I am truly a child of the seventies. I had those polyester matched shorts and tops sets with the welting running down the front of the shorts. My mother wore falls in her hair like Lynn Anderson. We drove a succession of Chrysler's finest K cars starting with the great slant-six engine carryovers of the sixties and limping to the end of the seventies in a Volare. My mother went to work in 1974 and I learned to cook. I was nine and had already been helping for years. She would leave a list of instructions and I would follow them to the letter. It made me a fearless cook. Now I can make a meal out of almost anything.
But somehow in our household we skipped right over the 70's mania for making things out of Campbell's cream soups. During sleepovers at friend's houses I would be treated to some mishmash of chicken, rice or noodles, soup, cheese and maybe a mushroom or two. I loved it. Growing up on exactly what came out of the garden had made me crave anything that was from a restaurant, a 7-11 or came out of a can. The only thing my mother ever made with Campbell's was her pork chops and potatoes using Golden Mushroom Soup. For some reason it tastes real in a way most thrown-together casseroles don't. I still make it and love it. It is a crowd-pleaser, foolproof, cheap, easy and always tastes like home. As my palate matured past the 7-11, I have kept this in my repertoire and always keep a can of golden mushroom soup around just in case.
Mushroom Pork Chops and Potatoes.
Serves a bunch.
Peel enough potatoes to fill up 3/4 of whatever casserole dish you'll be using. I use a deep-dish corning ware one that ensures enough for leftovers. Slice potatoes, a package of mushrooms and dice an onion. Mix the soup with about 1 1/2 cans water and stir. Layer potatoes, onions, mushrooms and soup, usually about 3 layers. Salt and pepper each layer. Cover the top with pork chops (or chicken breasts) and the rest of the soup. Bake about an hour and fifteen minutes at 375 uncovered. We serve this with a salad, baked beans and cornbread. Heaven!