Friday, June 22, 2012

Garlic and Thyme Seared/Smashed Potatoes, Pork chops and Kale OH MY!!!!

It was a typical wednesday evening in the rainy region of west central florida, And I was in the mood to create something different for dinner, but didnt want to go out in the rain to the store. So I rummaged around in the fridge and this is what I came up with!!! You will be thanking me for this recipe later I promise!!!

Shopping list:

6-8 Yukon gold potatoes
6-8 large cloves of garlic
6-8 TBSP EVOO ( Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
3-5 Fresh thyme Sprigs
2 large Pork chops ( butterflied)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder
3 large handfulls fresh Kale
Fresh (wet) Mozarella
1 cup water
1/4 red onion thinly sliced

1. Wash an pat dry Pork chops, Place on a paper towel season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika  to taste let rest. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash and cut Potatoes in wedges and steam for about 15 minutes or until tender

3. While Potatoes are steaming, in a shallow saute pan add 2 tbsp EVOO,  2 cloves garlic ( minced), 1 cup water, onion and kale saute uncovered until little or not water is left in the pan, remove and drain kale mixture. return pan to stove and turn to low

4. Lay 2 slices fresh mozarella and a handful of Kale mixture on one side of Pork chop and fold the other side over and secure with toothpicks



5.  Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes depending on thickness

6. Add remainder of Olive oil and Garlic to sautee pan. Drain potatoes and add to saute pan, Sprinkle with fresh thyme and turn to medium high heat for 5-10 minutes until garlic is lightly browned. remove from heat transfer to a large bowl and with the back of a fork mash potatoe wedges until slightly creamed.



7. Plate, Serve and ENJOY!!!!!

8. Thank me later!!!! :D

~Opal



Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Summer Fun with School year discipline!!!!

Its that time again!!!! The kids are throwing their books in their room and reaching for the remote and video games!!!! NOT in this house!!! ( Well not if Mom gets her way that is) Ive developed a few things through summers past that have helped keep the kids in the swing of things for the approaching school year while they have their summer fun AND It Helps keep me in the Sane rather than Shiny Pink Straight jacket category!!! The first summer I was a SAHM was, ummm how do i put this......Challenging to say the least. DH came home from work to find me drooling in a corner rocking back and forth chanting "MOMMY SAID NO" loudly....On more than one occasion LOL J/K!!!!! Although I felt like this most days!!! So I made a pact with my sanity that I would be more organized over the summers from there forward..... So Here is what I do during the summers!!!!

CHARTS!!!!! Lots and Lots of Poster Board and Sharpies lol!!!

My kids work on a Reward system really well. So, We make charts so they can see how GOOD or BAD they are doing!!!!

Chores
1st chart we do is our Chore Chart, At ages 5 and 7 its time that these little ladies learn to be responsible when it comes to their space and belongings. All of their "chores" are age appropriate I believe and teach them about responsibility and cleanliness.

Little A's (5 yrs old) chart includes making sure her dirty clothes make it in her hamper when she takes them off, that her toys and her play area are clean when she is done with them and that all common areas are clear of her toys, books etc when she is done. Her chart also includes feeding and watering and letting her puppy out ( Shae)


Big A's  (7 yrs old) chart includes much of the same of Little A's however it varies just a tad. She must make sure the table is  cleared of dishes at the end of each meal and they make it to the sink as well as making sure that when the dirty clothes hampers reach full she helps her sister take her hamper to the laundry room as well as hers and ask mommy to help them sort their laundry.


Rewards
Our reward charts are the fun ones :) With 2 little girls, both school agers now, I decided to use a different approach this year that helps them with math skills and responsility. Fake money :)


We are using a Catalog system, In the catalog we have alot of small low priced items as well as a few large High priced items. The smaller lower priced items will be used as weekly goals and the higher priced items will be used as a summer goal. I have decided to give each child a bank with $10 (fake dollars) in it. They will have a small "check register" to keep. At the end of each day we will assess the days beavhior and decided who must give back a $1 and who gets a $1 on fridays they get to pick a thing ( or activity) from the catalog for the next week and pay for it with their $. Then at the ed of the summer they can pool their $ and choose a high priced item for the end of the summer EXSTRAVAGANZA!!!!

 So Far so Good!!!!