ugly chicken

For some reason, my adorable niece Hadley loves ugly dolls. She wont laugh or giggle at cute and kind stuffed animals, she saves these for ugly dolls. Me and my sister got these incredibly ugly trolls for Christmas one year when we were little. For some reason my mom kept these and when Hadley first laid her eyes on them she couldn't stop smiling and giggling. Well to become Hadleys favorite auntie, I made her her very own ugly chicken doll. She loved it.

tender, tender pork chops

Yum Yum Yum! Again this was a super easy recipe. So tender and delicious!

Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions
4 bone-in pork loin chops (at least 1/2-inch thick)
2-3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
1-2 yellow onions, sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the onion slices in an even layer over the bottom of the dish. Top the onion slices with the apples. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the apples and onions. Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer on top of the apples and onions. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for three hours. Do not open the oven and lift the foil – the pork chops, apples and onions need to be tightly covered the whole time to work their magic (and not dry out).

let the fun begin

My garden level
The top level for mainly trailers then a little grass area around the tree. Hopefully we can make a cute little tree swing when the mini-browers start arriving.
The main level for grass-filled fun.

Our house is on a hill, which makes our backyard one big slope. I wish I could put up a before picture to show you this, but for some reason the computer isn't downloading that one picture... Well as you can see we rented a bobcat to help us out. Kevin loved every minute of it. The night we rented it he worked on the yard until it was 1030 P.M. That night we both could barely sleep. He thinks I couldn't sleep because I was so excited to work in the yard the next morning like him, but truly I just had a cold. He woke up at 715 A.M. to start the next morning (our poor, poor neighbors). But our yard looks great and level now. It is starting to look like the sweet plan my oh-so-talented-husband designed on his computer. It is going to have three levels; the bottom level will be for my garden (yeay!), the top level will be for our trailers and snowmobiles, and the middle level will be for fun playing.
This is what I really think he wants to do with our backyard.

sleep jab

So we like to watch movies together. I mean, what married couple doesn't? Well, despite this love, I have a bad tendency to fall asleep during movies. I want to watch the movie; its just my body thinks it needs more sleep then it gets. The only way I can fix this is if I have an unlimited amount of drinks, popcorn, and candy. This makes it possible to stay awake when we watch movies at my parents house. But due to the no drinks, no candy at our house, it is physically impossible for me to stay awake. Well the other night we were watching a movie and kevin, for the first time I am pretty sure ever, fell asleep before I did! I was so surprised. I was feeling pretty proud of myself when all of a sudden kevin jabbed me in the side with his elbow. I wanted to be like WHAT THE HECK? but I gently nudged him awake and asked him what he was doing. When I told him he had jabbed me, he looked confused and then said he was starting his lawnmower and fell back asleep. I didn't know what to make of this, I just thought he was making a joke, until I asked him again the next morning. He had actually had a dream of his new lawnmower we had bought the previous day, and had started it in his dream and by doing this had accidently jabbed me. Ha, boys and their toys. Oh and don't worry, ten minutes later I fell asleep as well.

sewing

For some reason kevin thinks this is his new toy too...

With school done, I can start sewing! I got this beautiful machine from my awesome mother-in-law for my birthday. I had to keep it in the box for a few weeks so I could focus on finals. Thursday was my last final, and that night we went and bought me a table from walmart. Look at how cute the set-up is. Now I just need to remember how to sew and figure out these confusing skirt patterns....

Summer here we come

Kevins new toy

Finally done with my tests! ( I still have two assignments due on monday) So we have been able to do some yard work. We have found we actually enjoy yard work; but only when we do it together. The front yard is definitely looking better. Our next big project is the disaster of a backyard we have. It is a total junk-show right now. Hopefully soon that will change.

Stir Fry Basil Chicken

Little Plate, Big Plate
Yum this was delicious! This was way easy to make, and it smells so darn good while your making it. Because of all the sauces, I would recommend using low-sodium soy sauce. With all the sodium packed in the sauces, it can be a bit salty; but it was still way good.

Stir Fry Basic Chicken

1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it – I used 1/4 teaspoon and it perfectly warm but not too spicy)
1 yellow (or other sweet) onion, cut in half and sliced in thin half moon strips
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch fresh basil (about 1/2 cup), torn into pieces
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until fragrant (don’t let the garlic burn!). Add the sliced onions. Cook until translucent, stirring every now and then, about five minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until everything is well coated. Reduce the heat to medium low and sprinkle the tomatoes over the top of the mixture. Tear the basil by hand and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Over medium heat, let the tomatoes and basil sit, without stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir the mixture until everything is well combined and heated through.

Serve immediately over rice.