Early Morning Message

It's 4:20 in the morning here and already I am showered, make-uped, and ready to go! Today is my first day at a local bakery where I will be on the opening shift. The idea is that I will be home in time to spend the day with the kids but still bringing in some money. This is not the only new job I am starting right now, but the plan is to work most of what I am doing around the kids. I think it should work out pretty well, but even if it doesn't...nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Paco and I watched Heroes last night. It was okay, although certainly not as good as other episodes have been. I am actually not interested in next week's at all because it seems to be more of a 'what could be' based on the previews, but isn't actually what happens at all. What's the point? I think there are only three new episodes after that, so I hope they have some secrets up their sleeves to make watching worthwhile!

In cooking news, I now have an electric griddle. I am so excited! I have never had one before and can't wait to start cooking pancakes, grilled cheese, and other such things in abundance! While I realize that I won't be creating exotic recipes with it, my kitchen has desperately needed one for a long time and will love the new addition!

Disappointing Pork

I rely pretty heavily on pork in my kitchen. While pregnant with TBell, I developed an aversion to chicken that even 5+ years later I can't seem to shake. So, we have pork whenever I am in the mood for a white meat. Tonight, I adapted a recipe that I found to include items I currently have, rather than going to the store. I dipped the pork in an egg, soy sauce and orange juice mixture, then coated each one in crushed croutons. I drizzled melted butter over the top of each and then placed them in the oven at 250 for about 20 minutes. (Note: these were extremely thin chops, if yours are thicker, you will need to cook them longer.) While they turned out nice and tender, I was disappointed that I couldn't taste either the soy sauce or the OJ. I do think I will make them again, but I will add more of those two things in an effort to bring out the flavor.

In other news, I am in the midst of planning a brunch for one organization (happening this weekend) and a dinner for another. I have an MRI tomorrow. I have countless phone calls to make and envelopes to stuff and mail. However, I am playing on the computer and listening to the Sabres game, which Paco is watching behind me. Will I ever stop procrastinating? It seems very unlikely...

Easter Fun

The dress I wore to church yesterday ended up making me feel very self-conscious. I was showing more cleavage than I thought was appropriate and was constantly tugging at the neckline to make it cover more. Paco said it looked fine, although the pastor's wife questioned why I would listen to my husband about matters of my cleavage. (For the record, she also thought the dress looked fine.) Here is a conversation with my pastor before service:

Me: Are we kneeling for communion today? (Note: We normally do kneel, but occasionally we take the bread and dip it into the wine. If we dip, we stand.)

Pastor: You are.

Hysterical laughter.

Pastor: No good can come from this conversation. (exit pastor to get ready for Easter service)

My First Ever...

...quiche! I don't know why I have never made one before. Paco loves them. I had a lot of eggs that I needed to use, so I decided to try it. I looked up a few recipes and then did a modified version of my own. I think my pan is a ten inch pan, but I am not sure. For the crust, I just used a box mix that you add water to and lined the bottom of the pan with it. Then I added fresh, chopped broccoli and shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese. I put enough in that the veggie and cheese were completely covering the bottom of the pan. Then, in a blender, I mixed 9 eggs, salt, pepper, 2 cups of half and half and about three tablespoons of flour. After it was all well mixed, I poured it in the pan. I baked it at 375 for about 50 or 55 minutes - just until the entire top was starting to brown. It was so good! And, for the record, it is vegetarian!