Spring Slump

The warmer weather & sunshine I have been craving have returned. And all I can think about doing is shaking my house upside down and majorly purging my belongings! Plus, my allergies are kicking my butt this season..I usually don't get more than a day visit from them. So it's been slow around our house! No fun projects, no fun new recipes...I did however find a soft sugar cookie recipe I want to bake for Easter. I purchased an egg shaped baking pan (picture the Reese's egg candy size) that I am anxious to test out. And then hopefully one of these next few weekends will include a garage sale! 

So yay for spring & our avocado tree is dripping with avocados--finally!

Garlicky BBQ Pork Chops

Decided to give pork chops a go a few days back and I got the nod of approval at the dinner table, so figured I would pass this one along. Gather up granulated garlic, ground mustard, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and BBQ sauce. Oh and some pork tenderloin!  The first three ingredients were combined and used as  rub on each piece of pork. I started off the cooking with a dash of oil and a healthy amount of Worcestershire sauce in the pan. And then I started to be nervous about having the meat stick to the pan (even though I used a non-stick pan--I've done it before!). So I added BBQ sauce and water to the mix. The extra moisture (plus keeping the pan covered) saved me from drying the meat out as well. Sweet bonus.

I also usually make a sacrafice cut on one piece just to make sure they're cooked thoroughly. Para-noid. I could and should use a meat thermometer but I just cut the one I plan to eat so theres no chance of complaint! These took about 7-8 per side over medium heat to be pink center free. And yes I went carb heavy on this meal--baked potato & garlic toast. Yum-O!

Ins & Outs

It's been a whirlwind few weeks! I've enjoyed my travels, but I am happy to be home again. There is certainly a lot to catch  up on around here, including laundry! I spent a few nights with my cousin Danielle & her family as they eased into becoming a family of 4, a trip to Disneyland and flying out to Florida. 

Rock painting & foot-printing with Danielle's little men!

Finally visited California Adventure, loved every inch of it!

Lots of sight-seeing and wildlife in beautiful Florida (manatess, dolphins, sadly no gators). We managed to sandwhich our trip right in between the rain storms too. Whoopie!

And now I'm loving home, sweet home!