Teacher Valentine Gift

This year's teacher valentine gifts are marshmallow pops. We used strawberry marshmallows dipped in chocolate and some with pink sugar crystals.

This was super easy and the kids had fun making them (and eating a few too). You have to like marshmallows to like these, but they are totally fun to eat. We stuck with strawberry marshmallows since they are pink and this was for valentine's day, but I had no idea the selection of marshmallows available. There were toasted coconut, caramel and vanilla, chocolate and vanilla and strawberry.

Check out all the cool flavor combinations they came up with at Our Best Bites.

linking up this project at:

Potato Enchiladas - Part II

Want to know what happened to Potato Enchiladas - Part I? Read this.

I got the idea to make potato enchiladas when I saw potato tacos on the menu at my favorite mexican restaurant (Juan's). I've never actually tried them and have no idea if these enchiladas are even similar to the tacos, but they were the inspiration.

Ingredients:

5 med potatoes, peeled, diced
1 small onion, chopped
corn tortillas
1 7oz can diced green chiles
2 12oz cans Hatch green enchilada sauce
salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 Tbsp sour cream

Boil potato cubes until just tender. Place onions and potatoes over med-high heat, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin, to taste. Saute until just beginning to brown. Reduce heat to med., add 1/4 cup green enchilada sauce, simmer until potatoes absorb some of the sauce (should be consistency of wet potatoes, not soupy). Stir in green chiles.

Place potato mix in bowl, stir in 4Tbsp sour cream until coated.

Pour a couple of Tbsp green enchilada sauce in bottom of 9x13 in pan to coat. Cover bottom of pan with corn tortillas (I made a layered enchilada b/c it is easier than individually rolling the enchiladas, but you could roll them too). Spread 1/2 potato mix over tortillas, sprinkle with about 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Top with more tortillas, spread remaining potatoes, sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, cover with tortillas.

Mix remaining enchilada sauce with 2Tbsp sour cream. Pour sauce over top of enchiladas until coated (I didn't use all of it). Sprinkle remaining 2cups cheese over top. Cover and bake on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15min more. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

I loved this! I did not boil the potatoes first b/c I thought I was cooking them long enough in the pan. But there were some undercooked potatoes. Que Lastima! I was sooooo disappointed with the hard potatoes because the flavor was excellent. Even with the undercooked potatoes, I had two servings. My family did not feel the same about the crunchy potatoes and couldn't eat it :(

So, I added to the recipe to boil the potatoes first. If the potatoes were properly cooked, this would be totally delicious! I think the Hatch green enchilada sauce is what really makes this recipe. I have used Las Palmas, and Macayos green sauce which were both good, but this sauce is definitely better.

I am going to try to bake them again for a long time in hopes of softening the potatoes. But even if it doesnt work, I'll still eat them, because they are that good!

Cheesy Potatoes

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law, Katherine.

She gave this to me a couple of years ago and my kids (and husband) request these for every potluck or get together we have. I feel like people will begin to think it is the only thing I know how to make since it is the only thing I ever bring anywhere. I have actually started bringing two things now. My husband and kids could eat these everyday and never tire of them. Luckily, they are super easy!

I have seen similar potato dishes at parties with different variations, but I like these the best.

1 bag frozen hashbrowns
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 16oz container sour cream
salt, pepper, garlic powder
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided in half)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
approx. 4 handfuls of potato chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix hash browns, sour cream, soup and 2 cups of cheese in a mixing bowl (I use 2 mixing bowls to make it easier to work with), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Spread mixture in 9x13 baking pan, cover with remaining 2 cups cheese, dot with butter, sprinkle crushed potato chips over top.

Bake covered for 1 hour, uncover and bake another 20min.

On The Fast Track

So, it's February 7th, 2011. I guess it's about time for me to contribute to this blog.

As you've read, Jess has been doing a tremendous amount of work helping remake our family. Her cooking, if you've sampled any of her recipes, is tremendous. It's been amazing for me and the kids to see her moving around the kitchen, cutting this, chopping that, heating this mixture until it starts to bubble, dropping that one into the rest at just the right time.

Basically, you should come over for dinner some time.

But, besides saving us money and allowing us to savor meals instead of just eating them (fast food truly is not that great if you're honest about it), Jess's cooking has really opened up room for God in our family. I can't tell you how much easier it is to pray over a meal, to be thankful for it, when you've had to wait for it, when somebody has poured love into it. Jessica's cooking has really started to transform our family.

Okay, so why the "fast" track? Um, well... I came into 2011 with a plan to fast one day a week for a year. I wasn't sure why. I've fasted quite a bit in the past, at least a few times a year. But, nothing as drastic as my plan for this year. If I had to hazard a guess to my reasoning, fasting a day a week sounded like a challenge. It sounded like something I could puff my chest about. And hopefully lose a ton of weight while doing it.

Guess what?

I failed miserably.

My plan was to fast Thursday night to Friday night. I tried numerous times, and every time... give me that grub.

So, why admit it on this blog? Well, I'm at it again. But, this time with a new perspective thanks to something we've been talking about at Chrio Communities (look it up or ask me or Jess and stop by some Sunday.) Basically, we've been challenging each other and ourselves to open up space in our lives for God.

There's lots of ways to do that: read the Bible, pray, spend time serving in the community... all great things for sure, and things we're doing. But, somebody floated the idea that fasting was a good way to open room for God.

Okay, all the Christians in the house (and Muslims, Budhists, Yogis, & Hari Krishnas for that matter) say, "No, duh." I'm not exactly breaking new ground, I know. But, I'm not sure I've ever approached fasting this way before... not expecting a thing... just leaving room in my stomach and in my heart... and trusting in God to fill the space in any way He wishes.

So, with that in mind, I was able to fast for the first time this year.... Friday night to Saturday night. It wasn't that hard this time. And, guess what? God didn't blow my mind with any revelations about anything. At times, I felt calm.... or dizzy... or really damn hungry. One thing I did notice, I didn't agonize over the stuff I normally do. And when I started to worry, I just talked to God about it. Conversation with Him was easier and more natural, and it's remained that way for the past few days.

So, at sundown tonight I started a 2nd day of fasting this month. I've missed five Friday fasts so far, and I'd like to make them up. So, God willing, the plan is to fast every third day for the rest of February.

Not sure if I'll make it, but I'll be praying that I do.

I'll update you along the way.

And if this kind of post isn't your thing. Don't worry. Jess will still be coming correct with the recipes!

Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained, liquid reserved
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp Tahini

3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 jalapenos, seeded
1 cup cilantro leaves

Hummus is very versatile and can be made to suit your individual taste, so these measurements are just approx. of what I use for my taste, but I am tasting and adjusting as I go along. Many hummus recipes call for 1/3 cup or more of tahini, I prefer to use less as this is what gives hummus its bitter taste (and I like less of that). I add more garlic than many recipes call for because I like it garlicky. So add or subtract these main ingredients based on how you like your hummus. You can also use far less olive oil (or even no oil) by increasing the amount of liquid from the beans you use. I like the texture that olive oil gives it, so I don't reduce it, but the flavor is the same without it.

Directions:

I like to saute my garbanzo beans with the garlic first, but this step is also unnecessary. Cook the beans in a saute pan with the chopped garlic cloves until both just start to brown (not too much), add salt and pepper. (If you are skipping the cooking step, add salt and pepper with all the other ingredients in the next step).

Put beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, some of the reserved liquid from the canned beans in food processor. Add more liquid to get desired consistency (I usually use almost all of the reserved liquid, if you like it thicker, use less).

Add jalapenos and cilantro, puree until well blended. The beans, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini are the basic hummus ingredients. At this point, you can add anything that sounds good to you. I have made roasted red pepper hummus, feta, toasted pine nuts, basil pesto, sun dried tomato. Whatever sounds good to you. The jalapeno is my favorite though.

Blend olive oil into food processor last, until desired texture.

Stop and taste frequently throughout and adjust to your preferences. You can do this in a blender too if you don't have a food processor, works just as well.

The pictures are for a larger quantity as I made this for our super bowl party.

Serve with pita or naan or chips or veggies! Enjoy!

Sunday Brunch Baked French Toast

Adapted from All Recipes

1 lb French bread, cut into 1 1/2 - 2" slices
6 eggs
2 cups half and half
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp corn syrup

Butter a 9x13 baking dish, arrange bread slices tightly in pan. I toasted the bread on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes first. This can also be achieved by letting the bread sit out and become crusty as well.

Beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour mixture over bread, cover and refrigerate over night.

The next morning, let pan come to room temperature while preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Flip bread slices over and cook covered for 20 min. While cooking, make the sauce.

Sauce:
Heat butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in sauce pan, until bubbly, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over bread and put back in oven uncovered for 20 more minutes.

This was very good. The sauce is what makes it so good, comes out a little like a caramel sauce, the edges of some pieces are even a little crispy. Yum! Next time, I would cut the bread pieces into smaller chunks (still 2" thick) to make it a little easier to handle when serving it up and less need for cutting when eating.

Happy February!

We are officially through our first month of no eating out. We had two birthdays in January (which is one of the exceptions to our rule) and after a 2 hour trip to the urgent care, we let Amelia pick where she wanted to eat dinner that night (going out to eat helps injuries heal much faster). So, we met our goal. And no fast food so far this year! Oh, and how could I forget to mention, we managed to get our Christmas tree put away before February!

So, how is your February shaping up so far? My first meal of February ended up like this:

These are potato enchiladas after the dog has knocked the entire pan off the counter. Actually, these are potato enchiladas after I swept them into a pile as the glass pan shrapnel was originally scattered all over the kitchen. I will be making these again as I was super excited to try my new creation. And super disappointed that my stupid dog ruined it. I am dubbing February "potato month". Don't ask why, just go with it. So, stay tuned for some unique potato recipes this month.

Day 2 of February, I bought a new planner. I know, it's Feb and I am just buying a planner for 2011. I know, who the heck uses paper planners anymore? I just can't get away from my need for things to be on paper. Now, if someone can just explain to me why a paper calendar bound into a notebook has to cost so much? I know, because no one uses them anymore! While I was buying my planner, I found these cool pens made from recycled water bottles:

They are refillable too. How cool is that? As I am purchasing my cool pens and my overpriced planner, the cashier commented "Wow, you drive a long way to work" (because, of course, I had to sign up for a "rewards" card which required my address). To which I replied, "yeah, 20 miles, but don't most people in the Phoenix area drive that far to work?" To which the customer in line behind me felt the need to chime in "NO! I refuse to drive more than 10 miles to work!" Then the customer and the cashier proceed to have a whole conversation about commuting. And I am thinking, none of this even matters since I only actually drive to the office 1 or 2 days per week. The rest of the time I am out in the field in which I am driving way more than 20 miles one way most times. So, while this lady is "refusing" to drive more than 10 miles to work, I am driving from Mesa to Waddell. Where's Waddell, you ask? Exactly! Shut up, I am buying recycled pens!

Ok, back to the love.

Let's not let the dogs and the fact that I am ruining the Earth with all of my driving take away from the LOVE theme of February.

In keeping with the theme, here are some really cool valentine crafts that I will spend hours looking at and "planning" to make, but will never actually make any of them. But, that doesn't make them any less cool. So, check it out and maybe some of you will actually make some of these things:

Crayon Hearts from Skip to My Lou

Pie Pops from Our Best Bites

Valentine Tree from Homeschool Blogger

Sewn Paper Valentines from The Purl Bee

Fabric Window Valentines from The Purl Bee