Sunday Night Dinner

Well, the first two weeks of college football are behind us! I am proud to say that our Texas Tech Red Raiders are 2-0! Our first tailgate was last weekend which was lots of fun. Pretty low-key.

A cool front moved in this weekend, and the high yesterday was only 78. Beautiful! That made me think about how much I love fall/winter food. Now, I do love grilling in the summer. There is just something about smoky/nutty fall flavors that I find delicious.

This is a recipe my mom made originally. I've tweaked it just a smidge to work with crock pots nowadays. I've found the instructions in the recipe don't accommodate the advances in crock pot technology. This is a true "slow cooker" recipe. Not a fix it and forget it. You have to do some stove-top cooking prior to putting it in the crock pot.

But...it is totally worth it! The stuffing turns into a nutty, crunchy, and spicy masterpiece. I could eat just the stuffing for a whole meal. No joke.

This was a perfect opportunity to use some of our jalapenos from our container garden. Look at this beautiful pepper!

Pork Chops with Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing
(Adapted from 365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes & More)

6 boneless pork chops
4-6 c. cornbread stuffing (packaged)
2 c. chicken broth (+extra as needed)
3/4 c. onion - chopped
3/4 c. celery - chopped
1/2 c. pecans - chopped
1 jalapeno - chopped (more or less to taste)
thyme
sage
salt/pepper
1 egg - lightly beaten

1) Sear pork chops in large pan just until sides are browned. Set aside. They will be raw in the middle. No eating!
2) Saute onions, celery, pecans, jalapeno, and spices until soft.
3) Combine stuffing, veggie mix, and chicken broth in pan and stir until combined. Don't over-mix as this will make mushy stuffing. Add the egg and combine.
4) Spray slow-cooker with non-stick spray (or olive oil spray). Put stuffing in bottom of slow cooker and arrange the pork chops atop the stuffing. Cook on low 5 hours, stirring stuffing after 3 hours. You want the edges to get some crispy parts, but you want this to be throughout so stirring once will ensure even cooking.

Sky, Sky, Sky

There is nothing like the W.Tex sky. On our way home from our trip to Iowa we were, again, reminded of how big and beautiful the sky is. There's nothing quite like red dirt and a stormy sky.

Just thought I'd share a few pictures we shot just as we re-entered W.Tex.

PS-This one is my favorite!

Baja Shrimp Taco Cups

I love tweaking recipes to make something delicious. We love making chicken baja tacos, especially during the summer. It's nice to have a light dinner option when its over 100* in W.Tex.

This "recipe" is less of a recipe and more of a method. The infamous wonton taco cups on that P-website can be modified as much as you want.

You can find some fabulous instructions for wonton taco cups here and here. We used the same methodology but added some cilantro lime rice at the bottom, chili-lime shrimp, feta cheese, and our garlicky-sour cream sauce topped with more cilantro. Add a little side of cilantro-lime rice, and you've got a great light summer meal.

We make our cilantro-lime rice from this recipe. It turns out fabulous each and every time. Yum!

Yummy Food and Yummy Weather

It has been a beautiful couple of days here in W.Tex. 72* with a slight breeze...perfect for sitting out on the patio! We've been working on installing a drip irrigation system for our potted plants, so we've taken advantage of the weather as far as getting that all set.

With the beautiful weather has come a great week of harvest for our container garden.

We've had a ton of okra as well as quite a few jalapenos. We've used our bounty in a number of dishes including some crunch jalapenos in taco cups. Of course, we have to make homemade fried okra. 'Cuz that's what you do when you have fresh okra!

Fried okra (and the fritters below) are great frozen and reheated in the oven at a later date. This makes for really easy meals later in the week, and you get to use all the okra you don't want to eat right away. However, as great as homemade fried okra is...we needed a change! I found this amazing recipe from pinterest here for okra fritters with grilled corn and goat cheese.

You must go print that recipe and make it ASAP. These fritters were uh-mazing. Seriously. Smoky grilled corn, fresh okra, and tangy goat cheese all melted together is about as close to heaven as food gets. Pretty sure.

We're totally going to try modifying the recipe next time. We may try these with a sharp cheddar and add in some jalapenos (from the garden)!

Getting Ready for Fall Football!

I think this poster on Pinterest pretty much sums up the football season. Of course, I love my husband more than anything. College football Saturdays are pretty fun, though. Love seeing lots of people and enjoying food, fellowship, and football.

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In preparation for football season I put together this awesome wreath!

To make this wreath, I used the tutorial for a red burlap wreath found here. The only modification was that I didn't cut the ends of my squares and instead used a technique for folding more like the book page wreath tutorials out there. I also left some of the stray "hairs" from the burlap on. I like the rugged look.

For the letters, I painted the edges white and the tops got a coat of black and a coat of glitter black paint. For those of you who watch Texas Tech football, you know the famous helmets - I call them "black sparkle helmets." These letters are "black sparkle helmet" inspired.

Perhaps I'll make another similar one soon and take some better pictures as I go. For now, Enjoy these few pictures with my awesome camera!

Summer Break and Back to Blogging

Whew! Again...didn't mean to take that break from blogging. Oops!

This summer has been quite eventful for us. We've had some uplifting moments and some heartbreaking ones.

May: Travis and I traveled to my Dad's hometown of Ozark to visit with family. It was wonderful to visit with family, and we got to watch my beautiful cousin graduate from the University of Arkansas!

June: My family gathered to remember my beloved grandfather after he passed away. This was a difficult time for us. We are so glad to know that this is only temporary, and we will meet him again.

July: Travis and I traveled to his parents' hometown of Centerville, Iowa to visit with family. This was my first trip, and I was treated to my first official pork tenderloin and the rows and rows of Iowa corn.

August: (Well, end of July) I turned 26 (gasp) at the end of July, and I've decided I'm gonna hang out at this age for a while. My present was a new camera! A fancy one! I was so happy to get my new Sony NEX-5. Travis actually has this camera for work, but I wanted one for my hobby photography. I get to take beautiful pictures like this one without worrying how they'll turn out on a point-and-shoot!
(Find the original post for the succulent garden here)

 I think the roller coaster of emotions kinda kept me from wanting to create. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful support system! I'm now back in the mood...so get ready!

Spring Bunny Baby Shower Part 4: Wishing Tree for Baby

I love Spring. Only slightly more than Winter. There is absolutely nothing like a cool Spring night. I also love all the new growth. I also own zero Spring decorations. I have enough Christmas decor for three houses. Go figure.

Thankfully, one of my wonderful co-workers offered to host the shower at her lovely home. She has Spring decorations. Beautiful ones at that. In fact, she made a super cute rag wreath for her front door just this year. Anyway, add some fun touches with a beautiful home and you end up with a beautiful shower.

I just love this wishing tree for Baby W. My co-worker had a "less-than-living" tree in her front yard that she "borrowed" a branch from. Add in some silvery spray paint, rocks, and a cute vase...voila!

The instruction card is worded like this: "Please take a moment to write a wish for Baby W... on the back of one of these birdies. Then, place the birdie on the tree for A... and A... to read now and Baby to read later."

The wishing birdies were cut with a Silhouette in some cute pink paper. They were too cute!
PS- I love those bunnies with the tulips. Too cute!!