Pork, the other white meat...

We love pork here in our house. Any kind of pork, ham, bacon, sausage, pork steaks, bacon, ribs, bacon. It's a pretty tasty meat and usually pretty fairly priced.

I happened to have some pork steaks that needed to be used and wanted to find something different to do with them. So to the internet I went... My search lead me to a recipe for Ranch Porkchops.

I will admit this dinner was not the most healthy of meals, and I had to run some extra miles to work it off,  but it was pretty good even our 11 year old loved it.

So here it is....

Preheat oven to 400*
Use a dark cooking sheet and cover with tin foil for easier clean up
Spray tin foil with Pam

4 Pork chops
1 Cup Ranch Dressing
1/2 Packet of Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 Cups Italian bread crumbs
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp of Seasoning salt

1. Combine Italian Seasoning, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and pepper in a bowl. (You could also use a zip lock bag.)

2. Pour ranch dressing into a bowl.

3. Coat pork chops with ranch dressing.

4. Put ranch covered pork chop into bread crumbs and cover on all sides.

5. Put on pan and cook for about 40 min.

I cooked these at a higher temperature to try to prevent the breading from being too gooey. Just keep an eye on them at this temperature.

Next time I will not put such a think coating of ranch on the meat before the breading. I think this also attributed to the breading not being crispy.

This meal was pretty tasty and got pretty decent reviews from the family. I will be making it again. If you like pork this is a recipe you may want to give a try!

Nettie <3

Oh, how I love FALL!!

So, I love everything fall. The color changes in the trees, the smell in the air, the fallen leaves, the jeans, sweaters, hoodies and boots, hats and mittens. Bon fires, hot chocolate, snuggling and sweats. But, I think one of  my most favorite things about fall are the scents. I love walking into a home and smelling cinnamon, and cloves and vanilla and everything in between.

Now, I love my house to smell this way just like many of you out there.. Candles are expensive and leave soot on the jars and generally are kind of pricey for what they are. The tarts are amazing, and only about $2.00 a piece, but they don't last as long and the money starts to add up. So my inexpensive cost effective way of making my house smell like harvest heaven??

Make your own!!! And it doesn't include wax, artificial ingredients, or a lot of time and attention! Sounds like a dream come true right??

Here is what you will need:

1 Saucepan
Cinnamon Sticks
Cloves
1 Orange, sliced

(don't stick to just this list. Be creative. Add things you like, don't include things you don't. If you like vanilla, add a few drops of vanilla extract!)

To begin:

1. Boil a pot of water

2. Once water is boiling, add a your ingredients. (I used 2 cinnamon sticks, threw in a few cloves, and four or five orange slices.

3. Reduce pot to a simmer.

4. Enjoy the magic aroma that fills your home!

Remember to keep an eye on this every so often. The water will evaporate and more will need to be added. When the pot starts getting low just add some more water. I use the same pot for about two days. Then I throw it out and start again!

The cost is only a fraction of what you spend on candles, tarts and air fresheners! Try it, I promise you won't be disappointed!

       (This is all you need!)

    (Just throw it all in)

(You can see the yummy smells rising!!)

 

Disclaimer: I realize this is not a new thing. People have been doing this for years. I am just surprised at the amount of people who do not know about it!