ninfa's green salsa

I have been absolutely addicted to this salsa for a few weeks now. I love it, the kids REALLY love it and Clayton loves it so it's a keeper. I found it flipping through my old elementary school cookbook from 1994, Kuehnle's Cooking It's Elementary.

One of my favorite things to do is look through cookbooks for new recipes. It's like a game! I then see how many of the ingredients I already have and make a list for all the new fun ingredients I need to buy! It's just as fun as shopping at the mall.

This salsa is easy to make and easily varied depending on the ingredients you have on hand. Ninfa's is a yummy Mexican food restaurant in Houston. Boy do I miss Mexican food here in Canada.... That is probably why I make it three nights out of five.

Ninfa's Green Salsa

3 medium size green tomatoes, chopped (I used regular tomatoes)

4 tomatillos, chopped

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed, chopped (I used one can diced green chilies instead)

3 small garlic cloves

3 medium size ripe avocados

4 sprigs cilantro (I used half a bunch)

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cup sour cream

(I added the juice of a small lime)

Place tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeno peppers and garlic in a saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Peel seed and slice avocados, set aside. In food processor, place part of the green tomato mixture with part of the avocados, cilantro and salt; cover. Process until smooth, pour into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining green tomato mixture and avocado. Add to mixture in bowl, stir in sour cream, cover, chill. Serve with chips. Makes 5 to 6 cups.

*The first time I made it exactly as the recipe states and it was good. The second time I changed the recipe as stated above in italics and it was even better. Tonight I made it a third time and it was different, but maybe the best. I used one large can of tomatillos, drained, no tomatoes, garlic, avocados, half bunch cilantro, salt, sour cream and lime juice. (I dipped bean and cheese quesadillas into this and it was so delectable.)

Enjoy!!

scarlett turned two on january 18th

Family birthday party with her ginormous cake.

She opened one present the in the morning right when she woke up. She loved it!
She opened her second present later when dad was home so he could watch. It was a Leap Frog alphabet for the fridge. The one that sings you the song and tells you the letters. Pretty cool.
We had our own little family birthday party. Basically it was me making and eating a Skor Bar Cake. The kids only liked the Skor Bar pieces, not the cake.
Monet helping me make the cake for the big family party.
Scarlett is my little bundle of joy. She is the BEST baby/big girl. She has a fun and excited personality yet is so reasonable and patient. She talks like a professional. People always ask me how old she is because she talks so much. Her lack of hair is a little deceiving and makes people think she is way younger than she really is. She is so love-able and cuddly and gives nice big long kisses while holding your face between her two hands very firmly, especially when she wants something.

Scarlett's favorite foods are pizza , yogurt, and toast with Nutella or "chocolate toast" as she calls it. She would give just about anything for a gumball. Every night when she says her prayers she thanks Heavenly Father for "my daddy, my monet, (sometimes my mommy), my gumball, a treat by my door, etc....". If she really wants you to do something for her she starts by asking for what she wants then follows very quickly with, "I promise, I eat my dinner all gone. I be patient." She is always very quick to say "I sorry" if she makes someone sad without being prompted. She loves babies, real ones and baby dolls.

Scarlett is currently obsessed with Snow White and could watch the movie all day long if I would let her. She actually carries a portable DVD player around the house with her and pops Snow White in there all by herself if she is ever in the mood. When ever we are out somewhere and she sees a glimpse of Snow White or one of the Seven Dwarfs or the Queen she yells, "HEY! I HAVE THAT!"

Scarlett just became obsessed with jammie dresses. She MUST wear one every night over her regular jammies. She sleeps perfectly at night and takes one 2-3 hour nap every afternoon. At her two year check up the doctor told us she was in the 15th percentile for height and 10th for weight. She has always been pretty little.

Scarlett is just such a little ray of sunshine. We are so happy she is ours!!

the atlantic's in focus

This is the coolest news photography blog. I check it daily. The photos and descriptions often make me tear up, even the one on Dismantling the Space Shuttle Program. It is amazing how moving a picture can be. I learn so much reading the descriptions. It is a much more entertaining way of learning about what is going on in the world than watching the news I think! I highly recommend going back and looking at the ones on Autism Awareness Day and on Carnival 2011. Well really all of them are worth looking at. I could spend hours! Click here to go to The Atlantic In Focus.

red devil's food cake with white fluffy frosting

This cake brings back wonderful memories of my childhood. My mom made it for every birthday. It melts in your mouth. The frosting is the best part! It is so different then any other frosting and so delicious. (Not the actual picture). Holly asked me to send her this recipe. Might as well put it on the ole' blog! Enjoy Holly!

Red Devil's Food Cake

1 3/4 cups cake flour (or all purpose flour)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan, two 9-inch round pans or three 8-inch round pans (I always grease and line the bottom with parchment paper if using the round pans). Measure all the ingredients into you mixing bowl (I do mine pretty much in order of the recipe but I add the melted chocolate last). Mix for 30 seconds on low speed scraping the bowl well. Beat for 3 minutes on high speed, scraping the bowl well. Pour into pan or pans.

Bake 13x9 for about 40 minutes, rounds for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Frost with the white fluffy frosting.

White Fluffy Frosting

3 egg whites

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup white corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine vanilla and baking soda in a small cup. Set aside. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, corn syrup and vanilla/baking soda mixture. Beat until it stands in tall peaks (several minutes).

marinated butternut squash

Oh my gosh this is so good. We went to a friend's house for dinner a little while ago and she made this. It was so delicious! I have been dying to make it ever since and finally did. It is such a nice alternative than always dousing my squash in butter and brown sugar.

Marinated Butternut Squash

2 medium sized butternut squash, skin on, seeded and cut crosswise into 1 inch slices

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 medium onion, sliced paper thin

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 garlic clove, sliced paper thin

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

This can be made up to 6 hours in advance but should not be refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season squash with the salt and pepper, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and arrange on a cookie sheet or two. Roast until just tender, 8-10 minutes (I roasted mine about 14 minutes total and turned the squash over about half way through). Meanwhile, stir together the remaining olive oil, vinegar, onion, pepper flakes, oregano and garlic (I used two garlic cloves). Season with salt and pepper. When the squash is cooled, immediately transfer to a dish and pour the marinade over them. Allow to cool in the marinade for at least 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with the sliced mint leaves just before serving at room temperature. Makes 8-12 servings.

(I only used one butternut squash but kept everything else the same. I loved the amount of topping/marinade but will use less olive oil to roast the squash in next time.)

i just turned 29

My birthday was January 22. I turned 29. No big deal. Feels just like 28. Clay and I went out to dinner by ourselves (which we rarely do) and it was really nice! We then rented a good movie and snuggled on the couch. It was a great birthday!

My doorbell rang while I was getting ready. I looked out of my bedroom window and saw a flower delivery truck. I was like, ya right Clay. Not that he wouldn't... he just doesn't :) Clay is downstairs and answers the door. I come down and I'm like, "Are those from you?!?" He was smiling so big and says, "No.... they are from Holy!!!!" I was SO happy!! It hd the nicest note attached and really made my day. Holly is the greatest most wonderful thoughtful friend. This is what she sent me last year. Thank you Holly!!!!! I miss you.

snowman

Clayton impressed me yet again with his mad snowman building skills. He kept making me bring out glasses of water. I was like, "What in the world do you need water for?" Apparently you need just the proper consistency of snow for a snowman. It has snowed more then I thought possible this year. It just finished snowing for yet another three days straight. Wow has it been cold too. On my computer it says it is NEGATIVE 11 degrees fahrenheit outside right now!!! Can you even imagine that. It feels like it too. My hands were killing after loading the groceries into my car today. It is amazing how the cold is actually so painful. I am prematurely DREAMING of the summer. Being in the sun and getting tan.

christmas morning

All the magical loot Santa left for Monet and Scarlett! They must have been good girls this year.
Monet's pile: Drum set, Hungry Hungry Hippos and a teddy bear straight from Santa with Santa's voice telling Monet what a good girl she was. :)
Scarlett's pile: Wooden activity center, Foofa and a teddy bear straight from Santa telling Scarlett what a good girl she was. :)

Funny little Scarlett looked at that wooden activity center toy for about two seconds and then didn't touch it for an entire week. Mommy and Daddy made the executive decision that Santa was and idiot for getting it and returned it to the toy store along with the crappy already broken drum set Santa brought Monet. Instead we came home with a REAL big professional kid drum set that sounds real and professional..... wow is it loud.
Look at those faces. Monet woke up pretty close to her usual time but was so excited. She came into our room and asked if Santa had come and if we could go down stairs. We waited for a bit and finally woke Scarlett up. They were so cute and patient. They waited at the top of the stairs until we told them to come down. (Monet and Scarlett had matching pajamas they got from Santa the night before... he left them on the doorstep... but Monet also got pajamas from her cousin so she wore the Santa pajamas for a while then put on her cousin pajamas.)
The drum set was an instant hit!
Monet didn't even notice the giant playhouse when she ran downstairs. Scarlett didn't even notice the Santa pile. She ran straight for the playhouse shouting, "My house! My house!" In this picture she just figured out the doorbell actually rings and she is yelling, "Doorbell!!!!"
The prized possession. No joke. Monet's Christmas list this year... #1 drums #2 submarine #3 tambourine. That is what she would say anytime someone asked. We had no part in her making her list. Those were just the things she wanted. It is not easy finding a submarine.
So proud of her present!
Thanks Grandma Robin and Grandpa Jim! A new 'work out' outfit.
Thanks Grandma Robin and Grandpa Jim! Boy does she love this farm. She seriously plays with it constantly. Particularly when it is time for bed. She always tells me, "No bed mom. My farm." She will sit there and put all the animals where they go then laugh and rearrange them. She can never decide where to put the farmer because he does not have a set place so she always ends up balancing him on the roof.
Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy! This pose totally reminds me of my niece Demi.
Scarlett is the lead singer in the band. You should see them play together. It is the cutest thing you have ever seen. No matter what song Monet is 'playing', Scarlett is singing either ABCD or I Am a Child of God.

When I was younger I always wondered how Christmas could possibly be any fun with kids. All those noisy toys and little pieces. Ugh. But now that I have kids I can honestly say nothing is better. To know their little personalities and they things they like and dislike is so much fun. To see their excitement and happiness really is more rewarding than anything. We had so much fun this year deciding what to get them and shopping for their toys. It will be so much fun as they get older to see how their personalities change and their interests change. Can't wait until next year!!

christmas craft

I was very proud of my Christmas craft this year. I have been wanting to make an advent calendar for a while now but could never find the right components. Then I found this wooden house at my favorite Canadian store appropriately named Superstore, the Target of Canada, sort of. I spray painted it white, covered the top and bottom in red glitter then mod podged on the paper and advent numbers found here. I got the little snowflakes on the top off of an old christmas card and made the merry christmas on the top window on my computer (since the advent numbers stop at 24). Next year I'll work on what goes inside the little windows! I was over working on the advent calendar after I finished modging it. :)

props to mallory

Monet is beautifully modeling a dress that mallory made in her high school sewing class! Monet loves this dress and it fits her great. Nice work Mal. I'll keep in tip top shape for your daughters to wear... one day. :)