Meat for Mother's Day

My mother lives in a very nice Nursing Home where she is quite happy. The people there are very nurturing and attentive and the quality of care has been exemplary. The only thing that she is unhappy with is that they don’t give her enough meat and she is and always has been a big meat eater. Her food is actually pretty good and she enjoys almost everything that they give her which usually consists of; “quiches, sandwiches, soups, salads, fish, Salisbury steak, meatloaf and some different versions of chicken”. But they are usually all chopped or small pieces added to rice or macaroni. What she misses are pieces of meat that require a knife in order to eat them such as; “pork chops, chuck steak, lamb chops or even a nice roasting chicken”. So this mother’s day I decided to go with the pork chops and because they are thick, they will require a knife which will make my mother quite happy.

Pork Chops with Dried Fruit

6 large center cut pork chops,1 1/2 to 2 in. thick

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

6 oz. dried apricots

6 oz. prunes or figs

3 yellow onions, sliced

1/4 c. brown sugar

Use a wide open casserole. Arrange pork chops in a single layer. Cover with fruit, onions, chicken broth, mustard and brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Open foil, push fruit aside and allow to brown for 30 minutes.