Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

Boy am I glad that the weekend is almost here. We have friends coming into town who will be staying with us for the week, so tonight we'll be cleaning, baking "Welcome To Town Apple Jalapeno Cheddar Scones", and stashing clutter into closets and drawers.  For their arrival tomorrow night, we're making a big simmering pot of Carne Guisada. It's a TexMex staple, beef stewed with spices and chiles, with a generous handful of cilantro thrown in at the end for good measure. Serve it along with warm flour tortillas and cold beer, and you have yourself quite a feast. It's also the perfect lead-in to an evening of college football.

(photo from the fabulous Homesick Texan)

Speaking of food, we roasted brussels sprouts last night to go along with baked pork chops and apples. The pork chops took a little longer than expected, so the brussels sprouts were ready early. Instead of fretting and letting them sit around and get cold, we let the chops continue to cook, grabbed a plate and two forks, and dug in. They were gone in no time.

When did brussels sprouts become so delicious? Just trim the stems and discard the outer leaves, half them, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then roast in a 375° oven for about 30 minutes. You'll never look at brussels sprouts the same again, I promise.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!