It's Ladies' Night!

Actually, it was ladies' weekend this past weekend thanks to a last minute cheap flight and the gorgeous and a need for South Texas margaritas. The weather has been in the upper 70s so we spent most of our weekend outside - farmer's market, Riverwalk, and of course Mexican food!

I've been wanting to try one of these BYOB painting classes and so I was really excited when Veronica suggested one.  Our class did "Starry Night over the Alamo" which was a bit of a challenge but lots of fun.

I'm really happy with how mine came out and now I have a bug to paint some more.  Now with my confidence up, maybe I can go it alone.

Sunday was particularly relaxing with brunch, a trip to the Japanese gardens, and DIY manicures before the Super Bowl!  I love these girls!

Sweet and Simple Felt Mobile

Since my days of gluing paper doilies to construction paper hearts, Valentine's Day has always struck me as the most handmade of the holidays.  There is just something so sweet about a lopsided heart made of simple supplies.  Last year I made a knit Valentine's Day wreath, and this year I wanted to bring the love indoors.  Using some cheap craft felt, I cut out hearts in two sizes.  Some I layered and some I left plain to create a total of 32 hearts which I strung up on transparent thread.  The base of the mobile is actually a macrame hoop (although I didn't know that when I stumbled across it at the craft store).  I actually bought this for another project, but it makes a great base for a mobile.  An embroidery hoop would also work well. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to hang it.  That was solved by using loops of yarn to attach the hoop to the screws that hold the light cover in place.  This would be a fun project with kids and you could go upscale with gorgeous wool felt or really old school with paper, doilies, and glitter.  Definitely use glitter.

January in Instagram

 This month was so busy, I can't even believe that it started out in Kansas with snow and stomach flu.

Our friend Maria came to stay with us for a week.  She lived here for two years so we took her to all her old hang outs and showed her the new Riverwalk extension.

The day Maria left, Jason and Abby came to stay.  Abby was here because we organized a conference, but they stayed through the weekend to hang out.  We had lots of tacos and, of course, visited a mission (we did the Alamo last year).

These flowers were an unexpected thank you gift.

Hank loves to sit up in her cat town and look down on us.

For Christmas, I got the Smitten Kitchen cookbook and only made it to the first page before I decided I HAD to have the apple-sour cream pancakes.

I also got the Super Natural Everyday cookbook and made this rice salad featuring forbidden rice.  Somehow I thought it would be hard to get - turns out you can get it in the bulk bin for $4 a pound.

Scrabble Night!!!! (That's Geoff's game face)

 

Celebrated Kansas Day on the 29th with this gorgeous quilled necklace my mom made.

Finally got the last 7 years worth of photos (since I bought a digital camera) printed and in albums!

Whew!  Quite a month.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Actually, it's not.  It was 80 degrees in San Antonio today.  But imagine if you lived in say, Fargo, North Dakota. You'd be pretty cold right now and longing for a hearty braise like this one.  Minnesota and North Dakota are both home to a large number of German immigrants and this recipe is an ode to them and the easy meals you need if you are a pregnant chief of police with ruthless murderers to track down.  Bone in pork chops get a quick sear before being braised in hard apple cider with onions, cabbage, and apples.  The sweetness is cut with a heaping tablespoon of mustard and some fresh scallions.  I served it over spaetzel (which I highly recommend), but if you are in a hurry, or drank the other five hard ciders while the pork chops braised, it would be great with a hunk of bread or some roasted potatoes.

I've seen a number of Coen brothers' movies, but never Fargo which is widely regarded as their best film.  The plot is a bit bizarre but it is all of the details that make it great.  The pacing, the characters breaking through the crust of the snow as they try and traverse the landscape, the creepy Paul Bunyan statue, the juxtoposition of those who are content and those who are trying to live beyond their means.  I always enjoy William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, but this movie reminded me how much I like Frances McDormand who is quietly brilliant in this movie.  I may go ahead and become a Coen brothers' completist.

Braised Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples
serves 4

4 bone in pork chops (about 3/4 - 1 inch thick)
1 onion, sliced
1 large apple, sliced
1/2 head green cabbage
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
12 oz. hard cider (I used Harpoon)
1 heaping tbsp. grainy mustard
1/4 c. scallions, sliced on the bias
1 tbsp cornstarch, optional
2 tbsp water, optional

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil until shimmering, salt pork chops and sear until browned on both sides, but not cooked through.
2. Set pork chops aside and add another tablespoon of oil if needed (my pork chops were very lean) and reduce heat to medium.  Cook onions until medium brown.
3.  Add cabbage and apple and cook until slightly wilted.  A deep fond will have developed in the pan.
4. Turn heat up to high and add half the cider, stirring vigorously to deglaze the pan.  Add remaining cider.
5. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  Add pork chops back in, partially submerging.
6.  Cover and cook 60-90 minutes.
7.  When pork chops finish cooking, remove gently and stir in in mustard.  If the sauce is too thin, you can thicken with a slurry of cornstarch and water.
8.  Serve topped with scallions.

Hey Yooooou Guuuys!

Okay, confession time.  Goonies is one of those movies I've been pretending to have seen for years.  It's iconic to my generation and Geoff holds that it is the greatest children's movie of all time so I've been nodding along, "Oh, yeah....uh huh, yeah, it's been a while since I've watched it..."  Settled in with Geoff and Veronica (another Goonies fan), I was prepared to be underwhelmed.  Kids' movies so often don't hold up - but this one totally did!  It's the quintessential kids' wish fulfillment movie with some rad 80s clothes and surprisingly funny jokes.  Also, Josh Brolin.

If you have never watched Goonies or haven't seen it in years, check it out. And while you are at it, I recommend a dinner of grape soda and Hamburger Helper. If you prefer your dinner in non-box form, we really enjoyed Budget Bytes' Chili Cheese Beef and Mac.  The sharp cheddar cheese and kick of chili powder make this a more grown up version, but elbow macaroni will forever bring out the kid in you.  Or maybe the Sloth.