The winner
In a case of "the last shall be first," Random.org selected comment #34, Caralyn, as the winner of the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies giveaway. If you want to learn more about Caralyn, check out her blog Blink and You'll Miss It. Caralyn, send me your address at 4thfrog70 (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your Muddy Buddies prize pack sent directly to you.
The loser
You should never trust a recipe that a bad cook recalls from memory. I got it close, but left out a few things. I realized this when I came across the recipe I'd printed out. Here is the correct version:
Caramel Pork with Vidalia Onions
1-1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (I used dried)
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1 whole lime, cut into wedges
Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork, saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Add onion and garlic, stir-fry 2 minutes.
Stir in broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Serve with lime wedges.
I squeezed one lime wedge over the pork on my plate. It was really good. So there you go. The correct recipe. Just one more reason why this will never become the 4th Frog Cooking Blog.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Forced back into the kitchen
I don't love to cook. That's no surprise to some of you. I feel like my menu is one endless cycle of spaghetti and tacos and hot ham and cheese sandwiches. Pair that with the fact that Mike likes to eat out and that spells trouble. Or at least "S-P-E-N-D-Y."
But our budgetary constraints of late have forced me back into the kitchen a little more frequently. And I've actually surprised myself. It turns out that if I have time, an easy recipe at hand and all the ingredients in the pantry, I don't mind cooking so much.
In the past several days, I've whipped up (with more effort than "whipped up" makes it sound):
For the zucchini parm, I sauteed thinly sliced zucchini with 1 diced onion and 2 diced cloves of garlic. Then I put them in a glass dish, covered with spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and some Italian-seasoned bread crumbs. Baked it at 350 just long enough to melt the cheese and served with with whole wheat spaghetti. I just might do that again this week, it was so yummy.
The pork recipe came from an internet site that I had a free trial to and now don't have access to, otherwise I would just provide you the link. But here it is:
Caramel pork with onions
1-1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch strips
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
In a large pan (I used my wok), sautee the pork tenderloin strips for 5 minutes. Then add the onion and garlic and sautee for another 2-3 minutes.
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger (it actually called for grated fresh ginger, but ground was all I had)
Dump sauce ingredients over pork, stir and cook over medium heat until it thickens a bit.
Mine never got really thick, but it was still tasty. You could serve it with rice, but I didn't want to mess with that, so I just served it with chow mein noodles to sprinkle on top and a fruit salad on the side.
Just to be clear, if I hit the lottery tomorrow (which won't happen because I don't play the lottery), I will happily give up cooking. However, until that happens, it's nice to know that it's not as bad as I've made it out to be.
But our budgetary constraints of late have forced me back into the kitchen a little more frequently. And I've actually surprised myself. It turns out that if I have time, an easy recipe at hand and all the ingredients in the pantry, I don't mind cooking so much.
In the past several days, I've whipped up (with more effort than "whipped up" makes it sound):
- Whole wheat bread (in the bread maker)
- Zucchini muffins (with zucchini grown in our own garden)
- Zucchini parmesan (yep, more zucchini)
- Caramel pork tenderloin with vidalia onions
For the zucchini parm, I sauteed thinly sliced zucchini with 1 diced onion and 2 diced cloves of garlic. Then I put them in a glass dish, covered with spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and some Italian-seasoned bread crumbs. Baked it at 350 just long enough to melt the cheese and served with with whole wheat spaghetti. I just might do that again this week, it was so yummy.
The pork recipe came from an internet site that I had a free trial to and now don't have access to, otherwise I would just provide you the link. But here it is:
Caramel pork with onions
1-1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch strips
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
In a large pan (I used my wok), sautee the pork tenderloin strips for 5 minutes. Then add the onion and garlic and sautee for another 2-3 minutes.
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger (it actually called for grated fresh ginger, but ground was all I had)
Dump sauce ingredients over pork, stir and cook over medium heat until it thickens a bit.
Mine never got really thick, but it was still tasty. You could serve it with rice, but I didn't want to mess with that, so I just served it with chow mein noodles to sprinkle on top and a fruit salad on the side.
Just to be clear, if I hit the lottery tomorrow (which won't happen because I don't play the lottery), I will happily give up cooking. However, until that happens, it's nice to know that it's not as bad as I've made it out to be.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Late night fragments
Well, it's actually not that terribly late by my standards. Only 10:47pm. I'm just getting warmed up. Whether you're stopping by here late at night or early in the morning, welcome to Friday Fragments, hosted as always by Mrs. 4444s.I bought a new pair of tennis shoes last week. I'm ashamed to say (but of course I'm going to say it) that I haven't been exercising because I lost one of my tennis shoes. And it's been gone for a LONG time. So last week, Mike and I rode up to Marshall's and bought a new pair for $30. The dog is happy about that. And I even went out walking on my lunch hour the other day. Good investment for sure.
We took Robbie to see Zookeeper, the movie, tonight. I got free passes from Gofobo. I smuggled in some fruit snacks and we were set for a cheap night at the theater. When we got there, we saw a poster advertising free popcorn. So while we waited in line, Mike and I each fired up our iPhones and went to popcorn.yahoo.com and got instant coupons for free popcorn. Woohoo! The popcorn was the small size -- about the same size as a brown paper lunch sack. Do you know how much they wanted for that stinkin' bag of popcorn if you actually had to pay for it? $6/bag! For about 25 cents worth of popcorn kernels. I'll keep walking softly and carrying a big purse, thankyouverymuch.Charlie comes home tomorrow. He's been at my parents house since Monday, going to basketball camp at my high school. I miss that kid.
Is anyone else shaking their head, wondering how it's already July 7th already? The kids go back to school in just 5 and 6 weeks! I feel like I'm just getting warmed up to summer. Time to get out the calendar, try to squeeze in some memory-making activities and start watching for back to school sales. Where is the "pause" button?
Next week, I'm headed to Cincinnati to attend Bloggy Conference. (See the button to the right. I tried to paste it in here and it kept jacking up my entry.) I got my conference registration in exchange for volunteering to work the conference. And I'm sharing a room with another blogger, Judy, who writes at Dirt Road Musings. We've only spoken on the phone, but I'm pretty sure she's not a serial killer. She is younger and skinnier than I am, but I'll try not to hold that against her. Funny thing is that Judy is from the same town as one of my favorite bloggers, Annie, of Annie Weighs, but they don't know each other...yet. Bloggy Con will be the first not-for-business social media conferences I've gone to. I'm excited (and a little nervous). Anyone else going?
Don't forget to enter the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies giveaway. I'll draw the winner Saturday night at 9pm EST.
One last thing before I wrap up. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. No details necessary (no job offers for Mike to share, either), just thankful to be on the receiving end of His faithfulness today.
Be sure to stop by Mrs. 4444s's place for more Friday Fragments.
Needlessly delicious giveaway
You know that yummy snack/dessert with chocolate and Chex cereal and powdered sugar? People around here call it "puppy chow," though it's definitely not one for the dogs. It makes appearances at holiday parties and scrapbook overnights. And now, on grocery store shelves!
Always looking for the next best thing, the people at Chex decided to take that yummy treat and pre-package it. They call it "Muddy Buddies" and I got a chance to try it through MyBlogSpark.
Muddy Buddies is made with corn Chex, peanut butter, chocolate and a "powdery sweet coating." (I sure hope that's a euphemism for sugar.) Like other Chex mixes, it has 50% less fat than regular potato chips, which might make you feel less guilty eating it...unless you eat the whole bag by yourself.
When my Chex Mix Muddy Buddies gift pack arrived from MyBlogSpark, I actually did share it. The gift pack included:
Mike, who is not a real sweets eater, said "these things are needlessly delicious." I would have agreed, but my mouth was too full of Muddy Buddies to say anything. Amazingly, we did have enough restraint to get the Muddy Buddies into the container and put away, though we didn't bother with putting them in the serving bowl. They lasted a little over 36 hours, thanks to the fact that we did not tell the kids they were there.
Always looking for the next best thing, the people at Chex decided to take that yummy treat and pre-package it. They call it "Muddy Buddies" and I got a chance to try it through MyBlogSpark.
Muddy Buddies is made with corn Chex, peanut butter, chocolate and a "powdery sweet coating." (I sure hope that's a euphemism for sugar.) Like other Chex mixes, it has 50% less fat than regular potato chips, which might make you feel less guilty eating it...unless you eat the whole bag by yourself.
- A serving bowl
- A magnetic clip
- An airtight OXO container
- A bag of Muddy Buddies
Mike, who is not a real sweets eater, said "these things are needlessly delicious." I would have agreed, but my mouth was too full of Muddy Buddies to say anything. Amazingly, we did have enough restraint to get the Muddy Buddies into the container and put away, though we didn't bother with putting them in the serving bowl. They lasted a little over 36 hours, thanks to the fact that we did not tell the kids they were there. I have to say that I might have enjoyed the airtight container than I did the Muddy Buddies. It's in my pantry now filled with popcorn kernels. The lid has a button you push to create the seal. Seriously, I'd buy a whole set of those containers if I could.
Now for the giveaway:
You, too, can get a Muddy Buddies gift pack from Chex Mix through MyBlogSpark! To enter, leave a comment and let me know where you would take Muddy Buddies. Will they be an at-home treat? A lunchbox snack? A substitute for Cracker Jack at the ballpark?
For an extra entries,
Now for the giveaway:
You, too, can get a Muddy Buddies gift pack from Chex Mix through MyBlogSpark! To enter, leave a comment and let me know where you would take Muddy Buddies. Will they be an at-home treat? A lunchbox snack? A substitute for Cracker Jack at the ballpark?
For an extra entries,
- Like 4th Frog on Facebook
- Like ChexMix on Facebook
- Tweet this: @4thfrog, ChexMix Muddy Buddies & #myblogspark = a delicious giveaway, http://4thfrog.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Unplugged success
Last Friday I decided I needed to take a break from the digital world. I'd been feeling crabby and out of sorts and generally not happy. The long weekend presented itself as an opportunity to step back, unplug and take a time out from blogging, Facebook and Twitter.
After writing the post explaining my intended mini-absence, I closed the laptop and put it away in my bag. That itself was pretty monumental. My laptop is a standard fixture in the FR2 (family room 2). I went to bed at about 9:30pm Friday night -- no trolling Facebook to keep me awake late.
When I woke on Saturday morning, I gave a relieved exhale that I wasn't reaching for the laptop to see what I'd missed on the interwebs overnight. I went downstairs, started cleaning the kitchen and grabbed a zucchini muffin that Annie had made. It was so yummy, that my first instinct was to tag her in a post on Facebook thanking her for baking them.
Not so fast. I was on a break.And I was beginning to get the shakes from internet withdrawal.
More kitchen cleaning. Laundry cycling. Lunch cooking. Plenty of witty remarks went through my head, only there were no Facebook friends there to appreciate them.
After lunch, I sat down to read a book -- a real book with pages and everything. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Two thumbs up.) I prepped dinner before we left for church. We got back home, I made dinner (caramel pork stir fry) and sat back down with the book. It was enjoyable and as a bonus, my fingers were no longer twitching as if they needed to make contact with a keyboard.
Sunday presented a special challenge to my resolve to stay unplugged. Mike helped Robbie clean out his bedroom. He came downstairs with two bags of stuff to be given to the Goodwill. I peeked in one of the bags and saw one of Robbie's Imaginext dinosaurs tossed in there.
"Mike! You can't give this away!" I shrieked.
"Why not, he doesn't play with them anymore."
"Because I'm saving them for the grandchildren! He LOVED those dinosaurs."
I decided I'd better go out to the car and see what other precious memories Mike thought were expendable. I found about 6 more dinosaurs and Eddie, the doll Robbie used to sleep with when he was a baby. I couldn't believe Mike would even considering giving Eddie away! I actually got teary over that one and thought, "I'm so going to blog about this." Then I remembered I couldn't because of my self-imposed internet moratorium.
Having safely rescued Eddie and the dinosaurs (sounds like the name of a band), I turned my idle hands and brain back to the book and had it finished by Sunday evening. On Monday, we went to my parents' house to meet my new nephew (welcome Baby Benjamin!) and celebrate the 4th with all my siblings and their families.
I do confess to a few internet indiscretions -- peeking at Facebook when Annie had it up to see pictures my brother posted and playing several games of Words with Friends on my cell phone on the way to Ohio. But mostly, I was unplugged. And it felt good.
I won't say it cured everything that ails me; I still have things to work on. What it did, though, was give me a fresh perspective. And I think I'm better all around for it.
After writing the post explaining my intended mini-absence, I closed the laptop and put it away in my bag. That itself was pretty monumental. My laptop is a standard fixture in the FR2 (family room 2). I went to bed at about 9:30pm Friday night -- no trolling Facebook to keep me awake late.
When I woke on Saturday morning, I gave a relieved exhale that I wasn't reaching for the laptop to see what I'd missed on the interwebs overnight. I went downstairs, started cleaning the kitchen and grabbed a zucchini muffin that Annie had made. It was so yummy, that my first instinct was to tag her in a post on Facebook thanking her for baking them.
Not so fast. I was on a break.And I was beginning to get the shakes from internet withdrawal.
More kitchen cleaning. Laundry cycling. Lunch cooking. Plenty of witty remarks went through my head, only there were no Facebook friends there to appreciate them.
After lunch, I sat down to read a book -- a real book with pages and everything. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Two thumbs up.) I prepped dinner before we left for church. We got back home, I made dinner (caramel pork stir fry) and sat back down with the book. It was enjoyable and as a bonus, my fingers were no longer twitching as if they needed to make contact with a keyboard.
Sunday presented a special challenge to my resolve to stay unplugged. Mike helped Robbie clean out his bedroom. He came downstairs with two bags of stuff to be given to the Goodwill. I peeked in one of the bags and saw one of Robbie's Imaginext dinosaurs tossed in there.
"Mike! You can't give this away!" I shrieked.
"Why not, he doesn't play with them anymore."
"Because I'm saving them for the grandchildren! He LOVED those dinosaurs."
I decided I'd better go out to the car and see what other precious memories Mike thought were expendable. I found about 6 more dinosaurs and Eddie, the doll Robbie used to sleep with when he was a baby. I couldn't believe Mike would even considering giving Eddie away! I actually got teary over that one and thought, "I'm so going to blog about this." Then I remembered I couldn't because of my self-imposed internet moratorium.
Having safely rescued Eddie and the dinosaurs (sounds like the name of a band), I turned my idle hands and brain back to the book and had it finished by Sunday evening. On Monday, we went to my parents' house to meet my new nephew (welcome Baby Benjamin!) and celebrate the 4th with all my siblings and their families.
I do confess to a few internet indiscretions -- peeking at Facebook when Annie had it up to see pictures my brother posted and playing several games of Words with Friends on my cell phone on the way to Ohio. But mostly, I was unplugged. And it felt good.
I won't say it cured everything that ails me; I still have things to work on. What it did, though, was give me a fresh perspective. And I think I'm better all around for it.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The face in the mirror
In the past few days, several people (read: more than 2) have mentioned to me that I seem angry or stressed or withdrawn and asked if I'm ok. While I have felt some of that on the inside, I wasn't aware that I was projecting that to the outside. I think that those feelings have just been around for so long, that it almost feels normal for me. It took those people holding up a mirror to help me see it.
The short answer is that I am ok. But I am also stressed and unsettled. I know a few things I can do to help.
The short answer is that I am ok. But I am also stressed and unsettled. I know a few things I can do to help.
- Exercise. I hate that its true, but I do feel emotionally better after I've taken a walk or gone for a bike ride.
- Pray. Truthfully, I've been letting this one slide. That whole "let go and let God" concept is a tough one for people like me who like to run the show.
- Unplug. This one is scary for me because the internet is a great place for me to escape. I can get lost in Facebook and the blogosphere for hours on end. (Shocking, I know.)
Fraggalaggadingdong
Ever have one of those weeks that seems to both crawl along and move at light speed at the same time? It seems like last weekend was 2 weeks ago, yet I can hardly believe its Friday again.
And if it's Friday, it's time for Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments. Woohoo!
I took Annie and Robbie to see "Mr. Popper's Penguins" at the theater the other day -- matinee pricing. Even at just $5/person, it was overpriced for the amount of entertainment the movie offered. I wanted it to be funny and sweet, but it pretty much fell short on both accounts. It did leave me with the word "yabsolutely," which I enjoy, so it was not all for naught.
***
It's been almost two months since my mother-in-law passed away. Missing her creeps in unexpectedly. I turned the TV on the other day to find Wimbledon coverage. Karen loved watching Wimbledon and seeing it on the screen made me a little teary.
***
We're going to meet my new nephew over the holiday weekend. I can't wait. Oh, and he has a name now. Benjamin. Love it. (Although my vote was for Oliver. Annie says she's going to use Oliver when she has kids. We'll see about that. When I was her age, I was going to name a kid "Letiticia.")
***
Thanks for your kind words over my mini meltdown regarding Mike's job search. He's had some good conversations with 3 or 4 contacts since then, so hopefully something will come into place soon.
***
We've reached the point of the summer where my feet hurt -- BAD. The bottoms of my feet are all dried out and cracked and painful to walk on. And the bones on the top of my feet hurt from spending too much time in old sandals. So now I'm at that embarrassing stage where I need to lather my feet in lotion, put on cotton socks and wear tennis shoes, regardless of what else I'm wearing. It's either that or hobble around. You know you're getting old when the Good Feet Store commercial comes on and you turn up the radio to hear it better.
***
Do you have big plans for the 4th? We're going to my folks' for the day. I'm planning to make homemade red potato salad and maybe some fruit salad, too. Not sure what we'll do about fireworks. My parents live on the outer edge of a small town. I'm hoping we can see fireworks from their driveway.
***
This concludes a very long day of blogging (doing some catching up on some other sites), so I'm ready to call it a night. Have a great weekend! Be sure to visit Mrs. 4444s for more Friday Fragments.
And if it's Friday, it's time for Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments. Woohoo!
I took Annie and Robbie to see "Mr. Popper's Penguins" at the theater the other day -- matinee pricing. Even at just $5/person, it was overpriced for the amount of entertainment the movie offered. I wanted it to be funny and sweet, but it pretty much fell short on both accounts. It did leave me with the word "yabsolutely," which I enjoy, so it was not all for naught.
***
It's been almost two months since my mother-in-law passed away. Missing her creeps in unexpectedly. I turned the TV on the other day to find Wimbledon coverage. Karen loved watching Wimbledon and seeing it on the screen made me a little teary.
***
We're going to meet my new nephew over the holiday weekend. I can't wait. Oh, and he has a name now. Benjamin. Love it. (Although my vote was for Oliver. Annie says she's going to use Oliver when she has kids. We'll see about that. When I was her age, I was going to name a kid "Letiticia.")
***
Thanks for your kind words over my mini meltdown regarding Mike's job search. He's had some good conversations with 3 or 4 contacts since then, so hopefully something will come into place soon.
***
We've reached the point of the summer where my feet hurt -- BAD. The bottoms of my feet are all dried out and cracked and painful to walk on. And the bones on the top of my feet hurt from spending too much time in old sandals. So now I'm at that embarrassing stage where I need to lather my feet in lotion, put on cotton socks and wear tennis shoes, regardless of what else I'm wearing. It's either that or hobble around. You know you're getting old when the Good Feet Store commercial comes on and you turn up the radio to hear it better.
***
Do you have big plans for the 4th? We're going to my folks' for the day. I'm planning to make homemade red potato salad and maybe some fruit salad, too. Not sure what we'll do about fireworks. My parents live on the outer edge of a small town. I'm hoping we can see fireworks from their driveway.
***
This concludes a very long day of blogging (doing some catching up on some other sites), so I'm ready to call it a night. Have a great weekend! Be sure to visit Mrs. 4444s for more Friday Fragments.
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