Ever in the mood?

For Chai tea latte ?  I usually am-- don't care much for Starbucks version, but our little wonder of a local coffee shop- Broad River Coffee Company- makes a great one!  However, last year I discovered by adding a bit a dry Chai latte mix (bought at Sam's ) I could almost have the same thing in my daily coffee...

Simply add a bit and see.... it's perfection!

It was Pork Chop Sunday....

My Dave loves pork chops... so I am always trying to find a different way of fixing them to maintain his interest-- well, to be honest, he would probably eat them any way I fixed them, but I do like to change it up at bit. :) So I was thinking about an indulgence of mine- margaritas. I love them and so does Dave so I decided to do a version of margarita pork chops that was all my own. It turned out pretty darn good and hit the spot

Grilled Margarita Pork Chops

 2-4 thick chops (bone in or bone out)

 Marinade:
1 cup Margarita mix
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic

 Basting sauce:
 1/2 cup margarita mix
1/4 cup tequila
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Mix marinade and pour over chops.
 2. Cover and allow at least 1-2 hours in the fridge.

Grill and baste sauce 4-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chops. The internal temp for chops is to be 160*- so use a meat thermometer.

 I turned down the heat on these and was able to let the wonderful brown sugar basting sauce to really carmalize on the chops!

 This made it take a bit long than 4-5 minutes per side, but by watching the chops, they did not dry out.

 I served these chops with onions sauteed in butter and a splash of margarita mix and chili powder- spectacular. I also created a sauce with mayo. lime juice, and chili powder...

 Definitely Dave test and DAVE approved!

I used the low calorie margarita mix from Jose

I love my Veranda....

It's no secret that I love to spend time on my porch and simply listen to the sounds of classic rock... it's especially wonderful at night. I love to light candles and have a nice glass of wine.

Today I share my candle holders- I use old flower vases.

You can get them very cheap at Goodwill and thrift stores-- simply add a candle!

Different finishes on the vase create different lights. I am looking into painting the glass this summer to go with my summer veranda theme: It's 5 o'clock Somewhere!

Cinnamon Sugar Sugar anyone?

I love cinnamon.. I think that's a given! I always loved when Momma made me cinnamon toast for breakfast or just a special moment. However, as a chubby girl adult, I figured out a way to cut the calories and the sugars a bit. Instead of using sugar, I used Splenda (well the Wal-Mart knock off). I simply mix it up with the amount of cinnamon I prefer and store in a mason jar! I have used this mixture in coffee, on pancakes and biscuits, or when I need an extra shot of cinnamon!

This idea is Dave tested, but NOT Dave approved! He did not care for this and prefers his 'real' sugar- just like his real milk and real ice cream! But this is definitely Belinda approved!

Easter Memories...

Some of my fondest memories revolve around spending Easter Sunday at 407 West 7th Street, Smackover, Arkansas... yes, I said Smackover ( It's real and it's fantastic... and historical but I will get to that later). My grandparents were not perfect, but to me, they were total love. I never ever questioned Jewell and Nila Kinder's love for me or my sister. And Easter was pretty darn special to us... outside of the meal, there was always a bunny cake.

Now I have seen some bunny cakes on Pinterest, but none are the one that my Nana would always roll out on Easter. It's pretty simple, and somewhere I have a picture of one of them that I will post later, but for now I found a image that shows the basic design. This one is like my Nana's with using M&Ms.

Here's what you need:
1 white cake mix to make two 8 inch round cakes
2 cans of white/ vanilla frosting (or make your own)
 M&Ms- spring colors work well
 shredded coconut if you'd like

1. Bake cakes according to directions and allow to cool.
 2. Take one cake and cut the bow tie and ears from this by cutting an ear shape off the sides of the cake. Those two cut automatically make the bow tie piece of the cake. Check out the image below:

3. Arrange the pieces with the whole cake in the shape of a bunny head.

4. Now FROST it... I use the same color frosting as the cake simply because it's somewhat hard to cleaning frost the cut cake pieces! Used to drive me nuts as a kid.

 Use the M&Ms to decorate the bunny's ears, eyes, mouth, and bow tie. You could do the bow tie in a different colored frosting.

This cake makes me smile and tear up to be honest. It's will be 20 years since I lost her from my life... not a day goes by that I don't look at her picture and wish she were here. It's baking or cooking the way she did that keeps her alive in my heart everyday!