I'm Still Here

Not much posting going on around here. I pulled a muscle in my back more than a week ago while playing outside with Kat and have been dealing with the pain since. I have a couple of good hours each morning before the pain just below my left shoulder starts, getting increasingly worse throughout the day. I've been trying to conquer it with OTC meds, which have not helped at all. I even took one tablet of Vicodin we had from a previous prescription. It did lessen the pain but wasn't worth the side effects (sleepiness and itching).

I finally gave in and went to the doctor today. He said he was certain it's muscular and not spinal, so he gave me samples of an anti-inflammatory medication. I haven't been able to take enough yet to know if it will help, but if it's still hurting in a week, I need to go back for x-rays and/or something stronger, such as a muscle relaxer.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to take it slow and easy. Which is so not me. I've been doing only what I absolutely need to around the house and resting as much as I can. Meals have been simple -- casserole with salad, stew or soup with bread, those kinds of things.

Nothing new on the debt-reduction front. Shane and I have been discussing a few ideas, but for now, there's nothing new other than the monthly update of our progress in my sidebar.

I may not be around much until this pain subsides, but in the meantime, here's the recipe for a really easy, and really tasty pork dish we had for supper last night. You probably already have it in your repertoire, and in fact, I think I've posted it before. But just in case you don't have it, here it is.



Pork Chops in Onion-Mushroom Gravy

6 to 8 pork loin chops, trimmed of fat
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
2 cans (10-1/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
small amount of milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Sprinkle onion soup mix over bottom of baking dish. Place pork chops over the dry soup. (It's ok to overlap them if you must.)

Combine soup with just enough milk to make it spreadable. Pour soup over pork chops and spread evenly to coat.

Bake for at least an hour or until the chops are done and a rich gravy has formed. The longer you bake them, the more tender they become.

Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

Serves 6 to 8.