Okay after a long day of running around and errands...its time to treat yourself to a great dinner! This recipe is sure to deliver flavor and enjoyment! Enjoy!

This is seared pork chops with marinated tomatoes and fennel with capers and lemon...its yum!

The recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis: Pork Chops with Fennel and Capers..

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
• 2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons capers

Directions

In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.

mess or art? Isn't it about seeking the order out of chaos?

So after a long day of work, I was walking by the sink and I saw this waiting for me. Some would think of great..another mess that I didn't see and now have to clean up before a meeting. Thats how I saw it as I was grabbing cleaning supplies and running around like a crazy person, only thinking about making tea before my meeting..until I just stopped for a second..took a couple of deep breaths and just noticed how fabulous it was. Truly art is all around us...we need to make it our jobs to find it..to see art and beauty everywhere we can..other wise, what is the point of rushing through? :) Amy

I love finding old jars for extra serving spoons, croutons, raisons, and other treats. I usually find them for a dollar or less at thrift stores. They make great gifts filled with biscotti and cookies too! :)
My job has been particularly rewarding lately. The kids are so creative and we are all waking up to the colors of spring in our yards, parks, and artwork! First graders rock!
This is really too cute! I have them displayed in various colors all over the hallway...and they look great!
Some students thought of their own homes, apartments, and communities. Others imagined places they have traveled or want to travel to. Still others were the sole architects of city-scapes yet to be created!
Love this...this was half off of the asking price at unique. I paid under 30 for it. Its perfect for the guest room and maybe one day a nursery chair. The caning is immaculate condition and so is the stain for that matter. However I think it will be a dark mahogany in the future! :O love it!

We should play the game what doesn't belong! Yes..your right..the bright green spring juice. Its actually cucumber juice and despite my best efforts to convince Janelle on the phone that it is so incredible while I was preparing it...it does leave much to the imagination. I don't think she bought it! It is delish though....we served it with very very spicy Moroccan inspired chicken and various salsa style dips. It refreshes and cools the palette. And its really easy to make...the key is not to boil the skin...put that directly into the blender otherwise you get a dark green that is muddy and most unappealing! :) A

To make the juice: Peel one cucumber and put the peel in a blender. Boil one cup sugar to 1 and half cups water and add the chopped up flesh of the cucumber. Boil 10-15 minutes to infuse your simple syrup. Poor it hot into the blender. Cover blender with a towel and lid and blend. Poor the a sieve and put in the fridge to cool. Serve with just a little ice and mint. :) YUM!!!
I am using an antique baby food plate to serve as a catch all in the kitchen for all the stuff I need and tend to just keep on the counter. Its working...need to look open mindedly at the whole house in terms of inefficiencies...speaking of.........
I am finding that "wasted space" is all over my house....lots of places to re-tool and re-think their use. Perhaps this dog is a simple reminder of spring cleaning and re-tooling.
While this is not true...I am very very talkative most days...I appreciate the serenity of this gift from a student. Perhaps there are reminders everywhere to stop for just a minute and enjoy what we have been given...all the opportunities around us to be glorious and enjoy the simple and the complex (right Luchian..Mr. complexity.)
Now...Ms. Mode...is my get it together note. I read this note pinned to my desk note board everytime I need reminders to just get out there and give it my all for seven hours straight and do it with flare and fun. If I am feeling drained....I take five with a diet coke and this note and I feel much better...almost as if I want to jump (armless-ly) over trees and gigantic flowers and just enjoy the moment. :) Have a good one! A

I love this idea from (my rambalings) this is so cute to have a fun nook incorporated right in to the living room. Its like saying..we are not denying we have kids in a dog up there..they just need their own little nook. Very cute built in..

I wish I was bold enough to use this pea soup color and chartreuse blend. Chartreuse is my favorite color (second favorite actually) Its gorgeous...The key seems to be the white running through. Go to dailybitsofbeauty.com for more fun color ideas!

I love this idea from writersflock.com. Its a great idea to inlay cork or spray paint chalkboard paint to an old divider if its being used in an office or kids creative space nook. Fun!!!! Cork is so inexpensive from hardware stores its like 4.99 a yard! This is do-able!

A friend and I went junking a while back and she found old keys just like these. There were tons of them. A collector had passed it seemed. So she passed them buy and so did I, claiming we had no idea what to do with them! This is the reason for this blog....to re-think, re-use, re-decorate in new concept. After I while I thought how cute they could have been on a Christmas tree with red and silver ribbons! They a secret garden magic that says Christmas to me. :) I now vow..if something really cool...and seemingly un-useful is being sold for just a few dollars...I am going to buy it and try to reinvent in a fun new way! :) A

Necklace making from old garage sale beads...its fun when your hubby is snowboarding and your sick... ;(
You begin by looping three different strands of 10 beads to a main necklace with 28 beads...
This is what I mean..just looping and then connecting with sailor knots..
also its really nice to quilt..this one was made from just 2 by 2 inch squares that I save from everything that I can and put away for later. These patterns are muted by turning them inside out purposefully to create a softer look. Start saving your scraps in a specific size that you would like and then when the mood hits you..simply sew them together. For the back..I throughing bought a garage sale soft fleece blanket for fifty cents and washed in before using. The fleece was so soft it didn't need to be stuffed with batting.
Thrift stores also make great clothes purchases..see sweater above! Ha! :) A

I love this look found in dibor _co_ uk images. Use spray paint chalkboard (6.99) from homedepo to organize your produce! I am now going to scour the farmers market a few miles away for wooden bins..if not..unique should have them. :)

This image from home hunts.net is of a French farmhouse. I love the pot-rack. Rustic, functional, simple. I like that. I am wondering if my future-brother-in-law could make one of these? :) I know my sis would love this. I am not a fan of the chairs..but love how a simple table cloth cleans things up a bit. Real stone dry stack fireplace and saltio tile floors makes a nice difference.

rustic_reuse_cabin.jpg

This is not my personal passion or dream...to re-use and recycle a whole home concept...but wow what a great art studio or workroom! Don't actually love it..but I like it.

I added sugar, cinnamon, a small dash of ginger, and fresh peaches..this with a pie crust that is homemade or store bought is all you need. All this tart requires is that you roll out your pie crust into a vaguely circular shape roughly 14 inches or so across. Then, if you want to you can use a knife or a pastry tool to neaten up the edges into a more uniform circle but it's not necessary. You could probably even pat out the dough into the shape you require if you so desired. Slide the dough onto a rimmed cookie sheet (in case of filling leakage--don't want a smoking oven) and pile up the filling in the center leaving about a 2-3 inch border. Fold up the edges around the filling--the rougher the better! It'll look more authentically rustic that way and pop it in the oven to bake.

That's it!