Back in the Swing of Things...Menu-wise at least

At the beginning of this year I had this grand idea that I would blog every day, or at least a few times a week. I did really well for a while but, like all New Year's-type resolutions, it slowly faded out. This summer, with the kiddos being at grandma's, Brandon and I didn't really have a set meal schedule. Some nights we ate yogurt and crackers....

But, the school year has begun and we are back on track. I had this idea that I would post the menu's I've had since the beginning of school but now I can't find them. And so I'm posting this one for the upcoming two weeks.

As usual if you want any of the recipes please let me know. I've been indulging heavily in Pinterest lately and many of the recipes that have been making the list have not only been new, but have primarily been from Pinterest.

You'll notice that we have quite a few Crockpot meals. Since soccer started we've either got practice or games 6 days a week. And starting tomorrow Logan will be wrestling three times a week as well so I'm relying on the 'ol Crockpot to help us stay on budget and help us continue to have healthy meals at home.

• Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff
• Fish Tacos - Pinquito beans
• Ham, Potato & Cabbage Soup
• Chicken Tamale Pie
• Crockpot French Dips - Autumn Salad
• Tortellini Soup (I've posted this recipe before. It's Logan's favorite)
• Crockpot Sweet-n-Sour Chicken - Rice
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Crockpot Red Beans & Rice
• Quiche
• Crockpot Minestrone
• Burgers - Beet chips
• Crockpot Ranch Pork Roast
• Stuffed Peppers - mashed potatoes

I've included a few of our old standby's in this menu because I've been trying so many new recipes we haven't really been having some of our normal favorites. Plus, I know how to put them together without a recipe which saves me time.

I also bought the ingredients and this weekend tried a new recipe for Crockpot Oatmeal that you cook overnight. I always like to make sure the kiddo's get a hearty energy-charged meal before soccer games and so this particular recipe with steel cut oats, apples, and chia seeds was perfect. We woke up to a wonderful smelling house and a delicious breakfast. And both of the kids had excellent games. I'm going to go ahead and attribute that to my oatmeal. ;)

Happy October!

Apparently I only like Kraft....

I have never been a fan of mac-n-cheese. I do like the Kraft stuff but nothing else. No off brand, definitely no Velveeta, and no homemade. I would probably even turn my nose up at your grandma's famous recipe. I don't know why I don't care for it but I just never have.

However, I have been pretty infatuated with trying Pinterest recipes and this one had rave reviews (and I'm in LOVE with goat cheese) so we tried it.

Here's the recipe from Cook Like a Champion. These are my pictures of the process.

Three Cheese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

3/4 pound penne (I used rotini because I didn't have any penne)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
5-ounce log goat cheese
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup packed freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)
1 extra large egg yolk

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400º. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
-Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring heavy cream, onion and garlic to a simmer.

-Transfer 1/2 cup of the cream to a medium bowl and gradually whisk in flour; return mixture to saucepan. Set the bowl aside for later.
-Whisk over moderate heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and whisk in goat cheese, cheddar and half of the Parmigiano until melted.

-Stir or in the sour cream, zest and 1 teaspoon thyme and season with salt and pepper.

-Add egg yolk to medium bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Whisk egg/sauce mixture back into saucepan.
-Pour cheese sauce over pasta and toss to coat evenly.

-Add pasta to cast-iron skillet and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano. Bake for about 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.

-Allow mac and cheese to rest for about 5 minutes (if you can stand it), then serve.

 
Serves 4 as an entrée

Now don't get me wrong, it was ok. But I didn't feel like there was enough flavor to it which is surprising considering the pungent taste of goat cheese and the sharp white cheddar. I wouldn't make it again but I'm sure there are plenty of people who would find it delicious. As a side note, the wine - Cellarmaster's Riesling from Columbia Wineries - and asparagus were phenomenal.

Back to it

So I have not been faithful in keeping up on my blog. I should. I sit on the couch every night for at least an hour. There's no reason why I can't be blogging. But sometimes life gets in the way and the only thing you can do is stare into a technological oblivion and do nothing.

But I'm using this first day of fall to renew my use of my little ol' blog. For me fall brings so many wonderful things - watching my kids play their hearts out on the soccer field, baking new Pinteresting recipes (yes, I am going to start cooking/baking again more regularly), breaking out my comfy old sweaters, dusting off my Romeo's, listening to fun and exciting stories about school from my kiddos, Halloween, the list goes on and on. While I'm sad that I spent the evening putting away my sandals (goodbye motivation to keep my toes pretty), I am happy for fall to be here.

Stay tuned for more of my crazy life and good cookin'!

Back to School!

Today is the first day of school. Every year I feel like I've been planning early and then every year I feel rushed at the last minute. Last night I was frantically separating the load of stuff that I needed to take in to the classroom for the kids. I was making printables for the cover of their notebooks and making new labels for their pencil boxes (can't leave them to just be boring, plain $0.50 boxes ya know!) Back to school means back to a hectic schedule - bedtimes, homework, lunches, fall soccer.

This year Lilly is going into 5th grade. I CAN'T believe it! How do I have a fifth grader? I still remember picking out my favorite new shirt with matching skirt/leggings for my first day of fifth grade. Right now she could be wearing the exact same thing. Whose idea was it to bring back the eighties? Was it not bad enough the first time around? She is starting her last year in elementary school....sometimes you forget at what point in life your kids really start remembering things from their childhood. I remember 5th grade like it was yesterday!

Logan is starting 3rd grade this year. Unlike Lilly, he seems a little more melancholy about going back to school. I picked out his clothes this morning. He wanted to wear an old hand-me-down t-shirt and a pair of old basketball shorts. And maybe I should've let him. Why do I care what he's wearing if he is comfortable? As I left him in line at his classroom this morning he was messing with a spider and not talking to any of his classmates. He can be so social and engaging and yet also be so down on himself thinking nobody likes him. As a mom I feel terrible when I can't make everything awesome every day. I know kids have to live through things and have their own experiences but it is so hard to watch them feeling blue. I'm really hoping for a good report from him when he gets home today. No matter what, he has soccer tonight so I know even if he has the doldrums he'll be happy soon enough!

I don't know what I'm going to do when we're driving them off to college and come home to their empty rooms. I was so happy this morning when I sent Lilly a text asking if she wanted me to wait at the school for her bus to come and she said yes. Apparently they still need their Momma for a little while longer - thank goodness!

My Boy's Favorite Meal....Right Now

On their birthday we have always let the kids pick whatever they want to have for dinner - restaurant, favorite meal Mom makes, whatever they want really. A few days ago it was my son's birthday. Now, we are foodies - we love food. I love cooking. I love using fresh ingredients, I love making new things, and I love experimenting with foods we've never had before. I am always in search of a new recipe that everyone will love. And my biggest fan? Logan. While Brandon has definitely given me accolades throughout the years, and really every day, Logan is by far my most vivacious fan. He never fails to let me know how delicious the food I make is, or how lucky he is for having a Mommy that is such a good cook. Honestly, I'm getting worried for his future wife...hope she will have some talent in the kitchen!

Anyway, for my Logan's birthday dinner he didn't want to go to a restaurant, he didn't want hot dogs, or macaroni, or any other kid-type food, he asked for my Tortellini Meatball Soup!

Now I must give credit where credit is due. I started with this recipe out of the March/April 2009 issue of Country Home, but of course I've tweaked it a bit.

I encourage you to try it. It really is delicious....and fast.

Tortellini Meatball Soup

Ingredients:
8 oz. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's)
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. chopped Walla Walla Sweet onion
10 baby carrots, quartered lengthwise and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 quarts of water
6 teaspoons of beef bouillon base (you could use bouillon cubes)
12 oz. refrigerated tri-color cheese tortellini
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3-4 c. fresh baby spinach, chopped
5 Tbsp. chopped bottled roasted red pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

1. First make the meatballs my mixing the sausage and the breadcrumbs together. Shape into thirty-six to forty meatballs (they should be fairly small).

2. In a dutch oven heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes or until tender.

3. Add water and bouillon and heat to boiling. Add raw meatballs, tortellini and Italian seasoning. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes.

4. Add spinach, red pepper and lemon juice. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes or more or until tortellini are done.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in fresh basil. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Honestly, this soup is delicious. Paired with homemade beer bread (my sister's recipe is fantastic!), or fresh french bread you can't beat it. And it's even light enough to have in the summer!

Bloglovin

Was turned on to this new website tonight. I keep finding more and more blogs that I'd like to read now and then. This website will update you when a new blog post is up and help you follow the blogs you love!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3767883/wish-in-one-hand?claim=mh45n5qd7n7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

My Baby Boy is 8!

8 years ago today I got up in the morning, took a shower, curled my hair, put my make-up on and headed to the hospital to have a baby. Yes, Logan was a planned C-section. And after the 72 hours I was in labor with Lilly I was more than happy to have it this way!

He was born at 1:35 pm, on June 1, 2004. He was 8 lbs. 3oz. and was 21 inches long. At first glance he was a happy, healthy little boy. We wheeled back to our room and introduced our new son to our family who was there waiting for us. Everyone got a chance to hold him as he was passed around the room. In what seemed like only a second after I got to hold him (last of course!), the nurse scooped him up. "He's turning blue! We have to take him!" and off he went. Brandon scurried along with the nurse to the NICU. Turns out he had swallowed a blood clot on his way out and it went into his lung. They had to put him on an IV, and he had to stay in the NICU under an oxygen hood.

This was not the experience I had thought I would have when we got in the car at 5am that morning. Lilly had a little trouble when she was born but she was back in the room within a few hours. Logan ended up having to stay in the NICU for 8 days. When they discharged me after 3 days, I was adamant that I would not leave the hospital without my baby. For a few days they had an extra bed on another vacant floor that they allowed us to stay in but on day 5 there was a baby explosion and they were handling overflow from the birthing floor in the room we were staying in. Again, I refused to leave. Even after my Doctor told me that I better get home and recover myself I couldn't bring myself to leave that hospital. That night I slept on the couch in the waiting area. Every waking moment that we could spend in the NICU (they do shift change twice a day) we did.

Finally, after 8 days in the NICU, he was able to come home. He was 7lbs 13 oz. when we left the hospital on June 9th (Daddy's birthday).

When we went to his first visit with HIS pediatrician he was 10lbs 1 oz. They thought the hospital made a mistake! But I watched them weigh him both times and it wasn't any wonder to me. That first 6 days of only IV feeding had taught him a lesson, he was never planning to go hungry again!

Over the following 8 years we have had a million laughs with our little boy. Here are some pictures from the first few years:

Logan has always been excited about his birthday parties. This year though, this year he's been planning his birthday party since January....who he wants to invite, what he wants to do, the cake he wants, the toys he wants. We finally decided on a water fight birthday party. He and the hubs have been working on an obstacle course and war zone out in the yard for over a week. He CAN'T wait. Yesterday, after a long evening of running the obstacle course he desperately needed a shower. I was downstairs doing some work on my laptop. There was  such a racket coming from upstairs I had to run up there to check it out. Through the shower curtain this is what I heard:



It was so hard not to laugh out loud while I was sitting there listening. He still doesn't know I've posted it on Facebook (or YouTube) and now on the blog so SSShhhhh! He will kill me!

Happy Birthday Logan! You are my FAVORITE son!

Menu Hiatus

So, I haven't been very good about maintaining my menu's. Seems something kept getting in the way: the kitchen being remodeled, four baseball games and a soccer game in 1 week, meeting and after meeting after meeting.

Don't get me wrong, we still ate (none of us are the type to skip a meal)....we just ate whatever we happened to have around and could put together quickly. In light of that I thought I'd list a few of our go-to dinners so that we don't have to eat out and waste money and we can maintain a more healthy diet.

• Spaghetti
• Stir Fry (with whatever meat & veggies we have around)
• Potstickers, Egg Rolls and Rice
• Sauce Marco Polo (a tuna dish so no thawing necessary)
• Make-your-own-pizzas
• Fettucine Alfredo (I always keep sauce packets on hand in case of emergency)
• Hot dogs
• Hamburgers
• Quesadillas
• Tacos

This is not an all inclusive list, but some pretty common standbys for us. Anyone have any other quick go-to meal ideas? I'd love to expand my collection. If you send me a recipe and I try it I will post it here with my thoughts. :)

P.S. We've been better at adhering to a menu starting this week. I will post it shortly.

Inappropriate but funny

This new phenomena of ecards is cracking me up. I know they are inappropriate, but they are hilarious - much like me and the hubs.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

I just had to share.... :)

Why losing my eye was the best thing that ever happened to me...

My name is Jezebel. I am a 16 year old female Russian Blue mix cat. I was born to a family and was called Maritabelle until I was 3 years old. Then they moved and left me at the pound.

One spring day I was hidden in the back of this box I found myself in, attempting to escape my prison, when this college girl and her boyfriend came in and opened my cage. I was nervous and scared but I wanted to be held. At first she picked me up and laid me on my back in her arms which I do NOT like. But I arranged myself in my favorite position: head on the shoulder, belly against chest. They hemmed and hawed, she sweetly batted her eyes at her boyfriend which looked to me like, "Can we keep her?"

Next thing I know I'm getting put in a box, then in a car, and then in a new house. First we lived in a duplex in Bellingham with 5 guys and my new mommy but that was only for a couple of days. I say first because we moved; we moved A LOT. I loved my new family. They kept me inside and always had a clean litterbox for me. I got my crunchies and I also got scraps from whomever came over, got drunk and dropped food.

Over the next few years our lives were constantly changing. We moved. My Mom and Dad graduated from college. They got engaged. We moved. My Mom and Dad got married. We moved. My Mom had a baby. We moved. They got a dog. He panted ALL the time. I hissed at him and peed on my Mom's bed to show my discontent. I turned into an inside/outside cat. My Mom had another baby. The dog found a new home. We moved - to the home we still live in today - the longest we've lived in one spot since my Mom and Dad lived at the homes they grew up in.

This new place was set out in the woods. They kept me in for a while to make sure I knew this was my home but eventually they let me out. They got another dog. I peed on their bed again. Apparently they didn't remember that I don't particularly like dogs. They got another dog. They tried to introduce us but his gigantic head scared me and I scratched his eyeball. Then I peed on their bed again. I found myself looking at the door...a lot. No amount of scratching or crying seemed to do the trick. I finally came to the conclusion: I was now an outside cat.

It was ok because I liked being outside here. There was tons of space to explore, tons of birds to kill, tons of squirrels to gut and leave on the front porch. My house was on the bedroom deck. I made my way up and down the old fashioned way - I climbed. In the severe winter weather they would bring me in and lock me in the bathroom. I would've rathered they left me outside.

Over the years they have brought home a myriad of animals. I have outlived or outlasted 3 dogs, 5 cats, a rabbit, 14 chickens, 2 guinea pigs & 3 hermit crabs . Unfortunately, against my wishes, I currently share my home with 3 dogs, a rabbit, 17 chickens and 4 feral cats. The feral cats don't bother me. I quit leaving my deck long ago. It's gotten harder to climb up and down the posts, and frankly I just don't feel like it. I'd rather nap in the sunshine or cuddle in my bed.

About two months ago one of my kids came up to my deck to feed me and found my eye had been injured. I don't know how many days I spent with my eye hurt like this, but it didn't really seem to bother me or change my daily routine at all. Once the girl found me it won me a trip to the vet. The vet said the infection was so bad they couldn't do anything until it was under control. And so we went home, with pills and eye drops, for two weeks of treatment. I had to wear a cone (which made it hard for me to eat) and my eye itched so it really sucked. We went back to the vet after the two weeks but it hadn't healed enough. Back home we went with more pills and eye drops. Unexpectedly though, about a week into those treatments, I was rubbing my eye during a time they let me go without the cone, and something happened. There was something hanging out of my bad eye and it hurt! We had to rush back to the vet  to find out what was going to happen to me and there were two options on the table: 1) they could do surgery and sew my eye socket shut ($900+), or 2) they could send me to an opthamologist who could try to repair my eye ($2500+). See, I had accidentally scratched at my eye enough that my lens fell out and it was hanging down to my whiskers. My Dad had taken me in. I knew it couldn't be going well when he was texting something every time the Doctor spoke. And then, when the Doctor left the room Dad called my Mom at home. They talked for a while and then my Dad started to weep. RUH ROH! Fortunately for me my Dad asked for another option. "What will happen if we just brought her home and see how it goes? I mean what would happen if she was in the wild?" he asked the vet tech. She quickly scurried from the room. Not too many minutes later the Doc returned. He exchanged words with my Dad and before I knew it I was back in the cage, then back in the car, then back at home.

My kids were SO excited to see me. My Mom had already told them I wasn't going to be coming home from the vet that day. I am pretty old for a cat, and those options the Doc set forth were a little spendy for our family, especially when work was slow for my Dad. But I got to come home!

For the twenty or thirtieth time, my life suddenly changed. Because my eyesight is hindered so dramatically I can't go outside and play anymore. I have my own crunchy and water bowl that is refreshed daily with new food. I don't like the litter box anymore - I prefer to poop and pee in the tub. It gets cleaned right away and doesn't leave goobers on my feet. I get to sleep with my kids sometimes and I still get opportunities to lay in the sun (through the sliding glass door now, instead of on the deck.) Lately, I've been venturing downstairs to be a part of the family again. The dogs, even the ones who don't really like me, are actually being pretty good. The newest one leaves me alone for the most part and the little ugly one is scared to get in trouble so he keeps his distance. Right now I'm relaxing on the couch next to my Mom while she tells you some of my life story. Life is good.

Menu (kind of) #8 of 2012

So I had this great idea for this menu whereby everything on the menu would be very Pinteresting. Every meal, for two whole weeks, all recipes found on Pinterest that we had never tried before. Unfortunately, my kitchen floor is not cooperating with me.

As you may have read, we have been remodeling our kitchen since January. We were almost done, but the flooring was NEVER in stock. We ended up having to wait over 8 weeks for it to be in stock and then another 7-10 days for the delivery. By the time it reached us it was the end of March, Brandon was back to work and we had already committed ourselves to other activities on the weekends.

This weekend, after all the waiting, Brandon decided to tackle the kitchen floor. Except we had a soccer game, and a baseball game, we got invited to poker, and we had a concert to go to. So it took a while to get the floor down. And now, when he's ready to grout, the glue still isn't dry.

And so we are kitchen-less. We can't walk in the kitchen so we have limited access to all of our dishes and food (unless we climb along the counters). Since I didn't really prepare for it I didn't buy a bunch of hot dogs and hamburgers that we can grill. Our oven doesn't work (in the living room) because we can't plug it in anywhere. And so this is our menu this week:

• Subway sandwiches
• McDonald's
• Grilled Steak and microwave baked potatoes
• Albertson's Fried Chicken
• (Hopefully) something easy I can cook in a crockpot (if I can get to it)

And so my Pinteresting menu will have to wait until Sunday. The floor better not take any longer than that!

THE Talk.

As parents of kids growing up in today's society Brandon and I have been discussing and strategizing how THE talk would go since I found out I was pregnant all those years ago. Like most people, even though we knew we had time (though probably less than when we were kids), we were unsure - and frankly freaked out - about how to explain to our kids how nature causes human beings to behave. We've all had these discussions with our friends - how our parents told us, what our friends told us, the incorrect information we were given from either...or both! We pondered all the questions:

When is the right time to have THE talk?
What do you say?
How much do you tell them?
Do you use visuals?
What if they ask something you find too embarrassing to answer?
How do you prevent them from telling other kids who may not already know?
Will they listen?
Will they heed your advice?
And on. And on. And on.

Lately the clock has been ticking on this conversation for Lilly. She is approaching the age where these things NEED to be explained. Like many parents Brandon and I sort of assumed that we would have these conversations separately - I get the girl, he gets the boy. It only makes sense that she would be more comfortable with me and that I would know about what she will be going through, and vice versa.

A few months ago I attempted to broach the subject with her over a girls day out shopping complete with Starbucks coffee and lunch at the Olive Garden. She was not having any of it. As we casually strolled through the mall I asked her what she knew about when girls get older and the changes that happen to their bodies as well as whether she had any questions or not. Her response was, "MurMur told me a little bit." I started explaining (in a low, muted voice) what puberty is and what effect it has on a girl. Suddenly she stopped short. I turned around and looked at her standing there with an expression of total and utter embarrassment on her face. "Can we PLEASE not talk about this Mom!" She yelled. I agreed and told her that when and if she had any questions she could come talk to me. And that was that.

Until last week....

After dinner one evening the kids and I were in the kitchen. Lilly was emptying the dishwasher and Logan was rinsing and stacking the dishes. I was wiping the counters down. Lilly turned to me and we had this conversation:

"Mom, does it hurt to have a baby?"
"Yes, it does hurt to have a baby."
"How do you know? They cut me and Logan out."
"While that's true, I was in labor for 73 hours with you before they decided to do that."
"Oh. Well, why does it hurt?"
And so I explained that when a baby is fully developed the parts of your body holding the baby begin to start pushing the baby out. Then she wanted to know how it hurt. "You know what it feels like when you have stomach cramps when you're sick?" I asked. "Yeah," she said. "Well, it's like that times a million."

At that moment, without even turning from the sink to look at me, my sweet little son blurts out, "What is sex anyway?" "Yeah," Lilly chimes in, "what is it exactly?" After I readjusted my face back into an expression that was meant to appear calm and normal I asked, "Do you guys really want to know?" They both nodded their heads. "Well, why don't you tell me what you know and we will go from there." To which Logan immediately announces, "I know it has something to do with your penis!"

Oh boy! Guess this is not going to go according to our plans. "Let's wait until your Dad comes downstairs and we'll explain it all to you," I sheepishly stated. And while they were ok with waiting, they went straight to discussing between themselves the things that they thought they knew. Here was their conversation:

Logan: "I think you pee on a girl to get her pregnant."
Lilly: "Ewww. That's gross. No one would do that."
Logan: "Well how does it happen then Lilly?"
Lilly: "I don't know. I think it has something to do with kissing and being naked."
Logan: "Yep, you definitely need to be naked."
Lilly: "Where does the baby come out if you don't get it cut out?"
Logan: "I think girls poop them out."
Mom: "Ok, Ok, Daddy's coming and we will explain how it works. Enough."
And so we had THE Talk. As a family. In the kitchen.

We looked on the Internet at some illustrations that show a week-by-week diagram of what the baby looks like from the inside and how it affects the woman's other organs. Then we talked about the anatomy of a boy and girl, complete with more illustrations from the Internet. Then we talked about puberty and the changes each of them will see in their bodies as they get older. Then the difficult questions started. Our conversation went something like this:

Lilly: (keeping with the absolute biological terms) "Ok, so I get that girls have eggs and boys have sperm but how does one get to the other?"
Daddy: (after coy, giggly looks back and forth from Mommy to Daddy) "Well, the man puts his penis into the woman's vagina."
Lilly: (with a scrunched up face) "Eww, gross. Who would do that?"
Mommy: "Well, when you get older it will be something you will want to do. Nature has built us to desire to have sex so that we continue to procreate. Otherwise humans would become extinct."
Logan: "I am NOT going to do that."
Daddy: "Someday you will want to."

Daddy: (referring to the boy illustration) "No, there is a mechanism built in to determine what fluid is appropriate to be coming out."
Lilly: (also referring to the boy illustration) "But how does it get in there? It's all floppy."
----nervous, giggly looks back and forth from the parents----
Daddy: "Well, when you are ready to have sex it gets harder."
Logan: (without missing a beat) "REALLY?!? I thought that just happened when you had to pee really bad."
Lilly: "So if boys sperm is on the outside of their bodies, why aren't girls eggs?"
Daddy: "Well, sperm are temperamental and can only live at certain temperatures so they have to be able to regulate how hot or cold they are."
Lilly: "Well, how does that happen?"
Daddy: "Well, when it gets cold they huddle up close to your body. And when it's hot outside, or you've been exercising or playing sports, they droop lower away from your body."
Logan: (immediately responding again) "Yeah, like when I'm done with soccer, it's like to my knees!"
Mommy: "No, it's not to your knees."
Logan: "Almost."
Mommy: "I've seen what you've got, it's not to your knees."
Logan: "Still. Almost."
Lilly: "Can we be done talking about this now?"
Mommy: "Yes, unless you have any other questions?"
Logan: "I have one. Why when you're having sex do you have to make all those noises?"
---Parents exchanging nervous, embarrassed looks across the counter---
Mommy: "Well, we told you. It feels good. It's like taking a bite of the best desert you've ever had and sighing."
Logan: (with a disbelieving look on his face) "That's weird."

That was the last of their questions. We went on to explain to them that each and every family has a different philosophy as to when and how and what they would tell their children and that they did not have the right to tell anybody they knew what we had talked about. We have a rule at dinner time that whatever gets said at the dining room table will not be shared with anyone but the four of us. We reiterated that rule a bit more forcefully with this conversation. We also told them that we had told them exactly how it works. That we didn't sugarcoat or lie to them in any way and that they should feel free to come to us if they hear conflicting information or they have more questions. We stressed to them that it is important that they have accurate information when it comes to this stuff and that no matter what the question we will answer it truthfully.

And so we were done. That night when Brandon and I went to bed we giggled about some of the expressions the kids had on their faces when we explained some things. We laughed about our own reactions. I would've paid someone to have videotaped it - it was hilarious. But we weren't shy about telling them that some of this stuff can be embarrassing, even for adults to talk about. We wanted to be sure that they knew that all of it - the wondering, the questions, the embarrassment, the silliness of it - was all normal.

Best laid plans, right? In the end it wasn't exactly the way we had planned to have The Talk, but in my opinion it worked out a hundred times better.

Menu #7 of 2012

Spring break is over. The kids are back home from Grandma's. I'm a couple of days late, but I've got my menu ready for the next two weeks. And, as a bonus, it looks like my grocery list is relatively small to make these meals - more moolah for me!

• Shake-n-Bake Pork Chops & Mac-n-Cheese & Green Beans
• Potstickers, Egg Rolls and Brown Rice
• Veggie Tacos
• Ham & Cabbage Soup
• Great Goulash
• Parma Rosa Chicken
• Minestrone Soup & Salad & Garlic Bread
• Chicken Paprikash with Egg Noodles
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Chicken & Broccolini Stir Fry
• Salmon with Pineapple Salsa & Spinach
• Indian Chicken Wrap & Veggie Platter
• Steak Quesadillas

I only have 13 meals this go around because Easter was on Sunday and I usually try to keep the menus from Sunday through the next Saturday. I like to have that Sunday dinner on the day I go shopping for a meal that requires a lot of fresh vegetables.

I'm also planning to try making some Kale Chips (I hear they are really good) as well either for a snack or lunch.

As usual if you'd like a recipe, let me know!

[Slacker] Menu #6 of 2012

It's spring break here and my wonderful mother has yet again agreed to take my rugrats for the week. As a result, Brandon and I are footloose and fancy free. There isn't anyone here to make lifelong impressions on so we're watching movies at 6pm that are inappropriate for children, we're talking freely about whatever we want and we aren't necessarily having decent dinners every night. During times like these, when the kiddos are safely spending irreplaceable time with Murmur and Papa, I wonder if this is what it would be like if this was "normal." Would I still cook? Probably not as much, but I really can't do restaurants night after night, it gets old fast for me. Maybe I would cook more since I would have more time after work instead of attending sports and doing homework. Who knows.....

So I'm posting what we're eating this week just so you all can see what we do when we're by ourselves; a simple one-week menu. This weekend I will plan out the next two week menu.

• Margherita Pizza
• Leftovers
• Sauce Marco Polo
• Tacos
• Spaghetti
• Fast Food (heading to the folks' house)
• Mom's Cooking
• Easter Ham with all the fixin's

Not so bad I guess but definitely not my normal level of cooking. I promise next Menu will be better

My attempt at Olive Garden's Chicken Marsala

When I initially saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to try it out. Olive Garden Chicken Marsala at home? Yes please! You can find the recipe as it is on their website here. As usual, I changed it up a bit. Here's my take on their recipe:


Chicken Marsala

Picture courtesy of Olive Garden
Brandon asked if I was going to take a
picture of mine, but my mouth was
already full!

Ingredients

1. 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
2. 1/2 cup flour
3. 1 tsp. salt
4. 1/4 tsp. pepper
5. 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6. 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
7. 5 Tbsp oil
8. 5 Tbsp butter or margarine
9. 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
10. 2 cups Marsala wine
11. 1/2 c. Wondra
12. 8 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
13. 1 cup flour
14. Salt to taste
15. Pepper to taste
16. Dried oregano to taste
17. 8 Tbsp oil
18. 8 Tbsp butter or margarine
19. 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
20. 2 cups Marsala wine
21. 12 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
22. 1 1/2 cups flour
23. Salt to taste
24. Pepper to taste
25. Dried oregano to taste
26. 12 Tbsp oil
27. 12 Tbsp butter or margarine
28. 3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
29. 3 cups Marsala wine

 

1. Cut chicken breasts in half so that you have eight thin chicken breasts
2. Stir together flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. While chicken is cooking, in a separate saucepan heat the other 2 tbsp. oil and 3 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Once butter has melted add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms until just tender. Add Marsala wine and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
4. Heat 2 tbsp. oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Turn breasts over and cook approximately about 4 more minutes, until both sides are lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.
5. When sauce has simmered for about 10 minutes, whisk in Wondra, a little at a time, until sauce thickens.
6. Put chicken breasts on the plate and cover with sauce and mushroom mixture.

Why do I like my take better? I like my chicken a bit crispy. If you follow their instructions exactly the taste will be wonderful, however the coating on the chicken will be quite soggy. I prefer to have the sauce cover the chicken just before serving to prevent that.

Along with this dish I tried a recipe I found for Olive Garden Tuscan potatoes too. It was not akin to Olive Garden's potatoes at all in my opinion. They tasted just fine, but I thoroughly enjoy those encrusted potatoes on the side of my Marsala. I will continue my search on that one.

Take a Chance on Me

Yesterday my Mom scored free tickets to Mamma Mia! and asked if I wanted to go. Although I can't deny that I am a fan of many ABBA songs, I wasn't going to spend the dough to go see the musical. I did see the movie a few years ago and I liked it, but I'm not one to turn down an opportunity to see a musical in person - especially for free!

If you haven't seen it, or are debating, I'd highly recommend it. It's in Seattle at the The Paramount for a very short time. While the music was on the loud side, the musical was comical and the talent was profound. Even sitting up with the birds in the last row on the very end, we didn't miss a thing. With the exception of not being able to see the facial expressions of the talent on stage, it was a most enjoyable experience. I think Lilly would've loved it. Maybe I will take her next year.

Men's T-shirts are NOT meant for girls!

When I was little I was a gymnast. I was on the team and we went to a lot of gymnastic meets. At every one my parents would buy me a t-shirt. And they were great for the gym. I wore them all the time to gymnastics practice (which was a substantial amount of time: 4 nights a week for 3 hours). When I got to be a teenager big, baggy t-shirts were no longer my thing. And they still aren't. I like a fitted t-shirt - a girl's t-shirt.

Unfortunately, I still have some regular t-shirts. I've gotten them from conferences, from friends or family from vacations, or I've picked them up because they were the only kind of t-shirt available where I was and wanted a souvenir. With my addiction to Pinterest I've seen lots of ideas of how to transform those baggy men's t-shirts into something I might actually wear.

Since I happen to have 2 of these t-shirts I decided to try out the method I found here by Mrs. Dotson. It's a no-sew so I didn't have to fish my sewing machine out of the mess that is my den right now.

Here's the t-shirt I decided to experiment with

I turned the red t-shirt inside out. Then I brought out one of my favorite shirts and laid it on top of the t-shirt I was modifying. Since I was going to be tying knots with the fabric I drew chalk lines about an inch and a half larger than my favorite shirt.

Then I cut along the chalk lines, as well as along the bottom of the red t-shirt to make it shorter.

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with the sleeves. They are kind of long and way too wide but I really didn't want to hem them so I didn't want to cut them. I decided to continue the cut of the curve into the sleeve and just make the shirt have sleeves that reached my elbows.

Here's what it looks like after it's all cut up:

At this point you could just sew a hem all along the cuts. That's what I'm planning to do with the other shirt I have like this. For the no-sew method though out come the scissors.

Make small cuts all the way up the cut sides continuing on to the sleeves as well. Once all of the cuts are made comes the tedious task of knotting each pair of cut fringe.

I suppose you could put the fringe on the outside of the shirt but I liked the way Mrs. Dotson's looked being on the inside. I don't quite think I could pull off the exposed fringe. :)

In the end, I'm pretty happy. I definitely would like to use the sewing machine next time but for now this works. I like to wear a tank under my t-shirts anyway so the little holes are not a problem. I also really like the length of the sleeves.

Now it almost looks like a girls shirt on the hangar too!

Finally a Local 77 t-shirt that looks like it was made for a girl! Think I'll wear it to the Hall on Friday.

Menu #5 of 2012

I struggled with the menu this time. I guess I just really wasn't feeling much inspiration from the recipes I had laying around. I tried scouring some magazines looking for more but they also left me wanting more. Finally I went to my "Yummo" board and the "Food and Drink" section on Pinterest and my interested was piqued.

To prove that I'm actually using the system I put in place here is a picture of my Menu chalkboard for the upcoming two weeks:

I'm still perfecting my chalkboard handwriting...

In case you'd like a more readable copy:

• Ribeye & Prawns - baked potato - green beans
• Egg Bake
• Steak Fajitas
• Lasagna
• Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup
• Shrimp Coconut Curry
• Chicken Chili
• Olive Garden Chicken Marsala
• Veggie Tacos
• Artichoke sausage & Veggie Patties
• Honey Mustard Pork Roast & Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
• Veggie Alfredo
• Make-your-own-pizza Night
• Birthday outing - Owl & Thistle Irish Pub. Kids: Spaghetti (?)

Three dinners are carried over from last week because my folks took us out to dinner one night for my birthday, we went to birthday dinner for our friend's son and I had forgotten St. Patty's Day Dinner when I wrote the last menu. The new recipes we are trying this time: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup, a new Shrimp Coconut Curry recipe, Veggie Tacos, and Veggie Patties.

Last menu's new recipes went over well. Here are our reviews of the new recipes we tried:

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

This recipe is made with the meat leftover from the Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Sammies. It combines the chicken with crushed white beans, cheese, onion and bell pepper and cook in fresh flour tortillas. They were delightful. The kids were thrilled with them. This recipe will definitely be moving into the family recipe book.

Tortellini Meatball Soup 

This recipe was pulled from a magazine and I really can't say enough about it. Homemade mini-meatballs, cheese tortellini and fresh vegetables combine for a delicious (and fast) meal. Paired with a loaf of toasted garlic bread? MMMmmmm is all I can say. The hubs and kiddos instantly wanted it added to repertoire and I couldn't agree more.

Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Sammies
This chicken was pretty good. In my opinion  it needed a bit more flavor and could've been cooked a little bit less. Overall because it lends itself to the BBQ Chicken Quesadillas I would try it again. It won't make it into the ol' recipe book yet though.

Beef Wasabi Tacos
I've already posted the recipe for these. They were outstanding and I can't wait to try them in Bahn Mi form. The hubs really enjoyed them even though food with Thai flair is not really his favorite. This kiddos gave them a thumbs up too, even with the Wasabi Sauce, though Lilly thought they were a little messy (she does not like her hands dirty).

As always, if you'd like a recipe post and let me know!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day has always been an awesome day for me because it is the day before my birthday. In fact, my Mom was in labor with me all day on St. Patty's Day and I finally decided to make my appearance 49 minutes late. Oh well, we're only a little bit Irish anyway. :)

Every year for as long as I can remember I have had corned beef & cabbage on St. Pat's. There's just no other alternative. (OK, possibly in college, when I was poor and was at the bar by 4pm I may have skipped on the traditional Irish fare.) This year I was late picking up my corned beef brisket. I even forgot to put it on the last menu. So when I got home today at 3pm I had to cook our meal in a new way instead of my usual crockpot method.

I will try a recipe from anywhere - magazine, friend's referral, or a newspaper ad. That is where I found the recipe I used (and modified, of course) tonight. It turned out delicious and so I wanted to share.

Mustard Glazed Corned Beef with Roasted Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients:
1 boneless corned beef brisket (2-3 lbs) with seasoning packet
8 cloves of peeled and crushed garlic
1 tsp. whole peppercorns
2 c. water
8 tbsp. butter
1 c. green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. horseradish or horseradish sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 head of green cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
6 red potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
1-2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut in half
1/3 c. dijon mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar

1. Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place brisket in roasting pan; add garlic, contents of seasoning packet, peppercorns and water. Cover with aluminum foil making sure to fold the edges in tight. Put on upper rack of oven and braise for approximately 2 1/2 hours (50 minutes per pound).

2. Place potatoes in a plastic Ziploc bag. Place butter, green onions, horseradish sauce, pepper, and salt into microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 1-2 minutes or until melted. Pour a 1/4 of the butter mixture into the bag and shake to coat. Put potatoes on aluminum lined baking sheet. Put carrots in the same bag, add another 1/4 of the butter mixture and shake to coat. Put carrots onto the same baking sheet with the potatoes. Place cabbage on the baking sheet and carefully pour the remaining butter mixture over the cabbage making sure to coat all sides with a pastry brush. Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil and place on the oven rack in the lower part of the oven. Roast for 55 minutes. After 55 minutes, remove the foil and leave in oven for additional 15-20 minutes.

3. Combine the mustard and the brown sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. When the corned beef is done cooking pull it out of the oven, place the brisket on a baking rack over an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Set the oven to broil (leave the veggies in the oven) Spread the mustard mixture over the brisket and return to the upper rack in the oven. Broil until glaze becomes bubbly and starts to brown.

4. Remove everything from the oven, place on a serving dish and bring to the table!

Beverage Accompaniments
It wouldn't be St. Patty's Day without a bottle of Guinness. This year I had no luck finding any Harp's Lager anywhere so we couldn't make the traditional Black & Tan's, instead we settled for some Irish Car Bombs. If you've never tried them (and even if you don't like Guinness), I would recommend giving them a try. They are delicious! Here's a recipe:

3/4 pint Guinness
1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 shot Jameson Irish Whiskey

Add the Bailey's and Jameson to a shot glass, layering the Bailey's on the bottom. Pour the Guinness into a pint glass or beer mug 3/4 of the way full and let settle. Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chug. This is extremely important! If you don't chug it it will start to curdle - YUCK!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Vegas is Calling

A few years ago Brie'n and I were sitting at work, loathing the day, dreaming of a warmer, sunnier place. Thoughts of warm weather, sun, and fruity drinks coursed through our minds. And then we decided we should go somewhere, just the girls, and get away from it all. That place: VEGAS.

I had been to Vegas before that trip, but going with "the girls" was a whole different experience. Brie'n and I flew out a day before the other two gals we were meeting and were thrilled to be in Sin City. We got there late, explored very little and shopped most the next day. That night we met up with two of Brie'ns friends in front of O'Shea's. It did not take long to know that the four of us would get along famously. We got free drinks (courtesy of Brie'ns "assets"), we strolled the Strip with 40's in our hands, we danced the night away...it was a blast and I will never forget it. On the trip home it was decided: this would need to be an every year thing.

We made good on our promise the following year. We stayed in a better location (MGM Grand is THE BEST!) and enjoyed the lazy river hung over...and still drinking.

By then the buzz had started. Brie'n and I always had such a good time, and came home with such good stories, our co-workers began to ask us, "When are you going next.....and can I come?" And so we planned it. We collected a bigger group, organized the rooms and flights and it was set. Labor Day weekend 2010! There were a lot of us, and it was crazy, and again we couldn't wait to go back.

Then this went and happened:

Two of us original four decided that babies were more important than our annual Vegas trip.... just kidding :) In any case, Vegas missed the "Seattle Girls" in 2011.

Now that it is 2012 I feel like I'm expecting a phone call any day. "Hello Vegas, yeah, we need some more alcohols and we need some more beers."

So let's set the date Brie'n. I need something to count down to :)

THE Lemon Cupcakes

A few years ago I was in search of the perfect lemon cupcake. I could have spent hours messing with a homemade concoction but why, when a modified box cake is just as good, if not better!?! I bought boxes and boxes of every different brand of lemon cake mix and every time I made them I tweaked the recipe just a little bit differently. All of them tasted good (you can't really go wrong with a boxed cake mix), but I have finally perfected the recipe. I used to think that I had to keep all of my tips and tricks to myself, but I've decided it would be criminal to keep these to myself - they're just too good!

The first and most prominent ingredient is the cake mix. It's from Pillsbury and is their Moist Supreme Cake Mix in Lemon. In our area it seems to be difficult to find but when I run into it I buy every box they have.

Now for the tweaking:

The back of the box says that all you need is 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of oil and 3 eggs. The ingredients you'll need to make it my way are:

1/2 c. water
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx 3 lemons)
1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
2 tbsp fresh lemon zest

Then, follow the directions on the box! Here they are in case you need them:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with baking cups. (My favorite are these ones from Reynold's.)

These Reynolds^® Baked for You^® StayBrite^® Baking Cups are THE BEST because they don't get the soggy, oily, see-through look a lot of the baking cup liners get.

2. Blend cake mix, water, lemon juice, oil, eggs and lemon zest in a large bowl until moistened. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. (I set the timer and mix for exactly two minutes.)

3. Bake 18-22 minutes. Let fully cool before frosting.

FROSTING
Again I have experimented many times with this frosting to get it just right. Here are the ingredients you need:

3 - 3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened (DO NOT MELT)
1/3 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. lemon zest

With a mixer, beat together the powdered sugar, butter and lemon juice. Once well combined, add milk and lemon zest. If it seems to thick continue to add lemon juice a tablespoon at a time until the perfect consistency. If you want them to look yellow you could add some food coloring but I prefer to leave it natural.

Here is what they look like when you're finished:

 I like to add a little slice of candied lemon to make them cuter but it definitely isn't necessary.

There is something about lemon that is so fresh and delicious. I am constantly asked to bring these to social functions and they really are easy to make.

Enjoy!

Operation Make Dollars on Etsy

In case you didn't already know, I own my own business with one of my bestest friends. We started out making wedding invitations and then, upon request, we expanded our business into planning weddings. It has been a wild ride. We have spent hours and hours with a computer, a printer, a paper cutter and glue dots. We have laughed hysterically, we have gotten angry (mostly at technological equipment) and we have totally stressed out. This past year my dear friend Brie'n had a baby and so we decided to take some time off. Now that time is over and we are forced to evaluate where we want to take our business going forward.

We currently belong to the Snohomish Wedding Guild and had our monthly meeting tonight. In May we are participating in the Snohomish Wedding Tour and will be at Craven Farm which means we have to start planning the event. While we have had a great time planning this event in the past, this year everyone seems a bit less enthused than previous year's. It could be the economy, it could be the number of new members in the Guild, it could be that we're just at the end of our planning journey and need to start something new.

On the way home we chatted about the possibility of dedicating more of our time towards expanding our Etsy store. Brie'n and I are both pretty crafty. With her new addition she has expanded her crafting repertoire to include adorable projects for babies. She wants to start crocheting. I am becoming more and more obsessed with organizing in a pretty and sensible way. I also still love paper crafting. We are two peas in a pod when it comes to our passion for crafty stuff. And we have complimentary talents - where I lack skill, she is proficient and vice-versa.

An invitation we created for Kirk and Tiffani
Photo complements of our incredibly talented friend Laura Marchbanks

And so we have some work to do.

We really need to make a decision whether the planning thing is something we still want to pursue. From our discussion tonight I get the impression her passion for it is as deflated as mine. It's not that I don't get satisfaction from seeing an event that we created come together flawlessly (at least in the eyes of the bride), I'm just not so sure I'm willing to subject myself to that much stress anymore.

We also need to get our Bella Vita blog back up and current to bring the world a way of connecting with us, not only for the products we create but to indulge in the ups and downs of the creative process with us.

One of our issues is: What should we make? What will sell?

So tell me: What kinds of crafts do you see on Etsy, or Pinterest, or somebody's blog, that you wish you could make but either lack the craft gene or just don't have time? What would you be willing to pay for that item?

Beef Wasabi Tacos

We tested out a new recipe and I had to share. These tacos were delicious; I just can't say enough about them. I got the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens and, of course, altered it a bit.

First, we seem to be having a ton of pork dishes on our menus lately (maybe we should be seriously thinking about raising pigs) and so I decided that I would substitute beef in these tacos. Other than that, I didn't really change much - though I have some ideas to improve on this already good recipe for next time.

Here's the recipe as I made it:

1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into cubes
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
8 raw flour tortillas, cooked just before serving
2 tsp. wasabi paste
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp white rice vinegar
3/4 tsp sugar
3-4 cups of napa cabbage, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
1/2 English cucumber, sliced thin lengthwise
1/3 bunch cilantro

1. Cut the top sirloin into chunks and put them into a Ziploc bag with the hoisin sauce and let them marinate for an hour and a half.
2. While the beef is marinating, prep the cabbage, carrots, cucumber and cilantro.

3. Once marinated, skewer the beef chunks onto 6" skewers (enough for about 4 chunks of beef).

4. Place on a rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet (much less mess later) and broil for 8 minutes, flipping skewers every two minutes.

5. In a Mix & Pour or a small bowl, combine the wasabi paste, water, canola oil, rice vinegar, and sugar. Whisk together until combined.

6. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat. Once warm cook raw tortillas until just light brown and bubbly.

7. Serve by placing veggies and a skewer of beef on top of a tortilla. Drizzle wasabi sauce over the filling, fold and eat!

These really were delicious and the wasabi sauce was not too hot for my kiddos or the hubs. They are reminiscent of a sort of Latin fusion paired with the Banh Mi sandwiches that I love at the Saigon Deli in the International District in Seattle. P.S. If you haven't ever tried a Banh Mi sandwich you MUST try them. They are outrageously inexpensive and are to-die-for good. My favorite is the barbecue pork. They have a special mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, cilantro and fresh jalapenos. Wowee, my mouth is watering just thinking about them!

We all really liked them as tacos, but this is what I plan to do with this recipe next:
I want to try using the carne asada cut beef you can find at the supermarket and marinate it in the hoisin sauce overnight. Next, I will leave the water out of the wasabi sauce and instead use mayonnaise to thicken it up. Hopefully by some miracle I will be able to find a really good baguette to put it all on. Oh, and the jalapenos, at least on mine I'll add fresh sliced jalapenos.

I seriously can't wait to morph this recipe even more!