Mushroom Glazed Pork Chops

Oh me, earlier this week, I made this delicious dish! Have I mentioned that I love cooking? I'm still craving this now and highly recommend it.

10 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, cut into 1 inch pieces if large
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (of course, I used more)
1 t sugar
1 T plus 1 t sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper
1 T vegetable oil
4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops (each 6 oz, 1 in. thick)
1 med onion, finely chopped
1/4 c cognac (I used brandy)
1/4 c light cream (I used heavy cream--who has ever heard of light cream?!)
2 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

1. Arrange oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In jelly-roll pan, spread mushrooms in even layer. Sprinkle garlic on top. Roast on upper rack 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, juices are released, and garlic is golden brown. (I'd also recommend drizzling on some olive oil)
3. Meanwhile, in a 9-in pie plate or other shallow dish, mix sugar, 1 T vinegar, and 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper. Add pork and turn to evenly coat. There should be no excess liquid remaining.
4. Heat 12 in ovenproof skillet on medium-high. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat bottom evenly. When oil simmers and is almost smoking, add pork. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until browned, then turn pork over and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to lower oven rack.
5. Roast 7 to 10 minutes or until barely pink in center. Transfer to plate and let rest.
6. To same skillet, add onion. (also, keep in mind, unlike me, that this pan just came out of an oven at 450 degrees) Cook on medium 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add cognac and remaining 1 t vinegar and cook 30 seconds. Add mushroom mixture with any juices and reduce heat to low.
7. While stirring, add cream in slow, steady stream. Stir in 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper. When mixture bubbles, remove from heat.
8. Divide pork chops and their juices among serving plates. Spoon mushroom mixture over pork, and garnish with sage.

Enjoy! Later this week I'll be attempting Paula Deen's lemon cake and will be sure to report back on how it turned out :)

Greek food and Galveston

I had an absolute blast visiting one of my best friends, Kat and her boyfriend Drew in Galveston this weekend! I must admit after visiting the beaches of Galveston all the time in high school, I never developed much of an appreciation for the city's true charm.

We headed out for Galveston and went out for a delicious Greek dinner on Pier 21. We enjoyed delicious drinks, hummus and gyro plates (which I'm already craving again)! Then we went to the famous Tremont House for after dinner drinks. Complete with a pianist, the lobby made for a gorgeous and relaxing setting to catch up with old friends. Since life took my group of friends all over the country (literally), time to catch up is so precious and there's always a ton to share. I loved talking about the good ol' days over chocolate martinis. We had a wonderful time and hope to visit again sometime soon!

Attitude

"I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you- we are in charge of our attitudes." Chuck Swindoll

So, I dig this quote! I am making this my motto this week. I'd like to think I live by it all the time, but if I'm honest with myself, I know I fall short sometimes. This quote is so true! Attitude really is everything. Most mornings when I leave the house, I know exactly the type of day I'm going to have. I know if I'm carrying on the stresses from the day before or just a rotten attitude in general. Without fail, my day never gets any better because I've mentally decided that it's going to be a bad day from the get go. It's funny how this works every time. I never want to be one of those people who falls victim to every unfortunate event in my life. So, I'm vowing to myself to do my best to have a positive attitude and outlook on life even when little obstacles get in the way.

God does promise trials in this world and yet He also promises that He has overcome the world! And finally, when the world seems to be against me, I always take comfort in Ephesians 6.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

So, friends, no matter what you or I are facing today, I hope to stay positive and make the most of it!

2010..you've been sweet!

I absolutely cannot believe it will be 2011 tomorrow! As each new year comes to a close, I always feel it's important to look back and reflect. Not only does it remind me how much I have to be thankful for, and how things have changed, but it's an instant reminder of how great and faithful God has been, and will be in the coming year!

Our year began with a great leap of faith. We bought our first home! We searched for about 2 months and learned everything about the housing market (some of which brought me to tears). We knew we wanted an older home with character in a well-established neighborhood. As we drove up to what is now our current home, the realtor was nailing the 'For Sale' sign into the yard. We made an offer than night and moved in 2 months later. Being a homeowner teaches you a wealth of new lessons and information. We quickly learned there is a lot going on behind the scenes in a 50 year old home. We have taken on several projects including new landscaping, LOTS of painting (and more to come), furniture refinishing, new crown moulding, baseboards and wood blinds. There is nothing quite as sweet as coming home at the end of every day.

This was also a year of travels, one of my favorite things to do. Our adventures included several roadtrips to Arlington to see my brother, sis-in-law and precious niece and nephew. (we LOVE being an aunt and uncle) We also went with one of my oldest and dearest friends to Lake Travis in Austin to celebrate Easter. In May, we had a girls' trip to DC to visit Whit! It was fabulous and included lots of catch up time, great food and shopping. My family went to Florida and rented a sweet condo right on the beach. I am such a Florida girl at heart and was in paradise with the sand between my toes :)

This year also marked a big job change for me! As I looked back to my New Years post from last year, my goal was to pray a lot about the direction of my future. I mentioned not even knowing what my dream job would be, and now I know I have it! Looking back now, I am so thankful that God really gave me that opportunity to grow my faith during a trying time. I'm so blessed to have a job I love!

This year I also (shamed to admit it) attended my first Aggie game as an alum. I must admit it was very nice to be able to sit during the game. It was so homey and such a treat to be back in that stadium with all my fellow Aggies. College Station is still a magical place to visit!

Tyler and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary a little early this year and flew off to Portland, Maine on a whim. We absolutely fell in love with the area and were able to experience a real autumn. The weather was crisp and the leaves were a beautiful mix of orange, yellow and red. We really enjoyed not knowing a thing about the area until we arrived and let the locals guide the way. Great food and great fun were had. We hope to go back sometime soon!

We also celebrated our first Christmas in our new home. It was so much fun to decorate and make everything cozy. I think one of the things I love so much about Christmas is simply that it comes each year. That is so comforting to me. I love time with family, friends and just time to really enjoy the sweet things in life. I also took this time to read through Luke and really reflect on God's gift to me--his Son! This Christmas was really festive and filled my heart with warmth and love.

And finally, I am so grateful for the amazing new friendships we've made and for the time we've shared with old friends. Two of my best friends got married this year and it was such a joy getting to celebrate with them. We're also a part of an awesome home team that continues to be such a blessing in our lives and marriage.

When it's all said and done, this has been an amazing year filled with awesome friendships and experiences. I'm so grateful for this year and the people I've spent it with. Cheers to 2011, friends!

Drumroll...Tyler's DIY Gift!

This year I set out to create a meaningful, diy gift for Tyler. Tyler is always pursuing so many hobbies so giving him gifts is actually fun and allows me to get creative. As most of you may know, he has started homebrewing and has made some really great beer (my favorite is the Nut Brown Ale). He is passionate about brewing, bottling and everything beer! So, lo and behold..his gift!..

With some help I worked to design a label and logo for Ol' Rock Brewery (the name of the future Aggie hangout). I ordered some empty bottles and got these awesome crates from Anthropologie's leftover displays. After printing and labeling the bottles, they went into the crates ready for the big surprise.

The gift was a huge hit and it was so rewarding to work to create something special for the hubby! Now I have to top that idea in a few short weeks for his 26th birthday--geez!

Moral of the story: diy gifts are always worth the extra time and effort! It just takes a little energy to get creative :)

Christmas at home

Like most of you I'm sure, this has been a crazy, busy month for me! It's so comforting to come home to this at the end of the day. Tyler was a stud and hung all the lights on the outside of the house (perfectly of course). Our gifts are wrapped and under the tree of twinkling lights. Now is always the time of year I'd love for time to just slow down a bit to enjoy the wonder of this magical season!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Mulled Wine

We served this delicious drink at our Christmas party and I highly recommend it! It tastes like that classic red wine with a touch of sweet and a touch of citrus. Yum!

Mulled Wine

Ingredients:

2 bottles dry red wine

4 ounces port or brandy

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

1 large orange zested

Simply combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Do not allow mixture to boil. Heat for 20 minutes and serve in a large, heat resistant punch bowl.