Hello blog friends. I can't believe it's the last week in February. It makes me happy because I know we are getting closer to spring.
I like ordering my books online for convenience, but I also enjoy visiting book stores. How about you?
I've never been to the Strand Book Store. I was so excited when we all decided to visit the store in New York City.
We drove into the city early on a Saturday morning and found a parking spot right across the street from the store. We got there early so we had to wait in line before the store opened.
My daughter has been to this store many times and she enjoyed giving us a tour of all three floors.
They had carts filled with used books lined outside of the store.
They had so many tote bags to choose from and my daughter helped me pick out this bag. I'm using it now to store my yarn and crochet projects.
We all bought books. I bought the tote, one new book, and a used Mary Higgins Clark book.
I am currently reading Park Avenue Summer. It's about Helen Gurley Brown and her life working as an editor in chief at Cosmopolitan Magazine.
In each book, we received a Strand bookmark.
This was such a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. I could have spent hours looking at books in this store.
Do you have a favorite book store? What book are you reading now?
Julie
We took a trip to New York City last month to buy new iPhones. We had an appointment at the Apple Store at 14th Street.
The process for checking in was fast and organized. We both bought iPhone 12 phones and set them up at home.
A few doors down from the Apple Store we visited Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I had a hot latte and a delicious croissant.
If you look right across the street from Starbucks you will see Chelsea Market.
You can also see Google headquarters across the street.
We decided to take a walk around the area. Serafina is one of my daughter's favorite Italian restaurants. They have delicious tasting pizza and pasta.
I thought that these stained glass houses looked so interesting.
There are many designer stores and restaurants in Chelsea.
It rained early in the morning and then stopped when we arrived in the city. You can see that it was a dark and cloudy day.
Pastis is a nice French bistro. You can see how they built an outside eating area.
Below you can see part of the High Line and the Whitney Museum.
The streets were empty of people. This area is normally crowded with a lot of people walking around.
Below are the Standard hotel and restaurant.
We enjoyed our visit to the city but it felt strange to see it so quiet and empty of people.
We did not have our coffee inside Starbucks. They had tables outside where we sat and had our snacks and coffee. We didn't dine in any of the nice restaurants either as at the time there wasn't any dine-in in restaurants.
I look forward to when the virus is over and everything will be somewhat back to normal again.
I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos of Chelsea, New York City.
Have you been anywhere fun lately?
My husband and I received for Christmas an assortment of meat from my husband's cousin. The meat came from a company called Snake River Farms and I made the pork chops that also came with steaks.
I found this recipe online. The pork chops came out great just frying them in a large pan with an easy marinade. My husband and I enjoyed these delicious tasting pork chops. I made rice, spinach, and a romaine lettuce salad with feta cheese, and radishes. For the salad dressing, I usually use 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil mixed with salt and pepper to taste.
HONEY GARLIC PORK CHOPS
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 22 minutes
Serves: 4 people
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 pork chops bone-in or out
- salt and pepper, to season
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water (or chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, (or apple cider vinegar, or any white vinegar)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven broiler (or grill) on medium-high heat. Season chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder just before cooking.
- Heat oil in a pan or skillet over medium high-heat until hot. Sear chops on both sides until golden and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes on each side). Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Saute garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the honey, water, and vinegar. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly (about 3-4 minutes) while stirring occasionally.
- Add pork chops back into the pan, baste generously with the sauce, and broil/grill for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are slightly charred.
- Garnish with parsley and serve over vegetables, rice, pasta, or with a salad.
 |
| YUMMY HONEY GARLIC PORK CHOPS! |
I hope you enjoy this pork chop recipe as much as we did.
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello blog friends. We got dumped with about 17 inches of snow this week. It's one of the biggest snowstorms we've had in five years. I can't wait for the snow to melt. How's the weather in your neck of the woods?
I have my Friday Favorites: February Edition
1. Watching
We enjoyed watching this Netflix mini-series The Queens Gambit. We liked it so much that it has inspired my husband and daughter to play chess games with each other.
We recently watched Let Them All Talk on HBO max. I enjoyed this all-star cast of Meryl Streep, Candice Bergan, and Diane Weist.
I'm glad we finally got to see on Disney + Black Panther. We loved watching this action-packed superhero movie.
We enjoyed watching Wonder Woman 1984. If you watched the tv series Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, then you will like this superhero movie. I'm excited as we plan to watch more of the Marvel movies.
We recently enjoyed watching Captain America: The First Avenger movie. It covers good vs. evil. We look forward to watching more of these movies.
The next movie we watched in order is Captain Marvel. My husband and I are having fun watching these movies on the weekend.
We just watched Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. last weekend. We both enjoyed this movie.
Have you seen any of these shows or movies?
2. Reading
I just finished reading The Address by Fiona Davis. This book takes place during the 1800s at The Dakota apartments, in New York City. This book covers two eras, has the elements of a romance, and a tragedy that takes place at the Dakota apartments. I enjoyed reading The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis.
Have you read any of these books?
3. Creating
I just started working on making another crochet Appa for my daughter's friend. This project involves crocheting many parts and then sewing them all together onto the Appa. This project should take me a while to make.
4. Eating
We recently had salads again from Just Salad. I enjoyed the Sweet Valley salad which consists of romaine lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, sweet potatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, all in a lemon basil dressing.
Have a happy Friday and weekend.
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Hello blog friends and Happy February.
I'm joining Tanya for her Amazon Prime Purchases link-up. You might find some items here and at Tanya's link-up that might be of interest to you.
SABRE RED Pepper Spray Keychain with Quick Release for Easy Access – Max Police Strength OC Spray, Finger Grip for Accurate Aim, 10-Foot (3M) Range
My daughter is away at college and she ordered this pepper spray. It's a great idea to use this for extra protection from a dangerous situation.
It's a 10 Haircare Silk Express Miracle Silk Hair Mask, 8 fl. oz.
My daughter bought this hair mask to use on her long beautiful hair.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Treats
I ordered these treats again for my dog Bosco. These are his favorite treats.
Spacesaver Premium Vacuum Storage Bags. 80% More Storage! Hand-Pump for Travel! Double-Zip Seal and Triple Seal Turbo-Valve for Max Space Saving! (Jumbo 3 Pack)
I had three blankets stored away in large plaid bags. When I was cleaning out my closet I opened up the bag and the blankets smelled. They needed to be freshened up and I washed them again. I used Lysol spray in the plaid bags and aired them out. I am going to try out these space saver bags for the blankets and then store the sealed bags in a plaid bag.
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens (2-Pack)
I ordered these calligraphy pens after seeing them on Tanya's blog. These pens work great and I like using them.
The Ultimate Guide to Modern Calligraphy & Hand Lettering for Beginners: Learn to Letter: A Hand Lettering Workbook with Tips, Techniques, Practice Pages, and Projects
I ordered this calligraphy book after seeing it on Tanya's blog. I used to do calligraphy many years ago. I'm a little rusty but I am having fun using this book. Thanks Tanya for the recommendation on the book and pens.
JIGA 3 Pack Toilet Brush and Holder Set, Toilet Bowl Brush Cleaner with Caddy Bathroom Stiff Bristles Toilet Scrubber Brush, White
I needed new toilet bowl sets for my bathrooms. I usually buy fancy ones from Costco or BJ's, but both stores didn't have any. I ordered these and they work good and were a great price for all three.
Temdan Clear Case Compatible with iPhone 12 Case/Compatible with iPhone 12 Pro Case - Clear
I ordered 2 new clear cases for my husband and I's new phones. We love these cases and they were so reasonably priced.
I love that it's so easy to order different items from Amazon. The best part is that they arrive so fast at my house. It's been perfect using Amazon during the pandemic.
Have you bought anything lately from Amazon?
Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.
Julie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons