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Places

I think most of you know that hubby and I eat out every night except for Tues. I cook on Tuesday and most of my friends think this is funny but it is the way it is. I thought I would share with you some of our eating places so here is the first one.
Links neighborhood grill This is a  country club like place on a golf course.

Turning onto the parkway is the pretty clock with the flowers in it.

Pretty rock work at the entrance

Looking out on the golf course

Nothing fancy inside and simple food but good service and this is the view on your out...

After dark the tree has up lights.
This is our Thursday night place.

Tues. night dinner

I am going to do this one right away.
I have been real curious about Bok Choy

It is a Japanese cabbage so when I saw the recipe for Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy I decided to have a go at it but I substituted pork for the chicken.
Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy
Serving 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Sauce:
2 tbl. honey
1/8 dried ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 tbl. lite soy sauce
T tbl rice wine vinegar


For the stir-fry"
2 tsp sesame oil
1 # chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
1 head of Bok choy washed and diced
2 large carrots peeled and made into matchsticks
5-6 green onions diced


INTSTRUCTIONS
Stir together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside
Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over med. high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the bok choy, carrots and green onions and cook till getting tender. Add sauce and heat through.

Served with fried rice from the deli and mandarin oranges. It is a keeper.

Clever

Here in my district a lady named Martha Mcsally is running for the house of representatives. She is a retired USAF Colonel and for her campaign she sent out this card

and when you open it....

She's got my vote:)

Tues. night dinners

Oh me, oh my I seem to have lost my mojo on this. I am still cooking on Tues. but there have been several that just wasn't that great and I did a couple of already made ones. One of my disappointments was a pot roast. I followed the directions to a tee...brown meat add liquids and cook on very low heat or a couple of hours. I had visions of the meat just falling away but no...tough as nails. The potatoes, carrots and onions were wonderful.


This past week I made a Chicken Fettuccine and it was good but really too rich so I won't be making it again but this one was different because along with mushrooms they added pine nuts and that was really good. I added a spinach salad that was just great and straight from a bag. I had left over mushrooms so added that too but if you have not tried these all in one salads you should. You could easily add shredded chicken and it would make a whole meal.

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Soft lights

My fellow blogger Linda, loves candles and has them everywhere. Me on the other hand have little night lights here and there.

 

Tidbits

Good egg or bad egg?


All you need to do is fill a bowl with cold water and place the egg inside. If it sinks to the bottom, it's good. If it sinks but stands on its point, it's good, but won't be good for much longer and should be used soon. If it floats, toss it.

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Happy plants

Sharing a few of my house plants that are doing well.

 Christmas cactus

Desert style

A blooming sequoia cactus

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Labor Day

Here in Phoenix if there is a three day week-end everyone heads to the cool country and this is what occurs

and you will have to exercise your patience

Hubby and I are staying home:)

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Tues night dinners

This is another catch up, I seem to always be behind.....

This was a stir fry and loved the combination of the mushrooms, peas, onions and shrimp but did not like the sauce recipe so will do it again but with a different stir fry sauce. Spinach salad with poppy dressing topped it off.

Creamy Smothered Ranch Pork Chops for Two
1 tbl. butter
1 sm. onion, sliced thickly
2 bone in pork chops, 3/4 inch think and fat trimmed.
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup chive & onion cream cheese spread (from 32 oz. container)
2 tsp. ranch salad dressin & season mix (from 1-oz pkg.)
2 cups cooked egg noodles
Chopped fresh chives if desired


1.  In 10 inch nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 5 to 7 min. stirring frequently, until browned and tender. Transfer mixture to place.
2. Season pork chops with pepper. Add to the dame skillet cook over med-high heat 5-to 7 minutues, turning once, until browned. Remove from skillet to place and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add chicken broth, cream cheese spread ranch seasoning and cooked onions to skillet. Coo 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until bubbly and slightly thickened (I added cornstarch and water mixture to make it a little thicker). Add pork chops back to skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
4. Serve over noodles.
I added sautéed peas, onions and mushrooms. It was delicious.

Shrimp and Cheddar Grits with Bacon (note took picture before I added the bacon)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup stone ground grits
1 1/2 tbl. butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 clove garlic
1. Bring water to a boil Season with salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 min. Re3move from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
2. Fry bacon in a large skillet until browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined place to drain. Add shrimp to the bacon grease and cook until the shrimp turns pink(I added some butter because I did not have enough grease left). Add lemon juice, green onions and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Spoon grits on place and top the shrimp, sprinkle with the bacon and serve immediately.


Served with sautéed yellow squash, onions and mushrooms and a garden salad with homemade Balsamic dressing (recipe below)


Balsamic dressing
2 tbl. honey
1 tab. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lg. clove garlic, (minced)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 extra-virgin olive oil
Put all in a jar and shake until well mixed.

On the left is my husbands brother, Billy. He passed away yesterday. Many things hurt when death occurs but perhaps the worst is knowing we aren't far behind. Hope we are all ready when the time comes.

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Monsoon season

This is what we get this time of year and boy does it play havoc with the swimming pool!

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Little dresses

My group (Dress a girl) is taking a month off from meeting so I brought home some dress packets to make up....

Wished I would have brought more as they make up quick and I have enjoyed sewing them...

Can you imagine some little girl in Africa will wear this dress....

Tues. night dinner catch up

I don't know how I get so far behind and sometimes can't remember what I cooked haha...but here are a few anyhow.

Ham Fried Rice
2 beaten eggs
2 tbl. cooking oil
1 cup chopped fully cooked ham =6 oz.
1 2oz. can chopped mushrooms drained
3tb sliced green onion
1 tbl. soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/12 cups cold cooked rice
In 10 inch skillet cook eggs in t tbs. of the oil without stirring, till set. Invert skillet over a plate to remove eggs and cut eggs into short narrow strips.
In same skillet cook chopped ham, mushrooms, green onion, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in the remaining oil over high heat for 3 to 4 min. Stir in cold cooked rice and eggs strips; heat through.
Served with steam vegetables and orange slices.


Last Tues. night I grilled marinated pork chops and asparagus

I didn't like the marinade and won't fix it that way again but did love the grilled asparagus.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Wash and snap off hard parts of asparagus and dry with a towel
Combine all the above in zip lock bag and mix well, then add the asparagus and coat well. Then simply grill until done.


Need to do a little explanation here. I rarely grill and my hubby never does but my stove top has a built in grill...

It has a air sucker and all that but of course you then have to take it apart and clean it but recently I ordered one of those grill matts and they work! I would show you a picture but it is in the dish washer:)
Ended the dinner out with a baked pot.

Accidently luxury

It is so hot here in the summer that we don't use the bedspread and it usually gets tossed on the floor and we just sleep under the sheets and in the morning I pick it up and make the bed. I got to thinking this was not making a lot of sense and I should maybe just get a set of sheets that were pretty and matched my color scheme so I went looking. I couldn't find anything that suited me so I gave up but soon after I got a add for a big sale on sheets and it was just the colors I wanted so although it said 100% polyester and I have always bought cotton sheets I decided to give it a try, after all it was only $14.00 for the entire king set!

These are the most luxurious sheets I have ever seen!!! and they go perfect with the two swivel chairs.

and how fun to switch it out for summer and winter but think the sheets are going to stay year round:)

  

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Happy Sunday

Sharing my first bloom on my African Violet

Tues. night dinner

Cooked a kielbasa and cabbage dish like before but in foil packets. I think I prefer the other way best but the real hit was the side dish. I bought a package of precut melon slices and then I saw this package of almonds and cranberries

and sprinkled some over the fruit....yum!