Updates

Creating and sticking with a budget takes a lot of time, especially the food budget. Who knew grocery circulars could be so fascinating? We kicked off our official budget on June 1, even though we haven't yet finalized all amounts for all categories. We'll save all our receipts for at least a couple of months so we can find out what we spend in some of those not-yet-finalized categories, and also get a real-time idea of where our money goes. We can do that when we get our credit card statement but then the information is a little dated.

I made the most amazing pork chops last night. I'd read a blog post about how to decide if a cookbook is worth buying (yes I know, I should have read that prior to my last cookbook purchase). That spurred my decision to more fully use the cookbooks I have on hand before caving in to buy more. So I pulled out my Food & Wine Fast cookbook and made chili-dusted pork chops. Wow, just wow. They took less than 30 minutes to make, had enormous flavor, were tender and just all around fantastic. If you're interested in the recipe, holler and I'll send it to you.

Finally, lest I neglect the namesake of this blog, here's a funny picture of the boys. They are riveted by some small flying bug on the wall.