Easy Dinner: Pan Fried Maple Pork Chops

Pork chops and applesauce have been a favorite combination since, well, forever. I wanted to find a way to keep the flavor combo but add some more texture to the plate. This cooks up quickly without a million different steps and it's flavorful and delicious, so it's a winner for this Mom. Hope you enjoy!

What You'll Need

4-6 bone-in pork chops

salt & pepper

cinnamon sugar

maple syrup

2 Cortland or McIntosh apples

1/2 large onion, wedged then sliced

extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

*optional rosemary

*optional slivered almonds 

Season each side of pork chop with salt and pepper. Let sit 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, core and cut apples in 1/4 inch slices- sometimes I leave the skin on, other times I peel it, so just do it how you like it

Halve onion, slice in similar fashion to apples; cut wedges in half

Heat butter on med-high in large skillet pan. Cook apple slices for 3-5 minutes; add onion & almonds, if using them. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp maple syrup, stirring gently to coat. Sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon sugar, stirring more. Cook about 5 minutes more. Remove from pan before getting too soft, and place in a bowl or pie plate while you cook the chops.

I've made this with real maple syrup and with the store stuff - both were good!

Drizzle olive oil in same skillet; add pork chops. Sprinkle some rosemary over each pork chop (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't). The chops I had were very large, so I could only cook two at a time. You want a nice, brown sear on the chop, so don't turn it too quickly; it needs to cook about 6 minutes on each side. The centers were too pink after this "first round," so I flipped them over again and put a cover on the skillet, which was no problem since they had already gotten seared.

When the pork chops are cooked through, it's time to plate. Scoop some of the apples and onion onto the chop, and serve promptly. This pairs well with mashed potatoes or rice, and steamed carrots.

 I know the lighting is pretty bad- it's dark by five here (which is waaay better than when it's dark by four in December!!), and I don't exactly have tons of free time to make dinner ahead just to photograph it...I've got hungry people demanding food, ha!

I'm sure you could use boneless pork as well, but I prefer the bone-in chop for this recipe

So good!

For other quick & easy dinners, check out:

Hearty Crock-Pot Beef Stew

 It's a snow day today and we're making this!

Tangy Pork Loin

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Enjoy!

Friday Favorites

This week has been a full one! My two oldest guys are nearly done with midterm week at high school, and my third son just got his introduction into the world of midterms as an eighth grader in preparation for next year. He also got his freshman course selection packet this week, and I'm feeling...old. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was cutting their sandwiches in neat little squares and reading them Clifford stories before naptime? Good thing I get to do it all over again! ha ha

#bonusbaby

So what ARE my Friday Favorites this week?

ONE
Sleeeeeeeppp!!!!!!!

This charming little fella has been sleeping through the night {mostly} ALL WEEK LONG!!! Can I get an Amen? AMENNNN! I know it might not last, but it has certainly been a favorite highlight of this week.

He naps on our bed but has been sleeping at night in his crib, in a nook in our room. But that's about to change, and I'm happy about it, but I'm...not, too.

He adores his lovey, and it was instrumental in getting him to stop screaming The Second we put him down in his crib. Maybe I should write a separate post on some of the simple
(gentle) things I did to help him learn to sleep better. (?)
Every night when I'm rocking and nursing him, he's either waving that thing around like a flag, or running his fingers and palm up and down over the soft cloth, or wrapping it around his chubby little hand and rubbing it over his eye and cheek, back and forth, up and down. Sometimes he even sighs when he touches it, and I can feel his whole body relax into mine. I know this isn't going to last forever, and I don't want to forget any of these special details.

 TWO
Snowy Mornings

While I am done D.O.N.E with harsh winters, there really is nothing that rivals the morning sun after a storm.

 And snowy branches, they are absolutely my favorite. #winterwonderland

THREE

Fresh Flowers
Every year on New Year's Eve (or around there), I buy myself some pretty, inexpensive houseplants. I really need that boost during these cold winter days. You can't look at these blooms and not smile!

Plus, I put up some simple things for Valentine's Day, and I realized that I hadn't done that for the past two years or so. I missed it! I love making our home a little more festive and fun. I'll share more pictures in a separate post next week...

FOUR
Impromptu Visits
Twice in the past five years we have taken steps to relocate to other parts of the country. My husband works for Raytheon (he is a rocket scientist, for real! ha ha) and he interviewed in McKinney, Texas and was offered the job, but in the end, we simply could not move away from family. We got that adventure itch a couple years later, and this time interviewed in the Triangle Park area in North Carolina, but we still could not go through with it.
And then we found out about our little Levi, and I wouldn't trade watching him with our parents and other family for anything in the world!
After the oldest boys graduate, we are outta here...and I'll just make my parents come with us. :)

A little irony here in that this was a fun, impromptu pancake breakfast because of a snow delay that morning.
Lots of times, my Dad, Grampy, will pop in just to say hi, and sit and chat with me over a cup of coffee. I really love that.

FIVE
This
Can't stop, won't stop.
This may be the third (?) time I've posted a sink bath picture in the past week, and I still can't get enough. I'm obsessed. :)

This is a big day for our country. I'm praying that we can all move forward with hope, integrity, and good will. We don't have to agree with one another in order to be kind and respectful.

Hope you have a great weekend ahead!

Linking up with Erika, Narci  & Andrea
  Oh Hey Friday
High Five for Friday
Click on the links to read more and to join in the fun! :)

Wednesday Randomness

It's eeeeaaarly Wednesday morning and I just got a text that we're having a two hour delay today because of last night's storm. It doesn't seem to be a very big one, but enough to make the roads dicey. Two hour delays are a-okay in my book. And it's Donut Wednesday, so no prep for me. It's also the one weekday that I make coffee...and share it with the boys. :) Honestly, I don't even know when this all started, but I can't remember ever not doing it.

For the past few months I've been watching two neighbor girls most days after school, but this week their Dad is out of town on business so they need to be here in the morning- yesterday I totally forgot...and answered the door in messy hair and pajamas. Oops. This morning should be interesting with the delay!

This one is completely random, but I have been so incredibly frustrated with Pinterest lately. Anyone else? The whole format is different, I never see pins from the people I follow anymore, and it's just, well, annoying. I think Pinterest and I may be entering that awkward relationship phase of staying together- for the time being- even though in your heart you really know it's over.

Since Christmas and New Year's, sewing orders have dwindled nearly completely. I think this happens every year, but this is probably the first year that I've been 100% happy/relieved/excited about that. Ha! I am incredibly grateful for the additional income Rose & Ruffle brings to our family, but I am wiped out. One last nightgown to finish, and I'm officially taking a break from the shop on Friday. I'm so ready for it! And to any of you reading who has supported me in any way, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Truly.

Another snow plow just rumbled by. Boy, are they loud! ha ha

Okay, two last things: 1. I have been putting off buying new sheets for well over a year now because I cannot stand the feel of sateen, and everything now seems to be either sateen or that silky brushed cotton. Ugh. Both my husband and I loathe that feeling. We are percale people through and through. I like my sheets crisp. I do not, however, intend to go bankrupt buying said sheets, so I'm wondering if anyone is also a loyal percale fan, and where you get sheets for around forty/fifty bucks. I feel like I have searched everywhere...and found nothing.

And 2. We are trying to revamp our bill-paying/important papers/household maintenance & purchases system a bit - any tips? Currently, we have a decorative file holder that houses monthly bills - we pay nearly everything online but still get mailed bills each month. I'm okay with this system, but the other papers are driving me nuts. I have tried to use those folded accordion type boxes for the important papers, but I fail. Every single time. Maybe a couple of folders, clearly labeled, in a desk drawer? I'm planning on putting up one or two shelves over our main desk, so maybe a couple of those boxes would work after all. There is too much clutter around me right now and it wears me down. Help! Share your bright ideas with me, pretty please! :)

Obviously it would be wrong of me to post this without any photos of my cute baby, so, you're welcome. ;)

He chews so cute! I can't even stand it!

 And though it's hard to capture on film, he makes this squishy face and it just about kills me. Ah, we love him so!

Oh, and PS: I think I will really regret not doing a better job of documenting those early days with Levi, so I'm creating new posts retroactively to fill in the gaps. If you follow along, you will be seeing some pretty odd smatterings of posts in the next few weeks, ha. Here is my first one . :)

Guess who...

...slept through the night last night???

I didn't think this would everrrr happen. And who knows, maybe it won't again for a long time. But last night? Last night was just about as good as it gets.

Of course it seemed rather cruel that I laid there wide awake from about midnight on. I kept having to go check on him, make sure his face wasn't covered, touch his chest, listen for breathing sounds. Like, literally, every ten minutes all through the night. I couldn't help it! I was in shock and didn't know what to do with myself.

And right now...he is taking a morning nap. Who IS this boy and what has he done with my sleep-hating baby?

I'm trying to be better about recording these moments and milestones here, and I know I'm going to want to remember this one!!!