Margarita Pork Chops!

I made a dish this weekend that I haven't made in years: Margarita Pork Chops! This was a favorite back when my oldest was a toddler. He is 10 now! It is quick and easy, perfect for a busy family. Somehow this recipe got buried all these years, but I am glad to have it back in our meal rotation! I don't remember where the source is from, possibly online or a magazine.

Margarita Pork Chops
4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes

4 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick spray vegetable coating
2/3 c. water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons snipped cilantro
1 tablespoon tequila
lime slices or zest (optional)

Stir together coriander, salt and pepper. Rub spice mixture on both sides of pork. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Cook pork over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning once until done (slightly pink in the center).

Remove pork from the skillet; keep warm. Combine lime juice, cornstarch and sugar; set aside. Carefully add water and bouillon granules to skillet. (Or you can use 2/3 cup of chicken stock). Add cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 minute more. Stir in cilantro and tequilla; heat through. Serve sauce with pork. Garnish with thinly sliced lime or lime zest, if desired.

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Pumpkin Muffins and Blessings

It has been a while since I have written a post but today I tried a new recipe and just have to share it! This is a wonderful fall muffin which will be perfect on any table this Thanksgiving. The recipe can be found here.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year in hopes of documenting our year as a family. Although I haven't posted as much as I had hoped, it has been a good starting point. The quilt I talked about in my first post is almost done! I just need to finish the binding. Although I have other sewing projects lined up to be done before Christmas, I am confident the quilt will be done this winter.

With Thanksgiving on my mind, now is a great time for me to give thanks. I have many things to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for my family, the good health we have had this year, and the many blessings we have had. I give thanks for my beloved Grandmother who recently passed and the influence she had in my life. Edgar and I celebrated 10 years of marriage this year. I am grateful to him for allowing me to stay home with our boys these early years of their lives.

Although the holidays can be stressful, it is important to remember how lucky we are, give thanks to those we love, and remember to help those in need when we can. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to count your blessings!

New look for something old

When I was little, I remember asking my parents to see their toys from when they were children and I loved hearing stories about their childhoods. After a little begging, they would usually give in and let me hold what ever object it may have been. I understand now their reservation, I did break my mother's necklace that she bought in Africa as a young adult. There were Disney watches, books, an iron toy of horses and a wagon, an old chemistry set that I had A LOT of fun concocting all sort of things.  They didn't have many toys from their childhood, certainly not as many as I had. The quantity of things my children have acquired in their short lives thus far is much more than I ever had. My how times have changed! Toys now are cheaper, but they aren't built to last.
One thing my father had as a child was a metal table and 2 chairs. By the time it was handed down to me, it was pretty beat up. The brown paint was chipped, it was rusty and the canvas top was torn. I sat at this table to do my chemistry experiments in my parent's garage. Later, when my dad had a play house built for us the table and chairs resided in it. There it sat for at least 20 years unused.
Recently my parents drove from Kansas to visit me. On a whim, I asked my mom to bring the set for my boys. This summer I spent a little time fixing it up and giving it a fresh look.
Here it is!

I replaced the top with new fabric canvas, gessoed the canvas, then painted with chalkboard paint. I picked fabric with a school theme of letters and numbers and then used iron on vinyl over the fabric so clean up is easy.  I have 3 boys and they can be pretty messy at times!

I am always excited when I can recycle something old into something new and especially since it is now passed down to the next generation it makes me happy to see it shine once again! :)

This moment..........

A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, lovely moment I want to remember. Inspired by soulemama.

It's August already!!

I have missed this space and I have had an absence much longer than I expected. A few days turned into weeks, that turned into...well you get the picture. What have we been busy doing? Going to the shore, vacation in Montreal and Quebec City, summer camp for the older boys, and trying to have as much fun as we can pack in. Here are a few pictures:



Isaac and friend Scotty in Wildwood, NJ

Camp Invention

first 2 teeth lost!

A baby who is really no longer a baby

After his first haircut, no more curls! Sniff, Sniff

Benjamin is in heaven playing in the dirt! He spends hours laying in the dirt, moving the dirt, and digging with whatever he can find to dig with. I finally surrendered a small path of garden. Now it is all his and he couldn't be happier!

Benjamin LOVES trains most of all, but also enjoyed other modes of transportation this summer including a ferry, funicular, steamboat, and cable cars to name a few.

fun with Dad

It has shaped up to be a pretty great summer so far!



Summer is here..........

Longer days and more time spent outside; summer is definitely here!

Things are starting to take shape in the garden and I am excited to see what this summer will bring. The weather has been so crazy lately it is hard to tell what will happen! But these boys LOVE to be outside and growing stuff is just as much about the process of watching it grow for them as the harvest to come.