visitors

March will bring us friends from the north

This will be a welcome respite for us 

after a weighty winter

Looking forward to an enjoyable few weeks

As my friend Vista Woman and I often say "I go to the sea to breathe"

Cider Glazed Roast Pork with Apples, Sweet Potato, and Sage

Cider Glazed Roast Pork with Apples, Sweet Potato, and Sage
Serves 4  ~  8 SmartPoints

{photo credit epicurious}

4  boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper  
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 uncooked sweet potato, diced
2 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp sage
1/2  tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple cider
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat pork dry; season with  salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss together onions, sweet potato, apples, garlic, sage,  1 tsp salt and allspice; drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large  skillet over high heat.
Sear pork on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side.
Place chops on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray
Spoon apple mixture around pork
Roast until pork registers 145°F in center, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile: Place skillet on stove top over medium heat; add vinegar and cook, scraping up browned bits, 1 minute.
Add cider  and simmer to reduce to a syrupy texture; add butter and swirl skillet until it melts.
Drizzle cider glaze over top of pork chops

{adapted from a Weight Watchers Recipe}

seeking silence

There is a lot of background noise in my life.

When I sit down for my morning coffee I turn on "Good Morning America"

When I do my morning chores I listen to WHAM 1180

When I sit down to sew I watch a DVR'd TV show
When I drive to Jazzercise I listen to an audio book

When we eat dinner we watch "Jeopardy"

When I read in the evening I tune into a playlist from Google Play

When we have friends over for a game I pop in a CD

{Venice}

{Brockport}

After reading this article I will

"make quiet my new default" 

RealSimple Magazine - January 2016 

 article by Jennifer King Lindley. 

Can I have some peace and quiet?!

Noise can affect learning
. . . researchers theorize that the part of the brain that processes auditory signals is the same one that handles short-term memory
. . .mice raised in a noisy environment had a 70% reduction in blood vessel formation in their brains than those in quiet cages

Children
. . . even moderate background noise can interfere with the ability of babies to learn new words
. . . in one study children on the noisy side of a school (near train tracks) had reading sores that lagged a full year behind children on the quieter side of the school

Teenagers
. . . quiet time can strengthen internal focus
. . . this generation has begun to focus on external stimulation rather than reflecting inward

Adults
. . . quiet lets your mind wander and make connections between things not previously noticed
. . . constant noise pulls our attention ever outward and upsets our balance

The article also recommends ways to find quiet for all different ages from toddlers to adults.
. . . reduce background racket
. . . institute a daily quiet time
. . . have device free times
. . . dare not to talk

I hope I haven't quoted too much of her article (more that 20%) 

but I wanted you to get a preview of her thoughts. 

I hope that you can find a copy and read it.

{Prince Rupert}

I remember in my teaching days parents who thought their child was bored 

and requested more work/enrichment/challenge. 

What I really wanted to say to them - two things.

When will he have time to think?

and

Boredom is a choice.