Zombie Daydream: Spring Cleaning Part 2 (and dinner!)

The first thing I did when I got up this morning was to check on those bagged stove top grates. I was so excited like it was Christmas morning! The ammonia trick did not disappoint! I gave the grates a quick scrub down with a green scrubby and rinsed them off. That was it! Sparkling clean!

The oven was another story. The ammonia bowl seemed to have no effect. I'm tired of that oven, so I'm taking a break from cleaning it. It's not technically spring, so I do have some time for the "spring cleaning" craze.

Bing!

Next I cleaned out the fridge and cleaned the mold off of the seal. It's an old refrigerator, and doesn't seal well which means moisture and mold. It's amazing what an old toothbrush and a little bleach can do!

After

Before

After

Before

Feeling inspired by the contents of the fridge, I decided to make a nice dinner using mostly what strange things I have on hand. I did go to the grocery store and couldn't help but buy a little piece of spring.
I love hyacinths. I could smell them in the store before I bought them.
Plus, look at that color! It's hovering around our dining room window with my other plants. You can see my jade and the adorable chipmunk ornament from Roost that was just too cute to put away with the other Christmas decorations.

To set the mood, I played the new Tame Impala album that Fancy picked up for me from Spiral Scratch this past weekend. I've been wanting this album since it came out, but it was sold out every time I went to buy it.

I pulled some center cut pork chops from the freezer that I'd been saving for a fun meal. I bought them from a local farm called T Meadow Farms where they raise them. It's kind of like eating someone's pet.
I decided to use some cherry preserves we had hanging around (Fancy likes grape jelly over anything other kind) and the remains of a bottle of cabernet to make a cherry cabernet sauce to go over the chops. I made enough to use on the ramshackle dessert for the evening.

A bit of a mess (on my nice clean stove-top!), but it turned out well.

To go with the chops, I made a quinoa salad and some sauteed kale with garlic.

I seasoned the pork chops with Penzey's pork chop seasoning. I'm a bit obsessed with that store. Perhaps you noticed the seemingly endless row of their spices hanging out in the background of some of my pictures.

Since one of their stores opened locally, I haven't bought spices any where else. The prices are comparable to what you'd find in a grocery store, and the quality is outstanding.

I went out a limb here for dessert. I took the essentials of cheesecake, but without the measuring and worry.
This is what I love about ramekins. Even if it's soft, it's still delicious.

Cherry Cabernet Sauce

1 12oz jar of cherry preserves

1 cup cabernet wine

Stir together in a medium saucepan.

Boil until reduced and thickened (about 30 minutes)

Quinoa Salad with Blood Oranges

1 cup Quinoa

Half of a red onion, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 blood oranges, peeled, segmented and halved

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs aged balsamic vinegar

Cook Quinoa according to package directions (basically 2 cups water for every 1 cup Quinoa)

Set aside to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is tender. About 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add parsley, oranges, and vinegar.

Stir gently to combine.

Toss together in a large bowl with cooled Quinoa.

Kale with garlic

1 bunch of Kale, stalks removed and chopped.
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs butter
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Heat butter in large skillet. Add garlic and kale.