Food on the Ground!

So last night I cooked my second pork chop. I initially bought two in case some beautiful woman entered my life in the span of a few days and wanted dinner, but that didn't happen. I had been trying to find another pork chop recipe, and while I'm certain that such a recipe exists, I was tired, and already had all the stuff to do the balsamic reduction one again. This time I used black forrest ham bacon, and I cooked it in a Lodge Press cast iron skillet, instead of my All-Clad French chef's pan. First, I can say the cast iron is definitely the way to go with this dish. It literally required no cleanup, and no Barkeeper's Friend. It caramelized the onions better, and I think it reduced the vinegar better (somehow).

The recipe initially calls for a searing of the chop on both sides, then moving it to a plate while you fry up some delicious bacon. After you've completed some more steps, you move the chop back to the pan. OK, this sounds easy enough, and I suppose if one doesn't swing one's arm while holding the plate with the same velocity as a NASA centrifuge, everything goes to plan. However, mid-swing the plate suddenly felt lighter, and I heard a nasty "thunk" on the floor.  :(   I looked down and saw my deliciously seared pork chop resting half on my rug, half on the floor. Thank God I had swept the floor and vacuumed not 20 minutes before. Still, upon picking up the offending cut, I took note of some wily rug fibers and dust. So now I was at a critical junction--because of the 5 second rule. Do I mix in something else into the reduction, or run the pork chop under the faucet? 5 second's almost up! I ran it under the water. Don't judge me. It just still looked so delicious. And you know what? Once it was all finished, it was at least twice as good as my one from a couple of nights ago! If you ever need something to spice up a dish or give it a little extra umph, just throw it on the floor. Step on it, kick it around, let the cat roll all over it. Frankly whatever doesn't wash off in the sink deserves to stay on.