Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

Several times throughout the day I was thinking about what I was going to cook for dinner knowing I needed to use the rest of my pork chops tonight. I also thought I had cream in the fridge to make some kind of cream sauce, but nope, that stuff was nowhere to be found (and I looked 4 times). But I did have sour cream and mushrooms. STOP THERE! You may be thinking of cream of mushroom soup right now and if you're anything like me, you won't go near it. For some reason, I have an aversion to it and won't use it for anything. This however, was so flavorful and a perfect pairing with the simple pork.

• 5 med/thin cut pork chops
• 2 tablespoons shallot, diced fine (equals about 1/4 of a shallot)
• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced (I used white mushrooms)
• 2 teaspoons reduced sodium chicken bullion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

There are a few ways to cook your pork chops and normally I would throw them in a pan like I did with the Apple Cider Reduction ones, but tonight I put them in the oven so I could concentrate on the sauce while they baked.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your meat (sounds like a challenge), with salt and pepper. I took a lazy, but clever way of doing this tonight by sprinkling salt and pepper on my baking dish, then laying the pork chops on top, then sprinkling more salt and pepper lightly on top. I didn't even touch the meat (not that I actually care about touching raw meat). Pop those in the oven and bake for approximately 22-25 minutes. The thing about baking in this way without drying out the pork, is that it doesn't brown like it does in the pan. It's okay, you're putting sauce on it.

While the meat is baking, start on your sauce by heating a drizzle of olive oil on medium heat. Add the diced shallots (or onion if that's what you have) and sauté till they become translucent. Add in sliced mushrooms cooking till they begin to brown. Add in your chicken bullion (I'd give the veggie or beef bullion a try too if you don't have chicken) and butter stirring to start creating a beautiful brown sauce. YOU CAN STOP HERE! I tried it and it was delicious! But you can keep going and add in the sour cream. Mix together till incorporated. Serve over the pork chops immediately. Shave some fresh parmesan on top and a teeny sprinkle of thyme...or not...you can make your own rules too.

*I served this with simple spinach greens and applesauce.

**Reduce your sauce heat to low if your pork chops aren't ready. If the sauce thickens too much, add a tablespoon of milk and stir.