Rare Date Night Made Possible with Fresh & Easy: Smothered Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy {Recipe} #fneasy

Hubs usually does the cooking or brings home dinner 95% of the time.  The other 5% comprises of me picking up dinner or minimal cooking (probably 10x or so) within the 9 years we have been together.  I was excited to surprise him with one of his favorites and went to go pick up the ingredients at the neighborhood Fresh & Easy.

I was delighted at the offerings at this store because it had the ambiance of a quaint market. The lights were bright and the foods looked fresh and appealing. I immediately busted out my list and started heading down the isles.  I had to pick up most of the spices and was impressed by the fresh&easy selection.  All neat and stacked making me want to buy all the jars but alas, I chose the ones I needed and moved on.  

Since Kenzie went with me I let her choose some snacks and fruit. She enjoyed her fruit as soon as we went home and was singing and dancing away so I guess she was satisfied.  The next evening after work, I immediately started cooking so that dinner would be ready by the time Hubs came home.   

Smothered Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Print Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick, bone-in

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

4 oz. baby bella sliced mushrooms

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of milk 

Directions

Add the lemon juice to the milk and let sit for 2+ min.

Mix the flour on a platter with the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.  

Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and then dredge them in the seasoned flour.  Shake off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and pour in the olive oil.  When the oil is hot, lay the pork chops in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.  

Remove the pork chops from the pan and add some of the seasoned flour to the pan.  Mix with the oil and after it's dissolved, add the chicken broth.  Cook the liquid down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken.  Add in your mushrooms - I broke the mushrooms into smaller pieces by hand.  Stir in the milk to make a creamy gravy and then return the pork chops to the pan.  Cover with the sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the pork is cooked through.  

Season with salt and pepper before serving.    

I put the Bruschetta topping on top of the little toasts as an appetizer and whipped up some baby potatos (olive oil, salt & pepper) as a side.  We can't end dinner without dessert and fresh&easy had some huge chocolate cookies and fresh Strawberry Pie for us to devour!

What do you do for date night?  We enjoy eating so this was a treat for Hubs.  Plus he actually got to spend a wee bit of time with the kids while I cooked.  He even insisted on doing the dishes!

Do you have a Fresh & Easy neighborhood market near you?  If so, make sure to grab this $5 off $20 coupon - expires June 6, 2013.   

They also have quick new lunch options such as grab-and-go fresh sandwiches, salads and wraps for those who want to try something healthy.

What do you do for date night?  Are regular dinner dates scheduled?  I would love to know!  

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.