Monday Meals

I was just sitting here, knitting and enjoying the peace of having two kids taking naps when I remembered that I was supposed to post a recipe today! I didn't get to it last week, so this will be my first in a series--Monday Meals.

Now bear in mind, this is NOT what we're eating tonight. This is a meal I cooked in the last week or so that I documented with pictures. Most Mondays we either eat something simple or leftovers. (that's for those of you who only think I cook gourmet)

And now, for your enjoyment, I present.....


Roasted Pork with Blackberry Sauce

1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
1/4 cup blackberry preserves, melted and cooled
1/4 cup white wine (or apple juice)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, snipped

Place tenderloin in a ziploc bag. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour marinade over pork; seal bag. Refrigerate for 2-5 hours, turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 425. Drain pork, reserving marinade. Place meat on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan. (I cover my pan with foil--under the rack--so the drippings don't stick)
Roast for 35-45 minutes until the pork registers 155 degrees in the center.
Meanwhile, bring marinade to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Slice pork and serve with sauce.
Makes 6 servings


Here is the finished meal. I sauteed some broccolini in olive oil, garlic and salt, then drizzled with lemon juice right before serving.

We also had fresh pineapple on the side.
Now some notes on this recipe.
1. It was absolutely delish!!! We had probably a total of 3 meals off of this. Two served like this, and once we used the meat and sauce to make sandwiches. Yum! **The picture does not show all the pork. I only sliced a portion of it and stored the leftovers unsliced**

2. I used a pork loin, not a tenderloin. A loin is bigger around than a tenderloin; therefore it takes much longer to cook. At least an hour, maybe more. You can usually find pork loin cheaper, so that's why I used that. It turned out great, just needed longer to cook.

3. I didn't have white wine or apple juice, though I'm not sure why I didn't! So, I used white wine vinegar, and just a little less balsamic vinegar. This was the first time to make this recipe, so I don't know if it really changed the taste or not.

4. And last, enjoy! Let me know if you try this and like it! And I'm not offended if you don't like it. Maybe your taste buds just aren't sophisticated enough!! MMM, my mouth is watering just thinking about this meal!! Makes me excited about leftovers or whatever is for dinner tonight.

Thrifty Thursdays

This Thursday I have two "thrifty" things to show you.

1. A picture wall that I put together so that my refrigerator wouldn't be cluttered with the pictures my friends give me. The cost: FREE!

I used 3 lengths of ribbon from my stash, 3 nails, and 8 alligator clips covered with ribbon. I glued the ribbon onto these with hot glue.

Now I can't decide whether to leave it as it is, or use wall decals or a stencil to write "Friends" above it. What do you think?


2. Homemade lip balm. I was inspired by Jennifer to make this, and used this recipe here. The cost?? Hmm, Jennifer figured it to be under 10 cents a tube for the ingredients. The tubes were 25 cents each, so 35 cents?? I know I spent about $8 dollars on the almond oil, coconut oil, beeswax and tubes. I split all of these with a friend. And I have enough ingredients to make probably 100+ more tubes!

First I melted the coconut oil and beeswax in a Pyrex measuring cup. Yes, I know it's a little big, but my smaller ones were in the dishwasher.

Here's the olive oil and almond oil

The empty tubes--I love the colorful tops! My friend bought these on eBay and I shared the batch of 50 with her.

After mixing all the ingredients, I poured it into this small cup to make it easier to pour with.

The filled tubes (before they hardened):

You can't waste too much time pouring. By the time I got done and tried to top off a couple tubes, it was already hardening.

Come back next Thursday for more thrifty ideas!

Wednesday--Project Day

I worked on this flowerbed last week. I spent one afternoon weeding, and mulched it a few days later.

As we go along, you will realize that my projects seem to take awhile. This is not because I work slow, on the contrary, I work as fast as I can until Cora or Gracie needs me. That could be 5 minutes, 25 minutes or an hour. Lately it's been less than 30 minutes. So my projects go in steps. What I could've completed in 1 hour before kids now takes me 3 hours. I'm learning how to do short bursts of everything I do.
So here are my before and after pictures of the flowerbed. I still need to do the small section on the other side of the fence. I don't plan on planting anything there for now. I like the simple look of the mulch and I don't have to spend any more money on it to make it look decent!



After:

Here's the Plan:

Alright, I think I have figured out what I want to do, at least for now. This is always subject to change, of course!
On Mondays, I will share a recipe with you; one that I have tried and liked. I will try to include pictures as well. This will probably not be step-by-step, but maybe some during and after cooking.

Wednesdays will be Project Day. I will share a craft project, sewing project or a fix-it-up project that I am working on or have finished.

Thursdays, I'm going to join Jill at The Virginia House on her "Do It Cheaper" series. Not sure what I"ll call it--maybe "Thrifty Thursdays"??

Tuesdays and Fridays I'm not sure what to do with. Probably an assortment of things. Random pictures and thoughts (or ramblings), maybe Weldon will share some of his thoughts.

Anyways, that's what I'm going to start with, and modify and add to it as time goes by. I am still open for suggestions, thoughts, or questions!

Spring Is Here!!

Well, not officially, but it sure feels like it. It's a beautiful sunny day, 65 degrees, and I can see buds popping out on trees. The previous owners of our house planted tons of bulbs, so I'm seeing tulips, daffodils, gladiolas, and crocus popping out of the ground!
Since it was so pretty today, we went for a walk before lunch. I put on my sunbonnet, threw a basket over my arm, and we walked down the road to the general store. (sometimes, I wish!!)
In reality, we put on our tennis shoes, plopped the kids in strollers, and walked to the dirty convenience store on the corner for some snacks and drinks. See, doesn't the first sound so much better?? Passing horses and wagons instead of cars and school buses?? Sometimes I wish we lived a hundred and fifty years ago. And sometimes I'm really grateful for modern conveniences!
Oh, well, we have to make the best out of what we have and don't have. And that's what I want to do with this blog--show you how we live our lives and make the best of it! We do have a fun life, and I want to share it!!

Changes are coming

Ok, I'm not totally sure what I want to do with this blog, but I do know that I want to post more frequently, and hopefully gain more traffic and followers.
What I would like to do is post something everyday, and maybe have a theme that I follow each week, i.e. Recipes on Mondays, Frugality Tips on Tuesdays, etc., etc. I'm not sure exactly how I'll go about it, so if you have any ideas, please leave me a comment!
I will still share pictures and stories of our family and our girls. My husband will probably post on here, as well.
You may also see a new page design here. I haven't found one that just stands out yet, but I'm working on it.
Anyway, just wanted everyone to be aware that this blog will be changing--hopefully for the better!

A Giveaway

Here is a fun giveaway from 'Frugal Family Fun'....she's giving away a gift card to Lisa Leonard Designs! Here is the link to enter: giveaway

What would I choose?? I think I would have to forego the beautiful necklaces, and get each of my girls a personalized spoon!! They are so cute!

Have fun, everyone!

See these lovelies?? They are the most delectable ooey gooey bits of chocolatey goodness you will ever eat. Well, maybe not quite, but they are incredible!!
They are homemade Twix Bars, and the recipe is here. They don't taste exactly like a Twix, but they are still so yummy! I had to force myself to freeze half the pan so I wouldn't eat them all in one week. Mmm, I just finished licking my fingers and lips!!