Down home with YBBG

Butterflied pork chop marinating.

One of my favorite shows is Down Home with the Neelys on Food Network.  I love the camaraderie between Pat and Gina Neely.  They always have such fun and romance in the kitchen.

And they each get down with the get down when it comes to cooking.  He cooks well and so does she.

They are from barbecue aristocracy in Memphis.  I thought about them as I prepared dinner tonight.

I'm trying to do better by eating at home more than I eat out.  I know a lot of people cringe at the thought of eating pork... but whatever! LOL

The chops are cooking in Smart Balance
olive oil and butter stick. See...healthy! :) lol

Tonight I got it in with my favorite cooking utensil.  A cast iron skillet.

My grandma on my dad's side always cooked in one of these badboys.  As a matter of fact, my granny on my mama's side did too.

I now recall getting burned on the bottom of my chin, because I nosily peeked in a cast iron skillet one time to see what was cooking when I was about 4 or so.  Thank God it didn't fly off the stove into my face!

Cooking homemade dishes is one of my hidden talents.  I've decided to let my domestic side shine a little bit more... don't tell anybody!

Mashed sweet potatoes.  Good for you and
delicious!

The final product. Honey glazed chops with
mashed sweet potatoes.

The only thing missing here is the preparation of the glaze I made for the chops.  I didn't use lard or any heavy cooking oil in any of the dishes.

I learned to cook stuff that tastes good and fattening without them being well...fattening.

I use a lot of good for you stuff to prepare the dishes like honey and Smart Balance butter and olive sticks.  Also, cooking in an iron skillet infuses iron into the food.


Can you get down in the kitchen like the Neelys? I learned how to cook when I was fifteen, and haven't looked back.  Although, I rarely share this side with most people...they'll start expecting meals and thangs! LOL