Improved Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Cost: $11

Prep: 45 minutes

Today's dinner took a while to prep because I made(almost) everything from scratch, which is not what I usually do.

We had our usual pork chops with mushroom gravy, and I did still use Campbell's soup, but I used fresh mushrooms instead of canned. This turned out better, especially as Charlie loves the mushrooms and will eat a ton. I'd rather he eats mushrooms that were recently still resembling mushrooms than ones that have been floating in a salty brine for months.

I also made mashed potatoes, which was the majority of the prep time. I mixed in sour cream and herb and garlic cream cheese with the milk so that the flavor was a little unusual and fresh.

We had very tasty steamed green beans. I melted a but of margarine and added a touch of salt and pepper, and these simple acts made the meal exceptionally better.

Matt eating

Charlie eating

Tina eating

Costco Souvlaki Pork and Qoola

Cost: $7 (for 4 meals)

Prep: 15 minutes

My friend is staying with us for the next few days, so I have been a bit distracted with my cooking and much more focused with my visiting.

We pulled some souvlaki pork (maybe tenderloin?) from the freezer and made a very basic dinner. We use this pork to make actual souvlaki sometimes, but I always freeze these chops in pairs so we can have them other ways. I just cooked these in the oven, and the rub that is on them needs no improvement.

For side dishes, we had steamed broccoli and (Sidekick's) scalloped potatoes, which I have discovered that I don't like.

Honestly, it was a lame meal, but the focus was on the company anyways, and on the Qoola we got for dessert.

I love Qoola. I sampled the peanut butter and mint, but I don't think I could do an entire cup of either. I settled on a trifecta of blood orange, mango sorbet, and mixed berry sorbet. The mixed berry was my favorite, but all were good. For toppings, I had yoghurt chips, coconut, mango sauce, kiwi, strawberry, one chocolate mint square, 1 piece of brownie, LOTS of mochi, and all three types of those little juice balls--man those are good! I almost always have the same toppings and am never disappointed with the freshness and quality.

I also love how the same workers are there, and I am pretty sure the one boy is the son of the owner. Even thinking this, and sometimes seeing the owner, makes me want to be there. It makes me feel like they care about their business and, therefore, their customers.

My only problem is that I have trouble controlling myself and end up spending more than I want, hence my $7 sundae.

This is my Confession

I had a plan for dinner. Sort of.

But then it was time for dinner.

And I had to cook it.

And I was tired.

And I didn't know the side dish.

And Charlie wanted to cuddle.

And. And. And.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. I know. I am guilty.

Hi. I'm Kyla, and I am a lazy cook. And tonightfordinnerIateSubway. There I said it. Slower now. Tonight, for dinner, I ate Subway. And my family ate Subway. And it wasn't even a healthy sandwich.

Okay, bye.

Ferris' Oyster Bar

My bestie Tina is in town! Charlie and I were supposed to go out to dinner with Tina and her boyfriend last night, but someone, ahem, had too much fun the night before, so it was just the tiny may out with the ladies.

We ended up going to Ferris'. I love Ferris'. I have never ordered something here that I did not like.

They have made some updates to the menu though, and the prices have been raised on some items (quite significantly on some things, like salads, in my opinion).

When dining out with baby, Ferris' is not the best. The high chair they provide is much higher than the tables, and the last time we were there (December maybe?), he quickly learned to scoot it across the floor.

So, this time, I brought our own booster/highchair that could go in a booth. It worked.

Tina and I both had a Limonatta to drink, an oyster burger with sweet potato fries and ginger mayo to eat. I love the way they fry their oysters, and my burger was very good, but it had barely 1.5 oysters. Next time, I am going to try the new smoked oysters wrapped in bacon I saw on the menu. (I'm sorry the picture sucks. The lighting is dim, and my camera phone sucks.)

If you were going to go here with a baby, I think they appreciate that we went early. I think most places do. We ate at 5:30, our food didn't even take 10 minutes, meaning the baby had very little time to get crabby. Plus, by the time we left at 6PM, the place was full, and the seat taken up by a non-paying customer (16 months old) can now be given to someone who will order drinks and food and pay for it.

Anyway, back to the food. Other dishes I enjoy include: Warm Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad, Caesar Salad (especially with oysters), Chicken Penne Soup, Lamb Burger, Falafel, and all the oysters, clams, and mussels.

Damn, I have made myself hungry. I can't wait to go back.

Eek!

I haven't posted since the 2nd! Eek! I will do it tonight, if I can find the time...

Tacos and Pears, but not Together

Cost: $9

Prep: 15 minutes

Tonight I made tacos for the main, caramelized pears as the follower.

The tacos were simply from a kit. I melted a bit of cheese in the shells. I love the "salsa" that is in the kit; it is like the Lizzano sauce my mom brought back from Costa Rica. We tried to add some health by using fat free sour cream. Matt added a ton of greens, but I just can't stand them right now, so I added a whole tomato.

We like to let Charlie explore food. I think it is a healthy part of his development and learning to eat. I like for him to feed himself as much as possible. It bothers me when Matt tries to feed Charlie when Charlie is already eating. Let the boy eat! As long as he is trying different things, I think he is okay. He eats iron fortified cereal with apple sauce for breakfast, poops practically on cue, and drinks an appropriate amount of milk, so I figure he is fine with whatever he decides to eat off his tray.

Now, sometimes, there have been food disasters. Take soup. That caused a huge mess, as does when he gets a small cup of milk (and generally decides to throw it over his shoulder). Tonight can go in this category.

I usually break up his food.

Tonight, I decided that it was a fine idea to give him a whole taco. Oops. This was a HUGE mess. The first thing he did was drop the entire taco (ground beef, salsa, veggies, sour cream) in his lap. Urg. Luckily, we pulled it back up, and aside from the mess in his lap, he disassembled his taco and ate a fair bit.

"What do I do with this?"

"Oooooo."

The end result

Matt and I wanted a sweet finish, so I reduced the juice of a can of pears with some cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. It isn't exactly "caramelized", but it is a nice sweet that we all enjoy.

Cooking

Ready for eating

Nothing to Report

We went to the in-laws for dinner last night. It was Matt's mommy's birthday. The highlight was an ice cream cake. Charlie really wanted to eat the dog food, but we managed to stop him.