March 12th Meeting

Date: Friday, March 12

Time: 6:30 pm*

Location: Mrs. Red's House

370 Winters Road

Butler, PA 16002

*A van will leave from SRBC at 5:45 pm.

I'm excited about this month's meeting and ask that you would pray with me about it.

The topic of this meeting will be "KIDS -- and all they entail". This may be more of a group discussion rather than having a main speaker. Please begin thinking of questions you may have regarding your child(ren). We will discuss anything from Bible training, to schedules, to attitudes, to family traditions.

By request, I will be demonstrating how to decorate a layered birthday cake. This will just cover the basics. Let me know if you would like to see any particular techniques.

Chicken-Lickin' Pork Chops

This recipe is from the new Gooseberry Patch Ready, Set, Eat! cookbook I bought at Jo-Anns with my 50% off coupon! (Those of you that were at the last meeting will understand where I got that idea.)

I'm not quite sure about the name, but these pork chops are really good. My favorite part -- it's a slow cooker recipe! I've been trying to find more crock pot recipes. I've also been making casseroles and freezing them ahead for hectic days (which seem to be fewer than far between).


Chicken-Lickin' Pork Chops

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
6 pork chops
1 to 2 Tbsp oil
10 3/4 oz can chicken & rice soup

Combine flour, mustard (I only added 1/2 tsp as I was afraind my non-mustard liking family may veto it from the get go), garlic powder, salt and pepper; dredge pork chops in mixture. Shake off excess flour and brown chops in oil, about 5 minutes per side. (I had ample flour mixture left over. I would guess that you could make double the chops with the measurements listed.) Arrange chops in a slow cooker; pour soup over chops. Cover and cook on low setting for about 6 hours, until tender. Serves 6.

*Next time I will add a cup or two of cooked rice to the crock pot before cooking. The amount of rice in the chicken & rice soup wasn't enough for a side dish.

Tips to Cleaning Pots & Pans

For the occassion that food may get burnt to the bottom of your pots and pans, here are a few tips I found online:

Baking Soda and Enamel Pots
Stains on white enamel pots can be cleaned by boiling baking soda and water for 10 minutes. Also try scrubbing the pots with a baking soda and water paste.

Baking Soda and CopperSprinkle baking soda on your copper-bottomed pots and pans. Pour vinegar over the pan and use half a lemon as your "scrub brush". Rinse thoroughly and your pots will be shiny as new again.

Baking Soda and Frying PansNon-stick frying pans can benefit from a mixture of baking soda and water to remove lingering food smells and tastes from your pans.

Stained Pans and Baking Soda *Use baking soda to remove stains in non-stick frying pans, by boiling the pan in a solution of 4 tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 cups of water. Rinse thoroughly.

*This is the method I use to remove stuck-on food particles (although I don't measure) and what you see pictured.

Roasting Pans and Baking SodaClean any roasting pan by sprinkle the surface well with baking soda. Combine 1 cup of hot water and 1/3 cup of vinegar, poured onto the baking soda. The fizzing action will remove the roasted food particles. (I haven't tried this, but I will. Maybe the vinegar would speed up the process of loosening the food particles!)