Snowpocalypse 2011!!!

So, we're on to day three of the Snowpocalypse 2011, and I am SO glad that I have a job that keeps me active because I would sit and watch every show on Bravo for my entire life.  I literally sat and watched the Millionaire Matchmaker for 8 hours straight today.  Holy Moly.  That is too much.  I did however get up to make a delicious dinner...well...that's debatable, but Still.  It has not been a proud day for me.


So, Sunday night it started snowing as the meteorologists predicted.  The evening went like this...Brr. it's cold.  Lalala...Aw!  Pretty snowflake!  Whoa, Snow!  and Ahhh...beautiful!  Then the world shut down.  Srsly.  The schools were closed, grocery stores, all businesses, even Wal-mart!  Now when Wal-mart closes, you know it's serious.  It was rather entertaining to watch the bored reporters out in the snow getting pelted with sleet and then running and sliding on the ice when the roads froze over.  No School for three days?  I'm totally down with that.


(I'm trying to find a new way to start a paragraph that isn't the word "So.")


During this unexpected break I have accomplished a few things.
1.  I discovered that Nigella from the Food Network uses fantastic adjectives.
2.  I unknowingly stood-up one of Tim's friends who had stopped by our house for respite so he wouldn't have to drive home on the icy roads. (I still feel like a jerk for that.  However, I didn't hear the doorbell, and neither did the dogs and their hearing is like 100 times better than mine!)
3.  I vacuumed with my awesome vacuum!
4.  I avoided cleaning the bathroom for another week.
5.  I watched the brand new episode of Cupcake Wars featuring "Lucy and Leo", the cupcakery from Tally!  (Miss you, Tally!)
5.  I determined that the Pampered Chef cookbooks are great for ideas but awful for techniques.


Tonight's Dinner:
Moroccan Pork Loin from Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner Volume 1
-I'm not going to put the whole recipe, but I'll describe it.
The Pork was dredged in flour and S&P and sauted at medium heat.  The sauce was white balsamic vinegar reduced by half with raisins added to plump up.  Chop some green olives and shallots and toss them in the pork pan when the loins are done cooking, then add the balsamic vinegar and raisin reduction, loosen things up in the pan, and add brown sugar so it's not so biting. It was supposed to have capers, but mine were missing, but I'm sure they would add a nice flavor to the mix.  Serve over brown rice. 
The pork was tasty, but it didn't really jive with the sauce.  I probably needed to cook it a little less in the skillet and a little more in the sauce so they incorporated together.  Overall the recipe was good, but for someone who LOVES balsamic vinegar as much as I do, (I swear it runs through my blood,) it wasn't a favorite, and after all of the plugs for unnecessary PC products, I'm feeling a little icky about their cookbook.


Other items on this week's menu:  Cranberry Honey-Mustard chicken breasts with Spinach and Rosemary Red Potatoes!