Hello! It is a beautiful day here. It isn’t too hot or too chilly…………….just right! Goldilocks would approve!
I have some stuff, as usual, to share with you. I hope you find something useful and interesting in this post.
In the kitchen…………
Baked Pork Chops
I had some boneless, center cut chops I wanted to prepare. They turned out great! They were moist and very flavorful. The bonus is that they were super easy to make.
- 4 boneless pork chops
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil for easy clean up. On a plate combine the garlic powder, black pepper, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Rub the pork chops with the olive oil. Then coat both sides of the chops with the mixture you made on the plate. Place on the foil and bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Pork is done when it has an internal temperature of 145 degrees according to the USDA.
As a side note, I absolutely love my digital meat thermometer! They are reasonably priced and so useful! I am not sure what I did before I had one.
Fruit Cocktail Cake
When I was a child I loved fruit cocktail. However, as an adult, I’m not that thrilled by it. Somehow I ended up with a couple of random cans and I am never one to throw out anything or just let it expire. I hunted around and found this recipe. I don’t know who to give credit to for the recipe.
It actually turned out great! The cake was very moist, had a little crunchy layer on top and was easy to make. It wasn’t too sweet either. I think you would like it.
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans of fruit cocktail (drained)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the sugar and the eggs together. Mix the dry ingredients together (except the nuts and brown sugar) and add them to the sugar and egg mixture. Add the fruit cocktail and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased 9″ X 13″ pan. Mix the nuts and brown sugar together and sprinkle on the cake. Bake for 45 minutes.
Peanut Butter Cheerio Marshmallow Treats
*from the blog Just A Taste
I thought I would try something other than Rice Krispies. I found a recipe with peanut butter and chocolate. As my brother, Doug, would say, there’s nothing wrong with peanut butter and chocolate together! He says it with some deep love and some exuberance!
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (10-oz.) package marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 cups Cheerios cereal
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Using either the microwave and a large enough bowl for your ingredients or the stove top with a large enough pan for all ingredients, melt the butter and then add the marshmallows to melt. If using the microwave stop every 30 seconds to stir and check progress. Once both are melted and combined add the vanilla and then the peanut butter. Once that is incorporated add your Cheerios and stir to coat all the cereal. Spread into a 9″ X 13″ greased pan. Melt the chocolate chips and then spatter, (or drizzle, pipe, or whatever technique you want to use) the melted chocolate on top of the treats. Allow to set.
* I used salted butter. No harm, no foul! I never have unsalted butter on hand and I am not purchasing a whole pound of it to use a few tablespoons. These were YUMMY!
Projects
I wanted to give you an update on my vintage metal picnic baskets turned flower boxes. I added some petunias and I am much happier with them now!
I have been gradually decorating the house for Summer. One of the areas I have tackled is my table. I bought some cute “nautical” type place-mats at The Christmas Tree Shoppe. You know they weren’t expensive coming from there. I believe I paid $1.99. I liked them but they needed some dressing up. I decided I wanted some cloth napkins and rings to put on them. I bought 4 fat quarters at Walmart for $1.97 each in a color and design I thought would go with the place-mats. I cut squares out of each quarter (not wasting hardly any material) and washed them. The edges frayed a little and I frayed them a little more. Over time I would like each napkin to have a frayed edge of about a quarter-inch. I love the vintage tablecloths and napkins that are done in this style. As a matter of fact, I collect them! For the “napkin rings” I used some jute that I had to tie up the napkins. Then I folded the napkins accordion style and then in half. The look is nice and I am pleased.
Tips and Tricks
- I bought a ricer because I have seen them used on cooking shows and I wanted to try it. It is not that expensive and I ordered mine from Amazon. See the link below. https://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Stainless-Interchangeable-Fineness-Discs-Full/dp/B00V8QXNEA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1529179821&sr=8-4&keywords=ricer
I have to say that I used it to make mashed potatoes and they were absolutely heavenly! I am anxious to use it again and I would highly recommend the investment.
- I am quite often annoyed when I boil eggs, particularly when I do so for deviled eggs. Sometimes they come out so easy to peel and sometimes they are not! My latest quest was to find a method that is successful most of the time. My first attempt was using the following method.
Place the eggs in a saucepan.
Cover the eggs with lukewarm water.
Add in vinegar and pinch salt.
Bring to a full boil over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes (start timing after the water reaches a full boil).
Remove from heat cover with a tight lid.
Allow the eggs to stand for 11 minutes.
The results were not good and I followed the directions exactly! I will forge on to the next method. If anyone has a surefire way please leave a comment and let me know!
- I don’t know if many people use bobby pins any more. I have some kicking around here and I did some research on creative ways to use them. You can use them to zip or unzip a zipper that has lost its tab by inserting the pin into the eye of the slider. You can also put a bobby pin at the bottom of a tube of toothpaste and slide it up as you use the toothpaste. Waste not, want not! You are assured of getting as much as you possibly can out of the tube. Lastly and this is my personal favorite, you can put a bobby pin at the loose end of a roll of tape and never struggle to find the end again!
- Recently, my daughter, Sara, and I have been on a “clean out the clutter” campaign. We have donated, thrown out and sold a lot of stuff! It is very freeing!
Anyway, one of the items of her’s that we tried to sell was a stack of DVDs. We tried our favorite Facebook selling page at a super cheap price and no bites. I remembered something about online sites that would buy used electronics, games, tablets, and movies and with very little effort found Decluttr (that is not a spelling error) and Second Spin.
Out of the two sites I prefer Decluttr because they allow you to print a shipping label at their expense. Second Spin has you pay for the postage and then be reimbursed at a media mail rate. Decluttr, I found, took less DVDs but paid better. I first submitted the upc code on Decluttr and if they weren’t taking that movie then I tried Second Spin.
Both sites give you money through your Paypal when they receive and process the box. I sent the Decluttr shipment through UPS which is the label they provided and with Second Spin I used USPS and told them it was a media shipment. There were about 50 movies in the box and it cost $8.27 to mail them as media mail.
There was a little effort involved but it wasn’t horrible. Both sites were easy to use but due to Decluttr supplying the shipping label that is my favorite. I have placed the links below for you to check them out.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Daddy’s out there! Be sure to leave a comment or share a trick or tip with all of us. See you soon!
