Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

Good Tuesday morning!

I have a few more London pics in the Gallery this morning, and I hope to have more than one basketball pic to add Wednesday morning after the game this evening. (I'm going to have a little talk with Mikie... and it will not be pleasant, I'm afraid.)

ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! - My picture-of-the-day blog, 50 is Nifty, will be UP-TO-DATE by 5:00 this afternoon. Check it out if you get a chance.

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT! ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT! - My 1000th blog post will be here before you know it (less than nine weeks). I'm going to have a GIANT Contest, so be watching for details in February.

REMINDER! REMINDER! REMINDER! - If you are new to A Simple Life, there are hundreds of OTHER posts located at www.belindafaulkner.blogspot.com. (For some reason, the original blog wouldn't let me post after June 13, 2011. So I had to start anew... kinda.)

If you haven't read the posts yet, I urge to go to my sidebar and read Josh's Journey, Camp Week, City Adventures and Austin (1/3 of an Empty Nest).

Again, that's only if you have NOTHING else to do today!

RANDOMNESS #1 - I am probably the only human being in Alabama who did NOT watch the ball game last night. My favorite part of a football game is the fourth quarter, and I didn't even watch that.

I know I will receive some negative vibes from the rest of the residents of my fair state today and tomorrow, and I am afraid I do not have an acceptable excuse...

Except Julie and Julia was showing on a cable channel last night the exact same time as the game... and even though I've seen the movie a dozen times... and I own the movie... and because I watched Julie and Julia I missed the GAME OF THE CENTURY... I still have no regrets. Go figure!

It's a lovely movie with lovely music and a lovely story. It made me happy.

RANDOMNESS #2 - I read a post on Kelle Hampton's blog yesterday, and while I enjoy the ENTIRE blog, one thing stuck out.

She had an entire section entitled, "Today, I loved... ," and then she proceeded to list all the small things she loved yesterday. Nothing monumental. Nothing earth-moving. Just the small things.

I wanted to try that, too. However, I'm a day behind, so I will call it...

Yesterday, I Loved...

1. Drinking hot chocolate and talking with Austin before he left at noon to visit with friends. One-on-one with no interruptions.

2. Doing FIVE loads of laundry. YES! That felt good!

3. Finding three "hard-to-find" puzzle pieces in our LATE Christmas puzzle.

4. Talking to a friend, and finding out God answered a prayer with a big, fat "YES."

5. Finishing my two-page To-Do List.

6. Watching Julie and Julia propped up in my bed with a dozen or so pillows.

As you can see, it was kind of a NOTHING day until I broke it down and looked for those small things that put a little smile on my face.

Would my list of "Yesterday, I Did Not Love..." be a little longer? Maybe. But I'm not even going to start that list. Perhaps that's the key!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops With Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and two people I know have actually tried it... and loved it. It's on my Pinterest To-Do List this week. It comes from a blog called www.chef-in-training.blogspot.com.

You will need the following:

6 pork chops (1/2" thick)
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
4 pounds peeled and cubed potatoes
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

1. Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium-sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

2. Place potatoes in large pot of cold water. Place on stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

3. Drain. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed.

4. Add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk... slowly, until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot.

It doesn't get much easier, Folks.

Have a lovely Tuesday. I'll be back in the morning with Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, Randomness and pics.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda