Random thought

I've been thinking about a term. It's one I grew up around and one that's followed me for most of my years. On a positive note, I haven't heard it nearly as often as I used to and that's something. But what's the phrase?

 Openly gay.

I've been wondering at its origin and at its intention. I've been wondering at it in general. I suppose it's a descriptor but... 'openly' in context of what? What closed standard do you desire and have set so firmly that the language you speak organically created a phrase like that? 

Unashamed. That's what they meant to say. 

"How can this person be... LIKE THAT... and not be ashamed? How can they be so open about it?"

And that's where some of the hatred comes from. They have observed another human being not heaping shame upon their own head like the observer would have preferred. It makes them uncomfortable to watch someone have the gall to be so unashamed. It makes them angry because they think whatever they've seen displayed is something that deserves a badge of shame that should never be taken off.

I repudiate that. I repudiate your shame and your guilt and call it for the petty and toxic behavior it is. 

That's yours. YOU keep it because I want no part of it.

Lay it at my feet and I'll kick it back in your face.

This blog started as a recipe blog. Something new for my husband and I to do together when we first moved in together. We still cook and you may see the odd recipe here and there but... I think I'd like to use this space to build a picture of the inside of my head. That will necessarily make it a reflection of my life. I've no idea what I'll do here.

but it's mine, so why not?

Peppercorn Crusted Pork Chops

Note: This recipe is intended for making 8 pork chops. If you want to do 4, just split the recipe cleanly in half and it'll work out just fine.

Step 1: Ingredients

 

For this recipe, you're going to need:

• Flour
• Salt
• Peppercorns
• A Hammer
• A Ziploc Bag
• Two bowls
• Two egg yolks
• Water
• Olive Oil

Step 2: Smash 

Pour a measure of peppercorns in to your Ziploc bag. The peppercorns are going to lose a lot of their burn when they fry in the breading, so use more than you think you're going to need. You want a lot of cracked pepper in this recipe. Then smash it with a hammer. Repeatedly.

Step 3: Flour Mix

 Fill a medium bowl about half full of flour, then pour your cracked peppercorns on top of it and give it a good coating of salt (as shown above). Then mix it all together with a fork:

Step 4: The Dipping Mix

 

 In a smaller bowl, crack two eggs and only add the yolks. Then fill the bowl 1/2 to 2/3 full of water and add two or three handfuls of flour:

 Mix it all together with a fork until you start to feel a little bit of resistance when you're mixing. You want the dip to be thick but not as thick as, say, pancake batter or even crepe batter:

Step 5: Trim the Porkchops

I usually buy a whole pork loin and then cut it up in to chops, which means there's a pretty thick ribbon of fat around the edges. Trim that off because the texture is... kind of awful if you leave it on when you fry it.

Step 6: Get Ready to Fry

After you set up your work area, put a moderate amount (maybe 1/4" thick) of olive oil in your frying pan and heat it til JUST before it smokes.

Step 7: Let's Get Fryin'

This is going to happen in 5 steps. First, dunk a porkchop in the Dip:

 Then roll it in flour:

Then do it again. Which is to say, you're going to do this: Dip, roll in flour, dip, roll in flour.

Then add it to your frying pan:

Flip them when they start to look a little "liquidy" around the edges, like so:

Now, at this point, your oil may start hissing and spitting like crazy. If it does, it just means you've got the heat on a little too high. Don't panic and just turn it down a notch or two until it starts to become a little more sedate.You're going to have some popping and splattering because, well, you're frying... but if it starts to get a little too aggressive, turn it down.

The short version? Listen to your oil. If it sounds too "angry", turn it down.

After the flip, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature:

Once it hits 145, set them to the side to rest on a draining rack:

aaand here we are! Peppercorn crusted pork chops. This recipe is good enough that I completely forgot to take a picture of the 'freshly plated' meal, we were a little too eager to get to eating: