Family Fun Night!

Tuesday nights are all you can eat pizza at our local Round Table.  Mom and Dad were down visiting and we all went together. 

There are puzzles, and games, and face painting, and balloons, and chaos and screaming children, and of course, pizza.

Jack LOVES Family fun night at "Pizza Land" (his special name for Round Table).

We let him roam around and make friends with the other kids, and because my Mom was there, he had an endless supply of quarters.  One for each kiss he gives her.  He is quite eager to kiss that cheek....over and over again.....and she gladly keeps shelling out those quarters....

Tonight, Jack was found at the Face Painting table.  It was the longest I have ever seen him sit in one place.

I explained to Jack, that it was perfectly fine to have our face painted, but that we would still be taking a bath and washing our face before bed.

Jack was devastated by this news.

"BUT MOOOOOOM! It looks so AWESOME!"

He was right....as I looked in my rear view mirror on my way home at this little face......

It was SO Awesome.

Madeline starts the long haul of education.

Today was Madeline's first day of school. Currently it will be daycare, but it will turn into her pre-school.  Jack has been there for a year and a half and has done very well.  For months now, when I drop Jack off, I bring Maddie in to get familiar with the facility and the other kids.  9 times out of 10 I leave carrying her under my arm, kicking and screaming because she wants to stay.   So I knew today being her first day, there would be no clutching of my leg or crying when I leave.

Jack is up at the lake with my Mom having a little Oma and Opa time, so it was just the two of us this morning.  I thought she might be a little shy without Jack......but no...She RAN from the car to the door:

She immediately sat down.  Ready to start her day.

I wish I had a better picture of her and her teacher, but Maddie has not been camera friendly lately...

Ms. Benu.  We LOVE her!

(please note, Maddie pulling the bow from her head-she's awesome)

I know, it's just a matter of time until I'm uploading the first day of high school...like someone else I know...

Awwww...Laura.....

Family Secrets Revealed!

Kind of....

My Aunt Iva is in town for two weeks from Georgia, and we had a feast last night in honor of her arrival. 

I was in charge of making my famous enchiladas and taco salad.

When I was first married, my Aunt Kathy taught me how to make the most killer enchiladas.  It was the first dinner I made for Clay when we were married.  And pretty much the only meal I had truly perfected until the cooking bug bit me a few years ago.  It is the easiest dish to make. It tastes like it's made from scratch, and it's always a hit.  So......I usually don't share my treasured "Secret" family recipes.....but I figured, why not? The only downfall to letting you in on my secret is you will all see how much I really cheat with store bought items in my "home-made" dishes.... Oh well.... Here goes: 

And to make it a bit more fun....I took step by step photos....  :)  Shut up Bo.  You are gonna make this and you KNOW it.
 

The ingredients:

One can of olives. Sliced.  I use Lindsay olives ( for obvious reasons)

Two cans of Las Palmas enchilada sauce.  It's the best.  Mild for my wimpy husband.

One can of Ortega fire roasted chilies.  Mild.

1/2 lb of Sharp Cheddar and 1/2 lb of Monterey Jack shredded

Fresh corn tortillas

One large onion, chopped very fine

Two boneless skinless chicken breasts grilled, diced small

The set up.

Assembly line is very important. 

I use my griddle to warm the tortilla so they roll with ease.

I dip the tortilla into the sauce prior to placing it into the dish to fill.

All fillings are lined up, chopped, shredded and diced-ready to go.

(please note: Country music on IPod and Coke zero- a must for a happy chef....well...at least this Happy Chef)

Fill with chopped grilled chicken, green chilies, onion and cheese.

Roll and repeat.

This step is KEY. 

 Lots and lots of sauce.  The tortilla soaks up the sauce and you will have dry enchiladas if there is not enough sauce.

Sprinkle with remainder cheese and olives.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered with foil for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Here was part of our delicious buffet last night:

Chicken and cheese enchiladas, taco salad topped with avocado, rice, beans, guac, salsa and heartburn.

Weight Watchers...what?? Who??  Oh well...there's always next week....

And for those of you who don't like recipes..and skim over these boring posts....

Here's Madeline in a little "Baby Chanel" Licking her fingers from the enchiladas...

Girlie Girl

Notice anything in this picture besides the adorable baby???

That is a BOW!!!

We finally have enough hair to use a clip!!  No tape needed!  Yay!

Sometimes it's so nice to have a girl......

Home again, home again....

I just got back from my looooong weekend away......and I am so tired I want to die.  Why is it that the older I get the more exhausted I am upon my return? 

I have to say the trip was worth every wink of sleep I did not obtain.  I had such a wonderful time with my girlfriends.  That being said.....  Let's review:

Remember when I said that I was no longer allowed to check baggage....well..... sometimes the airline takes your bag whether you want them to or not.  Tegan was also on the flight of "one bag allowed", and when we boarded, the flight attendant ripped it from her fingers and assured her that it would be just outside the plane when we arrived at our final destination.  She looked like an honest woman....why would we not trust her....

We exited the plane at 4:45 am on Saturday morning after one lay-over and four screaming babies later.  Lindsey and I were off long before Tegan.  Then we waited, and waited and waited.  They say a picture's worth a thousand words:

The flight attendants were walking up the ramp. Still no Tegan.  They had forgotten Tegan's luggage on the ramp outside the plane, and flew off leaving it far behind in lovely Sacramento.  Let's just say we were not Happy Campers. 

Luckily, we had a nice chauffeur and a nap before the weekend's festivities began.

We started our Ladies Weekend at the Minnesota State Fair.  They should just call it "The fair that puts all other fairs to shame."  I have to admit.  I was impressed.  Here are some highlights:

Within three minutes of walking into the fair, I had these little babies in my hand.  Deep Fried Cheese Curds. Delicious.

A few steps away was my favorite stand of the day:

The Pickle Stand. Fried, Stuffed and Oversized.

Amazing.

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas were enjoyed by some....

We ended our excursion with the most incredible melt in your mouth goodness, and all you can drink milk.

I think I gained back 10 of my 18 lbs just in Saturday alone.

I'm not gonna lie.  Totally worth it.

By the time we had returned from the fair, Tegan's luggage had magically appeared! Yay US Airways. Way to get it together! 

Sunday was a  fun filled day celebrating all things GIRL. 

The weather Gods shined down upon us and it was a fabulous day all the way around.

This was our view at brunch

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

Our day ended with a meal fit for a King.

The most delicious Chinese food EVER.  Go ahead. Be Jealous.  It was Awesome.

Everyone had left by the time Lindsey and I rolled out of bed on Monday morning.  Which meant we had a private tour guide for the day!

Where does one enjoy their last 12 hours in Sunny Minnesota?  The Mall of America of course!

 O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D

Me. Heidi.  The shopper of all shoppers, the queen of the strip mall, the power walking, get out of my way I see a clearance rack, Heidi, could not handle the monstrosity this place calls a "Mall".  It took us 3 1/2 hours to do the first floor.  This place is no joke.  Wanna know what else is no joke? Minnesota has no sales tax on all things of necessity.  Did you know that shoes are of necessity?

I cannot confirm nor deny that there may or may not have been purchases of 5 pairs of shoes at this lovely establishment.  No sales tax AND Labor day weekend??!!!

The shopping Gods were shining down upon us as well.

The weekend was so, so, so, great.  I can't wait for the next girls trip.  I just wish these weekends weren't so few and far between.

I will just have cherish the time we do have with each other.

And be thankful for my friendships with the most amazing set of women on the planet.

Love you B's.

Bring on the Yoga Pants

This weekend I'm heading out on a jet plane...... And for once in my life....I'm packing light.

What I should say is I'm being forced to pack light.

Lindsey and I have been traveling together for years.  On occasion, we have been known to rent a larger car to accomodate our luggage.  We used to live by the Girl Scout motto,  Always be prepared.  You know..10 pairs of heels, 8 swim suits, outfits you might wear, or your friend might wear, 3 handbags...whatever.  Prepared.

This trip is different.  Lots of things have changed about me over the years.  Overpacking is not one of them.  Sure the girls roll their eyes when they see me chuck my enormously overstuffed Pepto Bismol pink luggage out of the back of the car and roll it to the front desk, but you don't see them rolling their eyes when they come to me for outfit options when they don't like their own picks from their "lightly" packed bags.

Lindsey has politely requested that I don't bring ol' Pepto on this trip.  And I can't blame her. I don't want to bring it either.  For a multitude of reasons.  So I'm not.  I just finished packing and after 13 phone calls complaining to my girls that I am going to look like hell and have no clothes, I have packed light.  What used to hold just my Bathroom essentials, will now contain my entire weekends wardrobe. Including the dress I have to wear to the event the weekend is centered around.

There will be no: "Hey I have the perfect shirt for those Jeans!" or "Try these heels, they are taller and will make your legs look better." Or even, "Oh! You're cold?  Here.  I brought 3 extra sweaters."

Nope.  Not this weekend. This weekend is about letting it all hang out, and not caring about the way we look. Just about the company we keep.  Yoga Pants for everyone!

I can't wait.

Maybe this getting older thing is not so bad.....

Cooking with Heidi....and her BFF Ina Garten...

As I have mentioned, I love to cook.  I love everything about it.  I love how I feel when I'm cooking, I love how creative cooking can be, I love tasting the end product, I love trying new things and most of all I love it when somethings fabulousness is hidden and I find it.

Lately, with the dieting, I have not been cooking the way I like to....you know...deliciously.

Until last night.

I made Ina Garten's mustard-roasted fish.  It was so amazing.

From start to finish last nights dinner took me 20 minutes.  I immediately started thinking of people I could make this for and know they would love it.  Gram and Rose were my top contenders...maybe Kim... ......then I started thinking about my in-laws, and then dinner parties...then my mind started to set the imaginary dinner table...place mats...flowers....okay.  Anyway....

It was good. 

And don't be afraid of the mustard title!  The taste of the mustard is very subtle.  And you would swear when the first bite hits your lips that a pound of butter was used to make this dish.  It's so buttery and creamy.

So here it is. Try it!  You will like it!

4 (8 ounce fish fillets) I used red snapper-it was great!
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces of creme fraiche
3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard I used grey poupon
1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard with seeds I used beaver. That's right. I said it. Beaver.
2 tablespoons of minced shallots I used red onion and it was perfect
2 teaspoons of drained capers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Use an ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle the fish generously with salt and pepper.   Combine creme fraiche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the fish making sure to cover them completely.  Bake for 10-15 minutes. (The fish will flake at the thickest part when it is done). Serve hot or room temperature with sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

I changed the recipe a bit- here's what I did differently:

I added extra capers and onion for more flavor.   I also baked it at 425 for 10 minutes and was not getting the browned effect on the top that I desired, so I turned my broiler on for 7 minutes and it turned brown and bubbly on top just like I wanted.

I served it with Costco's frozen brown rice (god's greatest latest gift) and made some low fat cole slaw (that's right-I getto-fied my fancy fish).  ONLY because it was just Clay and I eating.   IF... I was making this for guests, I would have made rice pilaf, roasted vegetables and a spring mix salad with a bottle of La Crema to wash it all down.  Which I may do for my MIL birthday next weekend.....

Sometimes I forget I'm doing this whole blog thing...and I didn't think about a picture until my plate was half gone....so here is Ina's pic.  I assure you mine looked JUST as fantastic.  ;)