A little sister time and new recipes

My sister and brother in law came for the weekend.  The trip was for Mike and Ted to go to the Texas Tech game.
Jan and I spent Saturday going to some cute gift shops and the usual stops, Hobby Lobby and Michael's.  I was looking for some goodies for baskets for college girls helping with the youth retreat at our church and Michael's dollar isle was the answer!  I'm going back to do stocking stuffers soon. 
I loved getting to spend a few hours without my kids just puttering around good shops getting Christmas ideas.  We stopped for lunch at a little place and ate outside and enjoyed the beautiful day...

Jennifer sent me treats with her mom... here is my favorite thing she sent

I got stopped three times with people wanting to know where I got my shirt.  I LOVE it, thanks Jennifer...

I tried two new recipes for dinner Friday night and let me tell you, you really need to make these.  They were both great and even got rave reviews from Mike, who never 'loves' anything....

Balsamic Maple Glazed Pork Chops

4 boneless center cut pork chops

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup chicken broth

Heat large skillet over med-high heat.   Dry the pork chops and season well with salt and pepper.  Add the oil to the pan and when hot lay pork chops int he pan and cook till lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes.  Turn and cook on second side till browned and cooked through, about 3 min.  Transfer to a platter.

Add vinegar to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the any brown bits.  Stir in mustard, syrup, and broth.  Also add any juices that have come from the pork chops.  Cook over high heat till mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes.  Add pork chops back to pan and coat with glaze.

Sweet Potato Au Gratin

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup milk

8 oz Smoked Gouda shredded

1 tbsp chipotle in adobo puree

3 med. sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine the cream, milk and chipotle in a small bowl.  Spray an 8x8 baking dish with Pam and arrange a forth of the potatoes in pan, add a layer of cheese and pour over a forth of the liquid mixture and continue layering to form 4 layers. 

Cover pan with foil and cook 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min. till liquid is absorbed.  I covered mine with foil for the first half of cooking. 

Try this today... it's that good!

The time change messed me up this morning... I've been up since 5:45...it's only 8 and I feel like I've had a full morning all day... off to church now... enjoy your Sunday!