Blog

  • Italian Pork Chops

    Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Marinate pork chops in enough italian dressing to completely cover. Keep in marinate at least 24 hrs.
      • Most people only do a couple hours, which doesn’t allow the marinate to penetrate.
    • Remove from marinade, season with SPG.
    • Sautee in a skillet over medium/high heat.
      • The sauce should start to darken in the pan as the chops are finishing. Slide the chops around to coat before removing from the skillet.

  • 2026 – April Garden Log

    01

    • Blooming
      • Strawberries
      • White Iris in bottom vegetable garden.
      • Back corner of the house azalea is COVERED in blooms. Beautiful. Research and try to repeat.
        • New growth? Old growth? Variety? Shade or Sun?
    • Grass is 50-75% green.

  • Mint & Lime Simple Syrup

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup – Sugar
    • 1 cup – Water
    • 50 – Mint Leaves (about 5 small sprigs)
    • 3 – Limes (juiced)
      • Try: Lime Zest

    Instructions

    • Add Mint leaves & Lime juice to a small pot & muddle.
    • Add sugar & water. Heat on medium-low until all sugar is dissolved. Whisking occasionally.
    • Let cool & store in a jar in the fridge.
  • Mojito

    Mojito

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup – Mint & Lime Simple Syrup
    • 10-20 – Mint Leaves
    • 1 – Lime (cut into 4-6 wedges)
    • 4 cubes – Ice
    • 1 can – Soda Water

    Instructions

    • Add Simple Syrup, Mint Leaves & Lime wedges into glass and muddle.
    • Add ice & soda water.
    • Stir & enjoy!

  • Pink-a Colada

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup – Pineapple Juice
    • 1/2 cup – Cream of Coconut
    • 1 – Lime (juiced)
    • 2 – Cherries
    • 4 – Large Ice Cubes

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

    Notes

    • I get a can of pineapple chunks in juice and blend that for the pineapple juice.
    • I blend the can of Cream of Coconut before using because the can will likely have a liquid and solid portion. Blending incorporates all of this for easier measuring.

    Variations

  • Pina Colada

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup – Pineapple Juice
    • 1/2 cup – Cream of Coconut
    • 1 – Lime (juiced)
    • 4 – Large Ice Cubes

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

    Notes

    • I get a can of pineapple chunks in juice and blend that for the pineapple juice.
    • I blend the can of Cream of Coconut before using because the can will likely have a liquid and solid portion. Blending incorporates all of this for easier measuring.

    Variations

  • 2026 – March Garden Log

    March

    Yard

    20

    • Cut grass
      • Rear tires spin a lot. Consider more aggressive tread and possibly narrower tires

    Front Garden

    13

    • Added 5 yards of soil for the initial fill of the raised beds.
      • Used Best Start from Head Lee Landscape Supply at $54 / yd.

    16

    • Added 15 yards of mulch to the entire garden.

    20

    • Added 1 yard of soil to fill all the beds to max.
    • Added 1 yard of mulch to bank next to driveway.

    24

    • Bent 1/2″ EMT into loops to create low tunnels.
    • Put 1.2oz AgFabric Row Cover over lettuce/cabbage/spinach/arugula bed (#7) and over front middle tomato bed (#5). These greenhouse clamps worked great to hold the fabric on the EMT.
    • Planted bed #7 with the following:
      • Lettuce: Little Gem, Burpee Bibb, Black Seeded Simpson, Red Salad Bowl & Buttercrunch
        • Planted 4 per square
        • Most of the Burpee Bibb were tiny so we direct seeded 1 of the 3 squares.
      • Cabbage: Salad Delight & Red Dragon
        • Planted 1 per square
        • Only had 1 seedling, direct seeded the remaining squares.
      • Spinach: Bloomsdale
        • Planted 9 per square.
        • Direct seeded most squares. Only had 3 tiny seedlings.
      • Arugula: Rocket
        • Planted 9 per square
        • Direct seeded all squares.

    30

    • Direct planted Arugula, Spinach & Cabbage have come up.
      • These look like they’ll do better direct planted instead of started inside. If there’s a good 1-2 week weather window, start these directly outside next year.

    Seedlings

    21

    • Brought lettuce trays outside for 2 hours to start hardening off. Placed on rack in shade of back porch.

  • Drunken Noodles

    Ingredients

    Chicken Marinade

    • 2 – Chicken Breasts (Sliced into strips)
    • 1/4 cup – Soy Sauce
    • 1/4 cup – Sugar
    • 1 cup – Water
    • 1 tsp – SPG Seasoning
    • 1 tbsp – Basil (from tube)
    • 1 tbsp – Ginger (from tube)
    • Try: 1/4 tsp – Red Pepper Flakes

    Pressure Cooker

    • 1 – Yellow Onion (Sliced)
    • 1 – Green Bell Pepper (Sliced)
    • 1 – Red Bell Pepper (Sliced)
    • 1 tbsp – Garlic (Minced)
    • 16 oz – Rice Noodles (Fettucini Style)
    • 5 tbsp – Chicken Bouillion
    • 5 cups – Water

    Sauce

    • 6 tbsp – Soy Sauce
    • 1 tbsp – Oyster Sauce
    • 1 tbsp – Fish Sauce
    • 1/2 tbsp – Mirin
      • Substitute: 1/2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar & 1/2 tbsp Sugar
    • 2 tbsp – Brown Sugar
    • 1 tbsp – Basil (from tube)
      • Try: 2 tbsp – Basil (from tube)
    • 2 tsp – Ginger (from tube)
      • Try: 2 tbsp – Ginger (from tube)
    • 1/4 tsp – Red Pepper Flakes

    Directions

    • Pressure Cook 4/3
      • Try: 2/6

  • SPG Seasoning

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp – Salt (Coarse Kosher)
    • 2 tbsp – Granulated Garlic
    • 1 tbsp – Black Pepper (Coarse Ground)

    Directions

    • Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake.

    How To Use

    • Great on Steaks, Pork Chops, Chicken, French Fries, anywhere you would typically use salt.

    Note

    • Do not put this mixture through the coffee grinder. The course texture works better when seasoning meat.

  • Cilantro Rice