Apple-Pecan Pork Tenderloin

I’ve been looking for new pork recipes to experiment with. I found this recipe on Pork, Be Inspired, and it is definitely a winner!

Organized freezers

Three weeks ago we got a quarter of a beef cow from a local farmer. This was great, because we were just about out of steaks. This was not so great because it meant I needed to dig into the chest freezer, rotate the older beef to the top, and do a general re-organization. It turned out for the best, because now I know exactly what is in the freezer, and pretty much where it is. (I love me some organization!)

The left side of the freezer is ground beef, hamburger patties, roasts, and pork.

I-69 Community Day

Last weekend we had a block party. On the interstate.

Okay. The new Interstate 69 isn’t open yet. But it goes right smack through Gibson County. And it’s been making a bit of a mess of traffic while it was getting built.

So the INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) and the Gibson County Chamber of Commerce put together an I-69 Community Day once the interstate was almost finished. How cool to be able to just hang out and wander around on an interstate?!

Crockpot chicken with chive sauce

I’ve already said that I love fall… and the yummy food I can cook in the crockpot is one of the reasons! This was an amazing chicken breast with creamy chive sauce.

Fall Decorations

It should be no secret by now… Fall is my favorite season! I love when I can pull out those big sweaters, and hats, and scarves! I love scarves!

I also love the colors of fall. Last year we were getting packed up and moved out of our old house to make way for the remodel project. So I really didn’t decorate for fall like I wanted to.

I’m making up for that this year!

I brought home a truck full of mums and pumpkins over the weekend!

Cows like fall

Just like me, the cows love this time of year! We’ve got Black Angus cows, and it’s really hot for them in the summer. Cows can’t sweat, so they need plenty of shade to stay cool in the summer months.

Roasted butternut squash

In my last recipe, I cooked oven-fried pork chops with a side of roasted butternut squash. One of my favorite things about fall is all these winter squashes that are ready, but they can be a little intimidating if you’ve never cooked them before. I’m here to tell you – if I can do it, you can do it!

Start with a butternut squash. They should have pale skins, and be very firm to the touch. Wash it off, and cut off the base. (Set that aside, we’ll be using it in a minute!)

Remake Mondays – Office bulletin board

I’ve got this blank wall in my office, right between the door into the room and the (giant) closet. It’s right in the traffic flow when you come in the room, so I can’t put much furniture there. But it is the perfect spot for a big, bright wall hanging. So I made this bulletin board!

Wedding photography

I photographed my first wedding last weekend! Well… it wasn’t my first wedding. It was the first wedding I photographed. It was my friends Jessie and David’s wedding.

Oven-fried pork chops

I love cooking pork chops on the grill. But sometimes the grill is too hard to get out of the garage. (Trust me. It’s kind of buried right now.) This is an easy way to get flavorful, juicy pork chops from the oven!

Remodel Monday – Hanging photos

No, we’re not remodeling anything new. (Phew! That was one heck of a project!) But I am working on doing some decorating in the house, finally! I was inspired to get the ball moving on this by my friend, Jessie. She and her new husband moved into their house 6 weeks ago, and they are already pretty well unpacked, put away, and have curtains hanging and some decorating done. Already.

So I felt a little bit like a slacker.

I entered these photos in the Gibson County Fair open show. Last July. They’ve been sitting here, in my kitchen, right in front of the door, ever since. I see them every time I walk in the house. And every time I see them I think, “I really should get those hung up one of these days.”

New roof

No not on our house. We just did that earlier this year!

This time it’s on our garages. (Yes, I said garages, plural. No, we don’t park vehicles in both of them. That’s a long story…)

There have been some big hail storms in our area this past summer. And the roofs (rooves? roofes? more than one roof…) on our garages got damaged. So last weekend Farmer Doc called up some friends to come help replace the roof on the smaller garage.

Before they got started on the roof project, they fixed the dusk-to-dawn light. It’s been down since the major construction started last winter, and it gets dark around here at night! We’re pretty thrilled to have some light now after sunset!

Sausage and grits

I never had grits before I moved to Indiana. It’s just not something that we eat in New England. But, I have to say… I am a fan! (Especially when they’re loaded with cheese…) And to celebrate National Pork Month, let’s cook these cheesy grits with some sausage!

Pineapple moment of truth

We brought back some Maui Gold pineapples from our trip to Hawaii in January. Farmer Doc wanted to try his hand at pineapple farming, so we planted the tops of four of the plants. Only two have made it so far. They did okay living on a table inside at the temporary apartment during our home remodel. Then the lived on the back porch at our new house. And they loved it there this summer! I think they’re well on track to start looking like the ones I saw at the State Fair anytime now…