Two houses, One Family

Two houses, one family has been our motto since my ex-husband and I separated. Craig and I had guidelines we tried to follow but the biggest thing we have continued to do is..."WE" are always there for our kids even though "WE" are no longer a couple.

"WE" attend every important event in their lives, "WE" sit together, "WE" share dinner at a restaurant or I host back at my house. "WE" take photos on every birthday together. "WE" share information, both parents are on the same page and provide a united front on big subjects and little ones too. "WE" have done all this because we didn't want our children to feel like they were missing something because their parents didn't share a home.

We've gotten compliments over the years from teachers about our children. Telling us, "that they would never suspect Claire and Max came from a divorced home". I asked what that meant and was told that divorced children are just different for different reasons. Some are needy, some are trying to keep the peace, some are working both parents for what they want. Our children don't do any of those things, our children talk about both parents equally and without hesitation.

We've gotten compliments from multiple parents from the sport teams are children are on. Telling us that they would never suspect we were divorced because we are so kind to each other and that we look like we actually like each other. I always laugh at that because Craig and I didn't get divorced because we didn't like each other, we had different ideas of what a marriage was and made the difficult decision that everyone would be happier if we no longer lived together. We gave each other two fabulous kids, why wouldn't we be kind to each other?

The ultimate compliment came the other night. Max needed a photo of his family for a class project. I know the drill with those and typically it's a photo of who lives in your house.

I said, "you can use the one we had taken at Christmas".

He said, "well that doesn't have Dad in it".

I quickly recovered and said, "yep, you're right. I'll find one for you".

It made me smile that we have instilled that sense of security. That we have managed to actually achieve Two Houses, One Family.

Chicken Taquitos

Back to the real world after a fabulous vacation and my "real" world needed a bit of vacation. I decided to recreate my favorite dinner..chicken taquitos. The fact that it took all of 20 minutes to have dinner on the table...BONUS! The kids both loving them...double BONUS!!

What you'll need:

Salsa Chicken
Cheese ~ I used a Mexican Blend
Small Flour Tortillas ~ my bag came with 20 of them
Cooking Spray ~ I use Butter Flavored

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wet and ring out two paper towels. Wrap 6 tortillas inside and microwave for 30 seconds. You want to soften up the tortillas for easier rolling.

Put about 1/4 C of chicken in the middle of the tortilla, top with about a tablespoon of cheese. You could leave the cheese out but I was trying to sell the kids and let's face it, cheese sells it.

Roll the tortilla up and put on a sprayed cookie sheet, seam side down and leave a little room in between each one. Continue until you have a cookie sheet full.

Spray the tortillas with a bit of cooking spray and put in the oven for 10 minutes. Take out and flip to seam side up and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite taco toppings.
Put your chicken and cheese on tortilla and roll up
Spray with cooking spray
Dinner is served
Claire brought left overs for lunch and asked when I'd be making them again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I've always been one to wear the token green shirt when going out but Claire, Claire takes it to a whole new level.

I adore how fun she is. Not only does she embrace every holiday, she OWNS it.

Peanut Butter Honey Crescents

My daughter LOVES peanut butter. She makes grilled cheese and peanut butter sandwiches, she alone loves those;). I thought this might be something the whole family would enjoy.

Take your crescent roll, spread some peanut butter on and about a teaspoon of honey. Roll up per package directions and bake.


Yummy

Majahua Palms

Once upon a time there was this very tired hockey Mom. Carting two kids around 7 days a week, shoveling all the MN snow (and we've had a LOT this winter) and making sure they are properly fed. Actually the word tired is an understatement, this Mom was BURNED out.

Enter my fairy god sister named Kristen.
She waved her magic wand and surprised me with a trip to Majahua Palms. It's just a short ride from the Ixtapa/Zihuntanejo airport. It was the ultimate relaxation destination.

They had stuff you could do; kayaking, mountain hikes, horseback riding, surf lessons, etc. I chose not to do any of it. I parked my butt on a lounge chair. I read, I napped, I ate lots of guacamole. I walked the beach collecting shells, I watched the waves crash and I drank margaritas.

Majahua Palms is like no place I've ever been in Mexico. It takes the term "chill" to a whole new level. The owners, Mike and Lori are warm and make you feel like family. The staff are always smiling and extremely competent. The accomodations have exactly what you need and they throw in a few of the things you don't too:)

If you're looking for a beautiful vacation destination, this IS your place. I know my kids are going to love it when I bring them back. !
Krit, I canNOT thank you enough for the wonderful gift. I had a fabulous time hanging with you and I'm very lucky to have you in my life!

Caramel Rolls Pioneer Woman style

The Pioneer Woman talks a lot about her cinnamon rolls so I had to give them a try. She offers a fabulous tutorial that there is absolutely no reason to recreate. I'll just give my opinion on them.

First, you all know I'm scared of yeast. Doesn't seem to work like it should for me, but I followed her step by step instructions and dough was born!! It really was easy.

Second, I mixed the last cup of flour, baking soda, powder and salt in after I turned the dough onto my counter because I thought it was easier. Maybe it was because my bowl wasn't large enough.

Third, this makes a LOT of rolls. Prepare to share or cut the recipe in half.

Since I had so many to make...I made them exactly as she does both with frosting and with caramel sauce and I made them the way I make my caramel rolls. And, although hers are good, I like my version better. Her dough is great but I didn't care for all the extra white sugar. Everyone that I shared with, including my kids, no one noticed the difference.

So, give one or all a try...something sweet in the morning is NEVER a bad thing:)

Roasted Turkey

I got a screaming deal on a turkey so I thought what the heck since a turkey is SO easy to make. My kids aren't fans of Thanksgiving type dinner so I just roasted it, served it on rolls with some carrot sticks and french fries. With the rest, I took all the meat off and made various things with it. Soup, hot dishes, sandwiches.

Don't be scared, a turkey is the easiest thing to make and now with the little stopper that pops up when it's done, it's pretty easy not to over cook. You will want to defrost in your refrigerator for a few days before you plan on cooking it.

Wash the turkey well
Don't forget to take out the gizzards and neck packet, I throw this away but if you're feeling ambitious you could boil it for your gravy base.
About a tablespoon of salt
Rub the salt in the cavity
Pats of butter (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of a stick) and a sprinkling of salt, pepper and garlic powder about 2 t of each. Bake at 350. Your packaging will tell you how long to bake according to how many pounds the turkey is.
MMMMMMM