Italian Style Pork Chops

I have a very yummy (and super easy) recipe to share with you today!  And if you make it with gluten-free noodles, it's naturally gluten free! A sweet friend of mine gave me this recipe for my wedding shower. (18 years ago!)  We've adapted to fit our tastes.  It's a keeper!  And perfect for weeknight busyness!

So here you go!  Italian Style Pork Chops

















I always double this recipe for my hungry family.  So it works that way, too! 
Lightly sear about 4-6 Pork Chops (Bone-in or Boneless will be fine) in about 1 teaspoon of oil in a very hot skillet.  They don't need to cook all the way.

Then, put the Pork Chops in a casserole dish.

  Finely chop 1 onion (I like red, but you could use any kind)  I have found that by peeling and quartering my onions, then putting them in the food processor for a whirl saves a lot of time and tears.  It's so much easier!  Plus, it gets the onions really tiny like my sweet hubby likes them.

Using the same skillet that you seared the Pork Chops in, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the onions.  Cook for about 5 minutes being sure to scrape the bottom to get all the Pork Chop tidbit goodness! 
Then, add 2 cloves of garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Then, add 2 cans of 8 oz. tomato sauce,  2 Tablespoons of Apple-Cider vinegar and 4 teaspoons of sugar.

In a mug, microwave 1/2 cup of water and 1 Chicken Boullion cube for about one minute.  Mix well, then add to the simmering tomato mixture.

Add 2 teaspoons of fresh parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes are up, pour the sauce over the Pork Chops and put in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve over some fun noodles and Voila!  A quick, yummy meal all ready to go for your family!



Today I'm linking up with The Modest Mom blog!

A New Tub

Patrick came home with another new surprise for us (or should I say for our 3 little ones) ...

 A new bathtub!  Actually it was for Micah, but Callie and Silas (seperately obviously) have squeezed in there for a bubble bath, too!  They all love it!

 Which is perfect, because they've spent a lot of timely lately out here:  our very own sandbox!

 The weather is staying (how should I say it?) tolerable?  We have had some cooler, breezy nights, but some pretty warm days, too.  You can tell summer is on its way!   So, my sweet babies have been loving their time in the sandbox and coming inside with cute little farmer tans.  Love it!

He's a Porcupine, Momma!

This week Patrick and Josh have been working on making new Songbooks for Sundays.  We want to add some new hymns, as well as keep the older ones we've been learning.  As they were working, Silas came up with a great idea...

 He told me that he was going to make Josh into a Porcupine!  I love it!  Work and Play always mixes good, doesn't it?

Busy Living Life

This month my life has been on fast forward.  We've had some fun, stayed busy, and by bedtime we are tired.  What have we been doing?  We've been busy living life.  And God has been so good to us!

A Disadvantage

I guess my Callie has acclimated pretty well to the French culture.  There are some disadvantages to that though.  Like this:

 As I was loading groceries and hadn't buckled in my Callie yet, I noticed she was pretty quiet.   I wonder why?  She was eating our bread!  She loves the soft inside and she loves to have some fresh bread on the way home from the store!

 The advantages?  I love shopping with my little girl!  She loves to hop up every step.  Then hop down. She loves to talk about all the pretty sights and foods.  She smiles at me as we wait in line at the Post Office.  She usually holds my hand pretty well.  If she lets go then I know she has found a spot that she thinks would be fun to hide in. Then, she practices her french in the car ride. She giggles.  A lot!  She loves to have the window down and the wind blowing her hair.  And she loves to help me pick out vegetables and carry the cheese around the store for  me.  Today she picked out to have Orange juice.  In my mind I wondered if she was really meaning the color of juice and not the fruit.  Orange is what we bought!

 So now I need to figure out what to do with those crusts of bread.  Chickens maybe? :o)

The way to a woman's heart

 I know they say that the way to man's heart is through his stomach.  But, I think it works for women, too!  My dear husband showed me he loved me this week.  How?

#1  I was cooking in the kitchen and Patrick came home and put these in the window.  He knows me well!  I LOVE Cheetos!!  You can't always find them at the store, so they are a treat for sure!  I had never had the Jalepeno flavor.  They were great!

 #2  Patrick had to run another errand and came home with these amazing goodies from the bakery!  We love Pain au Chocolat!!

I feel so loved!  (and feel like I need to go on a diet! :o)

For Christmas this year, Denise sent money for Me, Patrick and our three oldest children to be able to go out to eat.  What a treat!  That doesn't happen very often here in St. Barths!  We had so much fun discussing where to go and taking a vote.  We did our research!  We finally decided to go to Chez Eddys.  Patrick and I went there last year and loved it and kept saying how much our kids would love it, too!

 So, last Monday was the night!  First stop, Mariane and Georges house.  They so sweetly offered to watch Silas, Callie, and Micah.  S, C and M had fun playing CandyLand, eating lots of goodies and just having a great time with Mariane and Georges!

 Our dinner was wonderful.  The restaurant opened at 7pm and we were one of the firsts there.  We ordered an appetizer of Fish Fritters that was soooo amazing!  There were 9 of them.  I was thankful there wasn't a fist fight for the 4 extra, they were that good!  (Patrick and I split one, and JEB each got a second)  (What good parents we are! :o)
After having some bread and Coke they brought our food.  The menu is pretty limited, but it was not your ordinary Steak/Baked Potato type of place.  It was so fun!

Here's what we ordered:
Patrick: Filet of Beef with a Peppercorn sauce
Joshua and Brenna: Coconut Curry Shrimp
Kami: Chinese Noodles with Beef and Shrimp
Elisabeth: Curry Chicken

Everyone's meals (except mine) came with a sweet potato type dish, white rice, plantains, and mixed veggies.  Everything was so delicious!

Afterward we went and walked around the harbor of Gustavia.  It was such a windy night that I actually wished I had a sweater.  That's never happened here!

What a fun memory!  Thanks so much, Denise! We loved it!

"Candy Rocks" Family Fun Night

We had a great time for last Friday's Family Fun Night!  During our dinner (Taco Soup with all the yummy toppings!) I started with my "story" 

 "Have you heard that there is an asteroid that is passing very close to earth?"

  I heard an "Oh really?" between bites of soupy-goodness. 

 "Yes, it's passing so close that some of the rocks are falling off of it and it can be quite dangerous as the rocks hit the earth!"   

Then, followed by some more enthusiastic and maybe slightly worried "Oh-really"s

and a funny look from my husband.

"I think I even heard some hitting our yard today!  Maybe we should look for them after dinner!"

 So off we headed to the yard in search for asteroid rocks. We found a Callie-Size Rock

 A Silas-Size Rock

And a bigger rock for the rest of us to share.

 Callie and Silas were first to open their rocks and feasted on the candy and bubble gum they found inside.

For the rest of us we made it into a little game.  Sitting in a circle one person is chosen to begin unwrapping the rock.  Any candy that falls out, they keep. Meanwhile, the person to their left is furiously rolling 2 dice trying to get doubles.  When they roll doubles, the rock is passed to them to unwrap while the next person tries to roll doubles.  Round and round the rock goes.  Such fun!

Here's how I made our Candy Rocks:

I picked up from the store individually wrapped candy.  The more the merrier!  Then, I wrapped the grand prize (for us it was a Twix bar) in the middle in aluminum foil.

  Then, using plastic wrap, I began wrapping it around the foil Twix bar, adding gum and chocolate along the way.  Then, I switched back to aluminum foil, working loosely so the "rock" would get big.

And here's our 3 "Candy Rocks"  We had so much fun!

Happy 10 Months Micah!

 My Micah is now 10 months old!  Can you tell how much he's grown this month?  He's become our little piggy and loves just about everything we feed him.  He now eats from my plate for about 1/2 of his meals.  He still loves his cereal so he has that regularly.  He sleeps very well at night and likes to be in bed around 7:30 or 8.  But, he's also an early riser.  5:30am works for him.  Oh boy!

 Patrick was so proud this week when he stood all by himself without holding onto anything.  So, when Sunday came, he was excited to show the ladies how Micah could stand.  But, Micah went above and beyond and decided to take his first step!  I wish you could have heard us clapping and cheering for him!  

He also likes to sing with us and it is so cute the face he makes!  He says Da-da, Uh-oh....and that's about it.  Hhhmm, whatever happened to Ma-ma?

Oh my Micah Roo, you're growing too fast for this Momma who wants to cherish you being a baby!  I love your smile, hearing your laugh, and all the ways I get to take care of you.  You are a complete joy and I'm so thankful God has let me be your Momma.  I pray for you everyday that you will know the joy of knowing heaven is your home.  I love you!