This Cannot Stand

I know I am not alone when I express feelings of outrage with our completely broken government system. I feel like the owner of a large undisciplined dog that is dragging me through the muck and I cannot gain control. At this point, not to be inhumane or anything, I just want to shoot it and put us both out of misery. So, why can't we all stand up collectively, WE THE PEOPLE, and say no:

• I will no longer pay taxes to a government who spends MY hard earned money on ridiculous and overpriced items.
• I will no longer pay taxes to fund a fat and greedy political machine that is all too willing to take and spend the money of the people, while raising their own wages and increasing their benefits exponentially. 
• I refuse to fund the lavish lifestyle of long retired government employees, who did little to nothing to benefit our country while in office, much less now.

• I will not bend to the will of a government who will so willingly harm our military by withholding funding for needed equipment, medical and salary, while they romance known terrorist countries. 
• I will no longer be held to the laws of this government with regard to payment of taxes, until my voice is heard and I am allowed to review, each tax season, what my money will be going to pay and have a choice in where it goes.

Why can't we all do this? What could the government do? Will it turn into a policed state? Would our own government throw each and every wage earner in jail as an example? What would truly happen if we all stood up and cut off our mad government from it's money. Money we work so hard for, and the government has so little respect for. They spend as though they were teenagers who got a hold of an unsecured credit card and unlimited, unsupervised time at a mega mall. Well, checks are bouncing and still, no one is doing anything.

If you want to see exactly how careless with our money, congress is being, just take a look at the 2010 version of THE PIG BOOK. this online pdf (also available for purchase) is an eye opener to how stupid our government thinks we are and how little respect they have for us. Then ask yourself, "Do I want to continue to enable the spoiled brats in Washington?" What are you willing to do to stop those obese cats?

Sweet & Savory Wins Hearts

Okay, I am drowning in pictures from our trip. I must have taken almost a thousand! I am having trouble knowing where to begin. So, I am avoiding and procrastinating.... sounds like it's time to cook! Pork chops were on sale so I prowled the aisles, wondering what to do with them. Shake and bake, while tasty, is such a cop out. Then, I remembered a delicious recipe that I've wanted to try that used apples. I am wary of sweet and savory, preferring to keep them separate. However, feeling adventurous, I think I succeeded in challenging my previously held notions.

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

• 1 1/2 tsp. sage (rubbed w/fingers to crush)
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (smoked if available!)
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 pork chops (boneless or bone-in)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix flour, all spices and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with seasoned flour mixture. Set aside remaining mixture.

Cook pork chops in hot oil, on medium high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from skillet and set aside.

• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 2 small red apples, sliced thin

Add onion to skillet and cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add apples and cook additional 2 minutes.

• 1/2 C. apple juice (fresh squeezed is best!)
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• remaining flour/spice mixture

Mix juice, sugar and flour/spice mixture together and add to apples and onions in the skillet. Return pork chops to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until internal temp reaches 160° or no longer pink inside. I didn't specify a time, because it can vary based on thickness of chops.

Well, the kiddos loved it and had the gravy created, over mashed potatoes. My husband took the leftovers for lunch today. My six month old loved sucking on the cooked apples and I even mixed a little of the gravy in with his mashed veggies and he gobbled that right up. Enjoy!

Thanks·giv·ing

( P ) Pronunciation Key

1. An act of giving thanks; an expression of gratitude, especially to God: a hymn of thanksgiving.
2. Thanksgiving Day.
3. Taking a group of people, who normally spend the rest of the year avoiding each other, put them in a room together. Add years of bitterness and resentment and liberal splashes of alcohol and watch the ensuing fun! (dripping w/sarcasm)

I brought a wonderful appetizer that had to finish cooking, so there was a bit of a dance in the kitchen and there was concern my MIL's potato dish would suffer, so I had to pull them out sooner than I wanted. Not as browned as I wanted, but lucky for me, everyone raved about them and some had seconds... I will share that recipe at the end. Oh, and her potato dish survived and was quite delicious.

Other than that, the meal came and went without incident. So, just before we leave, my son makes a break for the outdoors after I told him he had to wait for me to go with him. There are a lot of dangers lurking out the door, one being a yellow lab, who has a habit of menacing small children, as well as various cutting tools for wood working are on the porch. So, I stop him short of running off the end of the porch and doing a nose dive into the gravel, and give him a swat on the behind and tell him no and explain why. My swats do not hurt, and my son responds very well to quick reprimands followed with a hug and me telling him I love him and not to disobey me again when I ask him to do something. So, I bring him in and by the time I set him down he is smiling and off to find his daddy, but my MIL looks at me like I have just whipped him within an inch of his life and sputters, "Oh, poor little baby!". GAAAH! I wish she wouldn't do that!

Thankfully, my SIL and her leech of a boyfriend who is in dire need of a sucking chest wound (kidding... sort of), were still M.I.A. at that point. I will repeat myself by saying it was refreshing without them slinking and slithering around looking for any opportunity to insult our parenting, and decision to raise our children as meat-eaters (they themselves are the subversive and pushy vegetarians). My MIL actually actually nice to me, other than referring to me by my first name when talking about me to my own children. It bothers me because I asked her not to do that because I don't want my babies to stop calling me mommy... EVER.

So, I am thankful for my beautiful children, my loving and supportive husband, my irrepressibly sweet parents and for a Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws, sans SIL and her submissive lackey, that was closer to comfortable than not. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was fabulous.

PORK TART IN ROASTED GARLIC CREAM
Ingredients

• 12 ounces boneless,pork cutlets, medium diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 12 ounces sweet Italian sausage, medium diced
• 1 cup tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup prepared peppercorn gravy
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 20 sheets Athens Fillo Dough, thawed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, cut into 1/2" lengths

Place pork into small bowl, season with salt, pepper and vinegar. Marinate for 1 hour. Remove from marinade and place in pan. Place sausage in separate pan. Roast both in preheated 350ºF oven for 20 minutes. Cool chicken and sausage; mix together. In large skillet, sauté onions in butter for 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add pork, sausage and gravy. Stir together and bring to a simmer. Cool. Add basil leaves, mozzarella and half of chopped tomato. Prepare 6 fillo tart shells, 4" diameter, in greased pan according to directions for Cups, Pie & Tart Shells. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and remove from pan. Spoon mixture into fillo shells and bake in preheated 350ºF oven for about 8 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Prepare Roasted Garlic Cream (recipe below). Spoon hot garlic cream onto plate. Place hot tart in cream and garnish with chives and remaining chopped tomatoes.
Yield: 6 tarts

ROASTED GARLIC CREAM
Ingredients

• 12 unpeeled cloves garlic
• 1 quart heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic on ungreased cookie sheet and roast in preheated 400ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Peel and mash garlic. Add cream to saucepan with mashed garlic and simmer until reduced to 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper.