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Friday, March 28, 2008

Easter Update







Had a really cool Easter. Hosted it for the first time at my house. All the food turned out great. Here are some pics of the table and the place settings. I made them myself (stop it Martha Stewart!), I think they turned out so cute. We had an unexpected guest this week, my Gma Sharon, Hannah's Great Grandma. So we wnt to the Zoo one day and we have been having a blast showing her the sights of the I.E. Now she needs to go home and get a nap... HA!. I think we wore her out. Hannah has been having temper tantrums this week so I wanted to post a pic of one of her little fits. I have been cussed out in baby about 10 times this week. It sort of sounds like GA! GA! NOOOOO!GI! GI! GA!NOOOOOOOOOO! Also, she got a new stroller and she loves pushing it around the house, she doesn't realize she can actually steer it so she keeps picking it up to move it. It is kind of funny.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Easter Greetings!


My Thankful Thursday this week is combined with the Easter holiday. I am so very thankful to be so blessed in my life with so many wonderful things. Wonderful family, close friends that I can count on, a husband that loves me, a healthy daughter, and the opportunity to be able to stay at home and raise her myself. I was raised in a Christian home as a child and continue to believe in the Chrisitan faith as an adult. It is for this reason that Easter is not just another day to eat and visit with family and friends but a day for me to remember the sacrifice that was made for, not only me, but for everyone else too, on this day by Jesus Christ. I was reading Hannah a new Easter book called "Jesus Loves Me" and I loved the biblical quote on the back. It said, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" - Psalm 68:19. It helps me to know that no matter where I am in life I am never alone and I always have the strength of Jesus by my side. Even though some days may be tough they are so much easier to handle because I have faith. I have lived with and without faith and for me it is much easier to live with faith. This is what I am thankful for. I will be posting Easter pics and a small menu run down later this week. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Best Salad Ever!

Okay so I combined a couple recipes together and came up with an idea for a wonderful Mexican salad.

You need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 boneless chix breast
2 tbsp green onion chopped
2 tbsp red bell pepper
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup black or pinto beans, rinsed & drained
2 tbsp fresh spinach
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese or cotija cheese
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 bag romaine lettuce

Cook chix in tbsp of oil about 5 min each side. Remove from skillet. Add onion & B.P. & saute for 3 min. Add corn, beans, spinach, & spices. Heat through. Plate romaine lettuce and add several scoops of skillet topping. Sprinkle cheese over top and sprinkle with pepitas. Put several dollops of cream on top of salad. Enjoy!

Dressing:
8 oz cream cheese (fat free or low fat)
2 tbsp sour cream
1 can tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil

put all together in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Thankful Thursday


I am so thankful for alot of things this week but since today is my mom's b-day I am going to write about my mom. There are so many things I could say about her but I will narrow my list and make it small. She always listens when I need to talk (even if she disagrees with what I am saying : ). She helps me make important decisions, without telling me what to do. I can go to her with personal information and trust that she will not tell my secrets. Most importantly, I can depend on her if I need her. I am especially lucky b/c she is not just my mom but my friend too. Happy Birthday Mom!

Love,

Your favorite and only daughter - Windy
*Prego pic was all I could find


Spring is Here!





Okay so, I used to love summer the best but I now have a new favorite season - SPRING! I couldn't possibly live where I do now and love summer the best anyhow, considering it's about 115 degrees out here, so I have officially found a new favorite season. It is just beautiful out here with all the wildflowers blooming and the hills are so green. So I was feeling very grandiose this morning and decided to get Hannah all dressed up in her Easter outfit and do her famous pigtails with bows, then go get the rabbits and take them all outside and sit them all down on a blanket to take pictures for Easter. Now that I am actually listing off what I wanted to do, I realize - do I really need to put myslef in these situations? No. Ryan is constantly telling me to lower my expectations but alas, I always think I can do MORE! So anyhow, I get out there and what does Bear(my white rabbit) and Hannah do? Both go running off in opposite directions. Luckily Hannah started chasing him around and tried to pick him up and so I got a few shots. Of course, she's not really smiling and looking into the camera,but oh well, you take what you can get. Do you ever come up with ideas that are perpetually impossible to pull off? I don't know for sure but I am told the is a predominantly female thing. I also know I am very type-A and this is a very type-A thing to do. Anyhow, here are the pics, enjoy!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Thankful Thursday - My Country 'Tis of Thee

I do not consider myself overly patriotic but my thankful Thursday for this week does come from a love for my country. I am thankful to live in a country where my daughter will have every opportunity she can imagine within her reach. She will have an education, books to read, a warm place to lay her head at night, and will have the freedom to vote for who she would like to see as president of her country. We, including me, take so many rights for granted in this country. It is simply because we know of no other way. Alot of people say they won't vote in the next election if it is two people that they do not like. It is hard for me to understand this because in so many countries, people, especially women, do not even have the right to vote, let alone, have the opportunity to actually run for president. I am so glad my daughter will be raised in a country where it does not matter what family you came from, the color of your skin, or your sex, you can become anything you want to if you put your mind to it and work hard. Whether you like Hillary Clinton or not, I am glad I will be able to tell my daughter she was born during a time when a woman actually was able to raise the funds and be taken seriously enough to run for president of this country. Women have only been permanently granted the right to vote since 1920, and I am so glad to see how far we have come. I can only imagine what my own daughter will get to experience in the next 100 years.

Best Fish Recipe Ever!

So last night I cooked the best fish recipe ever. I don't even really love fish. This is like dinner and dessert. Cook this for anyone and they will literally not be able to say no to you. (take note employees wanting raises, and significant others)

Broiled Tilapia with Sweet Potato Crust & Vanilla Cream Sauce

Two 6 ounce tilapia fillets, seasoned

Filling
3 sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled (14 ounces after cooking)
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

Crust
3 graham crackers
1 cup roasted pecans
2 tablespoons melted butter

Sauce
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fish stock, crab or shrimp stock, or water
Pinch of seafood seasoning or Creole seasoning

Grind the sweet potatoes, juices, butter, salt and ginger together and set aside.
Grind the graham crackers, pecans and butter together.
Cover the fish with the sweet potato mixture, then sprinkle the pecan mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
Broil the fillets until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes.
In a 6 inch skillet, add the cream, vanilla, seafood stock (or water) and seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 seconds, until the alcohol in the vanilla is gone and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Pool the sauce on a plate, place the broiled fish fillet on top and serve.
Serves 2
Recipe from Gabrielle and the American Tilapia Association

* The only thing I changed is that I cooked the fish at 350 for 15 minutes and then broiled for 4 min on HIGH. I also added suger to the vanilla sauce to sweeten it. P.S. You don't even need the sauce it's that good! Also, the sweet potatoes could be eaten anytime as a side dish. Hannah loved them!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Ma Porch Swang



So I don't really have a porch swang. Nor do I have a porch. My house is only 2 years old and for some reason they don't really make porches on new houses anymore. Probably because they think everyone is too busy anyway to want to take the time to meet their neighbors and hang out on a porch. Not me though, I have always said if I were to do it again I would buy a house with a porch. I think in other parts of the country porches are more common than in Cali. I have still met some great neighbors anyway, even without the porch swang. By the way, who already voted? I didn't know there were so many Clinton fans out there. I want to say thank you to all my loyal commentators. The past week has been a pretty fun one. Hannah is finally being able to communicate alot more and it really makes it easier on me since she has SOO much to say. Like mother, like daughter. We have had "Pigtail City" ever since I went to my neighbors house last week and attempted to do some pigtails on Hannah. Wherever we go people say how cute the little ponies are on her and personally, I love doing them. I hope she wants me to do them when she gets older too but if not I can always get my fix now. I was and still am a total girly girl and so I am having a great time having a daughter. From the looks of some of the pictures Ry is too.