Easy one skillet meal – Teriyaki pork chops

Bob loved this, and I loved the cleanup. Everything in one big skillet saves time and dishes!

You will need:
4 pork chops about 1/2” thick
1 green pepper, rough chopped
1 medium onion, rough chopped
4 pineapple rings (I used the kind with no added sugar)
Teriyaki marinade/sauce
1 package teriyaki rice (I used Knorr/Lipton brand, shown)
Red pepper flakes to taste
2 T olive oil
Soy sauce

1. Marinate the chops in teriyaki sauce for about 30 minutes. I used a plastic zip-top bag to save on cleanup. Just put enough marinade in to cover them, and turn the bag over and over to coat.
2. In a big, deep skillet, heat the olive oil until pretty hot. Place the chops in the oil, don’t crowd and don’t mess with them. When you see some juices come to the top, flip them. When you see the juices coming up on the second side, move them to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
3. In the same skillet, put the pepper, onion and red pepper flakes with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce and sauté until the veggies are just tender.
4. Add the water/oil per rice instructions into the skillet and add the contents of the rice package. Stir to make sure the rice is all coated. Bring to a boil.
5. Place the chops on top of the rice/veggie mixture. Top each chop with one pineapple ring. Put a little teriyaki sauce in the center of each pineapple ring. Cover and cook until the rice is tender (about 7 minutes according to package instructions).

Add soy sauce to taste. I served this with a simple salad topped with an Asian style dressing and crunchy chow mein noodles.

You could easily substitute chicken for the pork. This technique would work for any packaged rice side dish you can find at the grocery. Just change the marinade and veggies to match the flavor of the side dish you choose. Nothing to it!

A cup of joe for a lot less dough.

I have about a 20 minute commute to work in the morning. For a long time I stopped at our local drive-thru coffee shop and got a 20 oz. black coffee to go. Where I live, that cost me about $2 with tip. I was spending at least $40 a month on my morning coffee! Once the jitters wore off, I decided to find a way to reduce that cost – but going without my wakeup cup was not an option.

I tried making coffee at home and taking it in a travel mug. The drawback was, I would often forget to bring the mug home. On the days I did bring it home, I had to wash it, which made me miss the throwaway convenience of the coffee shop cups. No muss no fuss.

So I had an idea! I went to my local club store and purchased the exact same Dixie® 20 oz. cups and lids I got from the coffee shop – for an average of about 10¢ per cup. You can find the lids and cups at club stores or restaurant supply stores, or even online. So I save money and I have the convenience of a disposable cup.

I am not always the best at money saving, but this idea made very little impact for farily significant savings, without any complicated budgeting routine. And this way, I can justify that new top I need for this fall!

I'm through with mildew. Thanks to Lysol®.

No one likes to admit that they have a mildew problem. But, it happens. We live in a 100 year-old house with a small, enclosed bathroom and limited air circulation – the perfect the environment for mold and mildew to grow.

I have tried a lot of different products, but
Lysol® Mildew Remover with Bleach really works. I was honestly doing the touchdown dance in the bathroom because the telltale dark stain of the mildew disappeared before my eyes. The product has other benefits, too – it disinfects and removes soap scum, and has a very pleasant scent that is clean but not too antiseptic. Even when and if I live in a newer home, this is one product that is going with me.

To get rid of the mildew and stains I sprayed it liberally around the shower stall, waited about 10 minutes and then rinsed. To keep the mildew from coming back, and to prevent the buildup of soap scum, I am now routinely spraying around the shower about 2-3 times a week.

Try it under sinks, around toilets or wherever you may have a high-humidity or moisture problem and see how it works for you.

The Bestest Blog of the Day – Who me?

The Bestest Blog of All-Time

Hey, kids! I am very pleased and proud to have been named "Bestest Blog of the Day" for 9/27/06 on Bestestblog.com!

My goal with this site is not to just publish ideas from other sources, but to actually try things myself and write about what works. Some things I have been doing for years (like How to fold a fitted sheet) and some things I just invent (like my recipe for French Country Steaks), but my mission is always the same – I don't write about it unless I've tried it.

I hope you'll come back often, and be sure to visit Bestestblog.com!

Thanks so much!

The old school way to shop for vintage clothing.

If you have been looking at ideas for fall fashion lately, you know that a lot of the new styles have a vintage flair. Check out Style Bakery's Fall Trend Report and you'll see what I mean. This inspired me to check out some shops in my area to try to pick up some vintage items to add a unique, personal touch to my fall outfits.

I had a couple of things in mind when I went: men's vests and anything tweed. I scored two items. The first is a long, wool, sweater vest with leather buttons and a belt with a tortoise-shell buckle, which I will wear like a belted tunic over jeans or slacks. The second was a tweed pencil skirt with awesome twin kick pleats in the back. The skirt will look great with a black turtleneck and boots, or a classic white blouse, a sweater and a pair of Mary Janes.

Here are some tips when shopping for vintage pieces.
Study the trends. Check out magazines or sites like Style Bakery to get ideas, and make a mental note of what one or two items you could add that would give new life to your outfits. Then go shoppping.
Narrow your search. If you know you don't need another tooled leather purse, skip the purses.
Scan for high quality fabrics. If it looks and feels like high quality fabric, it may be. Check to see if there is an original label still inside the garment to confirm that. I think the best investments are wool or cashmere.
Check the size. Sizing has obviously changed drastically over the years, so don't rule it out if it's not your current size. Best to try on if the shop provides a dressing room.
Think versatility. The belted sweater vest I picked up can be worn with multiple outfits, with or without the belt, and can be layered with a lot of different blouses or sweaters.
Don't buy it if it's damaged. This may be just my rule, but if I take it home with the intention of repairing it, it will probably never happen.

For good quality vintage finds, expect to pay a little more. If you feel like scavenging, sometimes you can find nice pieces at a flea market, a resale shop or even a Goodwill store. Wherever you go, have fun and get ready for the compliments on your signature style this fall.

Silicone basting brush. I will never go back.

I am usually drawn to the old-world look of the old-school kitchen gadgets. Take the basting brush. I like the way the old wooden handles and natural bristles look. But, I have never been a fan of how hard they are to clean. The bristles retain a greasy feeling, and eventually, even with hand washing, a bit of rust develops around the metal part.

I happened to be in a Crate & Barrel store, and happened to have a gift card with me, so I picked up a few little gadgets, including this silicone basting brush. It was super inexpensive and came in cute colors, so I snagged a red one to try. I will never turn back. The material can withstand very high temps, and cleans up in super-hot water with lots of soap and never feel greasy. It actually holds quite a bit of sauce in it's "bristles" so it's ideal for mopping ribs or chicken on the grill. If you haven't made the leap to silicone, start here. For the price of a latté, you will have a handy little kitchen helper that does its job very well.

Creamy-cheesy chicken & prosciutto rollups.

Philadelphia® Cream Cheese

I always know it's a winner when Bob takes a bite and says, "We can have this again." That's exactly what he said after tasting a new recipe I made up, which I am calling creamy-cheesy chicken & prosciutto rollups. This is similar to a recipe I saw in a back issue of "Every Day with Rachael Ray." I didn't write the recipe down at all, just remembered a few basic ingredients and a technique, and then made the rest up. It was easy.

For the rollups:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
About 2T Philly soft chive and onion flavored cream cheese per chicken breast
1 thin slice of proscuitto per chicken breast
Salt, pepper & poultry seasoning
Olive oil for the pan

For the sauce:
About 1/2 cup white wine
2-3 T Dijon mustard (I used the grainy kind)

The method:
1. Pound the breasts as thin as you can without tearing them, about 1/4" thick. To make this easier, I put the chicken inside a heavy-duty gallon zip-close bag with one side slit open (it's heavier than plastic wrap). I also "butterflied" the breasts – cutting horizontally halfway through the thickest part of so that the meat is closer to the same thickness throughout.
2. Spread each flattened breast with about 2T cream cheese, depending on the size. Be generous with this. Then put a slice or so of proscuitto on top of the cream cheese.
3. Roll each breast up, tucking in the ends, sort of "burrito style." Take a couple of toothpicks and "sew" the seam up. Salt, pepper and poultry seasoning all sides of your rolls. They may not be the neatest looking, but don't sweat it! They will be delish!
4. Run some olive oil around an oven-proof skillet. Once the oil is pretty hot (medium high), place them in the pan (don't crowd). Brown on all sides. You'll know when it's time to turn them b/c they will "let go" of the pan.
5. Put the skillet in a 400º preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the rolls are cooked through.
6. Take the skillet out and remove the rolls to a plate, loosely cover with foil. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the brown bits. Whisk in the mustard and reduce slightly. Put the rolls and their juice back into the pan, and simmer for just a few minutes, coating the rolls with the sauce.

These were tender, juicy and the flavored Philly® added a real rich and creamy texture. I may consider trying other varieties of the cream cheese, and might swap out the proscuitto for something like olives or ham. But I will be making these again!