Pork is so yummy...especially when it's stuffed!

I know I keep saying that I'm gonna stop being so slow and terrible about updating but it clearly seems that I was mistaken and that I'm getting even worse about it :(  Work at the bakery has begun and so I feel my updates have gotten behind me.  I will try to update as much as possible! I just find myself taking less pictures of things I cook.  Still cooking...just not so much blogging =/

Anywho...I learned today that I have a limit on how many pics I can store on this thing so I'm gonna have to stop uploading so many per meal.

 A while ago...some time before Thanksgiving, I made stuffed pork chops with sweet potato casserole.

To start, I made the stuffing for the pork which included:

apples

onion

celery

This all got put in a pan and just cooked down to release some of the flavor and to soften the celery and onions. 

Next, I cut the pork in half, making a pocket, and stuffed the chops with the above stuffing.  After they were all full, I wrapped a piece of bacon around each one and secured it with a toothpick. 

These were put in a pan and browned on both sides, partially to cook the bacon too. They were finished in the oven. 

While these were cooking, I made the casserole.  I had bought yams and baked them a couple of nights before but we didn't eat them.  They didn't look as good a couple of days later just whole so I figured why  not make sweet potato casserole since it's delicious.  

I took the sweet potatoes and peeled them.  Then, I added butter, egg, sugar, and milk and mashed it all together. This went in the bottom of the baking dish. 

Next, I made the topping.  It was made up of pecans, brown sugar, and butter.  I sprinkled it on top of the yams and the whole thing went into the oven. 

After a big, everything came out of the oven.  Since the sweet potatoes were mostly cooked, it was just letting the topping come together and melt into deliciousness. 

This meal was perfect b/c the day I cooked it was kind of chilly and felt very much like fall.  Even though it was almost Thanksgiving and I knew we would be eating sweet potato casserole, this stuff was still delicious.

These flavors went well together since the pork also had sweetness to it but the smoky bacon helped balance out the flavors.  The sweet potatoes were delicious but anything with a brown sugar topping usually is.  This was a really hearty meal without being over-filling and too much which was nice b/c I really hate feeling too full.

So I have a few meals that need to be posted so hopefully I will be able to catch up on some entries this week.  We are planning on doing a cleanse at some point so that should be an interesting few days.  Hope to write more frequently than I have been :)