Pork Chops with Cider Gravy and Roasted Fennel-Apple Salad

 

On my last post, I left a teaser for Plated and now I'm ready to show you what I was talking about. I was just ecstatic to receive our first Plated shipment last Wednesday. This food delivery service is different than others I have heard about. It's not prepackaged foods, this is affordable gourmet ingredients shipped fresh to my doorstep along with detailed recipe cards.

 

 

The smart design of this insulated box kept all the ingredients cold and fresh.

This is what my Plated shipment looked like when I unpacked everything. Meats are all sealed in airtight packaging, ingredients are grouped by recipe and everything was clearly labeled.

Soups On!

 

It's a roundup of my most favorite soup recipes. Whether you slurp it, sip it or spoon it - SOUP can be a wonderful first course or made into a meal.

 

Speaking of a one pot meals, this warm and spicy Moroccan Chicken Soup is full of veggies and flavor. Spiced with cumin, curry and paprika, the onions, celery and carrots are simmered along with shredded chicken, chickpeas and chopped zucchini. This Moroccan soup is more likely to be served as a light supper rather than as a first course. These will be leftovers the family will ask for! Reheat and serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.

Zombie

I’m a Zombie.

Have you seen the new zombie Sprint commercial? A zombie stands in front of a friendly red haired Sprint rep, screeching. The Sprint saleswoman greets him with a smile “Can I help you?” The zombie coughs and immediately starts talking like a normal human being “Excuse me, hi. Uh, I wanted to find out about the unlimited for life guarantee.” The Sprint employee replies “Sure, Sprint is guaranteeing unlimited talk, text, and data for life.”

The zombie seems pleased but has more questions “Cool, cool cool cool cool, and uh what if say technically you were not alive. Like, maybe you were, undead?” The Sprint saleswoman replies “Like a zombie.” The zombie somewhat offended, or at least pretending to be, suggests “Woooooaaahhhh, let’s not go putting labels on people.” Immediately after the zombie stops talking, his ear falls off of his head and lands on the floor. After a second the zombie confesses “… I’m a zombie.”


Watch commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDuZ69V50-0

I die. Every time I see this commercial, I can’t help but laugh.

In honor of the commercial that makes me hit PLAY on my DRV, I’m naming my Fantasy Football Team, “I’m a Zombie.”

Growing Harper

 Our little baby is growing up so fast and what a joy it is to be her mommy!

Four Months Old

 Five Months Old

 Six Months Old

 Seven Months Old



Cheater Beef Stroganoff - Crockpot Cooking

I was inspired by a pinterest recipe described as, "melt in your mouth crockpot cube steak." My interest was peaked because cube steak is a cheaper cut of beef and now that I have a littel one, crockpot cooking is helpful on days that I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

The original recipe, posted by The Jilly Bean claims to be a favorite among her family. Although her husband comments that it looks like dog food, she says that it is full of flavor. I took her recipe and made it my own. Here we go...

Harper: Two Months

You have made huge strides in your second month of life and will lock eyes and follow us as we move across the room. It may seem little, but this is a milestone for you! The best part is that you are grinning at us and I can't even put into words how that makes my heart sing. Your first social smile was on January 14, 2013. I grab your big toes and count down from 5 as I wiggle each one and then squeal when I get to your tiny pinky toes. You think it's hilarious. When I make a motor boat sound with my mouth you have this look on your face like, "What? Where is that sound coming from?" It makes me laugh every time, and I can't help but do it at least once a day.

Your Dad puffs out his cheeks and makes big eyes at you which also makes you smile. I absolutely love watching you with your Daddy!

Hamachi Shooters

Last Saturday we had some dear friends over for dinner. It's so fun to get together with Anthony and Tara because like us, they enjoy and appreciate good food and great wine. The four of us always have such a fun time together. Jim and I prepared a simple burger bar for our dinner while Anthony and Tara wowed us with an amazing appetizer of Hamachi Shooters. 

After begging for the recipe (not really), they graciously agreed to allow me to share this on HWM.