The Cinnabon SECRET Recipe!

Ok, this is a copycat recipe for those AMAZING Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls! I wanted to make something special for my "boys" today and this was it! I've made them before, but it's been a few years. Actually several years. But they are AMAZING!

Roll Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
2 pkgs dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3 1/2 oz pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1/2 c butter (melted)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 cups flour
1 cup softened butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 t cinnamon (of course the best is the actual cinnamon sold at Cinnabon stores!)

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Confectioner's sugar
1 T milk

1. In a bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, prepare pudding mix according to package directions.
3. Add margarine, eggs and salt. Mix well.
4. Add yeast mixture. Blend.
5. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.
6. Punch down dough and let rise again.
7. Then roll out on floured board to 34 x 21" size.
8. Spread softened butter over surface.
9. In bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon.
10. Sprinkle over top. Roll up very tightly.
11. With knife every 2 inches.
12. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 2" apart.
13. Take hand and lightly press down on each roll.
14. Cover and let rise until double again.
15. Bake at 350 15−20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden. DON'T OVER BAKE.
16. Frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting (mix all ingredients until smooth)

SeaWorld has an AWESOME new ride!

When I was growing up in Ohio, one of my favorite trips, ok probably my MOST favorite trip with my family was to SeaWorld in NE Ohio. We went several times during my childhood with the last time being when I was around 12. I remember fishing there, feeding ducks, walking right up to Shamu, watching a dive performance that was a blast, and the night time show. Oh man. The lighting and the music were just right and the people really cared for the animals. It was so beautiful seeing the human-animal interaction to the song "More than words" by Extreme. The night concluded with a trip to the lake for a laser show. It was so cool. This was during the first Gulf War and patriotism was real high. At the conclusion, the laser showed the words that SeaWorld salutes all of the men and women in our United States Armed Forces. Even at 12 I just wanted to cry with pride when the entire crowd erupted in applause.

So my impression of SeaWorld has always been top-of-the-line and I would LOVE to take my kids there. Being in the Atlanta area, we're not too far from SeaWorld Orlando. Which is also great because they just opened up an incredible ride called "Manta". It's designed around the Manta Ray, a remarkable aquatic animal.

You can learn more by visiting the website and doing a couple activities. You can follow them on Twitter for answers on a 5 question quiz. They will email something to you so that you get a complementary photograph of you on the ride. They also give you a front of the line pass if you complete all 6 activities on the site! How cool is that? No lines? AHHHHH!

Click on
Manta to visit the site!

Watch this video to experience the ride! My son and I watched it and we were both saying "I HAVE to ride that!" Oh man. It's unreal!



So check it out! If you've been or plan on going, please comment this post! I'd LOVE to hear about your experience. Wooohooo!!

For Those Who Are Expecting! :-)

First of all congratulations! Second, I wanted to post a link to a site that has OUTSTANDING information for the mommy to be. Videos, information, calculators (due date, etc). Check it out!

Pregnancy Week by Week

What to do with $10,000???

Wow, if someone came up to me and offered me $10,000 what would I do? Well, I could certainly afford to focus more on my education! And with the job market, even for a new grad nurse, being so ugly, I could afford not to work for a couple of more months. And let's admit, a nice dinner and a mini-spending spree wouldn't hurt either! :-) Oh! Or I could take the fam on vacation to Myrtle Beach or Virginia Beach! Yes!!

Whew, ok, back to reality. Today I saw where Charter Cable is giving away one prize of $10,000 and 4 52" HDTVs! Heck, I could take those as well LOL It would definitely make my husband really happy!

All you have to do is go to charter.net/10grand each week in May (HURRY!) and answer questions about Charter On Demand. We used to have Charter and I miss it BIG time! The On Demand feature was unreal. It was like having tons of stuff saved to the DVR that you could watch whenever you wanted. Everything from movies to documentaries to educational videos. It was great. Actually, according to Charter, they have over 6000 things on the On Demand.

Win 10 Grand Contest Page
Charter’s Twitter Feed

So seriously, it's worth taking a few minutes to give it a shot. Charter has been creating so much hype lately with TONS of giveaways. At least join in on the fun!!!!



DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK AND POST IF YOU WIN!!!! :-) :-) :-)

I wish I knew about this when I was in Nursing School!

Ok, we've all heard of Netflix right? Have movie rentals delivered to your home, you watch it as long as you'd like, when you're done you send it back in the prepaid envelope and they automatically ship out the next movie on the list.

Well I remember awhile back seeing something on the 11 Alive News morning show here in Atlanta. These people started a program where it works just like Netflix, but with books! No more going to the book store to buy the latest book out there that everyone is talking about, reading it, and then it sitting on the bookshelf. Or lending it to someone and never seeing it again. Too much mess.

So how cool would it be to have something similar to Netflix but with books. EVEN COLLEGE TEXT BOOKS! And we all know how much those can be (especially nursing books).

Please take a look at this site and see if it's just the thing you need! I know I am!

Such a relaxing day :-)

Today I enjoyed just sitting on my patio (with my new flowers & plants!!!) doing my cross stitch project. Talk about relaxing! I got pretty far on it too. It's starting to look like a picture now.

My neighbors interrupted my peace by having a "let's blare our stereos louder than the other person" contest. One played Caribbean music and the other tried to out do her by playing country music. Ok, I can handle just about anything, but I can't handle country music LOL But Country neighbor got mad and called the sheriff on the Carribean neighbor. Things got quiet for awhile and then Carribean neighbor started up again. That really made Country neighbor mad. Although I was sitting outside for the peace and relaxation, I found the whole ordeal somewhat entertaining. I had a good laugh. At other peoples expense though LOL

Wow, this is Cody's last week of 7th grade. He's still my baby though! HAHA I just can't believe how privelaged I was to be the one and only consistent person in his life from birth (and before then) until now and forever. I know he's excited to be done with school. As a reward I'm allowing him to have his best friend in the world over for a week (or as long as his parents allow). Talk about testosterone. 4 dudes, 1 girl. Oh wait. I have the cat. She's female :-)

This was a beautiful Sunday :-)

I'm so proud of Colin. He actually slept in his bed all night last night! Oh, maybe I should explain LOL With both of my boys I ended up letting them sleep with me when they were babies. Unfortunately, I have a hard time breaking them of it. They always have a bed of their own, they just feel safer sleeping with me I guess. Besides, with my husband working until the middle of the night, it makes me feel better having my youngest sleeping within reach of me at night. But believe me, sometimes I just wish I could have an entire bed to myself to stretch out on!

So last night he spent the entire night in his bed. Even tonight he's willing to sleep in his own bed. I hope this is the start of Colin really being a big boy!

But I got up this morning and went to Kmart around the corner. I bought some more potting soil, another flower pot, and these spikes that you put in the soil to determine whether the plant needs watered or not. Like I've said before, I have the hardest time growing plants. So I need all the help I can get.

Then I drove my car to the car wash to vacuum it out and throw some junk out. I also Armor-All'd the plastic inside of the car. Yes, I even paid for that fragrance oil that you spray under the seats LOL

I was going to go home to where I live (we have a free car wash there) and wash the outside of the car, but storm clouds were blowing in and it was thundering. So instead I sat on my patio and filled up this huge flower pot with soil and added some of the plants I purchased yesterday from Home Depot. IMO it's a beautiful arrangement, but that's just my opinion LOL

While I was gone cleaning out my car, Marty, Cody, and Colin cleaned these old patio chairs and table and spray painted them. I was ready to toss them but they got them looking REAL nice! They are like a hammered copper color. Looks beautiful on the patio now. Especially with the flowers and the bird feeders I have up. I don't care for wind chimes, but if I can find an inexpensive bamboo one I would put it up. Now all I need to do is put two more of my plants in new pots and buy a plant stand and my patio is good to go!

Tonight, Marty and I sat on the patio and lit a 3-wick Citronella candle and talked. It was a nice, cool night and we just loved it. We had some great conversations. Man, I love him so much!

Well, tomorrow I have to jump back on my cross stitch project I started. Maybe I can sit on the patio to do it if it's nice outside!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

Whew! What a long day. Well kinda short. I went to my family graduation party this afternoon. It was so nice. And Marty's uncle grilled these MUTANT chicken breasts on the grill. I mean, these were chickens from the dinosaur age they were so big! And sooooooooo good! And it was great seeing everyone get together.

Then on the way home I saw a billboard advertisement on I-20 for Home Depot. They had a $0.79 potted plant sale. I LOADED UP on some beautiful flowers! But I wanted to get some new and inexpensive patio furniture. Home Depot had some nice ones but I decided to try Big Lots. You know, the problem with Big Lots is that they are supposed to have some good prices. But SOOOO many times I have found better quality items for a better price at other places. So I decided NOT to get patio furniture tonight. But I did get the flowers, an OFF citronella candle, and a new Glade air freshener for the car.

When we got home we ordered some Chinese Food because I was too tired to cook. So while Marty went to get that I stayed home and cleaned. Got alot done actually LOL

I checked my blood sugar before supper and it was 119. Since I was going to have an egg roll and Szechuan beef and rice I added a little to my short acting and my Lantus insulins.

Ok, enough with all that boring stuff, how about some pictures I took today at my graduation party? Marty's aunt has worked SO hard on her yard I just had to take pics and share them :-)

Anyways, after supper I ended up putting some of my plants in a huge pot that I have. I need to go buy another bag of Miracle Gro potting soil (I need all the help I can get!) I don't have any luck with plants, especially flowers. So hopefully this will be my lucky summer!

Now I think I'm going to go lay down. I'll post some graduation pictures tomorrow since they are now on the computer!!! :-)

The New Look!

Ok I have worked long and hard to make this blog look JUST right! Now I think I have it. It's pretty conservative and girlie without alot of flash and drama. But still fun at the same time. I hope everyone feels the same way.

I have to get to bed now because I have a graduation party tomorrow afternoon! It's being thrown by Marty's family. I think that is so sweet. Only thing I wish is that it was LAST Saturday so my family could be there. Oh well. We all went to Joe's Crab Shack and had a great time. The food was great too.

Well, hopefully I can post some pictures here soon. I know I have TONS of pictures and videos from graduation and I have to find the cord to run it into the computer.

Later everyone! Good night :-)

Diabetes Funny!

I thought this was really funny about life as a diabetic:

Bear Fingers – When a finger has been tested to the point of exhaustion and it needs to be rested or "hibernated."

Bouncing – When your bloodsugar drops so low overnight that your living kicks in some glucagons, causing you to bounce from low to high.

Born Again Diabetic – When a person with diabetes fosters a new-found interest in taking care of their health after years of negligence and denial.

Carbonese - The ability to determine the number of carbs in a given food based on the total carbs and the serving size (coined by a 6-year-old child with diabetes who is fluent in Carbonese and can eyeball the carbs without her mother's input).

Clocking In – Another term for "bloodsugar reading." Synonyms include "ringing in" and "reading at."

Daylight Savings Time – See also "Time to Change the Lancet".

Dead Strips – Used blood glucose meter strips found in random spots, i.e. under the seat of your car, on the floor at the gym, in a shoe, in a small gray kitten named Siah's mouth.

Diabetic PMS – When the blood sugar rockets up for no apparent reason for the 2-3 days prior to the start of a woman's cycle. Men may also experience this in a sympathetic mode.

Dotties – When you prick your finger, squeeze, and about five holes show up with blood. See also "Bloody Constellation."

Gusher – When you prick your finger, squeeze, and end up assaulted by your own bloodstream. May also be found when you remove an infusion set.

Hooking – When your pump tubing snags the doorknob and almost rips out.

Interstate BG Checks – Where upon the person with diabetes (while barreling down the interstate above the speed limit) juggles the steering wheel, BG meter, test strip, lancet and a target finger. Commonly occurs in the dark.
I didn't feel when I was driving home from my interview, so I performed an interstate BG check and almost hit a moose.

Larry Bird – Boston Celtic's basketball legend, jersey no. 33. Serves as cardio workout goal time inspiration for many people with diabetes. Often found at the punchline of my sad little quips.
Working out at the gym, I made sure to do Larry Bird on the treadmill.

Low Bowl – The bowl in the kitchen of a person with diabetes filled to the rim with 5-15g fast acting carb treats. Miniature versions are often found in diaper bags for "On The Go" lows.

Nabs – Crackers with peanut butter spread between them. Typically used to follow up glucose tabs in the treatment of a low bloodsugar. Names derived from the Latin "Nabisco", the maker of the most popular peanut butter crackers. Most people with diabetes learn about nabs at diabetes camp.

Officially Scary – Applies to situations, numbers, etc. Defined as any statistic that stretches the perimeters of safety.
While at the gym, I checked at the 33 minute mark and noted that I was at the Officially Scary Number of 37 mg/dl (2.06 mmol/l)!

Panicky Diabetic Syndrome – The use of more than five test strips in a 55-minute period because you aren't confident that your bloodsugar is coming up or down.. Often accompanied by a Rage or Serial Bolus.

Random Bolus – The method of bolusing at random and mildly calculated intervals, i.e. realizing that you may have under-bolused for a meal and opt to course in a unit or two to cover bases.

Rage Bolus – The act of suffering from a high bloodsugar for an extended period of time or for an unknown reason and the retaliatory insulin dose. Oftentimes results in a low bloodsugar.

Real People Sick – The differentiation between bloodsugar issues and the common cold. Phrase slips out most often when the person with diabetes admits to not feeling well and must specify that it is not bloodsugar related.

Regan-Rage – Term comes from the little girl in The Exorcist. Describes the behavior some people with diabetes exhibit when having a low bloodsugar. Regan-rage behaviors include swearing, screaming, spitting of juice, and stretching body parts in unnatural ways.
*Does not include levitating. If your diabetic friend/partner/child should levitate, it is probably not caused by low bloodsugar.

Serial Bolus – Administering bolus upon bolus to bring a bloodsugar down. Often likened to a Rage Bolus, but usually follows the course of multiple hours vs. one huge crank up.

Sleep-Eating – The act of rising from a sound sleep, proceeding to the kitchen and eating anything you can find. A person with diabetes often wakes up while in the process of sleep-eating without being able to figure out how they got to the kitchen or why there is ice cream all over their fingers and face.
Last night, my boyfriend found me sleep-eating again; when he was able to rouse me, I was mortified to find I had eaten a ½ gallon of chocolate ice cream.

Sugar Reaper – A night time hypo that nearly kills you.
I had a visit from the Sugar Reaper last night, which explains the bags under my eyes and the juice stains around my mouth.

S.W.A.G. Bolus – Scientific, Wild Assed Guess bolus. This is where you use more instinct than data to bolus an unexpected or uncalculated meal.

Time to Change the Lancet – Defined as any time when you change the batteries in your smoke detector, reset your clocks, or when the lancet starts to rust

Twilight Zone High – A high with no rational cause.
Despite the fact that I had not eaten anything sweet or missed any insulin, I clocked in at a Twilight Zone High of 330 mg/dl (18.33 mmol/l).

Source: Excerpted and adapted from the blog Six Until Me, authored by dLife columnist Kerri Morrone

Whew! I'm EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!

I mean I am absolutely BONE TIRED! Wore out. Not feeling so great though. It's no wonder though, so much excitement last week. I found out I passed Nursing School, Wednesday I had to show up for Pinning rehearsal, Thursday was the Pinning Ceremony, Friday was graduation (with Joe's Crab Shack to celebrate!), and Saturday we went to the Braves game. Sunday everyone went back to Ohio... my dad in the AM by car, and my mom in the PM by AirTran.

Isn't this ^^ just the most incredible picture?! It was from our Pinning Ceremony Thursday night. We all had our candles lit from each other and then we listened as a singer sang "Go Light Your World". I'm including the song below:



It was certainly appropriate for graduating nursing students. Especially our group. I mean, I know 99% of nursing students have good hearts. But my class was so tight knit and caring. We didn't want to lose anyone along the way. To be honest, I couldn't imagine how such a large group could get to know each other much less be as caring towards each other.

So I didn't get to bed until around 1 or 2 am. Then it dawned on me. What am I supposed to wear under my graduation gown?!

I had to get up first thing in the AM, go to Walmart (which was the only place opened) to buy a black dress, hose, and black dress shoes. I ran to the fitting room, found that everything fit just right, and then I opened the door and asked the old lady attending the fitting room if I could remove the tags and check out immediately. She said that was fine but she had to accompany me to the register. Ok that's fine! I'm just in a rush to make it to graduation in time!

So I grab all of my stuff and I was ready for us to make a mad dash to the register. Yeah, that was until she grabbed her cane and started escorting me. LOL!!! Well, that's what I get for LITERALLY waiting until the last minute. It all worked out. I made it to campus with plenty of time to spare.

The graduation ceremony ROCKED! I had my husband and older son there and my parents from Ohio (& SISTER!) watching. The speaker sucked IMO though. Some government dude from Dekalb County. It was less about us and more about his "political" speach and him. I felt it was just typical insensitive politician speak.

But getting up on stage ready to shake hands with the President of the college I looked back at my family and they looked so happy. Then I looked out in the audience and all of the nursing faculty was standing there with smiles and applause to all of us as we went out. OMG I love them. It was so cool. Even my step mother (who used to be a nursing instructor) said that was very special of them. It sure was.

Well anyways... I have TONS of pictures and videos from the Days of Graduation but I can't find the cord. So it'll be a few more days :-( Fortunately I got some GREAT post-pinning goofing off with (former) students and our instructors!!! I can't wait to share it with everyone.

But yesterday it was so hard saying goodbye to my family. They all live in Ohio and I see them every year to every other year. It's too hard for me to go visit up there (because of losing my brother - if I stay here, he's not missing from my daily life. If I go up there, I'll notice he's missing). And they all work and have their lives. So we all don't get to see each other very often.

My mom came here for two months to help me with the house and the kids while I did my preceptorship and finished out school. She was alot of help. LOL Now I'm back to cleaning 50 times a day. Ok, nursing school has turned me into a germaphobe! Lysol Wipes are my FAVES!!! I keep them in the bathrooms and the kitchen to wipe stuff down all the time LOL

So anyways, my mom was a lifesaver when it came to cleaning house. Too bad she wasn't a fan of changing litter boxes LOL

It was wonderful seeing my dad, stepmother, and little sister too! They spoiled me to death LOL I got a Vera Bradley backpack purse, makeup bag, cards, and a Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope!!!!!!!! OMG it was all soooo awesome!

But as wonderful as everything was it was so hard to see everyone go. Hopefully everyone will be back again soon.

Now I just have to find a job!!!! I can't find anything!!!! Of course, maybe it will be better once I pass the NCLEX and I'm a REAL registered nurse. Until then I'm just a girl who has been to college. Doesn't count for anything. It doesn't help that hospitals aren't hiring new grads at all. Ugh. Hopefully things turn around soon.

Well, I'm off. Time for more rest until I get whatever I've got out of my system!

Waiting on the Final Exam grades

Well everything from last week worked out. I got my cap & gown. My application to the state has been sent. I have everything set for the background check and fingerprinting done. I have the NSNA cord. And today I received my Phi Theta Kappa honors stuff. My dad and stepmother offered to cover some things for me (thank GOD!) and I told them all I needed was the stole and gold tassel. They bought me the full regalia!!! Seriously, OMG! I couldn't make it through the graduation process without them. We speak to God daily and ask him to give us the strength and means to survive our tough times and in so many ways He has come through for us. In some ways I can't mention, but He has worked his miracles in so many ways. I believe there are some great things in store for us. :-)

Right now the last obstacle is waiting on my final exam grades. Once I have that I can calculate my FINAL grade. I have to have above a 75% to pass nursing school. The way I figured it I can get a 65% and STILL pass with a 75%. I've never scored that low before and I don't want to start now. But I'm always the overly cautious one. I try not to get my hopes up on anything. But sometimes that comes off as pessimistic.

Well, I have volunteered officially to work at a Free Medical Clinic that is run out of a church less than a mile up the road from me. I'm just waiting for my paperwork to come back from the state. It's a clinic open one day a week and it's for people with no insurance that need medical care. There's a bunch of doctors and nurses from the area that help out. So it would be an honor for me to volunteer as well!

I have also signed up to be a part of the East Atlanta Disaster Action Team for the American Red Cross. If there is ever a disaster or something where the Red Cross is needed, I will be one of the people sent to respond. I just need to go to a few of their training seminars.

AHHH I'm trying to keep busy while school is out!!! I...MUST...STAY...BUSY!!!! LOL

I can almost say I'm scared out of my mind

Whenever I get overwhelmed I get scared. First I pray to ask God for strength. Then I list everything that I need to get done and when. So now I've compiled a list of things I need to get done (and to also help people see what to expect when graduation is one week away):

Today
Order Phi Theta Kappa Honors stuff
Buy cap & gown
Fill out application for Georgia Board
Sign up for background check
Study

Friday
Final Exam
Have GA Application Notarized
Turn in GA Board Application

Ok, that helps put things in perspective. Not so bad I guess.

I went by a food bank today and they also hold a free clinic on Thursday evenings. The people that run that program weren't there but I was given a number to call tomorrow. I would LOVE to volunteer my services to this church. From what I understand they have a bunch of drs that volunteer their time and services. Also a bunch of people from this church. But what a great way to do something good, meet new people, and keep my skills strong? I don't think I'll start this Thursday night because I have finals the next morning, but I'd be excited as heck to volunteer from next week on! And it's only 1 block from my house! Oh wait. Next Thursday is Pinning. Ok, the week AFTER LOL

I also emailed the Red Cross about volunteering. Having O- blood I know how badly they need it. So I'm always giving blood when I can. But I'd love to be on the other side of the needle for once :-)

Until I start working somewhere I will love volunteering. I can't stand laying around the house. I love to keep busy. This will also teach the boys good things. They learn from what they see.

Ok, well I have to get working on my list. I know it's not everything that has to be done, but it's a start.

It's 2 am... 3 days before the final

I'm working so hard to keep motivated studying for this final exam on Friday. I did a great job reading the entire chapters on acid/base imbalances and shock. Then I got into watching Fringe (which was a very good episode BTW) & I can't seem to get back to it.

Of course, I feel very overwhelmed right now with everything I have to do and pay for. And money is so rare these days. With two growing boys in the house (13 & 4) food is rare too if it's not stocked on a daily (or hourly) basis! LOL

Marty is going to print up a 20 page study guide that I have and I'll use that to study with tomorrow. My main focus tomorrow will be meds and Neuro. Thursday I will finish with Endocrine, Multi-System, and whatever else I need to brush up on. I will go to bed around 9:00 hopefully so with last minute insomnia I will be asleep by midnight. Plus I'll head out to campus around 7:00 so I can sit and review my 20 page study guide one last time LOL

Yes, I actually have to sit down and plan these things out. Whether I follow it or not I still feel like I have a handle on a chaotic situation.

Without an exam review afterwards I won't know what my grade is until they post it online. So I will be an emotional wreck up until then. I have to score at least a 65% to pass Advanced Nursing. I KNOW I can do this, but I still get that little devil on my shoulder saying "But you might not!" ARGH! Think positively. God has brought you this far. BELIEVE!

I know I'm just tired right now and I need to go to sleep but I was hoping to see Marty when he gets home. I love laying on the couch next to him in the middle of the night watching what we recorded on Tivo that night. I've just got a headache. I need to rest up for another day of studying tomorrow.

So say I pass my final Friday, I have pinning practice next Wednesday, pinning Thursday night, and then graduation Friday morning. This is the end. I can't believe it. Sorta bummed in a way that this journey is about to come to an end and a new journey begins. But then again I'm happy :-)

Off to sleep I go...

Porkchop Recipes (Thanks Robin!)

A special thanks to Robin for these!!!! :-)

Pork Chop and Scalloped Potato Casserole
4 pork chops
1 large onion (sauteed in vegtable or olive oil)
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth (can be made from boullioun cube)
3 table butter
3 table flour
1 tea salt
1/4 tea pepper
4 medium potatoes pared and sliced thin
1 table fresh parsley (optional)

Brown chops on each side. Remove to plate. Sautee onios in same skillet. Move to side. Melt butter in medium size saucepan. Stir in flour, salt, & pepper until smooth. Slowly add milk and broth stirring constantly until sauce thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
Arrange potatoes in 11x7x2 dish. Top with onion rings then pour sauce over the top evenly. Place chops on the top of dish. Cover tightly with aluminum and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 10 minutes loner or until chops or tender. Garnish with parsley


Jerk Chops (hot)

4 pork chops
1/2 onion pureed
1 plum pureed (optional)
2 teas dried thyme crumbled
2 teas sugar
2 teas salt
1 teas black pepper
1 teas cayenne
1 teas ground all spice
1/4 teas nutmeg
1/4 teas cinnamon

Puree onion and plum until they form a paste. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Dry chops and rub with the paste. Cook on grill until done.

Chops and Apples

4 pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
1 teas veggie oil
2 teas brown sugar
1/8 teas cinnamon
1/8 teas nutmeg
2 table butter
2 tart apples cored and sliced
3 table pecans (optional)

brush chops with oil and cook in skillet 5-6 min. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients in a baking dish and add chops. Cover and cook at 350 until apples are tender.

Gravy Baked Chops

4 pork chops (1 1/4 inch thick)
salt and pepper to taste
1 table butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup of water
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350. Season chops with salt and pepper. Melt butter in skillet. Saute chops in butter for about 5 mins - less if chops are not as thick as recipe calls for. In bowl, combin milk, water, and soup. Place the chops in 9x13 dish and pour the soup mix over them. Cook for 45 mins at 350

Sunny's Creamy Chicken Pork Chops

1 teas olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 pork chops
1 (10.75) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 (14.5oz) can chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and sautee until translucent. Add pork and brown each side - stirring often to avoid burning onions & garlic. In bown mix soup and broth. Pour mix over chops in skillet stirring well to loosen onions and garlic and deglaze the skillet. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 10-15 mins, turning occassionally, until chops are done. Season with salt and pepper & serve


Teriyaki Pineapple Pork Chops

1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 oz can pineapple slices in its own juice, reserve juice
4 center cut pork chops about an inch thick

In 12x8 glass baking dish, combine sugar, soy, garlic powder, and reserved pinapple juice. Place pork in marinade and coat all sides. Cover and refrigerate 6-8 hours turning pork once

Drain pork and reserve marinade. Place pork on grill and cook until done and brushing frequently with marinade. Place the pinapple on the grill during the last few minutes of grilling the pork chops - grill pinapple until heated though. Serve with pinapple slices on top of chops.

Chris and I did this. Once the pork chops marinated we cut if of the bone into long strips and put them on bamboo skewers. In addition we also bought some teriyaki barbacue sauce and glazed the meat while cooking. We served it with homemade fried rice.

Fried rice - I do mine on a pancake griddle and sometimes in a huge skillet. The griddle makes me feel like a Japaneese steak house. I do instant or regular rice. I make it in the morning and then refrigerate it until I am ready.I sautee a whole onion and put it aside. Place a huge slab of butter on the griddle, dump the rice on top and let it sit until the butter starts melting, then I mix it through the rice adding soy sauce too (add as much or little as your taste likes - just add it slowly until you think its good). Then, in the same small skillet I used for the onion I scramble an egg or two. I add the egg and onion to the rice and stir some more. Sometimes I add corn or peas to the rice from a small can. I used to do the egg on the skillet in the middle of the rice but I like to do it seperately cause I think it turns out better. We also sprinkle it with sesame. There isn't really a recipe cause all the ingredients are really to your taste.

Savory Beef Stew

Because I LOVE to cook and try new recipes I'm going to be posting a few. I hope some of you try it out and then tell me what you thought of it. Some of the recipes come by request. So it'll be easy to refer people to FB LOL

INGREDIENTS

* 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
* 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
* 2 cups water
* 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (I HIGHLY recommend Superior Touch's "Better than Bouillon")
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth, undiluted
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 teaspoon salt (I use more than this to taste)
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper (I use more than this to taste)
* 6 small potatoes, quartered
* 6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
* 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, brown meat in salad dressing over medium heat.
2. Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
4. Add the potatoes, carrots, green pepper and onion.
5. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
6. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into stew.
7. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
8. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Here's the website for Superior Touch's "Better than Bouillon" Beef Base
I buy it at Ingles and I'm sure it's most everywhere else in the "broth" aisle.
http://www.superiortouch.com/btb.htm