Pork Chops with Spiced Apple and Spicy Salty Cornbread Stuffing

Oh! This was so good!

 I made the spiced apples with Honey Crisp apples. They also paired up really well with some crunchy peanut butter. After peeling and chopping apples, I squirted some lemon juice on them to keep them from browning. In a pot, I gently started boiling water while I added sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. I then added the chopped apples and cooked them. They were so good that I kept some in a separate bowl to eat later with ice cream.

I like my cornbread really corny. I make it with cornmeal, egg, butter, and buttermilk. I added bacon to make it salty and chopped chipotle pepper to make it spicy. I cooked it just like Deborah and Larry showed me. I use a cast iron skillet. I heat it up on the stove top with vegetable oil or bacon drippings. When it's nice and hot, I pour in the batter. The batter bubbles on the edges. I wait to see little bubbles popping open in the center and then pop it into the oven. I bake it until it is brown and crusty.

The pork chops come next. I always splurge and buy some that are thicker and with the loin attached. I sometimes brine them sometimes not. Today, not. I seared the chops in a hot pan on both sides. I then nestled the pork chops on a bed of cornbread and covered the pan with aluminum foil. I baked them at 350 until done.

Perfect

Pity Party Over

I am over my pity party. Today is going well. I did PT. The therapist said I was stretching longer and with more flexibility. The traction machine has stretched me. I am convinced I am an inch taller.

Then I had my 1000 mile check up on my new car. While at the dealer, I met someone who lives across the street from me. Though she is a bit older, she was born and lived in Europe. We had a delightful conversation.

Next, I went to the outdoors farmers market. Food specialists insist you do better economicaly and diet wise if you plan out your meals. On the menu: Pork Chops with Apple Cornbread Stuffing, Chicken Lemon Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, and Bacon Spinach Stuffed Spaghetti Squash. I also bought an avocado and sweet potatoes. I just saw a recipe for a roasted vegetable salad!

A fine morning!

The recipes I will start with and deebeetize!
Pork chops and apple cornbread stuffing.  (Easy peasy with three ingredients! I will mostly likely complicate it up!)

Chicken Lemon Soup. (Interesting recipe? Never seen it with feta!)

Chicken Enchiladas (Make my own red sauce??)

Retirement Regret

I knew it would happen. Retirement Regret! Today I was on Facebook. Two of my friends are in Paris, France today. Another was tasting chocolate in Brussels. Another was in her car driving along the Amalfi Coasr. Yet another was at a pumpkin fest and another was having coffee in a cafe in Nurnberg.

I now own my own home and cleaned out my gutters. I then did weeding. Life was different when I was working and living in Europe. It may not be the retirement, it may be owning my own home!

Frustration overload!

I thought this blog would be a good way for me to document the things I do. It is currently a very large frustration. How do you upload images so you can use them in this blog? The choice are stupid. I can reload images that I have already used. I can add images from an URL which I have done, but do not like doing. Copyright issues which I like to respect and they disappear if the URL goes bad. Then there is from your phone which did not work yesterday but does so today. I added Google Images to my iPad and I agreed to let it have access to images on my iPad.

It appears overnight somehow blogspot and Google Images found picture from 2012 and 2013. They are letting me see them. What the hell!

Then there is Google Album Archive. Where is it? Where did they get those images? They are mine, but when did I give them permission to access them.

It is like an octopus that I have no control of!

Another Day in Paradise

This was my favorite saying when I was working. I usually said it to people when they complained about something in our jobs. Our jobs were good ones. We really did not have much to complain about.

Now I am retired and life is good. I had physical therapy and 2 massages today. I also had a free venti ice caramel macchiato. My 20 minute walk today was pain free. For dinner, I roasted a forgotten pint of tomatoes with herbs of the Provence and sea salt. It was excellent! It is cooling off a tad in Florida so I am actually not hating being outside.

Favorite Flower Picture

First Day of School

As of 30 June, I irrevocably retired from teaching with the federal government. For all the wonders of Germany, living 34 years out of your own country became burdensome. Tomorrow is their first day of school in Germany. My friends there should all be waking up and preparing for that first day. I have been sad for the past week as I have read their posts about their new students and seen their picture of their newly decorated rooms. Tomorrow is the first time in 54 years I have not had a first day of school as a student or a teacher.

June 29 -Living the Digital Life

So it is 11:00 AM in my part of the world. I have ordered flowers and a gift for two different people. I have posted a bedroom set for sale. I have negotiated and set up sale dates for a side table and a rocking chair. I have spoken to and fixed a problem with my bank. I have changed my address and started a new payment plan for health care. I wrote a job reference for a colleague. I have bought two dresses (50% off!). Checked my email and Facebook accounts. All is done! And I did it all sitting in my pajamas in my chair using an iPad and iPhone (Go Apple!).

Living the life where I can speak English and use technology. WooHoo!

June 28

The irrevocable date is approaching. I am busy trying to reset a life in a new place. Today I had my car checked and had it oiled and lubed. Since it is a 16 year old car, it is important to give it regular check ups. I set up a new bank account. It is with the same bank that I have my mortgage. It is called Oculina Bank. It is a small bank in my part of Florida. They are friendliest and most helpful bankers that I have ever met.

Everything went well, except that I am exhausted. I have not slept well since I flew home. At first I thought it was jet lag. On Friday, I realized my back and hip were hurting. This kind of pain is sort of normal for women my age. What is odd is that it only hurts when I lay down. When I get up from laying down, the pain soars. Made a doctor's appointment for Thursday. I hope I can make it. The pain is a downer to the retirement celebration.

June 25: 6 Days to Retirement

This is it! In six days I will be irrevocably retired. I say irrevocable because that is what it said on all my paperwork. I can't back out! For me, retirement means returning to live full time in the states for the first time in 34 years. So here is to me rediscovering what it means to live in America once again!

One of the first things, I had to do was activate my cell phone. It was tied to ATT.

Cell phones can be different in Germany. In Germany you can buy a phone with a pay as you go plan. I mean a real pay as you go plan! I had a phone that I used for guests that I put ten Euros on last September. I had a friend use it in October and then I used it in March. I added money to it when it needed it, not when an arbitrary time set by a company said I had to buy more time.

You can also buy a phone with a contract in Germany. You have to be careful! They are very serious about their contracts! Companies do not have to release you if you are leaving. You can be expected to buy out your contract.

So I went to AT&T and experienced culture shock. It is more expensive to have a phone here. Note to self: Think about jail breaking that phone and shop around for a better deal.