Ranch Pork Chops

I can't remember the last time I had pork chops. It's been a long time, I know that, but I get tired of the chicken, beef, pasta rotation and need to throw something different in once in awhile. Enter the other white meat. My friend, the same one who posted this amazing Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream recipe, recently posted a link to Ranch House Pork Chops that went straight onto the menu.


My crockpot and I don't get along and I didn't want to ruin the chops by experimenting, so I modified this recipe for the stove top. I used the other half of the cream of chicken soup I made earlier in the week, adding some chicken broth to thin it out. The ranch seasoning added great flavor. As the original recipe suggested, I served the chops with garlic mashed potatoes, but to keep it simple I just throw some peeled and crushed cloves into the pot with the potatoes and mash as usual. It saves so much time and effort but still produces great garlic flavor.

Ranch Pork Chops
Inspired by Real Mom Kitchen

4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning (or make your own)
1 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup (homemade recipe below)
1 cup chicken broth

Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both side. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pork chops and sear on both sides, about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add Ranch seasoning, soup, and chicken broth to the now-empty skillet. Whisk to combine and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the pork chops to the pan along with any accumulated juices, cover and let cook about 10-15 minutes or until the chops are no longer pink. Serve topped with sauce alongside mashed potatoes to sop up the extra sauce.

Note - you can cook the chops until just done or you can cook them for a few hours, but nothing in between. The chops will be dry if you overcook them, but a slow simmer (think a crockpot, as the original recipe indicates) will make them tender.


From Scratch Cream of Chicken Soup
Slightly Modified From Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
Dash of paprika
2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Roast Beef with Onion Gravy

I'm sure most people have a handful of meals that bring them back to their childhood. Roast Beef with Onion Gravy is one of mine. This is my dad's favorite meal and one my stepmom made for his birthday every year. I don't know why it's taken me this long to attempt to make it, but I finally emailed her to ask how she made the gravy and was surprised to hear it was as simple as water and onion soup mix in the bottom of the roasting pan.


We had purchased an obscenely large beef tenderloin for Christmas, so after the holiday we vacuum-sealed two, 4-lb roasts and froze them. Seeing as they're getting dangerously close to having a birthday, I figured I better use them quickly. This roast was the second of the two, the first one I made a few weeks ago with my all-time favorite potato gratin recipe. In keeping with my dad's favorites, I served this with mashed potatoes and what was supposed to be peas, until I checked the freezer and saw we were out. Baby Girl loves her peas, so I wasn't surprised to see we'd gone through another bag. I just subbed green beans for the peas. Hopefully my dad won't mind the substitution.


One bite and I was transported back to my childhood. The gravy was perfect, the beef tender, the mashed potatoes rich and buttery. Perfection on a plate. I'll definitely be making this again soon, maybe even for my dad the next time he and my stepmom are in town.

Roast Beef with Onion Gravy
Recipe from my stepmom

1 (3 1/2-4-lb) beef roast
Salt and pepper
1 packet onion soup mix
3 cups cold water, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all sides of the roast. Place roast on a rack set in a roasting pan and put in the oven.

Dissolve the onion soup mix with 3 cups of cold water (doesn’t completely dissolve) and add it to the bottom of the pan with the roast 15 minutes after putting it in the oven. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Baste the roast with the mixture as it cooks, about every half hour. For medium the roast will take about 2-2 1/2 hours. Add water to the bottom of the roasting pan, as needed so the drippings and soup mix don't dry out and burn.

When the roast is done, take the remaining drippings and pour into a small pot and bring to boil, adding water as needed to make the amount of gravy you want. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until cornstarch is dissolved, then add to the gravy until it thickens.

Serve the gravy on the side, with the sliced beef, peas and mashed potatoes.