Monday Munchies

Okay, folks, here it is. Many blogs I read have a day of the week that they feature the same type of thing each week. Not me Mondays, Wordless Wednesday, Fashion Friday...so I have come up with Monday Munchies, where I share a recipe that I frankly think is fantastic. It might be microwave-warm-up easy or a little more difficult, but always "Haley proof" and tried on my poor family who occasionally eats some pretty crappy dinners because I "thought the recipe looked kinda good".

Here is the first edition of Monday Munchies:

Pork Chops with Black Beans and Salsa

4 boneless thin cut pork chops (they need to be the little ones, otherwise it takes FOREVER to cook them
1 Can of black beans
1 cup of salsa

Seriously folks, that's it.

Brown the pork chops in a skillet with a touch of olive oil (or for you Rachael Ray fans, EVOO). Add the can of beans and the salsa and simmer until beans and salsa are warm.

Seriously, thats it...nothing more. Just that.

I ALWAYS at least double this recipe. Unless you are feeding a family of squirrels, it just doesn't make enough.

Serve it with spanish rice, or steamed veggies. This is incredibly low fat and good for you. But you don't have to tell your family that!

This is a standby for me. I always have the pork chops on hand and ready to thaw. Salsa is a staple like flour, salt and pepper in my house and I make sure I always have black beans. Dinner is done in 15 minutes...take that Rachael Ray!!!

Where is a Catholic priest when you need one??

My business with Gwen is beginning to take off. We have a couple of orders pending and are expecting more in the next couple of weeks. With this taking off and our lives as busy as always, we're finding that working our schedules so we can actually work together is sometimes difficult. So we sometimes bring work home with us and do it when we can squeeze it in, like nap time. I am finding that I am using my sewing machine almost daily. Now, if you've been reading my blog, you might remember when I said that my sewing machine might need an exorcism....well folks, I think we're to that point. In the last week I have broken two needles and managed to sew feet of stitches before realizing my machine had come unthreaded. This may not sound like a big deal...but oh it is sooooooooo frustrating. I belly ache about the "stupid piece of crap sewing machine" daily and have the urge to throw it out the back door at least once every other day. I have already asked for my Christmas present...you guessed it...a new sewing machine. A fancy one. That doesn't come unthreaded. But seeing as how December is still a really long way off, I'm gonna need to find a faster solution to the possessed sewing machine...does anyone know a Catholic priest I can borrow...I can't promise the sewing machine won't attack him...just that the sewing machine won't vomit green stuff or have a spinning head...oh, and he'll need to bring a nun who can sew...so she can varify my story about the possessed sewing machine...someone will need to understand that its behavior is not normal, nor of this world.

In other news...
Stay tuned tomorrow for my big Monday surprise.

Yummy yummy for my tummy

Okay, so I love to cook, but what I really love is discovering something yummy that is super easy to do and easy on the wallet. The following recipe was in my Protestant Women of the Chapel (army wife Bible study group) monthly newsletter in February. It came highly recommended from another mother who also digs the easy.

4 chicken breasts (when I first made this, I only had chicken thighs...they work too)
1 cup of salsa (we like it hot at the Hawthorne house, I just dumped in a bunch of Pace)
1 package of taco seasoning (yeah, didn't have that either, used fajita seasoning...yummy)
1 can of cream of mushroom (everyone be shocked...I actually had this ingredient)
1/2 cup sour cream (forgot this the first time...still good)

Put the chicken in a crock pot and cover in taco seasoning. Add salsa and soup. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. 10 minutes before serving, stir in sour cream. Serve over rice. (I prefer serving with tortillas...again...yummy)

Can you tell this recipe is almost screw-up proof??

The hubby seriously digs this. Even the kids like it. I am currently making a double batch for a pot luck for my hubby at work. Can't you tell I'm slaving away...blogging???

If you don't have time to wait 4-6 hours, this can be done in a dutch oven...warning...check your chicken to make sure it doesn't stick. I let it cook about 1.5 hours and it was done. Left it on longer and it was still yummy.

I am reminded...

With so much going on around us, I am sometimes amazed that God shows Himself in the way he does. The man from Bonham, TX, the mom from the northern mid-West with the faith of Moses even with a very sick 4-month-old(see Keeping Up With the Kovics to find a link to read her story), the story that my Bible study leader shared with us where she was inspired when she visited a church and watched 12 or more people be baptized into God's kingdom (there were enough that she lost count and had to guess). The list of things that show God to us is unlimited if we will just open our eyes. With all these things, I am reminded.

I am reminded:

-that my children are not my own...they are on loan from their Father in Heaven. He was kind enough to entrust them to my care for as long as He sees fit.

-that even when the world seems dark and gloomy--beyond hope even--that God is STILL in total control.

-that when a situation seems hopeless...where there is God, there is ALWAYS hope.

-that God works in EVERY situation, even if we don't quite get how.

-that I, in my limited knowledge and capability for understanding, will never, never truly comprehend God's reasons or His plan.

-that I was fortunate enough to really get to marry my best friend. If all the world would turn against me, I will still have him and God on my side.

-that I should pray more often for my friends...that they see God around them like I have...in the good and the bad.