Sweet Teriyaki Pork Chops

Normally we eat a lot of deer and elk meat, but my husband's family raises livestock so every now and then we will get meat from their animals.

For this recipe you will need:
4 pork chops
8oz can of Pineapple tidbits
1/4 c. of brown sugar
1/2 t. of corn starch (optional)
1T. of Olive Oil (or whatever you like to cook with)
1/4 c. of soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Prep time for this recipe is 5 minutes to make marinade mixture and 20 minutes to an hour for marinading.
Cook time is 15 minutes.

You want to start by making the marinade mixture. Combine pineapple (undrained), brown sugar, and if you like thicker sauces add the corn starch. Mix well and smash up the pineapple a little. Once combined add the pork chops, cover and let it sit for however long you would like to marinade. The longer you let it sit, the sweeter your meat will be.

When ready to cook, in a large skillet heat oil at just above halfway on your dial  Take the pork chops out of the marinade and place them in the skillet, pepper to taste. Add soy cause and seer the pork chops. They will be ready to turn when you see the blood surface. Seer both sides. Once chops have been cooking in the soy sauce for 5 minutes  add the left over marinade mixture to the skillet.

 The sauce will boil, and that is perfect. continue to cook and turn until pineapple tidbits are soften and are a golden color or until your sauce has thickened to your liking for those that added corn starch. ( I used a smaller skillet so I cooked two chops at a time, you don't have to do it that way.) Take off heat, and they are ready to eat! You can serve them over rice or as is.

Enjoy!!!! They are yummy!!!!!

Learning while young

As stated in my last post, I didn't grow up being raised around animals that require a lot of work to maintain. After being exposed to the way my husband was raised, I truly do value and appreciate everything that his parent's taught him. To this day he is always eager to get up early (5am, 6am, doesn't matter), to go out and work with his dad, most likely he wasn't that eager in his youth. Anyway, they could be feeding the farm animals, or fixing fence and he loves it. He will sit there and tell me all the fond memories that he has had with his dad or grandfather in those early mornings, and some of the most important life lessons he has learned with them. How neat is that? Okay, I realize that some people might have already known this, okay maybe most people, but I didn't. I had no idea that this type of exposure could greatly impact someones life, and now it has impacted mine.

My husband and I have a beautiful 5 month old. She has been such a blessing in our lives, and I truly do love her. I want, as a parent, to give her the best life she can have. Sounds normal, right? Well, we've decided to start her young, learning the ropes around the family ranch and exposing her to what our family does. My hubby's family raises farm animals, has a small cattle operation, hunts, fishes, traps, and does anything and everything that involves the outdoors.

It is kind of hard to see, but our girl has already had her first hunting experience in the womb. I literally got to see my husband draw back and get a deer for our little family. He is going to school and is a year from wrapping up his bachelors degree, so we went down for a weekend hunting trip. Most guys probably wouldn't have shot a two point  (I'm sure you can look at the picture and see why it's called that), but my husband Cameron was in a moment where he was going to shoot the first legal buck (boy deer), that he could see. This deer provides meet for us to eat for the majority of the year. As poor college students this is how we survive. (Recipes soon to come on the different ways we use our deer meat.)

Last week we took our little girl to see the family ranch and see the cows.

Her daddy was so sweet and talked to her about what she was seeing. Moments like this are so tender and touch my heart. I cannot wait to see the friendship she will develop with her dad as he teaches her love, passion, and respect for the great outdoors and everything it has to offer her.

The beginning!

Hey! I wanted to start this blog because I have fallen in love with the lifestyle that I live. I owe everything to my husband. He has taught me so much and has truly evolved me to a better human being. I did not grow up around farm animals or even knowing that cowboys existed. For some reason I thought they were only found in westerns like "Back to the Future". (Now, I know better and know how embarrassing that statement is.) Needless to say, this high heel wearing city girl has found a new life, perspective, and passion for embracing the outdoor lifestyle of my husband.

 My intent is to provide recipes for game animals that has my deep freezer full, show some crafts that I've made with my husband's hobbies, and provide a new perspective in the life I love. So, enjoy!!!