pork with corn & avocado salad

This dish has become a new summer favorite of ours. 

Chili-Lime Pork Chops with Corn & Avocado Salad
to serve 2 you will need:

2 pork chops (0.3 to 0.5 pounds each, depending how hungry you are!)
1 jalapeño, diced
4 bunches green onion, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 cans corn, drained
1 avocado, sliced
olive oil
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
paprika
salt and pepper

In a mixing bowl combine olive oil, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.  Add pork chops and turn until coated.  Cook in a skillet or grill pan over medium high heat.

Combine corn and jalapeño in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally until warm.  In a mixing bowl, combine green onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime.  Add corn mixture and avocado.  Salt to taste.

Serve pork with corn and avocado salad, garnished with extra lime wedges.

Note:  inspired by a recipe found in Martha's Everyday Food

tweaked

Just after writing my last post I decided to get moving with hanging some frames with the thought of creating a gallery wall in the bedroom.  But once I cleared off the top of the dresser I realized I like it better that way.  Simple and uncluttered.  So I just tweaked things.  There's something so satisfying about keeping that spot clear and pretty.

living things

Adam very sweetly got me some flowers...

...which reminded me of my goal to bring more color into the home.  I haven't quite done that in a permanent way, but there is certainly a lot more greenery! For a few months we have had cuttings in the bedroom, which is otherwise still largely untouched project-wise.

And the window sill in the living room is now home to this season's basil.  Last year we bought a pot of basil from TJ's, but this time around I picked up one of the packages of fresh sprigs and just stuck it in some water.  I wasn't sure if anything would come of it but I had read that they would root and do quite well.  It seems that's true!


Lastly, remember how I was hoping to keep this orchid alive?

Well, after a few months it looked like this

Womp.  Advice: don't trust the people who say you can water your orchid with ice cubes.  The truth is you will freeze it's roots, its buds will fall off before they bloom, and it will slowly shed its leaves and die (or something like that).

BUT! if you stop treating it like a cocktail and water it normally, it juuuust might show signs of regrowth.

Happy.

From the above basil photo you may have noticed how beat up our window sills are looking.  I'm hoping to get on that this summer.

warm pasta salad

I haven't been good about posting lately, partly because I have been busy with some life / schedule changes (new job - yay), and partly because there's a new (hand-me-down) camera in the mix yet no more Photoshop.  All in all it's thrown off the rhythm I was trying to get into.  I'm also in the midst of a few home projects, none of which are finished or ready to share.  But we haven't missed a beat in terms of trying new recipes! Here's one we made last night:  

Warm Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Poached Eggs  
to serve 2-3 you will need:

1/2 lb pasta, we used bowties
3-4 genrous handfuls of arugula or other wilt-able green like spinach
3 medium tomatoes, roasted
1-2 eggs per person, poached
fresh cheese, we used Parmesan
olive oil
salt and pepper

This is pretty simple.  Roast the tomatoes first, since this takes the most time (see how here) using a little extra olive oil.  Cook pasta according to instructions, drain, and set aside to cool slightly.  When tomatoes are done, drizzle olive oil goodness over the pasta and toss with greens and cheese.  Poach the eggs*.  Serve the pasta topped with tomatoes, eggs, and some extra pepper.

*I tried poaching eggs for the first time last week.  It's a lot easier than I thought.  If you don't know how, these instructions worked for me.

sitges & barcelona {photodiary}

I know I'm so late with this, but finally getting some warmer weather in Boston has me thinking of our trip to Sitges and Barcelona back in September.  I even wrote most of this back in September, just never got around to posting.  Well here it is:

One of the perks of having been a consultant is the travel.  Not the weekly boring stuff, but the global trainings in Europe. Work has sent me to Nice, Prague, and now Sitges for training, and I have taken full advantage by tacking on vacations following each - Cinque Terre and Rome after Nice, Venice after Prague, and most recently a few days in Barcelona.

Day 1 of vacation - Friday

Training finished around 4pm and after rounds of goodbyes it was officially vacation time!  Adam had flown out to join me, and after a day at the pool was showered and ready to party.  I smuggled some final snacks from training (leftovers) and we headed off into Sitges to explore the beach, the city, and find some good food!