Pork and Sauce

Decided on pork chops for dinner this evening.  Since I cannot bake them, I cooked them in an electric skillet.  Started by making a rub of dried oregano, dried basil, onion and garlic powders, and a pinch of chili powder.  Added some olive oil and mixed to a paste.  Seasoned the chops with salt and pepper, then rubbed them with the paste.  Seared both sides for about 5-6 minutes, then let rest.  I wanted to make a sauce so added the only thing I had available, Apple Cider, to the drippings.  A pat of butter, reduced, and poured onto the chops.

One of my favorite shows is Chopped on Food Network.  When I have very little in the "pantry" I pretend I am on Chopped and must make due with what I have.  I have to say, the sauce was very tasty (sweet but not too sweet and just the right thickness) and the chops were tender.  I used to cook the death out of my chops, fearful of undercooking them and poisoning everyone.  I have learned to let the meat rest.  Which, by the way, produced a nice 1/2 cup of fresh drippings that I added to the sauce before it was finished.

I have no pictures.  Probably wouldn't have posted anyway as there was really only one golden-seared chop, so nothing too pretty.  But the real reason is I was so freaking stressed out after cooking (add in 3 microwaved red bliss potatoes and a pathetic attempt at fried biscuits) in a small, tight space with no room, that I had no desire to take out the camera.  I just had Steve pour me a glass and sat to eat.  Luckily, it tasted good.  The kids even ate all of theirs up!  So everyone got a mini St. Patrick's Day cupcake.

My goal...a sauce with every protein.

Do you have a favorite sauce recipe?

Missing Things

Every now and then, I miss things.  Like my dishwasher, space, an in-house laundry area.  But, I get over it fairly quickly.  The kids will mention a thing here and there that they miss, and then, quickly move on as well.  Except for my daughter.  Lately, she has been pretty weepy about a few things.  One thing being a stuffed dinosaur that we donated before we moved into the RV.  She liked it a lot back then, but it was huge with a long neck and the kids have so many dolls!  I thought maybe I actually brought it to my mom's, but so far, it hasn't shown up there either.  This dino has been bringing on tears daily for over a week.

Today, her newly-cptured Lady bug, Spots, fly away, despite his mangled right wing.  Waterworks.

I am slightly concerned there is a little regression of sorts going on here. Maybe this need to be stationary in CT for so long is starting to wear on her.  The vacation-esque quality of the trip is disappearing.  I hope the others don't start to feel sad.  She seems sad.

Waiting on the next month for things to change and feel different enough to get rejuvenated.  The light is at the end of the tunnel...we can start to see it.  November is coming.  Just have to hang in there a little longer.

Zuma vs Diesel

When you go from a sticks & bricks home to a home-on-wheels, you leave the mortgage behind (unless, of course, you still owe the bank for the rig and truck you drive!!!!) There can be an incredible amount of savings living in a smaller home and doing with less. However, if you are truly going to travel, you have to put fuel into your engine. And fuel costs money. And if that fuel happens to be diesel, then you are going to spend a small fortune. A few years ago diesel was cheaper than gas. That has changed. It is now, in some places, a whole $1.00 more than gas. And the price climbs weekly.

http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

So, to attempt to combat this excruciatingly annoying, uncontrollable thorn in our sides, we have purchased a scooter.

I hate the name scooter, so let’s forever-more call it as it should be called…a ZUMA!

A ZUMA 125 to be exact.

This pretty little lady gets 89 miles per gallon. Well above the 14-16 we are getting with the Dodge 3500. Of course, you can’t pull a fifth-wheel with it, but it can take Steve to work and Ian to karate and carry some groceries. All for a gallon or so. We’ll be doing a cost-analysis, so check back to see how quickly the $3200 is paid off.

New Site in the Making

I am currently working on our new website.

 I will be moving all of our updates to this new .com within the next 2 months, so I hope everyone will still follow us.  I'll keep you updated on the progress.  

So far, we have pages set up for our blog, road-schooling, organization, things made in America, wine, cooking, and campground reviews.   We hope the info we share will help other RVers and part-time campers choose good campgrounds and enjoy every minute of their trip.

Keep checking in.



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