Nectarine Custard Pie ♥

I'm a pie person.  Don't get me wrong, I love cake....I mean I really love cake....but pie....pie is special.  Pies can be savory or sweet, hot or cold, for breakfast or dessert. 

Pie has it all  ♥

For me, there is nothing better than a piece of hot apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a crisp fall evening.  It's comfort food.  

I crave pie in the summer too.  Blueberry, peach, banana cream, lemon meringue.  My heart sings with delight! 

It's been SO HOT here this week.  We are dabbling in the 100 degree zone, which personally speaking....is not very pleasant.  It's practically unbearable to be outside. 

(Can we please just skip to October?)

But it's never too hot to make pie.  It's actually therapeutic.  

I am happiest when my hands are in dough : ) 

I tried this recipe for nectarine custard pie a few years ago and it quickly became one of my favorites.  I love it because it's not only easy, but super refreshing in the summertime.  

I make sure this pie is well chilled before I serve it, and I have with either ice cream or whip cream. After all, whats pie without a dollop of something on top : ) 

You can make your own pie crust, however store bought is just fine too!  Especially in the summer.  It's all up to you.  I happened to have this crust in my freezer left over from a batch of dough I made for by mother's birthday pie.  I always make extra and freeze it.  You never know when your gonna need it! 

If you've never tried a fruit custard pie before, you are in for a treat. 

 ♥

You will need:

4 cups chopped nectarines (about 5 large ).  You can leave the skin on.

3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
refrigerated ready-to-use pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 inch pie plate.  Line with refrigerated pie crust (uncooked).

Whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, flour, and salt. 

Add vanilla.

Spread the chopped nectarines in the pie plate. 

Add the buttermilk mixture. 

Bake 40 minutes or until just set, covering the edges with foil to prevent over-browning. 

Cool completely, and then refrigerate unit ready to serve. 

Enjoy!!!  

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll always save you a piece of pie!  ♥

10 Things I Love Tuesday ♥

Hello Friends! 

It's time for another edition of 10 things I love Tuesday!  If you are new here, this is a series I have where I list the little everyday things in life that make me happy. I've always felt its the littlest things that bring me the most joy and comfort. Weather its that first sip of coffee in the morning or the smell of fresh basil as I walk through the kitchen or Jack Lemon in Some Like it Hot (my favorite movie!)....that's what keeps me going. I know our world is scary right now and everything is different, so now more than ever I have to remind myself to be grateful and hold on to the things that make me smile.  

"Make the best of where you are today" - Heather Stillufsen

Without further adieu, here are 10 random things I love ♥

thunderstorms (we've been having a lot of those lately : ) 

the red & white Christmas blanket that's still on my bed - it's so cozy. 

surprise mail from far away friends  ♥

coffee chocolate chip ice cream - especially eaten at night in my pajamas 

Kristen Ess Shampoo - was recommended to me and now I am obsessed with it! 

blooming hydrangeas

hot dogs with ketchup & relish

library curb side pick up - I can get books again!! 

Wendy's vanilla Frosty-ccino iced coffee - so gooood! 

sunset picnic at the beach - in my opinion the best time to be at the beach (we are planning on going Wednesday evening if it doesn't rain....fingers crossed!) 

What are some of the little things you are loving lately?

I would love to hear them  ♥

In other news, I got haircut!!! Don't we all have a whole new respect for our hairdressers?! They are saints!!  

Before....(drowned rat??) 

After! (hallelujah!) 

I wouldn't classify that as a "little thing", but it certainly made me happy! LOL 

Have a wonderful day my friends! I hope you find something to make you smile today.  Even if it's little  ♥

Parmesan Crusted Boneless Pork Chops ♥

  Happy Weekend Friends!  ♥

It hit over 90 degrees here today and I can safely say I'm curled up on the couch right now with a blanket and a big old mug of hot chocolate.  It's Christmas in July week on the Hallmark channel and even though I've seen most of the movies several times I still enjoy love them.  I woke up this morning to Candace Cameron Bure in "Let it Snow" (a personal favorite) and my heart skipped a beat! While the sun scorched outside I stayed in bed an extra hour with my coffee watching the snow fall....it was magical. It goes to show you, you can be cozy anytime....as long as you have an air conditioner : ) 

On hot days like today I prefer to spend hiding from the heat.  Even as a little kid I never liked it when it was too hot.  While my friends were off to a pool or the beach I much preferred to stay inside where it was cool and watch The Price is Right.  I don't know why that was such a treat to watch, but every summer it was my thing! Bob Barker and Barker's Beauties! That and afternoons at the library (where it was really freezing!) checking off books from my summer reading list.  Those were days! 

But I digress.... : )

I popped on here because I couldn't wait to share with you a new recipe I tried tonight!  

~Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops ~

It was looming around 4:30 this evening and I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner. Procrastinating, I was scrolling through my phone (as you do) and I came across this recipe on Instagram that looked quick and easy.  I had just bought boneless pork chops at the market yesterday that I planned on grilling at some point but this looked more interesting.  I gave it a try and guess what?

They were a hit!  ♥

The trick is to sear them in a pan first before baking them in the oven. They came out with a delicious crust on the outside and juicy and tasty on the inside! 

This recipes came from Kristyn at Lil Luna.  Lil Luna is one of my favorite Instagram accounts.  She posts the most delicious recipes! She's also a working mom to six kids!  If she can do it all with six kids and look so amazing, then why am I so tired with just one??? 😂 

Anyway...while I try to figure that out, here is the recipe if you want to give it a try :)

You will need:

4 boneless pork chops

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

2-3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs

1/8 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, paprika, parsley, pepper and garlic powder and place on a plate.

Dip pork chops in the mixture (making sure mixture sticks) and sear in a pan of olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute for 5 minutes on each side.

Place pork chops in a glass baking dish (making sure to leave 1 inch around each chop) and cook according to thickness. For thick pork chops, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. For regular thickness, cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 

Sear first to get a nice crust....

Then bake!  

My chops were on the thinner side so 20 minutes was perfect for me! 

These were so yummy and you could always double the recipe if you are making more than 4 chops at a time. I can't wait to make them again.

I hope you all have a cozy Sunday! We see no relief in sight from the heat, so I'll be staying close to my air conditioner all day tomorrow : )

Stay safe friends!  Thinking of you all! ♥

The Best Coffee Cake ♥

Happy Monday!  ♥

I hope you all had a nice weekend.  It was HOT here but we were able to spend some time outside with friends on Sunday.  Our good friends Dave & Lisa invited us to sit in their lovely backyard, have pizza, and play corn hole.  Dave treated us to his famous coffee cake.  Before I got there we joked about it being "blog worthy".  He's become quite the baker during quarantine, which his wife is certainly appreciating  :)  Dave has allowed me to share the recipe here on the blog and I know you guys are going to love it.  The secret ingredient is butterscotch pudding mix, although it doesn't taste "butterscotchy", it just tastes yummy!!! 

(click here for the recipe ) ♥

Today is actually Dave's birthday so it's fitting I'm sharing his recipe today.  

Happy Birthday Dave, I hope you have a great day!

And I hope you all will try and enjoy this recipe.  I'm going to make one this week and all I can think about is dunking it in my morning coffee.  It's the little things that keep me going, really. 

Have a great day everyone!  

Stay cool and be safe! ♥

Happy Friday!

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Friday! 

I have the day off work today so I am enjoying a leisurely morning, drinking coffee, and blogging right from my comfy bed : )  I like slow mornings.... it's really what I live for.   This picture was taken last week, on the morning of the 4th.  I can't believe a week has gone by since the holiday.  We are in the thick of summer now.  The lazy hazy days we talk about all winter.  It's been hot & humid and my hair is not appreciating it. Luckily there's a/c and Downton Abbey (free on Peacock) to keep a smile on my face.  I've been rewatching the series AGAIN (for the 3rd time).  It doesn't get old and I love more every time I watch it. 

We celebrated a quiet 4th at home with blueberry pie for my mother's birthday.  

The next day we enjoyed a "socially distanced" cookout at my sister in laws.  It was a gorgeous day and felt wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.  I brought a trifle!  

My mother likes a pie for her birthday instead of cake.  Since she's diabetic I make it with splenda instead of sugar.  That way she can eat it without worry. You honestly can't tell the difference!  

I can't be responsible for the Haagen-Daz though..... : ) 

As for the rest of the week, we spent most of it indoors.  It was rainy and hot so there wasn't much option to do anything else.  John is marathoning movies, Rob has been working, and I spend most days in from of my computer, working until mid afternoon.  By 2:30 the computer is shut off, candles are lit, and the puttering begins.  

We have another quiet weekend ahead, which is OK by me.  The news is bleak, so I'll be avoiding that at all costs.  More Downton it is!  I also just received an email that our  library is now offering curbside pick up! I already placed 2 holds so hopefully I can get them soon and start reading again.  

I remember as a kid I always loved the feeling of sitting in a cool air conditioned room reading on a hot summer day.   Some things stick with you, you know : ) 

Well, John is asking for breakfast. It could be a french toast morning.  

Have a nice weekend, everyone!  Stay cool and be safe! 

What I needed ♥

I've been a bad blogger this week.  Recently I've been enjoying catching up on blogs! I've been revisiting old posts of some of my favorite bloggers (do you ever do that?) and have been loving it so much I decided to step up my blogging game.  On Saturday I vowed I was going to try to blog every day. Every day! What was I thinking?  The week started and look what happened.  Not one post : (   

I felt in such a funk. A combination of the news, a stressful work situation,  and some other issues weighing on my mind, I couldn't get motivated to post anything.  It was just one of those weeks. 

Last night I got the recharge I so desperately needed.  A friend called and asked if John and I would like to meet her and her son for a sunset picnic at the beach.  She suggested a smaller local beach, not the "big" one we usually go to.  That one is too crowded and the past few times I've driven by I didn't like what I saw.  A lot of congestion and people not taking precautions.  I decided to stay away.  The beach my friend Julie suggested is a small beach that we visited last year.  It's normally quiet and since we were going at 5pm when a lot of people would be leaving...even better.

We spread out our blankets and set up shop.  The boys went for a walk, happy to be outside socializing.  Julie and I ate and talked and had a lovely picnic.  I found all the other beach-goers keeping distance and respecting other peoples space.  I had the feeling everyone felt the same way....they were just grateful to be outdoors and able to enjoy the ocean air.  It was a good vibe and I'm glad we went.

Something I know for sure is that nature never disappoints me.  A gorgeous sunset, the lapping ocean, the smell of salt in the air, and of course the beauty of a full moon.  Those things will never change.  And will always make my heart happy. 

Happy Friday Everyone! I hope you all get that recharge you need (if you need it) today.  Look for something good and chances are you'll find it ♥