For more great recipes, visit Sandra!

San Francisco Chops

Source: Taste of Home

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork loin chops (1 inch thick)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in oil; transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker.

2. Add garlic to drippings; cook and stir for about 2 minute or until golden.

3. Stir in soy sauce, wine or broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

4. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender.

5. Remove chops. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker.

6.Return chops to slow cooker. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

7. Serve  over rice. Enjoy!

For more great recipes, visit Lorie! 

Caramel Apple Milkshakes 

Hi, Everyone! Thanks for the emails and comments while I’ve been away from the bloggy world. I appreciate all of you so much! Right now, I am blogging when the time allows and the spirit leads me to. I still plan to stop by and visit all of you to catch up on your happenings. I’m finding it’s refreshing to limit the hours of sitting in front of the computer and engaging in life outside the cyber-world.  I guess it’s all about balance - something I am still learning.  I’ve flirted with ending this venture of blogging  but chose against that because there is still so many benefits that I am still enjoying. It also is enlightening (and neat) to go back and review posts and see where I was a year ago and what was going on in our lives back then.  

Lately, I’ve found myself on a path of self discovery and re-discovery. I turned 43 this year and I realized parts of me had gotten lost in the the business and daily life of being a Mom, wife, nurse, friend.  I am still pretty much in the midst of walking this path but I wanted to share a little of who I am at this stage of my life.  The series will post under the banner of …

 Consider yourself warned and read only at your own risk - LOL!

When we honestly ask ourselves which

Person in our lives means the most to us,

We often find that it is those who,

Instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,

Have chosen rather to share our pain and

Touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.

The friend who can be silent with us

In a moment of despair or confusion,

Who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement,

Who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and

Face with us the reality of our powerlessness,

That is the friend who cares.

           by  Henri Nouwen

Many thanks to Linda for sending the Super Commenter  award to me - I really appreciate it! Linda is one of the first blog friends that I met and I am so glad we connected! Check out her blog, This and That - you’ll be glad you did!

My kids just love the Pizza Hut Book It program!  Here’s links to their Summer program and the regular fall program.They have an online sign up this year!

Summer Program: Brain Food Summer Reading Program

Fall 2008 Program: Book It Program: Pre-K     Book It Program: Grades K - 6

They also have a wonderful list of books for family reading time: check it out HERE!

We had this casserole the other night for dinner. It was good comfort food!

Tasty Tuna Casserole

Source: Adapted from Hillbilly Housewife

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry macaroni or 8 oz egg noodles
• 2 cups of any kind of veggies you like, frozen or canned (10 oz box frozen, or 16 oz can)
• 2 cups (1 jar) of Alfredo sauce (16 oz)
• 2 6oz cans of tuna, drained
• Dried bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons margarine for dotting
• 1 tablespoon of hot sauce
• 30 grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (optional)

~

1. First cook the macaroni in boiling, salted water for ten minutes. If your vegetables are frozen, add them to the boiling macaroni, the last few minutes of cooking. If they are canned, drain them well. 

2. Combine ingredients, except bread crumbs and margarine; mix together. 

3. Grease a large baking dish (9 x 12 casserole dish) and put ingredients in it. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot top with butter. 

4. Bake the casserole at 375° for about half an hour. Serve hot.

I just love Netflix!!  We received The Spiderwick Chronicles yesterday from them. The kids were so excited and they reminded me that we were waiting for a (somewhat)  ”scary” movie to have our movie and PJ party. (Don’t kids have the BEST memories??!) So they went to bed early, I set my alarm and we all got up in the dead of night (2 am) and had our Spiderwick PJ party.  Sorry, no pictures- my hair was sticking out at all angles - LOL.

The movie was great and we had a blast!  It did have some scary (but not too scary) parts. The boys are refreshed this morning and telling their friends what a ”cool” time they had.  

For other great recipes, visit Lorie at Honey I Shrank Myself.

Homemade Rasberry Sherbert

Source: Robin Miller

Ingredients:

2 cups low-fat or skim milk
2 cups frozen raspberries or 1 (10-ounce) bag, thawed (any frozen fruit will work!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 ~

In a food processor, combine milk, raspberries and vanilla extract. Process until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a shallow dish or bowl and cover with plastic. Freeze until firm.

Totals: 85 calories, 1.3 g fat and 1 fiber per serving. Making this only 2 WW points per serving. It will be less if you use skim milk!

Note: For a smoother texture, puree frozen sherbet in food processor and refreeze until firm.