Monochromatic Monday Well, before I get to Monday's meal, I will tell you all about my pumpkin fiasco.

I was invited to a pumpkin carving party on Sunday. For starters, you should know that I am about as un-artistic as one person can be, so I knew this would be a very interesting jack-o-lantern. So after spending the weekend watching football all weekend I thought a football player would be quite appropriate. So I drew my design on my brand new pumpkin, cut off the top and got all the good out of the middle. I love toasted pumpkin seeds, but didn't have the foresight to save the ones I was flinging about the back yard. So I carve my little football helmet, leaving eyes, a nose, a mouth, even out little Chiefs arrowhead on the side. I was pleasantly surprised with my success. So on to the fiasco part, I bring it home and set it on the front porch. It was too dark to take a picture so I was going to wait till the next morning. So early Monday morning I walk out with my camera to find that the eyes of my pumpkin are gone and a few areas are bigger than I left them the night before. Apparently, my Halloween decoration has become a snack bar for the small neighborhood wildlife. So alas there will be no pictures of my wonderful pumpkin, but just know he is resting in peace, still being nibbled at day by day (damn ground squirrels).

So onward and upward. For dinner Monday I did a recipe I have made once before. Mustard-Maple Pork Tenderloin with caramelized Apples (CL). Well I did make a few changes. First, I used pork chops, instead of the tenderloin. I also nixed the caramelized apples and made some homemade applesauce. My best friend gave me a tip to roast the apples to speed up the whole thing and it turned out great. We sassed it up a bit with some brown sugar and cinnamon. Finished off the plate with some cheddar grits (is it bad that I want these ever day?) and we had a delicious, albeit very neutral colored, dinner.
I have lots of new recipes on my menu this week so I am getting excited to try some new stuff. Tune in to hopefully get some pictures and more adventures.  ¶ 4:04 PM