Happy Mother's Day

I had Claire three days before Mother's Day. I didn't decorate her nursery before she came because I didn't want a random, generic theme. So that year, I left the kids with Craig and went shopping with my Mom to find her "theme" and had lunch out.

That became our tradition. Mother's Day was a day withOUT my children. A day to chill out, have a pedicure and lunch at a restaurant that didn't involve a children's menu. My theory is, I'm a "Mom" everyday, shouldn't Mother's Day be a day for me to relax and not have to be a "Mom"? Yeah, I knew you'd agree:)

But, this year, THIS year, Max has baseball practice. Yes, his coach scheduled practice for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, yay me. I'll probably still grab some lunch out but it's going to be something different. Maybe a new tradition will come from it??

But I wanted to be sure to wish all the fabulous Mom's, especially my own, a HAPPY Mother's DAY! I hope your children are quiet and you're able to have a few minutes just for YOU!

Happy Birthday Claire

My favorite daughter is turning 12 today. TWELVE! Crazy how the time has flown. I think I have a harder time with Claire because she's always been an old soul. She has always been very articulate and verbal. Basically, she's always been like an adult.

She has always been petite so I don't have those ah ha, "I'm taller than you moments that remind me that she is getting older". Every birthday sneaks up on me.

She's very even tempered. She is a good combination of sweet, sensitive and sassy. She doesn't take any crap and she says what she's thinking.

Her favorite thing this year was dance, she LOVES dance. This year she did jazz, kick and lyrical. Her smile never left her face.

It's not very often that I get a photo with her, this one makes me smile.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAIRE!
I LOVE YOU MORE THAN DISNEY!

Shellac Manicure

I've never been a fan of manicures. Not because I don't like the way they look but because I chip the stupid polish within 5 seconds of getting one. I remember vividly, my 8th grade English teacher's nails. They were always the same length, perfectly painted and she wore cool colors like ORANGE;) I wanted to grow up and have nails just like her. Sadly, that never happened for me.

UNTIL...Tina gave me a gift certificate for a shellac manicure. It is supposed to last 2-3 weeks. It's not supposed to chip. I was a skeptic so I went with a French just in case because chipping doesn't look as bad. The first thing I loved was my nails were ready to go when I left the salon. I could reach into my purse to pay. I could stick my hands in my pockets. They were dry, they were ready to go.

I had it done almost a week ago and I'm LOVING it. My nails look great. They are still shiny. I feel like a grown up. I thought I'd share for those of you who want to give it a try and I'll keep you posted as to how long it lasted.

Taking a break

Hope all of you had a great weekend. I've had some health issues the past week that messed up my schedule. Max has two baseball games this week, my final for my class on Wednesday and Claire's birthday is on Friday. So, I haven't forgotten you, just taking a week to chill. Check back next week for some fun stuff!

Jalapeno Dip

Ok, you've decided not to cook but maybe you need to bring something SUPER easy to a party today. Here it is.

It was good as just a dip and also as a topping for fajitas. I think it would be awesome on a baked potato too.

2-4 fresh Jalapeno peppers chopped~I used 3 and left the seeds from half of one
16 oz Sour Cream~I used light
1 oz package of Ranch Salad Dressing mix
1 T Garlic Powder
2 T chopped Cilantro
1/2 can green chilis~I skipped these
Squeeze of Lime Juice~I used half a lime squeezed

Place all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. I would recommend longer than 2 hours, it was still a bit runny.

Serve with Tortilla Chips, Vegetables or as a topping for tacos, burritos or fajitas.

El Grande Burro

Sorry, I was going to give you a yummy Tres Leche cake today but I've been under the weather all week and didn't get the photos downloaded. Something to look forward to next week:)

So, instead I had to post my favorite!!!

Just that title takes me back in to high school and eating at Chi Chi's. I ordered a beef El Grande Burro every single time I ate there. LOVED them!

Unfortunately, Chi Chi's was SHUT down. Shut down before I figured out exactly how to make the burro sauce. But, I think I got close.

Enchilada Sauce

Large Jalapeno
medium Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 T Olive Oil
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
28oz can Tomato Puree
2 C Water
1 T Chipolte Pepper
1 T Chili Powder
1/2 T Cumin
1/2 T Sugar
1 t Salt
1 t Pepper

Give the jalapeno, onion and garlic a whirl in your mini food processor or just finely chop up. I left 1/2 the seeds in the jalapeno for some added heat. If you don't like spicy, take the seeds out with a spoon. Be sure to wear plastic gloves when handling peppers OR be very careful of your hands around your face and eyes.

You can also use a variation of peppers but Target didn't offer choices so this time, you get just Jalapeno.

Put the jalapeno, onion and garlic in a pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and let it sweat a few minutes. Stir it around a little bit so nothing sticks. Add everything else, give it a stir and put on a low simmer for at least an hour to blend all the flavors. If you think it needs some more spice, add teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.

Taco Meat

1 lb ground Beef (you can use turkey)
1/2 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic
4 t Chili Powder
2 t Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper if you're feeling Sassy

Put all of this in a pan until cooked through.

Now the special thing about a burro is that it has lettuce and tomatoes in the inside. I know, sounds gross...hot lettuce, but it just worked. So..add to your shopping list:

Bag of Lettuce Shreds
1 large Tomato chopped
4 C Cheese ~ I used Mexican Blend
Tortillas ~ I bought the ones that come with 8

Put your tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave for about 45 seconds. Put about 1/2 C of meat, few Tablespoons of Cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and fold it up. You are going to fold like an envelope, fold in both sides and then kind of roll it up to make a packet. Put seam side down in sprayed 13x9 pan. Pour enchilada sauce on top and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes or until melted.

Top with more lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. YUMMY!!

Onion and jalapeno ready for a whirl.


Blend up the onions and jalapenos in the food processor



Let the onions, peppers and garlic sweat a bit



Sauce is ready to go


Put your taco meat first, top with tomatoes, cheese and lettuce last




Fold in sides and then fold over kind of like an envelope


Put seam side down in your dish


Top with sauce


YUMMY!!

Fry Bread Taco

I chose this because it has the basic taco meat that you can do ANYthing with or you can get fancy and make my favvvvvv, Fry Bread Tacos!

Taco meat
1 lb ground beef (I usually use ground turkey)
1/2 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic
4 t Chili Powder
2 t Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper if you're feeling Sassy
Throw the meat, onions and garlic in a pan, salt and pepper to taste. When the meat is about 1/2 cooked, add your other seasoning. It seems to blend better if you do it now, especially true if you are using the ground turkey.

Now let's make our bread. They don't have to be exact, make your circles and let them set a moment while the grease heats up
give it a stretch before placing in the grease...I always use Crisco for frying, it holds up better than oil
Nice and golden brown
Chop up your bread
Add your favorite taco toppings