Taste of Tuesday: Tomatillo Salsa

One of my favorite restaurants is Cantina Los Caballitos on Passyunk Ave. Its such a hipster environment and you can people watch for hours. We can't help but write obnoxious things on the chalkboard walls in the bathroom like children every time we go. They have blood orange margaritas, among many other flavors, there that are to die for. They taste fabulous and before you know it, they've knocked you right on your ass. Good times. The best thing about Cantina is the tomatillo salsa that the serve with their fresh tortilla chips. I could drink it by the bowl full. Nothing you can buy in the store tastes nearly as good and I've been looking for a homemade version to try. I was so pleasantly surprised when the first recipe I tried tasted almost exactly like Cantina's. I found the recipe at a blog called Garnish with Lemon.

What you need:

approx. 1 lb Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

2 jalapenos, sliced and seeded

1 clove of garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro (I just used a few sprigs because this isn't my favorite flavor)

1 tsp salt

juice of 1 lime (they say to use only to reduce heat, but I love lime so I added it anyway)

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse until liquefied.

I actually did small batches in the food processor and then finished it all off with my immersion blender. It worked really well.

 

Serve with your favorite tortilla chip! Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

* original recipe called for 8 medium tomatillos, which she said was about 1 pound. I just got a little over a pound because the ones I found were on the larger size. This recipe does not call for roasting or cooking, it is for raw tomatillos. The lighter colored ones are sweeter than the dark green and taste better in this recipe.

Enjoy! O and check out Cantina next time you're in Philly looking for a great Mexican place!

 

 

Taste of Tuesday:Creamy Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken

I'm linking up again this week with the Taste of Tuesday gals! I found this recipe yet again on Pinterest and its made my favorite way-in the Crock pot! Its called Creamy Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken and you can find the original post at Momables.com. You all know how much I love my Crock pot so this recipe was screaming for me to try it. I got the best compliment from my hubby after serving this. He said "that was good, tastes like we just ate at a restaurant." Even though I didn't create the recipe, I love hearing that my cooking is enjoyed!

What you need:

1-1.5 lb chicken breasts

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

16 oz bag frozen corn

8 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 cup of milk (tip: don't use skim!)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

I also added garlic powder, onion powder and a small of amount of crushed red pepper.

What to do:

Add all ingredients to Crock pot and set on high for 4-6 hours. I cooked it on low for about 8.

It didn't look very appealing at this point but it sure started to make the apartment smell good!

Shred chicken and stir back into sauce. Serve over bowtie pasta or whatever your favorite is!

Delish! The best part is, there was a ton of chicken/sauce leftover so I froze a container for the next time I need a quick dinner!

 

See you guys on Thursday for a special guest post at Life According to Steph where I share my love of pickles!

 

 

 

 

Taste of Tuesday:Ravioli Bake

With the holiday weekend, the Taste of Tuesday link up was skipped and will resume next week. I still have an easy dinner recipe for you though! I found this Ravioli Bake over at Kraft's website. The first time I made it, I found it to be a little runny so I made a few modifications to the original recipe.

 

First and foremost, I used 2 13 oz packages of frozen ravioli. Italian Village is my favorite brand.

I also used a dry packet of Zesty Italian dressing instead of liquid.

O and drain the tomatoes as much as possible!

Start by mixing the 14 oz tomato sauce, drained diced tomatoes, dressing packet, and 8 oz of beef broth together in 9x13 baking dish.

Place the raviolis in the sauce mix and coat as much as possible.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with shredded cheese. Broil for just a few minutes until cheese is bubbling and brown in spots.

YUMMMM!!!

 

Ravioli Bake

14 oz tomato sauce

8 oz beef broth

1 can(14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1 packet Zesty Italian dressing mix

2 13 oz packages frozen raviolis

shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella cheeses to top

 

Combine first four ingredients in 9x13 baking dish. Toss in raviolis until all are well coated. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with cheeses and broil for a few minutes until cheese starts to bubble and brown.

 

Great dish the whole family will love! I'm off now to work on my guest blog recipes for next week over at Life According to Steph. Stayed tuned for when that posts!



 





Taste of Tuesday:Homemade Mac and Beef

Recipes don't get much simpler than this one. I've seen several versions of this on Pinterest and various other sites. This is my version. It's a great dish to take to someone as well. I put it all together last week for some family and just sent it along with baking instructions. It traveled well and they said they loved it!

 

What You Need:

1 lb of ground beef

1 box (16 oz) of elbow macaroni

1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes-I like the petite style

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)-I like the texture of crushed tomatoes

salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano-or your favorite seasonings for sauce, to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

 

What To Do:

Cook you macaroni according to package directions.

Brown your beef and drain the fat.

 

Add the diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes to the beef. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and whatever other seasonings you choose. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Mix together with the cooked pasta in a large casserole dish.

 

Top with the cheddar and mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I will uncover after the 30 minutes and broil it for just a few minutes until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.

There you have it! Easy, family pleasing dinner that usually ends up with leftovers for lunch the next day!

 

 

 Linking up with Let's Get Bananas and Blissfully Miller for Taste of Tuesday!

 

 



One Pan Spicy Sausage Pasta

You all know by now that I love easy dinners. This recipe here doesn't disappoint in the simplicity department...or the flavor department for that matter. I found this gem online, it's from The Best Simple Recipes by America's Test Kitchen. This dish is slightly on the spicy side, but you can use mild tomatoes and chilies if you are not a fan of heat. You have to try this dinner either way! 

 

It calls for smoked sausage, but as usual, I go the healthier route and use turkey.

The first time I made this, Shoprite didn't have regular smoked turkey sausage so I tried this turkey kielbasa and I've used it every time. Its got a great flavor and it does not taste like turkey at all!

You need a little heavy cream, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. As well as some pasta.

It also calls for diced onions but I'm not allowed to use them so I just add a little of this for flavor.



Add a little olive oil to an oven safe skillet and heat. Throw in your sausage and garlic (and onions if using) and cook just until lightly browned.

Here's the best part. All you have to do now is throw in the uncooked pasta and the rest of the ingredients,  saving the cheese for the end, and let it simmer. Recipe also calls for scallions which I omitted.

Mix in some of the cheese then top with the rest and throw it in the oven and broil just until the cheese bubbles and browns a little.

Serve and enjoy!!

 

 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb smoked (turkey) sausage

1.5 cups diced onions (I omitted)

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz penne pasta ( I used almost a full 16 oz bag instead)

1 cup Monterey Jack shredded cheese (pfft just a cup? I don't think so!)

1/3 cup thinly diced scallions (I omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Add olive oil to oven safe skillet and heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook unit lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, cream, tomatoes, pasta, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and mix in about 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese(or a lot more like I did!) and sprinkle with scallions if you like. Broil for a few minutes, until cheese is melted, bubbly and browning in spots.

 

 



 

Race for the Cure Recap

• On Mother's Day, I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure of Philadelphia.This walk supports breast cancer research, as well as mammograms and care for women in the region. Breast cancer has affected far too many people in my life and I will do everything in my power to see a cure in my lifetime. My hubby's family and I(and a few friends from my sister-in-law's work) formed a team about 2 months ago and started fundraising. We had a goal of $1000 but with the help of so many generous, caring people, we more than doubled it with a grand total of $2876! I couldn't have been more proud to be team captain! We had a great morning filled with some tears and lots of laughs. The weather was beautiful and the 5K was a breeze because we were having such a good time.

My sister-in-law Chrissy was kind enough to let me "borrow" a few of her pictures since I didn't have enough hands to take along my camera.

A few shots of some team members/family.

 

Clockwise from left: My hubby painted his nails pink in honor of the day; his string band played the event before the walk started; a shot of the survivors walking down the steps; the back of the survivor shirts-they really are an inspiration every day.

 

It was a great way to spend mother's day morning. We are already planning next year's walk, hoping our team expands and setting our fundraising goals even higher!

After we had a little lunch, I stopped to see my Mom and then was home for a nap before a home cooked dinner with my boys. They got me some new chef's knives and a cutting board-exactly what I asked for!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!
O and if you love all things beauty, check out my sister's blog, Scissorhands Jill!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom

I always loved my mom's cooking when I was growing up. I'm sure most people think their mom makes the best version of every food, but my mom really does...in my eyes anyway! She's an awesome baker and dessert is always top notch! Here's a list of things my mom taught me how to make that I will always think are the best around! 

•CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

(Don't even bother arguing. My mom's are the best around. Period. Ok ok my mother in law's run a very close second.)

•Butter cookies. Jill and Kenny fight over them.

•Baked macaroni and cheese. I still can't make it like hers. 

•Breakfast Pizza. Every Christmas morning. Its so good!

•Pasta salad. Her version just always tastes better. 

•Pumpkin pie. 

•Apple pie...really I always make it too runny. I don't know how she does it. 

•Caesar salad. I know that sounds silly but it tastes great when she makes it. 

•Homemade spaghetti sauce. I'm still not sure how she makes it but I love her it when she makes a bigger batch and freezes it. 

I could go on, but those are a few of my favorites. Hope everyone has a Happy Mother's Day! Love you Mom! 

 

Cinco Supper, Ole!

It's Cinco De Mayo. And better yet, it's Sunday so I can actually cook a more in depth meal! Mexican fiesta? I think yes. Here I'm combining two things I love: Mexican food and stuffed peppers.

I'm making Creamy Chicken Stuffed Peppers. Word up. I've made these before but with a little bit of prep work, they don't come up in the rotation very often.

 

Creamy Chicken Stuffed Peppers

1-2 lb chicken breast

chicken broth

8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar jack, divided

1-3 jalapenos, finely diced(optional depending on your heat preference)

4 oz can chopped green chiles

8 oz frozen corn

1/4 - 1/2 cup salsa

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

4 bell peppers(any color)

 

Poach the chicken in the broth(tips on how to do so here), allow to cool slightly and shred in food processor. Shredding with two forks would work as well, but the food processor gives it a nice, even texture.

Cut your bell peppers in half, remove the seeds, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Dice your jalapenos,

and combine with shredded chicken and remaining ingredients.

Stuff the peppers and top with remaining shredded cheddar jack.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. I prepped these earlier today and put them in the fridge until dinner time. I can't wait to bake them up and eat dinner!!!!

Now if only I had a margarita to go with them!

Time to talk Yonanas

When my sister-in-law Lori was home over the holidays she started telling me about this contraption called Yonanas. I listened but was having a hard time believing the praises she was singing. It's a little machine that makes homemade frozen yogurt-like desserts from bananas, other fruits, and NOTHING ELSE! So you can imagine why I was skeptical. Kenny and I went online and watched the promo video on the website and decided we had to try it. With a million different things that came up, we didn't get to buy it for a few months. I told my coworker about it and my mom and they both went and got it immediately!
Well we finally got ours this past weekend(thank you mom for picking it up for us!) Tonight, we had Yonanas. And it was damn delicious. Seriously.
We got our "cheetah spotted bananas" in the freezer yesterday and I also froze some strawberries for Kenny. That's it. The bananas are the base and must be spotted before you peel and freeze them. Any other fruit you want to add as flavor must be frozen as well. You put the fruit into the machine and out comes frozen yogurt-well its that texture but way healthier! I added a spoonful of peanut butter to mine after it was made and it was sooooo good! Definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!
You have to try this! You will be telling everyone you know about it, I swear! It's really incredible! Ours was found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond-you know they take their coupons even if they are expired so it was a deal!

Bout of Books Read-a-thon *Daily Updates*

I've been trying to read more(as though I suddenly have more spare time!) so I signed up for this read- a-thon. I'm hoping to get a few books read this week!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I'll keep you updated on how things go!

UPDATES!!!

Books I hope to read: The Fault In Our Stars; The Hunger Games; and I'd love to say that maybe I could get to Catching Fire  and Mockingjay too but I think I'm being ambitious!!

5-13-13 today starts the book-a-thon

Book: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Pages read:  80!

#insixwords: I can not put it down!

5-14-13

 book: The Fault in Our Stars

Pages read: got another 55 read so that puts me at page 135.

#insixwords: overwhelmed by emotion, not even halfway.

5-15-13

Book: The Fault in Our Stars

Pages read: 35 for a grand total of 170

#insixwords: not as far as id like :(

As a side note, I truely wish I had more time in my day to dedicate to reading. I haven't read nearly as much as I'd have liked by this point in the week, however, I'm so glad this challenge forced me into picking a new book. I am loving this one and can't wait to find out what happens.

5-16-13

Book: The Fault In Our Stars

Pages read: 98! For a total of 268

#insixwords: there's no way to sum up how I'm feeling in just six words. I have a mere 50 pages left and wish I could just keep my eyes open to finish. I'm crying and smiling at the same time.

5-17-13

Book: THe Fault In Our Stars

Pages read: finished for a total of 311

#insixwords: absolutely overwhelmed by this amazing book. 

While I didn't read nearly as much as I originally planned during this challenge, I did finish this book in under a week which hasn't happened in a very long time. I can not say enough about how much I loved this book. Extremely well written, beautiful story about the struggle of coming to terms with mortality and love. 

5-18-13

I didn't get any time to read today. This made me feel lousy about my challenge efforts, but only one day out of the week to have not read is pretty good for me.

5-19-13

Book: The Hunger Games

Pages read: 40

#insixwords: Sucked in, looking forward to more!

Taco Tuesday With a Twist

It's no secret that we love Mexican food in this house. Tacos are a staple around here on a late work night because they require little effort. They can get a little monotonous though.  I love this recipe I found for a Taco Pasta Bake. It's still easy enough for a weeknight, but keeps dinner interesting.  I've adapted the original recipe slightly to kick it up a bit.

 

My version of Taco Pasta Bake calls for:

1 lb ground turkey/beef

1 box of ziti/penne/bowtie pasta of your choice

1 cup of water

1 packet of taco seasoning (or the homemade version here)

8 oz low fat cream cheese

1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes & green chilies - You know I love Ro-tel but this brand was on sale for like $.38 a can at Walmart so we gave it a whirl, it didn't disappoint.

 

 

Boil pasta as directed. While that's cooking, brown the meat and drain the fat. Mix in the water, taco seasoning, and tomatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced.

 

Add the cream cheese and stir. Simmer over low heat until the cream cheese has melted completely. Combine pasta and meat mixture in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheddar.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about 20-30 minutes.

Yum!!! Of course, if spicy's not your thing, you can disregard the addition of diced tomatoes and green chilies. What did you have for dinner tonight?

 

 



Sunday Supper

I've been under the weather for a few days now. It started as severe allergy suffering and turned into a cold with my allergies exacerbating it. Yesterday we spent the day with our friends Shawn and Maggie and little Mr K was whiny and miserable all day. I think he's been feeling the effects of allergy season lately too. It all caught up with me today. I went to Target early this morning to grab a few things and then we spent the afternoon lounging around with the windows open and the boys playing with their "new" Hot Wheels track.

I actually got to take a little mommy nap this afternoon while K did too. So needless to say, I was thankful today for my Crock Pot.

Last week, after I posted about Chicken Stroganoff, my coworker told me she was going to try it. However, she didn't feel like going to the store and winged it a little by using a Ranch packet instead of onion soup like it called for. Her husband loved it. This got me thinking about wanting to try a Ranch Chicken. I found an easy recipe for Creamy Ranch Chicken over at BudgetSavyDiva.com. It called for chicken breasts, sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, shallots, garlic powder and pepper. I nixed the shallots and added shredded cheddar right before serving. This was rather easy. The sauce was a little on the thick and lumpy side so I mixed in a little milk at the end to thin it up a bit. My hubby enjoyed it thoroughly. It wasn't my favorite but I'd make it again.

Back to the grind tomorrow..Mondays come so fast these days.

Up next on the blog..A twist on the classic taco Tuesday.

 



So Many Thoughts, So Little Time

I have quite a few things I want to talk about today. I don't get to blog as often as I'd like so you get to read all of thoughts of the past week in one mish-mosh run on post today! This weekend didn't start out so great. Wednesday I came out of work to find this lovely crack in my windshield. No explanation as to how it got there.

So my hubby spent Friday afternoon at Safelite getting my windshield replaced. That night we went out to dinner with my dad, step mom Lisa, Jill, and Frank. We went to Brio in Cherry Hill. I was excited to see that they have a light menu now. Their food is great and the lighter lemon chicken was delish! I love that they have "shooters" for dessert. Little shot glass sized desserts so you can have just a taste and not feel completely horrible about it!

Saturday we hit up Target and stopped in for a visit with my mom and Jim where K ran around the yard for a while. All three of us took a long nap in the afternoon and it was great. For dinner, I made "OMG Chicken" which I found on Pinterest. The original recipe calls for Mayonnaise but there were several suggestions on Pinterest and an update note on the original post that suggests substituting Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream for a healthier version. I used low fat sour cream. I added some garlic salt for a little extra flavor. Its pretty amazing how juicy the chicken is. Definitely an easy, quick, weeknight dinner.

After K went to bed, the hubby and I watched This is 40. It was actually a longer movie than I expected but really a great story. There were some parts that were hysterical and some parts that were touching and hit close to home. I think most couples that have been married for a while can relate to some of the struggles and antics that occur.

Bonus: Some members of the Flyers show up in a club scene!

Sunday morning I finished my library book. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Its about two illusionists that are pitted against each other by their teachers and the circus is the setting for their competition. I have to admit that it took me quite a few chapters to get into it, but at some point it grabbed me and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. I thought it was an interesting read. Definitely would recommend it.

Yesterday was Earth Day and I did my part in helping out the environment! Zoya nail polish is offering a great deal through April 26 on their site. You can order their polishes for 50% off(minimum purchase of 6 bottles) by agreeing to ship back to them an equal number of bottles of other brands of polish that aren't so environmentally friendly so they can dispose of them. No brainer. I ordered 7 bottles and my coworker jumped on my order and got her own 7 and we got free shipping on top of a great deal! I can't wait for them to come in! Check out their blog post about it here.

I'm off now to try and upload the 100 or so pictures I took during our morning at the Discovery Museum with the little cousins! I'll post them soon!

 

Tasty Tuesday

I came home from work today to find a package on my doorstep! I love coming home to boxes. I know I'm the one who ordered it in the first place but that was like a week ago so it's a totally new excitement when it's delivered. It was my lunchboxes that I had ordered from Builtny.com. They were featured on Good Morning America's Deals and Steals last Thursday and were 70% off! That's not a typo, yes, 70%! I got one for me and one for K for a total of $16.37 including shipping. They were originally $24.99 and $19.99. Can't beat that with a stick.

I love a good deal and they are so cute! Oh and did I mention that I received a nice thank you note AND a free gift just for ordering as a loyal watcher of Good Morning America? Great company that I will now order from again due to fabulous customer service!

 

So after I got over the excitement of my lunchboxes, I had to figure out what to do for dinner. I had found this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago for Chicken Stroganoff and decided today was just as good as any to give it a try. It's a very simple recipe. It called for fat free sour cream but I used low fat instead - I just can't do fat free, it doesn't taste right. Also, my chicken wasn't frozen so it only took about 4 hours in the crock pot. I served it over egg noodles, which have recently become a request by my husband. I had expected this to be a little bit heavy of a meal but it wasn't at all. A little of the sauce/chicken mixture went a long way on the noodles and it was tasty and light but still a hearty, filling dinner. It will be a repeat in our house!

 

 

Chicken Stroganoff

1 lb chicken breast

1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

16 oz low fat or fat free sour cream

1 packet onion soup mix

 

Place chicken in crock pot, mix other ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for about 4 hours(longer if frozen). Shred chicken and serve over pasta of your choosing!



I do have to say though, the highlight of my day may have just been seeing a post on Facebook that NBC is confirming a reunion season of Friends in the works for 2014. My favorite show of all time! So stoked for this possibility!!!!!!

Happy national grilled cheese day!

Ok so I do think its ridiculous that there is a day for everything under the sun now. However, I'm definitely on board for grilled cheese day! Who doesn't love grilled cheese?
The Pop Shop in Collingswood, NJ has about 30 grilled cheeses on their menu and have been celebrating this whole month with a special grilled cheese every day. Today was jalapeno popper grilled cheese. Guess who was super excited and drooled on her phone when she saw the picture of that?! Yep, this girl right here..and Kenny did too. We were going to go for dinner but A) we are trying to save some money and B) if you've ever eaten in the chaos that is the Pop Shop's dining room then you understand why after a long week, I opted to try and make this at home!
Their Facebook page said it was cheddar, jack, cream cheese, jalapenos, and fritos. I used sourdough bread because its my favorite. I put a thick slice of cheddar on one side and a thick slice of colby jack on the other. Added a few slices of jalapenos, and a couple dollops of cream cheese right on top of that on one side. The trick to making this was to grill each side of the sandwich seperately for a few minutes to melt eveything. Then I threw a couple of tortilla chips in there right before I put the sides together and let it grill for just another minute or two. The cream cheese got all gooey and melty..soooo good!!
Kenny added a few slices of turkey breast on his.
What's your favorite kind of grilled cheese?

My Little Man

My baby boy is 22 months old and slightly behind in the speech department. Not for any particular reason other than he just is. At his 18 month check up the pediatrician that we saw(not his normal doctor-ugh!) said that he had a delay and ordered a hearing evaluation and wanted us to start early intervention speech therapy right away. Knowing my son, and not feeling as though there was anything really wrong, I was not thrilled with this. I went ahead and did the hearing evaluation, and just like everyone thought, he was fine. My brother in law(who is an OT with major pediatric experience) did an off the record, informal early intervention type evaluation and felt he was developmentally right on target. So I got a second appointment, this time with his normal pediatrician. What a relief that was because she completely agreed that at this stage in the game there was no cause for concern. He's just simply doing things in his time- just like he did with rolling, crawling, and walking. She felt as though with a little extra encouragement from us, he'd be on the right track. He's doing great and learning new words every day. He's on the shy side when it comes to talking to others, but he talks a blue streak to me and his daddy. Could he be further along? Absolutely. Is there anything wrong with him or his development? No way. I've learned that all kids do things at their own pace and learn differently. He's on his own right path and doing great.

With all that being said, the point of my post today is to share that yesterday he said "I love you Mama" and "I love you Dada" for the first time! I had tears in my eyes it had me so happy! No greater sound than your kid telling you they love you!

 

I managed to get him to say it again for the camera, even though he's usually Michigan J. Frog when I pull out the phone or camera!

Such a proud mommy moment that I just had to share!



Midweek Deliciousness

My friend Steph blogged the other day about Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers that she had made and I immediately wanted them. I think by now you can tell I have a love for all things jalapeno! I couldn't stop thinking about them so I made them last night. You can find her version here. After looking at the original recipe, which you can find here, I decided that I liked how Steph made them more so I followed her recipe with a few tweaks for the picky eater I have (and no, I don't mean my son). I used ground turkey, 2 and 1/2 jalapenos chopped finely, and a whole crap load of cheese. I didn't have paprika and I'm not allowed to use chunks of onion(see the comment about picky eater), so I used garlic powder, onion powder, some chili powder, salt, and pepper. It was a little too cold out to grill so I pan seared them for a few minutes on each side and then threw them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. They were so good!!! Steph was right, no condiments needed.

To go with them, I made some homemade tortilla chips and a queso dip that was supposed to be a Qdoba knock off. It was just okay. I was being lazy and already had jalapenos on hand so I substituted them for the poblano peppers and I could only find savory garlic cooking cream so I think it could have been a lot better with the right ingredients. I also omitted the cilantro because I'm not a huge fan. I will give this recipe a try again and do it as its written. We ate it anyway, of course.

Today I made a meal that has recently become a favorite around here. White Bean Chicken Chili. I LOVE chili. All kinds of chili but I think this one is at the top of my list. Its light and filling and it doesn't feel weird eating it in the spring(even though mother nature still hasn't figured out that it is indeed spring!). I use 2 cans of chopped green chiles and omit the onion. I also threw in a small amount of chopped jalapeno that i happened to have on hand from yesterday's dinner. It calls for a packet of taco seasoning but I found McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning at Shoprite the first time I made this and I've used that every time since.

 This isn't spicy at all, which is surprising around here, I know! Even little K was shoveling it in tonight. I served it with rice, sour cream, shredded cheese, and a little squeeze of lime juice. What did you have for dinner tonight?