Ground Pork and Potato Pancake

This was a case of naming what I made after I figured out what it was I was making.
There might've been more chicken broth and less mashed potatoes had it not been too hot for soup for lunch.

Raiding the fridge (and freezer) for ingredients gave me some ground pork (which was in the package with the ground beef from yesterday), mashed potatoes, Monterey jack cheese, and chicken broth.

Heated a pan with some olive oil and added the ground pork. Now would've been a great time to add some onions and garlic (see below). When the pork was browned, I drained most of the liquid, and then mixed in an ample serving of mashed potatoes. After a few minutes of playing Richard Dreyfus in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I made a little volcano, into which I placed an ounce or two of cheese, and closed it up. Topped it with garlic powder and chili powder.

Then I probably made a mistake. Fearing that it would be dry like yesterday dish, I added in some chicken broth. Granted, I still wasn't sure what I was making at the moment. It didn't hurt the flavor, but it affected the overall presentation. It didn't get firm like a pancake or giant hash brown, or get crispy and golden on either side.

I have to remember when I'm cooking for myself that I can go to town with the spices. Everyone else has a problem with black pepper and chili powder. (Hey, I used to hate pepper as a kid.)

Lessons Learned: Just because you always have onions and garlic in the house doesn't mean that you actually have onions and garlic in the house. Check before starting.

Dinner was almost a repeat. Last night, the wife made pasta with broccoli and other veggies (because we didn't have plain broccoli in the freezer), using rigatoni. I took a serving of that, sliced up a grilled chicken cutlet, shredded a Cabot cheddar cheese snack and chopped up some mushrooms (probably time to dump the rest of that gravy). Sprinkled in some soy sauce and nuked it for a minute and a half.

The soy sauce didn't add much flavor -- I must not have added enough.
On the other hand, the cheese made all the difference, even more than adding chicken.