A blink in time

The girls start school tomorrow... I know this is a blog about my evening meals, but I'd like to share a special moment we had tonight.

First let me tell you what we had for dinner. I came home from teaching a cooking class to a cute little girl and her mom, and while driving home noticed the summer light slowly beginning to change. The girls greeted me when I returned home and they both proclaimed they were STARVING!

While I normally never prepare 2 separate meals, Emma was desperate for fried egg whites and turkey bacon, and Abby wanted the crispy Panko crusted pork chops I had planned on making with apple sauce. (Recipe at the end of the blog.) I conceeded and made both dinners which got hungrily wolfed down.

After dinner, the girls asked me to paint their nails and read their bedtime book outside. I agreed on the terms that they do their evening routine (brush teeth, get jammies, pick out clothes for school). Somewhere in between all of the agreements, I forgot that I had promised that I'd make them "morning muffins". These are simply boxed pumpkin muffins with a few mini chocolate chips thrown in, but when you eat them, you need to say (in a very sing-songy voice, "morrrnnninnnng!" It always makes us smile when we eat them, and what better way to start the school year.

The girls sat on the counter and took turns pouring and stirring- we even found my heart shaped muffin tins. I felt so happy to have this as a memory and hope the girls will remember the late summer evening before the first day of school that we happily made Morning Muffins.

LIFE IS GOOD...

Panko crusted pork chops (serve with steamed broccoli and couscous)

1 C. panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless thin cut pork loin chops

Preheat a large nonstick pan with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Make a paste with panko, garlic salt and a tablespoon of olive oil in a shallow plate. Rinse pork chops, and coat each chop with the panko paste. Add remainder of olive oil to a large nonstick pan. Sauté in pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy.