Garlic Pork with Tomato and Basil

I love fall! The air is getting crisper, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and it's also harvest time.

Some of you may have planted a garden this spring and this recipe is great to use some of those home grown vegetables in.

Now, I didn't plant a garden myself, but I do have some basil growing and my parents planted tomatoes and have them practically growing out their ears and were all too happy to give me a few. If you didn't plant a garden, don't fret! You can still make this recipe from getting the fresh produce at your grocery store, or even better yet, at your local farmer's market.

No More Soap Scum!!

Greetings!  This is the first post of The Many Adventures of a Modern Housewife, so welcome :0)

I had to tell you about this wonderful new product that I have found.  I'm not usually one to listen to the mindless ranting of solicitors, but for some reason I decided to hear the guy out. "It'll take the rust of and oil off your driveway," he said.  Guess what.... it did!  Well that's pretty cool. 

After talking to him for a while and him promising me that it will work on everything from asphalt to windows, I decided to purchase it.  

I have to tell you.... it's AMAZING!  I cleaned my countertops, stove, windows, toilet, shower, bathtub, and even the faucets that were covered in soap scum.  I don't know about where you live, but here in Albuquerque we fight with hard water every day.  Soap scum and hard water stains are always a headache and for a housewife like me, this was an answer to my prayers.

This miracle product is called

Tried And True

There is something to be said about the cookware of yesterday.  I'm not sure if they just made things better back then, or manufacturers are cutting corners and not making a lasting product anymore.  Whichever the case, I have decided that when it comes to getting new cookware for my home, I'm going to either check antique stores or turn to one of my older family members.

Just yesterday I was making dinner for my family in a dutch oven, I was making my fancy shepherd's pie (recipe follows), and I decided to use the new one from Pampered Chief that my mother gave me a few years back.  I was browning the meat when all of a sudden... POP! It had cracked along the entire bottom.  My yummy brown bits... you know, the ones that form on the bottom of the pan when you are browning meat... were escaping into the flame of the burner.  Quickly I reached for the dutch oven that my grandmother had given me, which she had used for years.  I finished browning the meat, sweating the vegetables and even had it in the oven for 2 hours without a single pop.  This makes me wonder what's the difference between the new one and the old?

Making It New Again!

I've had this southwestern style lamp for years and my style is anything but southwestern, so I decided to remake it into a style that is more mine.

Here is a picture of the lamp before I remade it:

Not bad, but definitely not my style.

So i went to WalMart and got some silver metallic spray paint.  My master bedroom is grey with accents of red and silver.  So the change will fit much better.

Awww... it's Fall!

Now with the State Fair in full gear and with all this cold rainy weather, it has felt like fall but hasn't quite looked fallish.  Well that all changed yesterday when I came home after dropping Harley off at school and found the first fallen leaf of fall.

Time to get out all the fall decor for the house!  I absolutely love decorating the house for all the different seasons and holidays, so why not!?  Ok, so yes I maybe the only house on the block that looks like fall has thrown up all over it, but I could care less.

Rainy Day Blues

Ok, so I know that the first day of fall isn't technically till the 22nd, but it sure does feel like fall here in Albuquerque.  It rained all day yesterday and is supposed to rain most of the day today.  Yes, we do get rain here in New Mexico.  I'm sure a lot of you are surprised. ;)

All this rain has made perfect weather for cuddling up on the couch and watching Singing In The Rain, but with a 4 year old I can't very well do that.  So what do you do with a 4 year old when it's too wet to go outside?  In our house we build a fort!

Cooking Challenge?

I love to cook and I try to make a homemade dinner every night, but I'm always trying to learn more.  Recently I saw the move Julie & Julia again and that got me thinking.  Could I be like Julie Powell and cook all the recipes in a cook book?  Most importantly is could I MASTER the recipes and even make them my own?

Stamping Is Fun!

Boy does it seem like forever since I posted.  I do apologize for that.  Time just seemed to get away with me from Harley's 4th birthday to her starting school, boy have things been busy!

Well that's not what this post is about today.  This past weekend my mom and I drove up to Denver for the Stampin' Up! Southwest Regional Convention.  If you haven't heard of Stampin' UP! Than let me fill you in.