The other day for dinner Penelope wanted a sandwich, I decided to make her something a little different then her usual turkey and cheese that she loves so much. When she saw her BLTA she said "oooh fancy dancy". She enjoyed her bacon, spring green, tomato and avocado sandwich very much.
In my opinion the best BLT's are on soft white bread and slathered with mayo. What do you think?
In my opinion the best BLT's are on soft white bread and slathered with mayo. What do you think?
Earlier this week I took Penelope to Color Me Mine for a special Santa visit. Penelope had a wonderful time. Here she is waiting for the big man himself to appear. She had her Christmas letter and list all ready as she anxiously listened to the sleigh bells getting closer and closer....
Then each child got to visit with Santa and tell him what was on their Christmas list this year. Penelope asked Santa for a bike, a microphone, bubbles, balloons, and a ball...
It was time for Santa to pay some more children a visit elsewhere but he made sure to wish them all a Merry Christmas and give them a candy cane before he left. Then it was time to paint a Christmas ornament....
And finally the best for last Christmas cookies!
Penelope has been counting the days till he returns with chocolates, stories, and movies.
Santa read Twas the Night Before Christmas all the while Ho Ho Ho'ing as the children sat in awe....
Then each child got to visit with Santa and tell him what was on their Christmas list this year. Penelope asked Santa for a bike, a microphone, bubbles, balloons, and a ball...
After visiting with Santa each child got to place their little hand print on Santa's hand print for a special keepsake plate...
It was time for Santa to pay some more children a visit elsewhere but he made sure to wish them all a Merry Christmas and give them a candy cane before he left. Then it was time to paint a Christmas ornament....
And finally the best for last Christmas cookies!
Penelope has been counting the days till he returns with chocolates, stories, and movies.
Can you guess what Penelope and I did? That's right we made lemonade from our very own lemon tree! I know what you are thinking, lemonade in winter? Hey, we live in California now everyday is a good day for lemonade here. :) This was Penelope's first time making lemonade, she said it was fun but a little boring. HAHA, I agree squeezing the juice out of those lemons was a bit tedious.
She loved the outcome of all her hard work though. She said it was the best lemonade ever!
How was your Thanksgiving? We had a wonderful time with family in Reedsport, Oregon. Ate way too much and even had my first experience Black Friday shopping. We drove up and decided we would take highway 101 since I had never driven through the Redwoods. It was sooo beautiful! Here are a few pics on the way...
If you have never seen the Redwoods you must, those trees are HUGE!
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| Big Tree Stump |
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| Drive Through Tree |
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| Driving Through |
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| We Made It! |
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| Enjoying the scenery with her puppy |
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| Watch out! |
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| Where's Penelope? |
If you have never seen the Redwoods you must, those trees are HUGE!
Last night I made beef chimis for dinner. A Chimichanga ( isn't this a fun word to say) is basically a burrito filled with deliciousness that has been deep fried. Oh yeah!
Beef Chimichanga
For the filling:
1 pound of ground beef
Chopped tomato
Chopped onion
Sliced black olives
Minced garlic
Cumin
Salt & Pepper
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas
Cooking oil
Brown your beef adding as much tomato, onion, and olives as you desire. Add the seasonings to taste. I also added some Mexican style hot tomato sauce because Chris likes his filling saucy. Take your flour tortillas and warm them so that they don't tear when you start to roll them up. Fill the middle of each tortilla (we used low carb wraps) with the meat filling and plenty of cheese and roll up. The proper way to roll up a burrito so that the insides don't come falling out is to fold each end in first and then roll your tortilla all the way using your fingers to keep the ends folded and the filling in the middle. You want the ends to be sealed trapping all the good stuff inside.
In a frying pan heat enough oil so that the burritos are halfway covered. You want to start frying seam side down to keep the burrito from opening up. Make sure your cooking oil is hot enough so that when you put your burrito in it starts to fry up immediately. You don't want it soaking up too much oil. You also want to make sure it's not too hot or your chimi will burn to a crisp. These suckers fry up fast. One way to make sure your oil is at the right temperature is by testing it with a wooden spoon. As soon as your wooden spoon starts to form little oil bubbles around it when you place it in the oil your oil should be good to go. Flip your burrito over once it has achieved a golden brown color and fry on the other side. Remove the chimis and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Serve these with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Every time I make chimichangas whether they are filled with chicken or beef Chris always comments that he could eat about ten of them. They are FRIED burritos after all!
Beef Chimichanga
For the filling:
1 pound of ground beef
Chopped tomato
Chopped onion
Sliced black olives
Minced garlic
Cumin
Salt & Pepper
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas
Cooking oil
Brown your beef adding as much tomato, onion, and olives as you desire. Add the seasonings to taste. I also added some Mexican style hot tomato sauce because Chris likes his filling saucy. Take your flour tortillas and warm them so that they don't tear when you start to roll them up. Fill the middle of each tortilla (we used low carb wraps) with the meat filling and plenty of cheese and roll up. The proper way to roll up a burrito so that the insides don't come falling out is to fold each end in first and then roll your tortilla all the way using your fingers to keep the ends folded and the filling in the middle. You want the ends to be sealed trapping all the good stuff inside.
In a frying pan heat enough oil so that the burritos are halfway covered. You want to start frying seam side down to keep the burrito from opening up. Make sure your cooking oil is hot enough so that when you put your burrito in it starts to fry up immediately. You don't want it soaking up too much oil. You also want to make sure it's not too hot or your chimi will burn to a crisp. These suckers fry up fast. One way to make sure your oil is at the right temperature is by testing it with a wooden spoon. As soon as your wooden spoon starts to form little oil bubbles around it when you place it in the oil your oil should be good to go. Flip your burrito over once it has achieved a golden brown color and fry on the other side. Remove the chimis and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
Serve these with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Every time I make chimichangas whether they are filled with chicken or beef Chris always comments that he could eat about ten of them. They are FRIED burritos after all!
Stuffed Jalapenos are the perfect little snack, appetizer or side. They are oh so yummy and oh so addictive.
Stuffed Jalapenos
Jalapenos! As many as you would like to make. 1 whole jalapeno will make 2 little morsels of goodness.
Cream cheese
Bacon! 1 strip per jalapeno half
Take each jalapeno and cut in half. Clean out the inside seeds and veins. It's easiest to do this under running water. Once the jalapenos are cleaned stuff each half with cream cheese and then take one whole bacon slice and wrap it around the jalapeno.
Make sure you use a whole slice per jalapeno s half otherwise when the bacon cooks up and shrinks it will unwrap itself from the jalapeno. *see below* Place the wrapped and stuffed jalapenos on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the bacon is crispy. Enjoy
Tip* Not a fan of things that are too spicy? Remember that the older a jalapeno is the hotter it will be. If you want your jalapeno to be as mild as can be make sure you pick at the newest, shiniest, greenest, jalapeno in your grocery store. Older ones that are starting to darken in color, turn red, have puckered skin, or brown lines in them will tend to be spicier. Also removing and cleaning out the seeds and veins will help eliminate some of the spiciness as well.
Stuffed Jalapenos
Jalapenos! As many as you would like to make. 1 whole jalapeno will make 2 little morsels of goodness.
Cream cheese
Bacon! 1 strip per jalapeno half
Take each jalapeno and cut in half. Clean out the inside seeds and veins. It's easiest to do this under running water. Once the jalapenos are cleaned stuff each half with cream cheese and then take one whole bacon slice and wrap it around the jalapeno.
Make sure you use a whole slice per jalapeno s half otherwise when the bacon cooks up and shrinks it will unwrap itself from the jalapeno. *see below* Place the wrapped and stuffed jalapenos on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the bacon is crispy. Enjoy
Tip* Not a fan of things that are too spicy? Remember that the older a jalapeno is the hotter it will be. If you want your jalapeno to be as mild as can be make sure you pick at the newest, shiniest, greenest, jalapeno in your grocery store. Older ones that are starting to darken in color, turn red, have puckered skin, or brown lines in them will tend to be spicier. Also removing and cleaning out the seeds and veins will help eliminate some of the spiciness as well.
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| *See the little guy that was lacking in bacon! |
