Home Cooked Meal...

The past 4 to 6 weeks I have been totally consumed with new pattern design & production. During the creative cycle, cooking, housekeeping & laundry gets somewhat neglected on my part. When the creative juices flow, we MUST keep going! My darling husband does help with the housekeeping and the laundry BUT did I mention his cooking talents aren't anything to write home about!?? When he goes to the grocery store for a meal, guaranteed he will come home with a bag of hard rolls, smoked turkey (maybe cheese, if I'm lucky), a bunch of bananas and a bag of mini marshmallows for dessert! It's always the bag of mini marshmallows that cracks me up! I can just see him in the marshmallow aisle checking the fat content on the back of the bag...

With the new patterns now complete, things are getting back to normal around the home front. No more turkey sandwiches, no more eating out....I'm ready for a good old fashioned home cooked meal, some meat and potatoes...some comfort food. Today was a beautiful day, a good day to do some grilling. We enjoyed Hawaiian Grilled Pork Chops, Green Bean Bundles & Grilled Potatoes tonight at our house. After dinner it was back outside for a nice brisk walk. My tummy is full, I've gotten in some exercise and hoping for a good nights sleep!

Sharing some favorite grilling recipes with you...

HAWAIIAN GRILLED PORK CHOPS

20 oz. can pineapple slices, drained

6 Iowa-style pork chops (thick, bone-in chop)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed

Garnish; pineapple rings

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice; set aside. Place pork chops in a large shallow dish. Combine reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, onion, garlic and brown sugar; mixing well. Pour over pork chops, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Remove pork chops, reserving marinade. Grill over medium coals for 40 to 45 minutes, turning frequently and basting with marinade. Top each pork chop with a pineapple ring during last 5 minutes of grilling.

GREEN BEAN BUNDLES

54 fresh green beans, washed and ends snapped off

3 slices of bacon, cut into thirds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon soy sauce

tooth picks

Boil green beans for 10 minutes, drain & cool. Wrap 6 beans in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place into a 9" x 9" casserole. Cover with marinade of brown sugar, butter, garlic salt and soy sauce. Refrigerate over night. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Turn oven over to broil the last couple of minutes to crisp up the bacon.

GRILLED POTATOES IN FOIL

4 red potatoes

1 onion, chopped

4 clovers garlic, chopped

dried basil to taste

1/4 cup butter

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat grill for medium heat. Slice potatoes as thinly as possible. Layer sliced potatoes on foil with the onion, garlic, basil, butter, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap potato foil packet. Place potato packet on the heated grill and cook for 40 minutes.

Enjoy,

brenda