We have smoked pork chops on the Traeger a few times and they cook beautifully, but I decided to spice it up a bit and try something new. On Sunday, I made a delicious recipe that I adapted from Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Lady. My mom loves the Pioneer Lady! She is the one that got me watching her show and reading her blog. The first recipe I tried of hers was her Best Lasagna Ever recipe. If you want to make some killer lasagna, check that recipe out. It will change your life.
The recipe was for Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice. Alex and I are trying to eat healthier, so I decided to use quinoa instead of rice. I added some mushrooms and grabbed a bag of mixed veggies because I like my fried rice packed with lots of colorful veggies. The fried quinoa was delicious and I look forward to making that again. I feel like the pork chops turned out good, but they did not brown up like hers did on her blog. The Pioneer Lady had a good cast iron skilled to get those pork chops nice and golden brown. (She also has a pretty sweet KitchenAid Mixer that I would love to get my hands on…as well as my mother! In fact, she has requested a brown one for Christmas!)
Pork Chops and Fried Quinoa with Grilled Pineapple
Cut pineapple into spears. Place whole spears on the grill, turning occasionally. Prepare 1 cup quinoa by following directions on packaging. Put pork chops in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. After 5 minutes, add 1/2 of the diced onion and 2 cloves minced garlic. Keep turning until pork chops are cooked all the way through. Once pork is about finished, add a splash of soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and Sriracha and cook for a few minutes. Move chops and sauce to a glass dish and put in a warm oven until ready to serve. In the pan, toss in the rest of the minced garlic, the other half of chopped onion, and some olive oil. Crack 3 eggs into the pan and scramble. Add frozen veggies, drained pimentos, and mushrooms. Cook until veggies are cooked all the way through. Add the drained quinoa once it is done cooking. Add more soy sauce to taste and throw on chopped green onions after plating the quinoa and pork chops with sauce drizzled on top. Slice the grilled pineapple and use as a tasty garnish!
I have been trying to master a good broccoli cheese soup and have enjoyed testing out the different varieties! I have used cauliflower and carrots in my last few attempts and I would have, but broccoli is all that was in the fridge. I love packing my soups full of yummy veggies, so next time I might add those to the pot as well! This was by far my best attempt. I always like what the soups taste like but this one was really good! I kept thinking they were not cheesy enough, so the last time I was at Hyvee, I grabbed a can of Campbell’s cheddar soup, and I really think that it made a difference. I was not even in the mood to cook tonight, as I came gone from work exhausted. I am sure glad I decided to cook because it totally hit the spot! I hope you enjoy!
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1 can Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup
1 dash nutmeg
1/3 c flour
1 stick butter
1 diced red onion
4 heads broccoli chopped in florets
2 cups shredded Colby Monterey cheese
Instructions:
Start a pot of boiling water. In a separate pot, melt the stick of butter while you dice up the onion. While the butter and onions are sautéing, chop the rinsed broccoli into florets and toss them in the pot of boiling water. Put a lid on the broccoli and give it a good steam for about 15-20 minutes. Add the flour to the onions and stir well. Let it cook up for a minute or so. Add 3 cups of milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the pot of onions and bring to a boil. After the soup starts to boil, transfer the steamed broccoli to the soup mixture and cover. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes on low while stirring occasionally. Add the Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup to the mixture as well as the shredded cheese. After cheese is melted, stir well and enjoy!
I can’t believe its November! The kids were out of school today, and we had Professional Development instead. (Thank you Turner!! School the day after Halloween is exhausting!) I enjoy our Instructional Fairs that my district puts on because they give us a huge lists of courses and we get to attend 3 of them. It is fun to get to be the students for a day, especially since they have so many good presentations to attend. I have taken past courses like Teaching with Love and Logic, Guided Math, Kagan Strategies,etc.
They are always interesting, but I went to a session by MK Mueller today called Feel Good and Stay Positivethat was really good. While debating on what I wanted to sign up for, I came across this listing and was intrigued. Teaching can be a very stressful job, so I figured it could be motivational. I have also had a hard time staying positive about certain things in my life that I cannot change. I must admit, I had no idea how much I was going to get from the lesson. I feel like I walked away with a lot.
Feel Good And Stay Positive was my first session and I was still waking up as I sipped on my pumpkin spice coffee. The entire district attends this fair, so it is fun to see what teachers from other grade levels and schools are there. I was still not sure what exactly the session was going to be like. The lady had my attention as she started playing music before the session got started! I do the same in my classroom in the mornings. It is the absolute best way to start your day.
MK Mueller talked about so many wonderful things in the session and I even registered to see her speak in a few weeks for a workshop on her book 8 to Great. I may have even convinced Alex to go! (I promise you will love it!) She had my attention the entire session. I heard other people talking about it after as well, so I am happy they brought her in. I even got a book for volunteering! I am really excited to read it! I loved listening to her speak and I am eager for more. She talked about the importance of choosing thoughts that make us feel good. She then gave us some homework to start telling someone 3 things that we are grateful for. Once you say one, you cannot say it again. She said that it has changed her life.
This homework assignment has really got my brain turning. I have been really wanting to start my blog going on a more regular basis. Some people like to share one thing they are thankful for each day since November is a month of thanks. I have been wanting to start working on my blog more, so I am going to set a goal to post my 3 things on here. Keep checking back to see how well I am doing keeping track.
November 1st
November 2nd
November 3rd
November 4th
November 5th
November 6th
November 7th
November 8th
November 9th
November 10th
November 11th
November 12th
November 13th
November 14th
November 15th
This is a video of my Friday night…She is such a ham! #makesmewantone
I am grateful for some qt with my friend Amber’s daughter Ava. We played with the pups and painted our tootsies! It was a lot of fun until someone got sick 🙁 I got a good dose of motherhood and we made it through until mommy and daddy came home.
I have been debating on what I wanted to put above our fireplace for awhile now. I knew the exact picture I wanted to put above the fireplace, but I could not decide how to hang it. I could not decide whether I wanted to frame it, or try a DIY canvas wrapped picture. Frames are so outrageous. The one I liked was from Hobby Lobby and it was $59.99. I would NEVER spend that much on a frame, unless it was marked 50% off. Of course $30 seems like a lot to me too, so I really thought a frame from a thrift shop as a Pinterest project would be more fun. It is also easier on the wallet and I love me a good Pinterest project!! I have meant to be hitting up the thrift stores lately, but things have been super crazy, so when I went to find Alex’s Beetlejuice costume for Halloween, I decided to browse the goods and see what I would find. The last few times I have looked for a frame, the have been over $15 and I need a better deal than that. While I was scanning the merchandise…