Paula Deen's Smother Porchops

The hubby & I were watching Paul Deen yesterday and that woman KNOWS she can cook! She doesn't skimp on the butter at all! lol! Gotta love that woman!

So yesterday she was making smothered porkchops and decided that's what we wanted for dinner. So we hopped in the car and went right to Piggly Wiggly. Does anyone else have a Piggly Wiggly? They were actually America's first self service grocery store! back in the day, you would give your grocery list to a store clerk and they would gather the items for you. In 1916, the first Piggly Wiggly opened and they had baskets available for customers to shop themselves. They actually have quote an interesting story. 

Anyways, I digress...

So here are the ingredients:

• 4 center-cut pork chops, 1-inch thick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spread on a plate
• 2 medium green bell peppers, stemmed, cored, and membranes removed, cut into strips
• 2 yellow onions, trimmed, cut lengthwise
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 to 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Trim the excess fat from the chops and season well with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Lightly roll the chops in flour, shake off the excess, and slip them into the pan. Brown well, about 3 minutes per side, and remove them to a plate.

Add the bell peppers and onions, to the skillet, and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about half a minute longer. Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet. Add chops to pan and place vegetables on top of pork chops. 

Pour in the broth and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce. Cover pan with foil and allow to simmer for 45 minutes or until chops are tender.

And then voila... SO GOOD y'all! You must try this recipe!

Don't judge me for using paper plates! I didn't feel like washing dishes. 

So what are everyone's plans for Labor Day weekend? My sister-in-law is turning 30 so we are having a dinner tonight, a party tomorrow, & a bbq Sunday. And I have a photoshoot Saturday morning. I am SO sleeping in Monday. Everyone have fun & be safe!

Home Decor

So as promised here are the few items I purchased lately to decorate our home.First up is my favorite. It's a mirror I found at TJ Maxx for $40.  I love that is has a silver tone to it, but it's not a bright shiny metal. The size is perfect for the space. Now I'm working on having some curtains made for the windows.

I love the texture in the frame!

For the living room I bought 4 pillows.

It is amazing what a difference that pillows can make!

These I found at another local TJ Maxx. 

The brown ones were $12 each and the white ones were $16.99 each.

What do yall think?

Now if I could just find something to go on these large empty walls!

Weekend Recap

Did ya miss me? This was supposed to post Monday, but I put the date as 8/29/2012 by mistake!

I am recovering for our big bbq we had yesterday. We decided to throw a just because party since he hadn't had one in a while.  We had so many friends over & would you believe these are the only pics I snapped...

All the yummy meat...

 the yummy drinks...

 the yummy dessert!

I have a funny story about the dessert. One of the hubby's friends made those strawberry & pineapple no bake cheesecakes. They were delicious. Once all the single ladies heard a man had made these desserts, they were on him like white on rice. I couldn't believe how many women started talking to him. He was so shocked that he said he was going to start baking for all our dinner parties and bbqs. LOL! One of the other single guys said, "man, I need to learn how to make cheesecake!" So the old saying that a way to man's heart is through his stomach...I guess that applies to women as well!

Sunday the hubby & I celebrated his little cousin's 11th birthday. We bought her a small cake & a gift.

 (excuse quality, I used my point & shoot camera)

Sunday night I of course watched True Blood.

I am so sick of this witch Marni! I can't wait til this Sunday to see the whole war between witches & vamps. I'm sure we all know who will win in the end.

New Phone

I got a new phone yesterday. My poor blackberry had been dropped 1 too many times and wasn't funtioning properly. It kept dying each time I accessed the internet. Luckily my friend was ready to upgrade & sold me his Samsung Galaxy S for $50.  Can't beat that price with a stick! And I didn't have to renew my contract, woot woot!

So here she is:

I hate her.  I love the apps, the vibrancy, etc etc. But I can't stand the touchscreen. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way. But I loved my BB keyboard. It's gonna take some getting used to, but so far that is my one & only major complaint.

I FINALLY did a little decorating. We repainted the living/dining room last year and since then our walls have been bare. When it comes to interior design, my mind just doesn't function. I didn't want to just buy anything so I'm taking babay steps. I bought 1 mirror for the dining room and 2 pillows for the couch. That's it! I still have 2 huge blank walls in our living room. I have no idea what to do! And I still don't have curtains for all the windows which is driving me crazy. I do know I want navy blue and white chevron print curtains for the dining room to offset the stripes.

I'll post pics in my weekend recap of the few items I have bought. I'm going to go out and look some more today. AGHH!

Have a great weekend!

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler

We officially booked our rooms for my birthday weekend in New Orleans next month! I LOVE that city! Thanks to my casino points in Vegas we got 2 nights at the W New Orleans. I am ready to go to Cafe Du Mode & have some coffee & a beignet.

I am so excited about our little weekend getaway!

I read on Jassi's Girl's blog about Kim Kardashian's wedding. It sparked my curiosity so I went to Geary'sBeverly Hills website to look at her wedding registry. All I can say is WOW! Why would one couple need so many vases? And why does anyone need ash trays that cost damn near $1000 to put out a cigarette?  I admit, I love to watch the Kardashian's but I think Kim & Kris's wedding wasn't about true love. That's just my opinion.  Khloe & Lamar seem more in love after only dating & getting married in 1 month! I can't wait to watch the wedding special in October though.

While we're on the topic of weddings, did anyone read/see the story about the girl who wore a 127 year -old wedding dress? It was first worn in 1884 my her great-great grandmother. I love that her family has that tradition. You don't see many brides do this. I shot one wedding where the bride wore her mother's dress. And she got married in the same church her mother & father had gotten married in.

30 Day Photography Challenge

I saw this on pinterest (original idea via HERE) and I think I may participate!  

Who wants to join in?

Source: whitepeachphoto.com via LC on Pinterest

Sensuous Nude

Yesterday I made a quick stop at the mall to refill on some beauty items from Estee Lauder. I happened to catch one of those free makeup gift bag deals. YAY me! The sales lady gave me  a free sample of their new perfume, Senuous Nude. OMG, it smells so good! I'm going to add it to my birthday or Christmas gift list for sure.

 

I love the gift with purchase deals. My hubby said "Another make up bag?" Yes, I have that many. I would have more but I sold several on eBay a few years ago. You wouldn't believe how much money people spend on those gifts!

I chose the make-up gift instead of the skin care gift. I absolutely love the colors of the lipstick, gloss, nail polish, & eye shadow. Everything looks & smells so good! :)

The hubby grilled steaks for dinner last night. They were SO good! I am so thankful for a hubby who doesn't mind doing the majority of the cooking! I'm still finding my way around the kitchen.

He also had some Sangria with fresh berries! YUM!!
Great job hubby!

After dinner we watched the Baketball Wives Reunion Part 2. OMG, so much drama!!!

I can't stand all the fighting but I guess that's what makes good reality TV.

This week I'm making plans for a "just because" party we're having this Saturday. We're gonna cook some meat on the grill and have some friends over. I am "planning" on making these fruit skewers if I can find all the fruit at a decent price! I think they'd be a hit!

Source: pizzazzerie.com via LC on Pinterest