Almost Wordless Wednesday on The Acreage!

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Happy May Day (a little late)!  This is "Conversation Piece", my favorite azalea, a late-season bloomer

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"Coco", my 11-year old Siamese out in the gardens with me.

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Here's "Nelly Moser" clematis again, getting more vivid by the day.

Meet "Brother Cadville", my favorite David Austen rose.

Red "Knock-Out" roses with "Renee Michelle" azaleas in the background.

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Lastly, the 'unknown' David Austen rose on top of the arbor.

Have a beautiful day!

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Pork Medallions & Spicy Pomegranate Blueberry Reduction Sauce!

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My husband is the best guinea pig to try all of these new recipes that I prepare for the foodie blogger groups that I participate in.  I mean this man is truly a trooper extraordinaire!  Today for the monthly Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, he really graduated with high marks from his normal steak and baked potato repertoire of food preferences!  I knew that this would deviate from his comfort zone, so I really focused on how he would react and what he would say about this recipe.  Here's how it went:

"The reduction sauce is really different and not what I expected."  OK, that doesn't sound very positve, but a few bites later, he said, "I'm getting used to this sauce and it's actually really good!"  He ate the whole thing, no left-overs!  Yes, at first glance of the name of this recipe, one would wonder how a FRUIT SAUCE on pork would taste!  Even I have never had something like this dish!  On top of it's incredible flavor, it only takes eleven (11) minutes . . . fifteen (15) minutes at the max to cook your pork more thoroughly.  No lie!  My kind of working gal recipe!

But as the theme decision-maker for the month, I chose 'Berries' for the month's focus and needed to select the entree.  All I can say is that the editors of Cooking Light were right on target when they rated this pork recipe as 5-star, outstanding and worthy of a special occasion!  It truly was superb with the "smokiness of the chipotle chiles that complement the sweetness of pomegranate and blueberry juices in this tender entree!"  You really have to try this recipe!  YUMM-O!

Now you're probably wondering why we (my husband and I) paired this with something as simple as yellow sweet corn.  Well, first of all, we felt that something buttery and mild would complement the spicy/fruitiness of the tangy berry/chipotle reduction sauce.  And secondly, hey, we're from Iowa, and we KNOW what makes pigs nice and juicy and fat:  CORN!  Plain and simple, the two, pork and corn, are a marriage made in heaven or I should say on the farms!

I do recommend a few adjustments for the next time that I make this (and I will certainly make this again!):  double and possibly triple the amount of chipotle chiles in the reduction sauce; and increase the amount of garlic powder (as you know, that is just me).   Even my husband, my best critic, agreed with both future changes.

I'll provide the rest of the recipes that the rest of the 'gang' cooked up in their kitchens at the bottom of this post, so please check them out and also add a linked up post over on Val's "More Than Burnt Toast" blog, who kindly hosts this monthly cooking event from her home in Canada!

Pork Medallions with Spicy Pomegranate-Blueberry Reduction Sauce
from "Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast"

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch round slices (I used two 1" thickly cut, boneless Iowa 'corn-fed' pork chops from the tenderloin).
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup frozen pomegranate-blueberry juice concentrate (such as Old Orchard), undiluted
1 1/2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
fresh blueberries (for garnish, which was my little addition for some color and interest to the entree).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
While pan heats, pound pork slices slightly with the heel of your hand or a meat mallet.  I DID NOT DO THIS SINCE WE PREFER THICK CUT BONELESS PORK LOIN CHOPS and that is what I used.
Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Coat both the pan and the pork with cooking spray.
Cook pork 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness (this will take more time with the one inch thick chops that I used); do not overcook.
Remove pork from pan and place in an oven-proof baking dish and put in a heated oven to stay warm while the sauce is cooking on the stove.
Add 1/4 cup water to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Stir in juice concentrate and chipotle chiles.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly syrupy.
Return pork and juices to pan, turning pork to coat.
Serve pork with sauce.
Garnish with blueberries (my little addition!)

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Seasonal Saturday & Fresh, Clean, and Pure Friday!

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Taking a break from grading final exams, I'm posting this weekend's get-together for Fresh, Clean and Pure Fridays.  I normally have this up and running by Friday mornings, but I had an evening final exam to administer and was pretty tied up with my students.  Of course, I'm watching the beautiful Royal Wedding replays while typing this up!  Princess Catherine is simply beautiful!  Her wedding gown is absolutely perfect for her and the times, just perfect!  It's simplicity allows us to focus on her extraordinary beauty!  What a handsome Prince William too!

This week there are three featured food posts, and one featured each for garden, lifestyle, and hand-made/craft posts.  All are delightful!

Thanks to Gnee at Singing With The Birds for this beautifully decorated and edible  Easter cake that is over the top and perfect all the way down to the lovely gold bow!  Now you'd think that this is very time-consuming, but she says it is really pretty simple!

As strawberries are in season, I fell in love with these luscious cupcakes from Lisa at Flour Me With Love.  Just look at the cream cheese filling tucked into these pink babies.  Mmmmm!

These salmon pancakes are simply irresistible from Mary at Food Floozie!   With a bit of cream dolloped on top, these must be a real treat to nibble on.

J.C. @ From Captain's Daughter to Army Mom has recently moved from California to the Carolina's and shares glimpses of her stunning gardens in full spring bloom.  J.C. says that she had read and heard about the beauty of spring in the South, but with this being her first spring experience she 'wows' us with her floral surroundings!

Judee over at Gluten-Free A to Z Blog provides the names of indoor plants that help clean up our lifestyles in terms of removing toxins in the air that we breath inside our homes.  I can't imagine a home without live plants for freshness, beauty, and the added benefit of cleaning the air.

Last, but not least, Claudia from What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine has some of the most interesting crackle-decorated Easter eggs that I have ever seen in my life.  What fun these are!  I just love the vivid color of blue in the interior of the cracked eggs!


So go ahead and link up one or two of your favorite food, garden, or lifestyle posts!  Please show blog etiquette and post the button and/or link back to this link-up for others to find and join.  And also, please no posts for coupons and sales, giveaways, or trying to sell stuff.

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