week. I was trying to come up with something they might not have received by other well-wishers like me, so I tried this dish. Pork Chops “Old Faithful” . . . I hit the jack pot.
They seemed
to be thrilled with the dish and, in fact, had not received pork chops
before. With it, I brought cranberry
relish, homemade bread and blueberry spice jam.
It was a hit. My friends, who are
very kind, raved over the meal.
In this
case, I had made an intentional effort to be unusual. I deliberately endeavored to create something
that would be unlike others. Often, we
do this without trying. Each of us is
given our own unique character, perspectives and ways of doing things. By just being ourselves, walking around in
the world and filling our roles of worker, parent, student, citizen in the ways
that come most naturally to us, we will be distinctive, individual, unlike
anyone else.
This seems
like it should be easy, but it isn’t. We
live in a world that encourages us to conform, to do what everyone else is
doing, just like they are doing it. This
expectation is often unspoken, but still powerful. If we are true to ourselves, living from the
deepest places God created in us, we will naturally fall out of the mold
sometimes. Some of us will do it a
lot. This can be challenging, even
painful, when there is pressure to go with the flow but it is also something to
be celebrated. Our uniqueness is
literally God’s gift, not just to us but to the world. Our individuality has been placed in us on
purpose and is meant to add color and texture to the landscape of humanity.
We can honor
God the best by being our most true and original selves. We will fit right in at times, and on
occasion we will stick out like a sore pinky finger. But if we do stand out, it should be because
we are being the best and most authentic version of the person that God created. Anything else would be as dull as a week of
lasagna. Praise God from whom all
blessings flow. One of those blessings
is you.
Blessed
eating!
While I have
this recipe on a typed index card with hand written notes, it references Peg
Bracken. Many thanks to both her and Mom.
PORK CHOP “OLD
FAITHFUL”
6 tbsp. raw rice 2 ripe tomatoes
1 can consommé, broth, ½ green pepper, in rings
or bouillon 2 tbsp. fat
1 tiny pinch marjoram Salt & Pepper
1 tiny pinch thyme
Brown chops
in fat (or Pam) in skillet. Meanwhile
put rice in bottom of greased casserole dish and slice the vegetables. Then lay chops on the rice (salting and
peppering as you go) with slices of onion, tomato, and green pepper. Pour consommé in, add marjoram and
thyme. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350o.
