DIY...

One thing I need to remind myself of:

DIY, RIL.

Meaning, do it yourself, regret it later.

I get all these REALLY GOOD IDEAS for home improvement projects, and evvvvverytime I underestimate the amount of work it takes.

I can't be the only one though.

The project of late that I am referring to is our living room/dining room area.  I decided it's time to de-oakify our whole house and this was the starting place.

Step One:

Buy a super cool respirator.  You don't want to be inhaling lead paint or other chemically business. I feel like a She-Heisenberg in this thing.

 The point of you-can-return-but-it'll-cost-you-big-$$$.  Priming the trim and windows. 

 Watching me do manual labor puts her right to sleep.

 This is the current state of the room.  The gray walls/white trim are maybe overshadowed by SO MUCH STUFF.

 I tried out a new dinner recipe, based on something we'd at my in-laws a few weeks ago.  It's super easy.  It's pretty much baked pork chops with a mushroom gravy.

 We harvested our first spaghetti squash and cooked that up as well. 

Woo, worst photo ever.  Blob and blob and blob.

Don't let that stop you from trying this recipe though.  Really. 

Baked Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy makes 6-8 servings
1 package boneless pork chops (about 6-8 thin sliced chops), with visible fat trimmed
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
2 cans low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup skim milk
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a large glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together soups and milk until smooth.  Stir in corn, mushrooms, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.  Ladle half the gravy into the baking dish.  Arrange the pork chops on top.  Cover the chops with the remaining gravy.

Bake for 45 minutes (or you could turn the heat down to 250 and bake for 2+ hours).  Be sure the internal temperature of the pork is at least 165 degrees.

To make spaghetti squash, I prefer this method:
-pierce the skin with a fork 2 or 3 times.
-place whole squash in the microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes.  This allows it to soften a bit, making it much easier to cut.
-cut the long ways and scoop out the seedy guts
-spray lightly with olive oil spray and season with some pepper
-bake cut-side-up until softened and golden
-shred into spaghetti with a fork  

Good thing last night's dinner made plenty of leftovers 'cause I still have a ton of work.  DIY, RIL...