One Pot Wonder

What to do with spinach starting to wilt and thawed out pork chops that have to be cooked?

I rummaged through my cabinets in search of healthy, complimentary ingredients and came up with this delicious protein and vitamin packed one pot wonder.

Here's how I made it:

Dredge the chops in flour seasoned with lots of salt and pepper while your olive oil is getting hot in your pan {enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan}.

{excuse the ghetto yellow lighting in my kitchen}

Brown the meat on both sides on medium-high heat. While your chops are cooking, chop up all your veggies. {a quarter of onion, a big handful of grape tomatoes, two cloves of garlic, a handful of fresh parsley, and a handful of green olives}.

Pour in some white wine or chicken stock {about 1/2 cup I guess} to deglaze the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

When your pork chops are fully cooked, Remove them from the pan and let them rest on a plate. To take advantage of the flavor of the pork, throw your onions and garlic in the leftover but highly flavored olive oil, wine, and pork fat {which really isn't all that much} until they're translucent- stirring often. Then throw in your tomatoes and spinach. Let the spinach wilt. Remember to lightly season with S&P as you go!

After you have drained and rinsed off the white beans, throw them in the pot and let them cook with the veggies for a few minutes. Also, if you like olives, throw them in there as well. Meanwhile, slice your pork chops into bite sized pieces.

At the last minute, throw in the meat, fresh parsley and garnish with parmesan cheese. Gobble it up!

And remember, this is a very flexible dish. Chicken or bacon could substitute the pork chops, you could add a dash of cream at the end for richness, you could omit the meat altogether and still have a protein-packed vegetarian dish. The possibilities are endless!

If you try it, let me know what you think... and if you do a variation of it I want to know what you used! 

Raspberry Tart

My favorite kinds of desserts involve fruit so naturally, I gravitate to and crave fruit tarts. I have shown you my favorite french apple tart on here before and today, because it's summertime and berries are ripe for the pickin', I want to show you this unbelievably simple miniature tart I concocted this weekend.

You will need the three ingredients above {plus some sugar for dusting at the end} and feel free to use whatever berries you like! 

Slice whatever shape you would like the tart to be and bake the pastry squares on 400 degrees until they are puffed and golden. If you would like the pastry to lay flat rather than puffed, prick the uncooked dough with a fork.

I didn't photograph this next part: heat up half the jar of jam with a teaspoon or two of water to thin it out. Once the jam has a smooth texture and is cooled, spread the sauce onto the pastry and then decorate with the fresh berries. Glaze the top of the berries with the raspberry sauce and dust the tops of the berries with "Sugar in the Raw" for sweetness and texture. {a light dusting of powdered sugar would be pretty too... or you could drizzle a homemade white icing on top- or white chocolate! Ooohhh... I should have tried all these! Maybe you can?}

And it's simple as that! I think these would be adorable little desserts for showers, parties, 4th of July, etc. The possibilities are endless. Did I mention how delicious they are too?

Clever Trevor

As I was perusing through one of my all-time favorite magazines {like since I was 10- ask my grandmamma} I came across this article and thought it too creative and well, "clever", not to share. Have you seen it?

This article was geared towards those who love to entertain but either do not like to cook or do not have the time to cook for their guests.

For appetizers, the guy, that this article is about, suggests going to the store and buying simple munchies like potato chips, french onion dip, pistachios, etc and serving them in beautiful bowls and trays. I don't know about you but presentation has a lot to do with how I judge something I want to eat. The prettier it looks, the more I want it!

For the main course, he always orders pizza and takes it out of the box and onto a beautiful platter. He then puts all different kinds of toppings in dainty little bowls so guest can individualize their pizza slices.

Moving onto dessert... he buys fresh gourmet donuts from the bakery, places them on a beautiful glass cake stand with a dome and voila! An elegant dessert! Look at how he glamorized a box of Neopolitan ice cream...

You can read how he did this below:

I mean, when I think about it, people have probably been doing this for years but I love just how GLAMOROUS he made entertaining and he spent barely any time in the kitchen. I love spending time in the kitchen but I wouldn't for all appetizers, main course, and dessert... I mean, something's gotta give. So how cool is it that you can entertain in style without the pressure of cooking all three courses?

Maybe you had a revelation seeing this like me, maybe not... but I just had to share!

Summer Home

At a team cookout last week, each player had to stand up and introduce themselves by saying their name, where they were from, etc. Well, when Aaron's turn rolled around he introduced us and {jokingly} told everyone that we are from Tri Cities, Washington. The whole crowd erupted in laughter because they have all seen what Aaron has been through with his shoulder and he just keeps coming back year after year! The one perk of coming back, is that we know so many of the locals and the fans. They are so gracious to us and have welcomed us, yet again, with open arms.

Aaron and I tell ourselves that Washington is our "summer home". Speaking of home, here are some pictures of our little one bedroom, fully furnished {thank God} apartment.

Our cozy {but bare} living room...

My little cooking "nook"...

A table and chairs!!!- circa 1982 {so we don't have to eat on the coffee table like we did last year}

Our very large handicap-accessible bathroom...

Our very large room with a closet so big you could throw a party in it!

And my plastic bedside table... {it's all about improvising!}

And speaking of improvising...

On a typical night we don't get home until about 10:30 and sometimes later. So, to prevent the morning sun from waking us up at 6:00 every morning, Aaron came up with this classy little contraption. I've been missing my spatula in the kitchen!

And for my favorite part of living where we do...

There's not one, but TWO hunny bunnies!!!!

And they are friendly little kitties...

Apparently they think we're pretty friendly too... they keep wanting to come in the house!

And apparently they're pretty good friends.

The first time I saw these little hunnies I got a little teary eyed. It had only been a few days since our little Rudy got run over and something makes me think that God had these little orange ones waiting on me. God can bless you with great big things, but I love the small things as well. These little animals warm my heart everyday.

This little fella looks just like Rudy did when he was a kitten, so I've just told myself that maybe this is him in his second life!

Well, that's all for today folks- I'll be back soon with a very clever article I read in one of my Martha Stewart mags that I have to share!

The effect he has on me...

{First day of kindergarten}

In honor of Fathers Day, I could go all "cliche" and list reasons my Dad is "the best Dad in the world" {and being the biased daughter I am, I think he is} but I've already done that before- and though that way may have been cliche, it's all facts. Today, I thought I would share specifics with you about how special my relationship is with my Dad, and I bet many of you can relate!

Not even realizing it, he has this uncanny ability to make me fall apart. For instance, I can be all strong and holding it together {in any circumstance} and it's either the second he looks at me or the second he reaches out to give me one of his big hugs, I just completely lose it. It's one of those "I need you" {"and your sympathy"} meltdowns. My entire life it has been this way... even now. {I think Julie and Jessica are nodding their heads right now because he has this effect on all of us.}

Should I give you examples so you're not interpreting the paragraph above that he makes me cry a lot? :)

After every basketball game I used to play- whether we won or lost- if I had a bad game, I would hold it together through the whole entire post game coaches speech, walk across the gym to my family and Aaron and the second I would make eye contact with my Dad, I fell into his arms and lost it. Maybe it was because of the hours upon hours he worked with me on my shot, playing horse, playing one-on-one in the driveway. I wasn't crying because I felt I had let him down, I was upset because he knew better than anyone how hard we had worked together. After I had my "moments" with him, he would constructively teach me the things I should work on and tell me how proud he was that I had done the best I could do.

Before every race I ever run, I have to have a pep talk from Dad. {He's been my running partner since I was 6 yrs. old and working out and racing is one way we have always bonded. When I went away to college, I stopped working out and running regularly because I thought, "what's the point? Dad's not here to go with me" and college quickly made me realize that he was the main reason I have always loved to run. Of course now I'm a "big girl" and I've learned to love running even when I'm not by his side, but it's taken me awhile :) }. But after races where I had given everything I had, and I came up short {in my opinion, not his} he was always there for that big sweaty tearful hug at the finish line.

Speaking of that same scenario, my marathon I ran a few months ago had the same ending. I saw him and I just lost it {and I wanna say Court almost did the same thing when she saw him... it's ok though, he's like her second Dad}.

... and if you were there on my wedding day, well, you probably saw it first hand.

I guess no matter how old you are, you need your Dad. His affirmation, his affection, his advice, his time... To say my Dad is very special to me is an understatement. He's always been my biggest fan, coach, and encourager. I have the self-respect and confidence that I do because of the time he has spent with me, the constructive criticism and advice he has given me, and those hugs every morning and night and I can't forget the meltdown moments. It makes me tear up to even write this because I don't know how I could be more thankful to God for blessing me with a Dad like him. I am so proud that I can call him mine, and I am beyond humbled to be his daughter.

I love you Dad, Daddio, Cool Dad, Joe!!! {and I could've named more but I wouldn't want to embarrass my sisters now would I?} :)

Drifting

No, this wasn't us... but this is the way we felt! Luckily, we have the Avalanche with us for the summer and the back of it conceals our life- in boxes.

Aaron and I drove up the western side of the country to arrive in our final destination: Tri Cities, Washington. We've been calling ourselves "Modern Day Drifters" lately because that's basically what we do... we drift.

We drove through five states: Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and then we arrived in Washington. And you better believe I recorded all of it! The drive was absolutely beautiful... all different kinds of landscapes, but mostly mountains, and a whole lot of...

... meaning the places we drove through weren't very heavily populated. It was a scenic twenty-something hour drive and I didn't get bored once!

How about I take you on a tour of all five states? That way, you can feel as if you were there, only you don't have to ride/drive in a car for hours upon hours, eat fast food for every meal, and get burnt out on every song on the radio!

Come on let's go! Drift away with me...

Arizona

Nevada

{Vegas!}

Utah

{Salt Lake City}

Idaho

Oregon

Whew! Aren't you glad you could see all of that beautiful country in the comfort of your own home? I will say, it's not as beautiful in pictures as it is in person but I did my best. If you could see past the bug guts on the window, you got a taste of some beautiful country God created. I'm not showing you Washington on purpose... Most of you are probably "land-scaped out" and you will see plenty more of it this summer.

As soon as we made it to Washington we hit the ground running and we haven't stopped. I'll be showing you our pad and the area we're living in shortly. Thanks for being a "drifter" with me today!