Guess What Day This Is

In the greater scheme of things, Hubby and I rarely fight. Kiddo might beg to differ, but he only hears us from his room when voices are raised. When we do fight, it’s brief. Usually our spats begin because one of us was in a foul mood in the first place.

If someone says they never fight with their spouse, they are either a liar or there’s a lot of suppressed rage building up. An occasional argument is healthy. Sometimes we’ll go so far as to call each other stupid. When we do, we end up laughing because to call each other stupid is stupid.

There are all sorts of reasons why a marriage is either a success or failure. What works for one couple might not work for another. Years ago, while setting consultation appointments for a Solar Company I met a man who had been married to his sweetheart for 65 years. Wow. Naturally I asked him what he thought the key to his successful marriage was. At first he gave the obvious answer – communication. Couples needed to communicate. He then said that by their very nature, men want to fix things. Bring a man a problem and immediately he begins working on a solution. Women are more verbal. They need to talk it out without a husband’s interference. So when his wife wants to talk through a problem that doesn’t require him to fix anything but rather just to listen, she raises her right hand. He sits quietly and listens, letting her have the space to work through it. If she needs his help, she’ll simply present the problem for him to solve.

We tried that. For us it didn’t work. I seemed to have my hand up all the time, while Hubby kept offering solutions. No, what has worked for us is to remember to place our marriage on God’s alter and trust in His loving guidance. By doing so, we have grown closer and our marriage is stronger today than ever before. The beauty is that while we are on solid ground today, tomorrow will be even better.

So while kissing to make up is always nice, I’d rather just kiss. Kiss in the morning, kiss good bye, kiss while doing the dishes and kiss goodnight. Everyone needs to feel needed and loved. A kiss can say so much.

You know what they say, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Maybe that’s true. All I know is that cooking something yummy for my man brings me great joy.

Oven Baked Barbecued Pork Loin Chops
1/2 Yellow Onion
2 tablespoons Barbecue Seasoning
3 bone-in Pork Loin Chops
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 bottle Barbecue Sauce or more

Heat oven to 450-degrees. Chop onion, scatter in the bottom of a broiler pan. Season onions with barbecue seasoning, toss to coat. Add water to create a steam bath for the chops. Set aside until ready to use.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Sear chops to seal in the juices, about 3 minutes or so per side. Transfer chops to the top rack of the broiler pan. Cover tightly with foil, place in the oven to bake undisturbed for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, brush chops with barbecue sauce. Turn oven to broil; broil chops for about 2-1/2 minutes for the sauce to bubble and glaze. Turn chops over, brush with more sauce and broil for another 2 minutes or so. Turn one final time, brush and remove from over. Tent chops, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

These yummy chops are perfect with Country Skillet Potatoes and sweet Buttery Corn.

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Simply Country Skillet Potatoes
6 medium Red Potatoes
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Scrub potatoes, cut into cubes and place in a saucepot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a rolling boil, let cook for 7 minutes or until almost cooked through. Drain well, let potatoes “air dry” for about 5 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil, swirl to coat the pan. Add potatoes to the skillet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Stir gently to coat in seasoning. Spread potatoes out flat and let cook for about 5 minutes or so, until a crust begins to form. Turn, continue to fry.

Taste and adjust seasoning as desired just before serving. For a real “western” feel, serve straight from the skillet.

Buttery Canned Corn
1 can Corn
1/4 cup Butter
Kosher Salt to taste

Drain corn and rinse well. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add corn, salt to taste. Heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally.

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Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
You have the words of everlasting life.