Cuban Pork Chops

Tonight we had my grandmother and some long time family friends up for her 88th birthday!

We had Cuban Pork Chops, macaroni salad, fresh sweet corn, baked beans and chocolate cake. The Cuban Pork Chops were Iowa chops that I prepared like I would a Cuban Pork Roast only I made chops instead.

Cuban Pork Chops

4 pounds of pork chops
juice of 3 limes
1 t sea salt
1 t ground oregano
1 t ground cumin
2 bay leaves, ground
1 t black pepper
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine everything and marinate in a gallon ziplock bag overnight.

Grill until internal temperature is 170.

The best pork in the world comes from Iowa. The best thing is it is CHEAP. All of those chops are greater than 1 inch thick and greater than 6 inches wide. Look at the size of those chops versus the size of an orange. All of the meat on that plate cost $12.53. How can you beat Iowa chops?

Other recipes served tonight include:

Macaroni Salad

6-8 green onions, sliced

2 cups macaroni, cooked until al dante (just about done)

6-8 radishes, sliced

½ green pepper seeded and diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced

slice, dice and seed one large tomato

boil 6-8 eggs, reserve for topping

a good squirt of mustard

a cup or so of miracle whip

1 cup ham, diced

1 cup Colby cheese, diced

dice 3-4 bread and butter pickles and add 1-2 teaspoons pickle juice

In A Large bowl

1. Combine onions, green pepper, radish, celery, macaroni, salt, pepper, and Hungarian paprika to taste. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

2. Chill. To start with add 1 cup Miracle Whip and a good squirt of mustard.

3. Mix in tomato and egg, pickles, cheese and ham.

4. Before serving shred ½ head of lettuce. Add more Miracle Whip as needed. Add more salt, pepper and paprika as needed. *I almost never add the lettuce*

5. Top with 2 sliced eggs and paprika. Chill 2 hours before serving.

Wacky Cake

My favorite chocolate cake is my mom's recipe for Crazy Chocolate cake AKA Wacky Cake. I was doing a search to see if anyone else made it and I was surprised to find an entry on wikipedia.

It is commonly believed Wacky Cake may have been created as the result of rationing during World War II, when milk and eggs were scarce. Active ingredients in wacky cake include flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, white vinegar and vanilla extract. Some recipes add brewed coffee as an additional ingredient. The cake may be topped with icing or confectioner's sugar, or even served plain.

It is not known where Wacky Cake first originated, or who created it. However, the cake is considered a popular delicacy at bake sales in numerous rural regions of the United States, particularly Southern Maryland, which is thought to be where it originated.

Mom’s Crazy Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 tsp. Soda

2 c. sugar

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

2 T. vinegar

1 c. salad oil

2 c. water

Mix everything up and bake 30 to 45 minutes at 350.