Remember June Cleaver? I never missed a Leave it to Beaver episode & coveted June’s pearls.
For those of you who either don’t remember (you probably don’t recall The Honeymooners, Bonanza or I’ve Got a Secret either) or if your parents never educated you about “the good programs they used to have”, June Cleaver was the perfect stay at home mother. Her freshly pressed poufy skirt dresses never had a spot on them (no Tide Stain Sticks for June) and she always wore her trademark string of pearls. If she went out of the house she wore white gloves, high heels and her make-up and hair were perfection. When she was in the house she added a clean 1/2 apron & ditched the gloves. She never missed greeting her loving husband Ward with a kiss and marching orders to “go talk to the Beaver”. We never really knew what June did all day but it probably included playing bridge (can’t golf in heels) and sucking down a few Tom Collins’ before getting dinner on the table promptly at 5:00. Other than the famous brussel sprouts incident with “the Beaver” I don’t think we ever knew what the family really ate but I do know that June didn’t have the internet, food shows with chefs throwing things around a kitchen, or hundreds of food blogs so I’m only guessing she put what my mother put on the table – meat, potatoes, vegetable, dessert, maybe a Jello mold to be creative & festive.
So what I’m getting around to is this… not every meal needs to be gourmet or even clever- it doesn’t even need to have a name! Some days I just don’t want to chase down ingredients then get into the mincing, dicing, deglazing, reglazing, sauteing… well you get my drift. Therefore, I present to you the first in my June Cleaver recipe series. I think I remember back in the 50’s that Campbell’s soup ran some sort of promotion/contest for recipes using good ol’ Campbell’s Soup. So if you’re hoping for something upscale and time consuming, this one won’t be it and you can get out the food processor. But maybe I’m expected to come up with a name for this dish – they all seem to have a name. How about Pork Chops with Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup with onion and lemon? Or, if any of you would like to make this into a contest, send me your creative name ideas and I’ll send you a can of Campbell’s soup. Seriously, this is very cheap, easy & the pork chops are very tender if you just leave them alone in a baking dish for eh… a long time.
– Sprinkle bone-in pork chops with salt & pepper (you can brown them in a skillet if you feel energetic). Put in baking dish.
– Empty a can of Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup in a bowl, mix in a can full of water – stir then pour over the pork chops.”
– Thickly slice large white onions & put on top of chops
– Top with slices of lemons
Bake, covered at 350°, 375°, or even 400° for at least 45 minutes -longer makes them juicier. Oh, and when you serve this remember to wear your pearls… seriously, I really loved June’s pearls.
Photographs and recipes 