Minion, Cooking and Planning - It Was a Very Good Day

Yesterday's annual auto checkup was a very different story from last year's. This year I got a bill for under $150, last year ... well, let's just say it was a VERY different story. Of course, I didn't need new tires this year, but the mechanical things that they had to deal with last year were also not an issue. Minion is ready to drive me around for another year and I'm happy I got off lightly. 

When I first purchased Minion, this building didn't even 
exist. I purchased it from them across the highway, where 
they have their Chevy dealership. At that time, Mazda was 
just a small part of their business. They were then bought out 
by a different group of people, and they immediately started 
building this specifically for the Mazda lineup. It's nice and 
it gets a lot of business. There are a lot of Minions in the 
Twin Cities area. 

For some unknown reason my city is switching their trash and recycling barrels. The trash buckets were changed about six months ago, and the recycling bucket will be switched over on pickup day over the next two weeks. I'm hoping the new bucket won't take any more space in the garage than our current one does. Things are a bit snug there, and they rest in front of my car. I have room to give more space if needed, but it won't make me super happy. 

OK, this isn't my photo, but it is the recipe I made for 
the pork roast which was absolutely delicious! I'm glad 
I decided to take a chance on it - easy to fix and very tasty. 

The time when I wasn't at the auto dealer, I happily spent cooking. I had four pork chops and two smaller pork loins that I wanted to cook. Everything went really smoothly and I had some of the pork loin for dinner last night. It was a new recipe, but I really liked it. I'll be doing this one again - great flavor and very easy ... right up my alley - LOL. 

I adore my BBQ pork chops recipe and make it often. 
It's minimal muss and fuss, only needs BBQ sauce and 
an onion, and it's a never fail for me. I have four of these 
lovely chops packed up and as soon as I clear some freezer 
space, several of them will be moving there for later in the 
week or next week. 

Of course, it's also the end of May. Spring is officially over and Summer is beginning. We'll be getting some summer temps next week, so I hope my many tomato plants appreciate it - LOL. My hummingbirds are happily feeding from my feeder, the birds are swooping around the yard, and our fencing is still not keeping out all of the pests. *sigh* But, it wouldn't be a garden if we weren't dealing with moles, voles and other irritants. DH did go a bit overboard on my tomato plants, however, so I'd better start figuring out how to deal with an overabundance of that fruit. I hate to waste something that tastes that good! 

I have no idea any more about what varieties of tomatoes 
I have in my pots this year. I'm quite sure I'll be cooking 
some down and drying others. No other choice since they all 
seem to come ripe at approximately the same time. 

Have a truly excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Be safe, be happy and Slava Ukraini.