BEST Juicy oven baked chops or chicken!

I am no good at taking photos while I cook.

I don't have a fancy camera to make things look like Pioneer Woman. 

I do like to cook. A lot. 

I do not always GET to cook because my husband gets home before I do and he does not want to wait until 7pm every night for dinner.

I try to make food exciting when it is my turn to get behind the stove. But because of how picky Boo Boo La La is I often just bake chicken with lemon or wine and cinnamon, or chops with onions or apple. T-bone had commented on how dry he thinks baked chicken breast is, but he does not like other pieces of chicken.  And chops can get dry in the oven too.

So I googled pork chops and found this lovely recipe from The Kitchn blog.  And as luck would have it the chops I had were bone-in!  I made the brine with garlic, pepper and some thyme, which is what I had, and voila! DELICIOUS chops.

A month or so later I tried it again with two packages of meat that were needing to be cooked or lost forever - one package was pork chops and the other ended up being chicken thighs! They came out so delicious that T-bone even ate some of the chicken thighs! I buy chicken thighs on sale for myself and do make ahead lunches with them. Yummy! Salivating just thinking about those juicy nuggets from the brine.

Now, this week I had Presidents Day off so I made sure I had everything ready to make chicken breasts in the brine when I had an epiphany (!) TEQUILA!!!

I have a giant bottle of tequila in my fridge that I have been trying to use up, so I substituted half the water for TEQUILA and used just garlic and the juice/zest of a lime in the brine.

You can say it.

That totally does not sound like it sucked at ALL.

And you are correct peeps. It was PERFECTO!

Muy bien.  

Let me know if you try it and you like it too!

Holidazzle Memories - Minneapolis Christmas just is not the same.

Long ago and far away we used to have a Christmas parade in Downtown Minneapolis called Holidazzle - they now have a market they call the same, but it's not. 

Here take a look at one from 2009

Holiday Light Tour 2017

Attention - This Post is from December 23, 2010 - I just love it and needed it again.

Note from 2017 Mommy Lisa, We have this Santa Photo framed so I just pulled it out decorating for Christmas and wanted to share the joy!



Yesterday I played along with Wordless Wednesday and put up this picture of my Dear Sweet Child, Boo Boo La La. 
I got lots of nice comments about how cute she is - Thank you - and I wanted to tell you how it came to be that I found myself paying for a picture with Santa Claus for the first time EVER in her life. 

You see my husband is in a union and every year they have a Christmas Party for all the kids to come and see Santa and Mrs. Claus - she sat on the SAME Santa's lap (or at least near it) every year since she was 11 months old.

The Evidence:

At 11 months

Just about Two

At almost three she didn't think she liked the big guy...

Almost four and starting to get the picture...

This year however my husband had to WORK on the day of the party...and while I would KNOW people there, including my BIL and his family, it was essentially my husband's WORK Christmas Party and who goes to their spouse's Christmas Party without their spouse? 

I thought to myself...you DO have a backup Santa.

THIS is what I call a good backup Santa!

Boo Boo's Pre-K ALWAYS has a visit from Santa!

wah wah wah

Remember what happend at Boo Boo's Pre-K Christmas Pagent?  Snow-maggedon 2010?  The blizzard of SEVENTEEN INCHES OF SNOW that took down a football stadium? 

yeah, no Santa that day either.

So what does a mama do that PROMISED her Boo Boo she could visit Santa?

She takes her to the mall on the COLDEST night in December that is possible and does it on the night they ALSO allow people to bring their pets. 

I am a genius.

But Boo Boo was soooo excited.

As we stood there in line for nearly two hours she was as patient as any four year old could possibly be...having to wait for THREE dogs to sit with Santa ahead of her...hair dirty and in a scraggly pony...not dressed up in her Christmas Best like years past...but you know what?

She chatted with Santa for the longest time.  And this Dear Santa really listened and talked with her on a whole other level than our Santa's of the past. 

And T-Bone still got to watch The Vikings at Applebee's.

20

20 random FACTS about yourself that may surprise people.

These are my favorite things to do - Thanks to my blog friend on Facebook for posting it so I could play along.

1. Do you make your bed everyday? YES! Forever! - https://youtu.be/KgzLzbd-zT4 and I am in good company. 
2. What's your favorite number? 8
3. What is your dream job? Being Chrissy Hynde - ha ha.
4. If you could, would you go back to school? I just finished in 2010. No, but I like to learn.
5. Can you parallel park? Yes, I used to be excellent at it - going to the U will do that to you.
6. A job you had which people would be shocked that you did? Bakery line worker for McGlynn's factory.
7. Do you think aliens are real? Probably.
8. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, my first BRAND NEW car was a Mazda Protege and I purposely bought a manual transmission. :)
9. Guilty pleasure? Floating in a pool with wine and good friends.
10. Tattoos? Two - want a third, but it will be tiny.
11. Favorite color? Green or blue, depends on the day and the shade.
12. Things people do that drive you insane: Not fully reading an email before they reply - bad driving - leaving socks everywhere...
13. Fear? Drowning or suffocating.
14. Favorite childhood game? Whatever my grandparents would play with me - Old Maid, 500, Yahtzee, Scrabble. It was fun to play with them. Grandma would not let us lose until we started playing 500 - then she was out for blood.
15. Do you talk to yourself? I worked in a radio studio by myself for 9 years, of COURSE I talk to myself.
16. Do you like doing puzzles? Yes, especially with other people.
17. Favorite music? It's hard to say so I will say Christmas because I am that person who got excited this morning when she heard the ad on Sirius that HOLLY IS BACK 11/1.
18. Tea or Coffee? Coffee, unless I am sick.
19. The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up? Lawyer
20. One place you've been to that truly amazed you? I love San Diego and Napa/Sonoma. But I don't want to live there...

You can play along... copy and paste it onto your blog, post the link below! 

It always takes more

I always have these grand plans for everything I am going to accomplish.

Not just on the weekend, but any given day. 

Like yesterday I imagined that I would get another shelf of my closet organized, the laundry put away, roast squash, make dinner, maybe vacuum and clean the kitchen. 

This, all after church, lunch, and going to get our pumpkins for Halloween. 

Ha ha ha ha. 

No. 

I got the squashes roasted and the kitchen clean.  Oh, and I made rice and a salad for dinner. After all that was accomplished it was after six and I was pretty much pooped.  

But I spent time with my husband and my daughter - maybe she will remember the pumpkins and the frappucino and not the argument we had this morning over moving the recycling bin.  

It always takes more than you have of things.  More time, more money, more energy. 

I always seem to run out. 

Here is to setting my goals more reasonably this week. 

Happy Monday Peeps. 

Pictures....

I often look at my Google Photos and wonder...

Why on EARTH did I take this picture??

I know at the time I took that picture of the drink cup and top of a sport-pepper I was trying to get people to guess "Where is Lisa?"

But out of context why on earth would I take a picture of a sign warning me to "...not feed the coyotes." when nothing would be further from my mind to do.

Isn't this a cute egg?

I wanted to remember the tequila and buy some for a party.

LAND HO!!! (Side of the highway in Sonoma County, CA)

Should I get boots for MY chicken?

Joy in a glass.

ROAR-ing good wine.

Does this need a caption? 

Sometimes I get a beautiful photo....

Other times I find I look odd...

Or something is funny...

Like REALLY funny.

Mama - we need this recipe in our life!!

Sometimes the heron is on this rock, other times it is a turtle or two in the pond next to the parking lot.

What a great State Fair!

  

Homemade Gummy Bugs!!! Yum. 

I do not think I need to say more....

I did not like the capture...it was more like torture.

I need a prompt today...

Oh yeah, it's THURSDAY!!! Welcome.

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

The Prompts for Thursday, July 13, 2017:

1. List 7 things you’d rather be doing this summer.
2. Describe a hobby you would pursue if you had an additional hour to spend each day.
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: celebrate
4. Book review!
5. Your summer vs. Your kids summer

I was going to write about My Summer vs. My Kid's Summer, but both have been pretty great.  I turned 50 and went to wine country with my girlfriends and tasted delicious wine - ate delicious food and pretty much rocked that birthday.  And Boo Boo La La went to her first overnight camp, is learning ukulele and is participating in general merriment at her summer program.

I also got to go to Duluth with T-bone and Boo Boo which was way relaxing even if we were in a waterpark hotel.

And your summer is _______________?







So I decided to write a 4. Book Review! because I FINALLY FINISHED THIS DARN BOOK I HAVE BEEN READING FOR NEARLY A YEAR.  Ugh.

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Last year I got a summer reading list and - uh, let's say I hope they fired the person who curated that list.

This book was a slug fest for me to complete. I found the characters irritating and their behavior kind of stupid. But perhaps that is because it is all written by Dodie Smith when she was in her early fifties, but the voice of the book, the main character Cassandra, is 17. I just feel it wasn't right. Somehow what Cassandra "captured" in her writing about what was going on just was silly and boring.

So yeah.

Do not read it.  Really, just walk away from the book.

Unless maybe you are 17 or a 50-year-old who thinks they are 17 again.

Give me Liberty....

I hope you all have plans for the long holiday.

I plan to spend time with my family today
My friends and family tomorrow as we host a big party - maybe drink too much wine...
Sunday relax and enjoy what comes, maybe garden a bit
Monday - be thankful I don't have work - go visit my MIL for a bit and walk over for the celebration at The Victory Memorial Flag Plaza and watch my daughter sing the National Anthem.

Enjoy Peeps.

Enjoy.

Thousands gathered today at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to hear former Pres. Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak about democracy. pic.twitter.com/yDP8c41tru

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 25, 2017

Happy President's Day - not you 45

It's another holiday I get to be home because I work for an East-Coast based company.

Midwest companies do not really take this day off.

President's Day we take off, not that I am not getting some work done today, but I am home in my kitchen and am not really expected to work.

(pause to sip from my favorite mug some Starbucks Vanilla)

So, Happy President's Day to one and all.

Except you 45.

You who needs attention so badly you began your next campaign just shy of your first month in office. 

Really? 

Ugh.

Let's think of happier things people.

Here are some good stories from around the globe this Patriotic Holiday.

Zealandia: This is fun - we have identified a new continent - and the Kiwi's deserve it, I know some and they are a fun bunch.  I also find the name ZEALANDIA to be awesome.

Girl Scout Cookies: I agree with her on some reviews, but leave my Do Si Do's alone.  I love them.  I am curious though about her sales numbers.  She must live somewhere you can do online sales. p.s. if you need a box we have plenty!  :)

GAGA: Lady Gaga is going to do a remake of "A Star is Born" - this may get me back to the movie theatre for something other than a Pixar flick.

And finally this one - this is such an amazing story of kindness.  Enjoy.

Mommy's Nest 2017 Motto