Meaty Monday: Apple Spice Pork Chops

The Ninja's new colleague had supper with us one night a few weeks ago so I was looking for a recipe that had two things: 1) pork as the main ingredient and 2) some sort of fall implement. I am trying to beckon colder weather with fall aspects; home décor, apple pie etc. I may even drink a pumpkin spice latte.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it looked so easy and delicious I couldn't pass it up. The key thing to remember about this, and any pork chop recipe, is DON'T OVERCOOK YOUR PORK. You're doing yourself a disservice by cooking pork chops and roasts until they are dry as a bone. Pork is best served at 145 F and it is ok to have a little pink in there. Trust me - I'm married to a doctor ;)

I hope you enjoy this meal - if you try it and like it, shout it out below in the comments!

Ingredients:

 - 4 or 5  pork chops (ours were about 1" thick)
 - 2 T vegetable oil
 - salt and pepper
 - 1 medium onion
 - 2 medium apples
 - 2 T butter
 - 1 T brown sugar
 - 1/2 t cinnamon
 -  1/4 tsp nutmeg
 - 1 t chicken bouillon
 - 1 cup water



Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, season chops with salt and pepper (I use heavy salt and pepper because we like spiced up food). Once the oil is hot, place the chops in the pan and let the bottoms get a nice brown crust (2-3 minutes). While the chops are browning slice up your onions and apples (you don't have to peel the apples). Flip the chops and brown the other side for 2-3 minutes, then remove them from the pan.








Give the chops a few minutes to get a good crust on one side; then flip and repeat with  the other.

Now put the apples, onions and butter in the pan so that they can soften (approximately 5 minutes), then add in the bouillon, water, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir everything together well and ensure that the apples and onions are softened, then add the chops back to the pan. Make sure there are apples and onions on the chops so that the flavors can collide.



They taste better than they smell - and they smell DELICIOUS!

Simmer the whole mess until the sauce is reduced by half and the chops are 145 degrees F. Serve chops with apples and onions served on top, with your favorite starch or veggie.














I hope you enjoy these as much as we did - fall weather is here and this is great recipe for those chilly nights! What are your favorite fall recipes?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Food Babe and the Pumpkin Spice Latte

Time for some real talk about a really annoying issue: the Pumpkin Spice Latte, more commonly known as the PSL, from Starbucks.

Last year, the Food Babe and her fan girls caused a big ruckus because there wasn't any pumpkin in the PSL and there were two doses of caramel coloring which contains the chemical 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI). The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found that 4-MEI is a level 2B carcinogenic which means that this chemical is possibly carcinogenic to humans. Do you know what else is a level 2B carcinogen? Freaking coffee. So let's not split hairs over which possible carcinogens we may be guzzling. 

Well, instead of deciding to purchase coffee elsewhere and leave the rest of the world alone, the Food Babe decides she has to fix the problem for EVERYONE, regardless of the fact that really no one else gave a flying flip about the ingredients in the PSL. To sum it up, I'm sick of this woman and the effects her fear-based marketing and ignorance have on society. Here are four truth bombs about the sigil of fall, the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Disclaimer: I have never tried a PSL however, I don’t believe that I have to try something to determine that the marketing behind it is ridiculous or that the Food Babe is not a reliable source for food information. Furthermore, the nearest Starbucks is about a half hour away and I don't drink coffee. This post is not about coffee, it's about common sense and how restaurants have started a very bad habit of catering to a vocal, uneducated minority.

1 – There is no pumpkin in pumpkin spice, more commonly known as “pumpkin pie spice” (I will use these interchangeably for the rest of the post). Don't believe me? Look on the back of your pumpkin pie spice canister. Don't have one? Here's a recipe, endorsed by The Pioneer Woman, for pumpkin pie spice. Thinking that pumpkin is actually in pumpkin pie spice is a common misconception and I have called out several trolls on a recently revived Facebook post that the only ingredients in pumpkin spice are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc. Things that taste like fall. No pumpkin whatsoever. Get off that horse.

How do they get the pumpkin in there?!

Answer: They don't. There is zero pumpkin in pumpkin spice

2 – Building off of the first bullet, Starbucks never claimed to have pumpkin in the PSL. Never. Food Babe just assumed that because the word pumpkin was in the product, it should have that ingredient in it. False. Another example: fly spray for livestock. There are no flies in fly spray. Yet another example: key lime pie yogurt? Is there actually key lime pie in a Yoplait key lime pie yogurt. Nope. Grapes in grape soda? Nein. C'mon folks, common sense.

3 – Lattes and other drinks should not contain solids that are not easily converted into a melty-ish liquid. Example: whipped cream on hot chocolate is acceptable because that melts and contributes to the flavor of the drink. Pumpkin doesn’t melt, to my knowledge, and therefore the PSL now contains a random floater of pumpkin. Mmmmm, appetizing.

4 – Plain pumpkin* is not delicious to eat by itself. Anyone who has ever eaten plain ole pumpkin will tell you that it’s not the most flavorful food and that in order to make it palatable for a pie, cookies, cake, bread etc. you need pumpkin pie spice. Reminder, we have already ascertained that there is precisely zero pumpkin in a pumpkin spice container. Adding straight pumpkin does nothing to the flavor of the drink but only momentarily satisfies ignorant food activists such as the Food Babe. A PSL without the pumpkin spice but with pumpkin would taste quite bland, I imagine.

Real product review from my Starbucks loving (anti-Food Babe) PhD friend: "The difference in flavor is hard to describe. The PSL is still good but not as good."

I am sure there are a lot of folks that are wondering why I care so much about a latte that I have never tried however, the action taken by Starbucks due to fear-based promotion by the Food Babe is a very sad example of the "I don't like it and neither should you" transition our food supply is experiencing. There is a new wave of activists who have the elitist attitude that if a product doesn't fit their picture-perfect ideals, then it should be changed or snuffed out of the market. The simple solution to that problem is to buy something else or make your own. However, food elitists like Food Babe feel as though it's their duty to drag restaurants through the mud and force them to abandon science and FDA-approved ingredients in order to calm a spastic, screaming minority.

Use your heads, my friends!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

* For my non-US readers, I am referring to the big orange squash that is associated with fall, Thanksgiving and Halloween over here in the U.S. I realize that "pumpkin" means any type of squash in many other countries, but over here in the good ole USA it is specifically reserved for this.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall in the Flint Hills

No one will ever convince me of a prettier place in the fall than Kansas. Ever.

 

And what would my favorite season be without a little fall decorating?!

 

Halloween isn't complete without Edwin the Buzzard hanging out.

 

I had big aspirations for an elaborate pumpkin display - as you can see that didn't happen but we proudly support breast cancer fighters and research in this household!

What does fall look like around your place?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard !

Wordless Wednesday: Fall in the Flint Hills

Rooster and I enjoyed a breathtaking sunset after our nightly run. God is a fantastic painter!

The leaves are changing colors!

Blame the Flint Hills wind for a blurry photo

Hard to see the different colors of the prairie but they are beautiful in person

Winter wheat is peppered across the land

This windmill now serves as a photo prop instead of its original purpose

Wordless Wednesday: [Corn] Blowin in the Wind

A wet cornfield on a windy day in Ohio - harvest is upon us!

Fall Activities

Just another random post/life update - if you were looking for some advocacy or agriculture news, you're going to be disappointed by this post.

Thanksgiving came and went - we played cards, ate way too much, watched football, closed down a roadhouse, conquered Black Friday and I only took a few pictures.  #fail

So here is a short photo round up of the past week:

 I have conquered pumpkin cookies and vanilla frosting - both of which were HOMEMADE. Ba-zing

I rode on my uncle's Harley Davidson in the Christmas parade right behind the Legion Flag Corps.

 

This little 9 year old is the bomb. She came into my life when she was about 8 months old and I can't believe she's so grown up now. Literally, she has grown up. Look at the picture below - I am almost three times her age and she is only about 7 or 8 inches shorter than I am. She's going to be a baller for sure.

Look at that magical Christmas tree - 1 of 3 in the house. Niner (as I will call her on this blog, until she turns ten) had us all decorating about 10 minutes after we got home from Thanksgiving dinner. It looks like Santa's Secret Workshop in Anderson County!

Black Friday is not for the faint of heart. My mom wanted to get a 50" TV from Wal-Mart that went on-sale at 5 am. So we rose at 3 a.m. drove to Wally World and I am pretty sure that all the TV vouchers were claimed around 2 am. So, instead of a TV we got some other gifts (not near as exciting as a TV but people I purchased gifts for read this blog so I'll be secretive) and headed to the city where I was fortunate enough to get Mabel.

This is Mabel - she is beautiful. She is Martha Stewart's child - find her here. She has two baby calves that I haven't yet named or acquired but they are little prep dishes (of course I can't find them on Macy's.com so no link, sorry).

Kansas Sampler is a Wildcat's purple haven. Soooooo much purple and awesome clothing. More gifts purchased but what I really wanted was a purple pool table. Someday when I make one million dollars I'll have one.

Oh! Also in photography news, I am getting ready to order our Christmas cards and this year they are adorned with photos from sweet Wrenn Bird photography. Seriously, the gal works magic behind the camera and incorporates color and light. My reaction: wowza! We had a great time and here are a few of my favorites from the shoot.

 Whew, somebody needs a tan and it isn't Hyatt. Yikes. Can you guess which pictures are on the card?

Anyhow, that's the random stuff going on in my life. Thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday I only have about 7 or 8 gifts left to buy. That's it. I am so on top of my game this year. Now all I need to do is send out Christmas cards, decorate the house, get a tree and wrap everything. Easy peasy now that I am not in grad school - just let DVR'd episodes of Law & Order: SVU play in the background and I"ll be set to go.

K-State plays Texas on  Saturday. If we win, we're probably headed for the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl and will be the outright Big 12 Champs. I won't discuss the other alternative, because it ain't gonna happen. Believe, people. #EMAW

Where are you at with Christmas shopping and decorating? Did anyone get any great deals over the weekend?

Oh! Congrats to friends Jenny and Mark on their Thanksgiving engagement - check out the story here. They are so sweet!


Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Decorating the Blog with Diversity

I struggle to keep this blog ag, K-State and rodeo centered. Because I like random things like decorating and cooking (sometimes) and I always love clothes and would love to be able to do what Sheridan does over on Stitches Without Riches but I don't want to deter from my real purpose for the blog. So while I will probably start to put more random domesticated blogs in here, never fear because K-State, ag and rodeo will always reign supreme.

See how I put decorating in the title? I bet you didn't know this was going to be about decorating. I tricked ya.

I have put a lot of time into decorating our trailer house for fall, especially since it's the first house we've had room to decorate in since we've been married. So, today you're getting a splash of fall decorating in and around our trailer casa and also some excitement of DIY. Very domesticated I have become (that was Yoda speaking). Oy, marrying a nerd is rubbing off on me.

Ok let's kick start this with some DIY excitement - I have a lot of jewelry and nowhere to put it all so I can choose what to wear.

See this right here? That's a jewelry board with cool vintage-y knobs from Hob Lob that I made using a piece of barnwood from the old barn across the road. Total cost: $8 - I saw one on ebay selling for $40. I am such a saver.

And this?

Oh, just a burlap monogram letter of the family name. No biggie - knocked that DIY project out in one night. Easy peasy.

And this lampshade?

Purple spray paint is the bomb.

I made those things, folks. With my two hands. And some power tools. and a flame torch.  Also, I did some fall decorating on that table with the wooden duck and a pumpkin candle. Ba-zing.


And now for the decorating portion of today's random blog post:

 

This is in our living room - I found the barnwood shelf/cabinet on Craigslist and the framed copy of A Tribute to the Stockman by W.H. Mumford is a gift from my sister-in-law, Hallie. The wooden dish is made from eucalyptus wood that we bought it in Australia. Glammed up pumpkins are from Michaels, as is the hurricane jar and candle. Wine corks were already on hand ;)

Next up the mantel top of the entertainment center

 I don't like to buy a lot of things to decorate, because I'm cheap. So I use whatever I can find in our house or stuff we have purchased on different trips. I like to incorporate items from our international travels - like that bowl (which needs to be dusted) with the colorful orbs and string. Both the bowl and the orbs are from South Africa and so is the pronghorn horn. See the homemade monogram sign up there? Forgot to mention that cost me all of $3.50 to make since I only had to buy the spray paint. Which I also used to spray paint the lamp shade and a small ceramic dish that is hiding elsewhere in the house.

Oh and check out my friend Ernie, perched atop some fall colored books - all but two of the books are from international trips we have taken.

 These fall flowers are actually kind of recycled - I bought the orange and red one but the ceramic vase with raffia and the yellow flower are from my sweet friend Lindsay. In the spring, the whole thing is full of the yellow flowers that she gave me for my birthday a few years ago.

We live in a trailer modular home with an open floor plan so there isn't a lot of designated space for a big kitchen table or other shelves but this woven bowl from South Africa filled with gourds is doing a great job of looking fall-ish on table that we rarely eat at.

 And now we've come to the outdoors portion of the tour - from left to right: our front door with pumpkins, gourds and some corn stalks; close up of pumpkins (purchased from East Side Market); the porch at the back door (aren't my yellow mums pretty?). 

And if, for some reason, you all like this kind of stuff  please let me know. Maybe I'll do a 'house tour' or something. Or recipes I am going to use in my new crockpot that I finally got from Hyatt. Show me some comment love!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~