The Best Porkchops Ever!

So, if you know me, you know that I am a bargain shopper. I hate buying items that are not on sale! And I sometimes feel that I have a slight obsession with going to the meat counter and seeing what is on sale for the week. For the past two months or so, I have been making an extra trip to the grocery store before I go for my weekly haul. The purpose of this is to get the meat for all our meals, then have the chance to go home and decide what to do with it. If I were to do it all at once, way too much money would be spent! So, this is how I decided on the meal I am sharing below. I rarely get porkchops, but my local store had a great sale. We got 2.5 pounds of bone-in chops for $5.50! And they were so red and juicy when I got them. So, I started on a mission to find a crockpot recipe for my "Slow Cooker Sundays" and found a perfect one. I made some changes to the original recipe that I found, so I wanted to share it with you! We all three ate this up like we had no more food left in the house! Even Finn continuously kept asking for more!

Crockpot Ranch Porkchops

Ingredients:

5-7 Bone-in Porkchops (You could also use boneless, but I think that bone-in has more flavor)

1 1/2 packets of Ranch Seasoning

1 can Cream of Mushroom (I always get the low-fat kind)

1 can Cream of Chicken (I always get the low-fat kind)

Steps:

1. Mix the soups and the seasoning together in a bowl.

2. Place one layer of porkchops on the bottom of the crockpot.

3. Put half of the mixture on the first layer.

4. Add a second layer of chops and the rest of the mix.

5. Heat on high for 3-4 hours, Low for 6-8 hours.
Note:  Just a caution... the longer you cook the meat in the slow cooker, the more it will start to fall off the bone. I like mine still on the bone, so we cooked on high for about 3.5 hours.

Tips: As you will see from my pictures, it goes great with either potatoes or rice. Jon loves the boxed potatoes, so that is what we did the first night. The second night, we used rice and it was just as good. There is so much gravy that is created by this simple recipe.

Sides: Serve with green beans or peas. Also would pair well with corn or roasted veggies. You MUST serve potatoes or rice with this! :)

First night.. served with Mashed Potatoes and Cut Green Beans

Second Night... Served with Rice and French Style Green Beans

Close-up of that gravy. This will be a regular on our menu rotation!

 

This is the original link for the recipe. I changed it just a tad... http://cookingwithgilmore.blogspot.com/2013/07/crockpot-ranch-pork-chops.html

My Job

Well, all my worries about my job were confirmed yesterday. This whole parish is in such a budget crisis due to charter schools opening, that my job was cut. It is not 100% yet, but it will probably happen. Even if it doesn't happen, I am not sure that I want a job that "cuts" my job every chance they can. I need stability. That is exactly why I went into teaching. I am not sure what I will do. I am exploring lots of options and am not sure what I will eventually end up doing. Why can't I just paint for a living?!? That would be nice. I am thankful that I get paid in this job for another 6 months, so it's not like they are cutting me off completely. Some options are going back into the classroom (if there are jobs available in the parish), charter schools (benefits wouldn't be as good as I have them now), graphic design, higher ed options (since I have my master's from another state), etc. My number one concern is that our family income is enough to pay the bills. We have always been pretty frugal, but that is because we are forced to be due to lousy teacher incomes. I can't remember the last time I went out to dinner. Isn't that sad? I guess it brings us closer together as a family, though. 

Enough rambling about my lack of a job and money. Let's get to the good stuff!! Last Friday night, we were invited over to one of Jon's coworkers house for a crawfish boil, and holy moly! They were fantastic!!!

Just take a look at these and try to make your mouth not water!!!

Great food and great company!

A little obsessed with Mickey these days!

 

Finn's been in a great mood lately. And so much fun. He is a little needy, but isn't any one-year-old? We finally decided on an Elmo party for his birthday. I sure wish that we could spend it with more family, but that's what we get for moving away. Hopefully some of his friends will be able to attend. I mentioned to Jon about me making the cake and cupcakes and he looked at me like I had lost my darn mind! Ha! Baking is not my strong suit.

Birthday card that I designed for Finn's 2nd Birthday Party!

Sure love him :)

Bailey teaching Finn to drive his car

Bubble wonderland in our back yard!

We are headed to Gulf Shores this weekend to see Finn's Pap and Gram. I need this little break like no other. Mentally more than anything. Everyone needs a little vacation and break every now and then!

I Did It!

Whew! I made 28 posts in 28 days! I am not saying that they were interesting at all, but I did it! It is rather tough to work full-time, raise a toddler, try to keep a house clean, workout, and write in this blog every day. That's why some posts were sometimes a little late. I would write them, but not publish them until I could at least read them over again in complete silence. It made me realize how much bloggers and vloggers have to put into their work! So, posts will be not daily anymore. Just when I feel the need to write or share something. As you can tell from previous posts, our lives can be rather boring sometimes, so I don't to write useless daily blogs when we were just sitting at home all day!

Finn turns 2 in exactly one month from today. Two. Years. Old. When did that happen??? It makes me sad, but it also makes me happy and thankful that he is a healthy, smart, and loving little baby boy. I can honestly say that he is the answers to my prayers. He may have started a few two-year-old tantrums here and there, but he is such a good boy overall. Since starting this blog, I have actually started doing much better at my daily tasks and routines with him. We brush his teeth twice daily, take a daily vitamin, read at least two books a day, go outside and explore more (even if it's only to our little park down the road), etc. and I am thankful that writing all of those things down made me stick to them. Not that I wouldn't be brushing his teeth twice a day, but he knows where it fits into his daily routine now, so he doesn't fight it as much. I am contemplating an Elmo or Thomas the Train Party. He loves both, but I just need to do it already. We are also deciding on where to place him for preschool next year. He will start a more concrete curriculum and I just want to make sure he is at the best place. Why do they do 2015-16 school registration in March? Stressful.

Jon has been fixing up the side of our house that continuously floods. Check out the pics below. He did an amazing job for a slim amount of money. The bricks were found and free! They add a lot to the stone and gravel combination. I can't wait to add our garden and some outdoor furniture. We just have to save up for it. One project a month is about where we are at in the house process. We really need another grill and would love to have a tv outside on our patio, so that it is basically like another room to our house. One day!

I got up at 4:45 this morning and worked out at Nate's gym. And I have had the best energy all day! Maybe if I can wake up 2-3 days a week in the morning and workout 2 other afternoons, I could get back on track. Anyway... I guess since I haven't written a blog in four days, I had lots to share! Too-da-loo!

Pathway along the side of our house.