Glazed Pork Stir-fry {Recipe}

Google is becoming my friend when trying new recipes on a whim. Simply type what main ingredient you have and add "recipe" and see what shows up. Haha!

This goes against all of my normal ways, comfort foods and family recipes. I use the recipes I have on hand because they are familiar. And I like that. 

But familiar makes a rut if left in that path too long. So this is what we ended up with. The pork: soooo tender and beautiful. The sauce it created was basted over the veggies as they cooked in a skillet, leaving a beautiful flavor all around. 

Oh and did I mention I subbed Rosemary essential oil for the herbs? It paired perfectly with the pork. A little dab will do ya. I used 1 drop. Doterra oils are top notch in potency so no need to pour a bunch. :)

Let's cook!

Glazed Pork Stirfry

• pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 pounds total weight
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat the skillet
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (I subbed white wine vinegar because it was all I had on hand. Good decision.)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, packed
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed
• 1 drop of DoTerra's Rosemary essential oil (or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary or about 1 scant teaspoon dried)

Trim the pork tenderloins, discarding excess fat. Eww. 

Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. I used a homemade seasoned salt blend and rubbed in on good.  

Get out your crockpot and turn to high. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork and sear, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to the crockpot. 

Combine the remaining ingredients; pour into the hot skillet and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned pork bits, for just 2 to 3 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Don't let it burn. Pour over the pork tenderloin in the crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hrs or so, basting every so often. That's right. Mmmm. 

Cook the pork to about 150° to 155°* on an instant read thermometer or oven probe inserted in the thickest part of a tenderloin. This will make or break it. I've never had a tender pork... Like, ever. The time will vary depending on size, but use the meat thermometer. Baste again. Turn the crockpot off and let the meat rest for a while. You'll want to taste it, but leave it alone to soak up more juices. 

In the meantime I cooked up some Stirfry veggies. We don't use soy sauce so I wasn't sure to season them. Then I realized I had a sauce already in the crockpot that I had been using already. So I got out my basting squeeze tube thing (yeah, I'm pretty official in the kitchen) and transferred juice fro my he crockpot to the skillet with veggies. 

Oh. My. Word. 

Best decision of the meal. Not to strong but definitely brought out the flavors of the veggies and was beautiful. Then I sliced some of the pork into strips and threw them in with the veggies and sauce. 

Delicious!

Original recipe found here: http://southernfood.about.com/od/porktenderloin/r/Balsamic-Glazed-Pork-Tenderloin.htm

Bon appétit! 

~Meghan 

Dear Husband,

On our 12th anniversary I wanted to say a few things to you. 

I love you more and more, with each passing day/month/year. I'm so thankful for how God knits us together, your likes/dislikes becoming mine. I'm glad He saw fit to not leave me to my own ways, but brought you near to me for a life-long journey. I love that we love winter, snow and the nostalgia we feel during the holidays. I love how my wardrobe has grown to include the items of the color that I used to be irritated by in yours. I love our love of reading (and maybe when the kids are older I can pick up the habit again).  You are the best half to our oneness. You teach and inspire, encourage and build me up. You make me laugh and comfort me why I cry. There is no other for me. Only you.   

Happy anniversary to you, my love. 

Lemon Garlic Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Spinach & Snap Peas {Recipe}

Lemon. Garlic. Thyme. Chicken. 

Now we have a party!

Check out this recipe. Hubby brought home some chicken thighs the other day and, to be honest, they scared me. I know they aren't that big of a deal.  But I'm used to cooking with chicken breasts so I was feeling a bit {meh} about the thighs.

What to do? What to do? 

Google helped and I am so glad I tried it. So was the family. Score! http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a42998/lemon-garlic-pan-roasted-chicken-thighs-spinach-snap-peas/

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (8 oz.) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 10 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
• 3/4 lb. sugar snap peas, cleaned and cut in half (about 3 c.)
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped mint
• 4 c. baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Pat chicken thighs dry, and season generously with salt and pepper. In large ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic cloves and thyme sprigs and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook, without moving, for 6 minutes, until golden brown. Gently flip chicken, skin-side up, and scatter lemon slices over chicken.
3. Place skillet in oven and cook for another 10 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F at the deepest portion of thigh.
4. Meanwhile, in deep-sided sauté pan or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add snap peas and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened, but still slightly crunchy. Season with salt and pepper and stir in mint.
5. In large bowl, pour hot snap peas on top of spinach. Toss gently for 1 minute or so, until spinach begins to wilt. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve chicken with spinach and snap peas, garnished with roasted lemon and garlic.

Note: I omitted the mint. Just wasn't sure what to use. It was super yummy anyway. 

All gone. So much for leftovers. 

~ Meg

Take A Peek

7/23/2016

Time Out for Mommy & a Heart Check

I just put myself in timeout. 

Not the selfish kind, either. Not the kind where I sneak some chocolate while hiding in the pantry (come on, I know you do it sometimes, too). 

The kind of timeout where I kneel at the cross of Christ, coming before His throne of grace. Mommy was bad. I lost my temper and screamed one of those horrifying angry screams that if you had seen on a tv show might cause you to hide under the covers. I. Was. Angry. 

And I was angry at my child. 

So timeout was in order. For me. 

This summer started off hot and cold. One day it's happy and everyone gets along. The very next day at 4 kids are disrespectful and grate on every nerve of my being. 

But today, after I heard the anger in my voice, I knew it was not the kids who needed timeout. It was Mommy. 

So here I sit, Bible open. And I pray. I confess my sin and look for comfort, wanting Jesus to speak to my broken Mommy-heart. 

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),

3 "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. - Ephesians 6:1-4 (emphasis mine)

Parenting is hard. No one would dare dissagree. But when I put myself on the same level as God, or when I think of myself as "God" of my home... what a wretched shame that is. So here I was demanding that my child respect me (at the top of my lungs and behind my angry mask, mind you). My friends, this is not what God calls us to as parents. 

So often I think of what I need to teach them... The first section of those verses. But I miss out on the good stuff, the last verse, because I know from experience it takes time. It's the day-in/day-out discipline and instruction that gets then set on a path that is good. I know it won't come easy, so I fool myself at times into thinking I can demand obedience or respect. Yikes. And it gets harder as they get older. 

So I'm challenged today to look at my own heart. I'm challenged to spend time reading God's word with my children. Better for them to hear from Jesus first. 

~Meghan