He Graduated

That's right. My brother-in-law, Chris. The one with all the swag. Pictured here with his very proud MomMom.

He traded in his Air Force uniform for a college graduation cap. And a B.S. in Meteorology. {Such a cool degree, right!?} We were so happy to be in California to celebrate with him; it was kind of a big deal.

Hope everyone is having a great week! Tim is home, so I certainly am.

24/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Maile: Marmee and Papa took our girl to the bookstore as a special treat. (The bookstore and the zoo are Maile's two favorite places.) One of the new books she brought home is the classic Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? She's already memorized the book, and knows which animal will be around the next page, before you even turn it. Her treasure has hardly left her side at all, even in sleep.

As an aside, I know Maile's face has been swollen from teething, but I didn't realize just how much until I saw this picture. Poor little love.

Part of Che and Fidel's 52 project.

Last week, I particularly enjoyed the portraits posted by Endearing Life, and April. Please, pay their beautiful pictures a visit.

I feel it's important to note that I am working without any editing software; any photos you see here are SOC images.

Food for Fathers: Pork Chop Medallions, from Shea, of Sheady Goods

What you need:

2 Tbsp butter divided
2 Tbsp olive oil divided
2 C chopped leeks or 1 large white onion chopped
1 C low fat chicken broth
1/2 C dry white wine
2-6 garlic cloves pressed ( depending on how much you love garlic)
1/2 C sour cream
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives (dry is fine as well)
1 Tbsp tarragon fresh (1 tsp, if dry)
1 Tbsp dried parsley

6-8 small, thinly cut pork chops (*depending on how many you're feeding)

What to do:

Sauce:

In large skillet melt 1 Tbsp butter and olive oil over med/high heat. Add onion, stir, 'til it begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, and garlic; let boil 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard and sour cream; cook 1 minute. Set sauce aside in another bowl and clean out out skillet to use for pork chops.  

   

Pork:

In the same skillet, melt another 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of pork with salt and pepper (and a little garlic powder, if you're a garlic lover). Sauté til browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side, depending on thickness. You can work in batches and test the first pork chop by cutting in the middle and making sure it is no longer pink. Transfer pork to a platter when cooked; do not worry about keeping it warm, we are going to add it back to the sauce in a minute.

In the skillet just used, blot with a paper towel some of the oil residue, but do not fully clean it out. Add the sauce we set aside back to the skillet for 3 minutes. Stir in chives, tarragon, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Now put pork back in and gently stir so that sauce covers pork pieces. Let sit in the sauce to warm 1-3 minutes. Serve over rice of your choice or mashed potatoes.

 

Note: I add about 1/4 more of the white wine, broth, sour cream, and mustard if making for more than 3-4 people or if making more than 6-8 pork chops. Everything else I keep the same. If looking for a mashed potato recipe, please see Momma's Mash Potatoes on my blog, Sheady Goods. I also serve with a side salad first!

Happy Father's Day Weekend, friends!

Food for Fathers: Chubby Hubby Cookies, from The Newfangled Housewife

Hello Standpipe & Sprinkles! My name is Emily and I blog over at The Newfangled Housewife. And, in case you didn't know, I'm Katie's little sister. I was so excited when she asked me to do a post for Food for Fathers. I thought this cookie recipe was PERFECT to reveal on here. After all, they are called "Chubby Hubby Cookies"! The inspiration for these cookies? If you're a Ben & Jerry's fan I hope I don't have to explain myself. Chubby Hubby is probably the best ice cream there is. It also happens to be mine and Katie's favorite. These cookies, if I may say so, definitely do the ice cream justice. And they happen to be my hubby's new favorite! 

Ingredients: 

- 1/2 C butter (softened) 

- 1/2 C brown sugar (light, unpacked) 

- 1/2 C sugar 

- 2 eggs 

- 2 tsp vanilla extract 

- 1 package of instant vanilla pudding (see picture below) 

- 1 1/4 C all purpose flour (I used unbleached) 

- 1 tsp baking soda 

- 1/2 tsp salt 

- 2 tbsp milk *optional* 

- 1/2 C semi sweet chocolate chips 

- 1/2 C peanut butter chips 

- Chocolate Covered Pretzels 

Directions: 

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet however you please (cooking spray or parchment paper work best). 

- Using an upright or handheld mixer, blend your butter and sugars. Next add your eggs, vanilla, and pudding mix.

- In portions, add your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt). *Note: If you pre-mix your dry ingredients they will be more evenly distributed through the mix, but I tend to be lazy and always skip this step!* 

- If your mix is really clumping to your mixer, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. 

- Mix in your chocolate and peanut butter chips. 

- Using a cookie scooper (or spoon if you don't have one), scoop up about 1 tablespoon of dough. Push a chocolate covered pretzel into it, and then cover with more dough. Check out the pictures!

You don't have to do it this way. You can just use your fingers, but I promise you that gets VERY messy. Another way to do it is to put the dough on the cookie sheet and just push the pretzel into the top, but that also defeats the purpose of the pretzel being a surprise in the middle! 

- Place cookies on your prepared sheet and bake for 9 to 12 minutes.

Guess what? The pretzels stay fresh and crisp and don't get soggy! The dough also works well without the pretzels in the middle. I made a batch this way for my toddler's playdate, since I wasn't sure the young ones could handle the crunchy middle.

For more recipes, check out my In The Kitchen section on my blog or follow my Pinterest account! Thanks for having me, big sis!

23/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Maile: Everything changes. Everything stays the same. I have a nearly identical photo of her from last summer, coming to get the camera. This summer though, besides the obvious physical changes, a distinct sentence also accompanied the mischievous grab: "Maile take a picture of Mama!" I love this photo for that ... and for the twinkle in those deep, almost-ebony-colored eyes.

Part of Che and Fidel's 52 Project. 

Last week, I particularly enjoyed the portraits posted by Milina, and Melinda. Please, pay their beautiful pictures a visit.