Friday, July 15, 2011

July 4

We had a great trip to Arkansas to visit with my family and old friends for the July 4th week.  
See a little photo diary below! 



Seth met his Great Mamma (my dad's mom.) 
They had a lot to talk about!


Our little family. :)


Father & Son


Mother & (sleepy!) Son


Friends! (Stephanie and her daughter Charlotte, Tatiana, Clair & Seth)


My family.
(Dad, Uncle Chuck, Jon, me, Aunt Marla, Mom, Seth, Grandpa (also Seth) and Ellen)


Seth got to meet the 2 youngest of his 5 cousins. This is Meredith!


Seth & Seth

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Tonight's Dinner

This is a recipe I loved growing up.  The original recipe my mom gave me has some kind of interesting, very exact measurements and cooking times.  My version is a little less strict.  :)

Quick & Easy Skillet


Ingredients: 
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups macaroni noodles
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. salt


By the way, it's really fun to arrange and photograph seasonings!


Brown the ground beef in a large, deep pan.  Then add all other ingredients. 
Give it a good stir, then cover and simmer for 18 minutes (or until noodles are cooked.)


Eat & enjoy!  :)


I also made a special dessert today, but I'm going to see how it tastes before I post it on here! haha

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

I love one pot meals!

Last night was another Real Simple recipe night.  This time it was roasted tilapia, potatoes and lemons and it was quick and tasty!  I just love the simplicity of meals that cook all in the same dish.  So, here's the recipe for the tilapia, but you should definitely also check out Real Simple's other one pot meals! Fun and delicious!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Chicken Curry (in a hurry!)


Last night, I made this recipe from Real Simple. It was quite tasty, but next time, I think I will add more curry powder and maybe some red pepper flakes for added spice! Enjoy!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

I'm Lucky


To be married to a man who knows how to cook! Tonight for dinner, Jon has prepared a delicious pork loin with garlic & onions in our cast iron dutch oven. First he cooked the onions and garlic in some chicken broth, then added in the pork loin and seared it in the stove. Then he popped the whole dish in the oven and baked it. Now we're enjoying a scrumptious dinner, including baked potatoes and fancy mac & cheese. (Gotta love those starches!)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Beautiful Sunday

Yesterday was just glorious! Temps topped out around 80 degrees and it was sunny and lovely. We spent a good portion of the day walking around our neighborhood and along the beach with Seth. We ran into a few friends on our excursion (including another beautiful, new baby!) This was also our first use of our fancy stroller and it was a great success. :)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Seth is Here!!!

After 19 hours of labor, Seth Isaac joined our little family on March 20, 2011 at 1:21am. He was 7 lbs. and 20 & 3/4 in. long. He is more wonderful than we ever could have imagined. Now we're in a phase of adjustment and learning as we discover our life with this new little guy. :)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pork Chops With Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion

Ingredients:


Servings: 4


* 1 small red onion, sliced

* 1 tablespoon butter

* 1 teaspoon olive oil

* 1/2 cup chicken broth, plus
*2 tablespoons chicken broth, divided

* 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

* 1 teaspoon brown sugar

* 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

* 1 tablespon olive oil

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or less, to taste)

* 4 pork chops, about 1 to 1.5-inch thick

* 2 ounces goat cheese (or more)

* flour, to dust

* 1 tablespoon butter

* 2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature

* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Servings Size

·

Update

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in 1 tsp olive oil in medium sized, oven proof sauce pan over medium/medium high heat.
  3. Add red onion. Let cook, stirring constantly for 20 minutes.
  4. While onions cook, mix 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, the 2 tbsp chicken broth and 1 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl.
  5. Add 2 tbsp of chicken broth to onions at a time, letting sizzle and cook away. Repeat until no broth remains.
  6. Butterfly pork chops and sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.
  7. Spread goat cheese evenly inside each pork chop, leaving room around edges.
  8. Once onions are brown and caramelized, add a spoonful of onions to top of goat cheese in each pork chop. There will be onions remaining in the pan. Add lemon mixture to pan with onions and simmer, scraping down the sides of the pan.
  9. Close pork chops and dust with flour. If you are having trouble keeping them together, use toothpicks or mini skewers. However it is better if you can work without, as the escaped goat cheese comes in handy in the sauce later!
  10. Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet over medium heat and cook pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side, until seared and brown.
  11. Put pork chops and any drippings into the pan with the simmering onion/lemon mixture and place in oven.
  12. Cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness, or until cooked through but still tender.
  13. Remove pan from oven and place back on medium low heat. Remove pork chops and whisk in heavy cream and let come to a bubble. Add parsley. Spoon over pork chops and enjoy!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Yummy Tilapia

Tonight we made a delicious dish and I'd like to share it with you!

Ingredients:
tilapia
herbs de provence
kosher salt
butter
lemon

Directions:
1. Rub fish with herbs de provence & sprinkle with kosher salt.
2. Melt butter (amount is up to you!) in a medium skillet.
3. Cook fish in butter. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish while cooking.
4. EAT! yum. :)