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!
 |
| Big Tree Stump |
 |
| Drive Through Tree |
 |
| Driving Through |
 |
| We Made It! |
 |
| Enjoying the scenery with her puppy |
 |
| Watch out! |
 |
| 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.
 |
| *See the little guy that was lacking in bacon! |
Look at the pretty tropical arrangement Chris sent me just because. Just one more reminder that we are not in Alaska anymore.
Penelope and I visited a pumpkin patch with friends a few days ago. I got some great photos of her enjoying the day.
Later that evening we got together with friends and had the kiddos paint the pumpkins they picked at the patch.
Having your little ones paint pumpkin creations is a great way to keep them busy while you do some pumpkin carving.
Here is the pumpkin I carved this year. I let Penelope draw the face on it and I cut it out. She decided after it was all said and done that she did not like the ears and proceeded to cry and say her pumpkin was ugly.
The fact that I kept calling it a pumpkin monkey did not make it any better. :)
On Halloween I took Penelope to Barnes & Noble's in store trick or treating and then we headed to our church's festival where we enjoyed a hay ride, entered a costume contest, and played some games.
Meet the newest member of our family...
Nemo, who Penelope won during a game of ball toss. Had I known she would actually get the ball into the bowl I would have distracted her away from this game.
Looking forwarded to spending Thanksgiving with family next.
Later that evening we got together with friends and had the kiddos paint the pumpkins they picked at the patch.
Having your little ones paint pumpkin creations is a great way to keep them busy while you do some pumpkin carving.
Here is the pumpkin I carved this year. I let Penelope draw the face on it and I cut it out. She decided after it was all said and done that she did not like the ears and proceeded to cry and say her pumpkin was ugly.
On Halloween I took Penelope to Barnes & Noble's in store trick or treating and then we headed to our church's festival where we enjoyed a hay ride, entered a costume contest, and played some games.
Meet the newest member of our family...
 |
| Can you find Nemo? |
Nemo, who Penelope won during a game of ball toss. Had I known she would actually get the ball into the bowl I would have distracted her away from this game.
Looking forwarded to spending Thanksgiving with family next.
 |
| Happy Halloween |
Last week Penelope graduated from Starfish to Seahorse in swimming. So proud of her!
This picture was taken with my phone after she was presented with her ribbon. My phone takes terrible pictures. :)
Today I made her a celebratory lunch.
Top tier: Cucumbers w/ Ranch, blueberries, grape gummies
Bottom Tier: Turkey, ham, and cheese seahorse sandwich, cashews, and roasted Nori strips
Today I made her a celebratory lunch.
Top tier: Cucumbers w/ Ranch, blueberries, grape gummies
Bottom Tier: Turkey, ham, and cheese seahorse sandwich, cashews, and roasted Nori strips
 |
| So Big! |
The other day Chris bought me a new kitchen toy, it was on sale! So today I pulled out my new deep fryer and made yummy crispy wings.
I fried them at 375 for 12 minutes which made a batch of crispy perfection.
I took two plastic bags and filled one with Parmesan and garlic salt with parsley, and the other with lemon pepper and salt to make Wing stop copycat Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper wings. Only these were so much better because they were super crisp! Placed the wings in the bags and shook them up till they were covered in tasty seasoning.
These were served with blue cheese and celery sticks. Penelope loved the garlic Parmesan wings and said she could have ate more and more and more.
I fried them at 375 for 12 minutes which made a batch of crispy perfection.
I took two plastic bags and filled one with Parmesan and garlic salt with parsley, and the other with lemon pepper and salt to make Wing stop copycat Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper wings. Only these were so much better because they were super crisp! Placed the wings in the bags and shook them up till they were covered in tasty seasoning.
These were served with blue cheese and celery sticks. Penelope loved the garlic Parmesan wings and said she could have ate more and more and more.
Meet the newest member of our family, 8 week old Timber. He is a German Shepherd and is so darn cute! Penelope is having a blast with him!
I had some ground beef that needed to be used up today, so I decided to make some cheeseburger sliders to freeze for a quick bite for Penelope.
I love these cute lil' buns from Trader Joe's! I formed the ground beef into flavorful. just the right size, patties and then topped each with sliced cheddar cheese. Make sure the meat is cool before you start to assemble these little guys. Also make sure you partially freeze them on a flat surface so they don't stick together.
Then all you have to do is put them in a freezer baggy in the freezer until your ready to gobble one up. Just wrap in a paper towel and microwave for about a minute and you got a tasty little quick and tasty slider.
Penelope had her very first swimming lesson today. She did great and really enjoyed it, I on the other hand was a nervous wreck!
Here is Penelope's bento today. She loved it and said "so many yummy things to eat, I don't know where to start".
Top tier: Blueberries, banana, ranch for dipping, cottage cheese.
Bottom tier: Broccoli trees, turkey and cheese house sandwich, banana sun.
A couple nights ago Penelope asked if I would make her a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for dinner. Why not?
I got to try out my new toaster for the first time. My mom gave this to me for my birthday, cute right? :)
Here are a few tips on making a really yummy bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich....
1. Slather on the mayo.
2. Make sure your egg is cooked over medium, not too runny with just the right amount of yolk when you bite into it.
3. Fry your egg in bacon grease, duh!
4. Use ooey gooey cheddar cheese.
5. Pile on the bacon.
Penelope loves a good bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
I got to try out my new toaster for the first time. My mom gave this to me for my birthday, cute right? :)
Here are a few tips on making a really yummy bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich....
1. Slather on the mayo.
2. Make sure your egg is cooked over medium, not too runny with just the right amount of yolk when you bite into it.
3. Fry your egg in bacon grease, duh!
4. Use ooey gooey cheddar cheese.
5. Pile on the bacon.
Penelope loves a good bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
Now that we are finally getting settled in I can start making Penelope her "special surprise" lunches. Here is her first Bakersfield bento second time around.
Top Tier: Tuna salad, crackers, baby carrots, green olives
Bottom Tier: Red grapes and trail mix with banana chips, chocolate covered peanuts, raisins, and cashews.
We had a fun day today celebrating her friend Destiny's 5th birthday. We are partied out now. Sweet dreams!
We are starting to get settled into our new home. Penelope started preschool today She will be going 2 days a week for 4 hours. She was so excited, I of course was a nervous wreck. Her new preschool feeds them a snack in the morning and then lunch. Today she had crackers and a smoothie for snack and beefy pasta, green beans and pineapple for lunch. I asked her how her lunch was and she said it was okay but some of the green beans looked kinda icky so she didn't eat them. Unfortunately they frown upon the kiddos taking lunch in from home, I guess they don't want the children drooling over each others lunches. :) I have also enrolled Penelope in My Gym again and I am looking into dance so we will be keeping a busy schedule. We got some furniture delivered today and I am working on unpacking all our boxes. We are still trying to get used to the hot weather it's been in the high 90's since we got here. Thank you Lord for AC! I think I am having a harder time adjusting after living in a small town of 5000 people for the last couple of years and then coming here where you can't get away from anyone. I know I grew up in a big city but I am so not a big city person. I tend to feel anxious when there is too much going on and people and cars everywhere. I am sure I will get accustomed to it again though. Tomorrow we will be spending time with friends and getting some more work around the house done. Wheee!
 |
| First day of Preschool 2012 |
