Delicious.

We have perfected our costa vida recipe. Ok. I lied. We don't have a perfect pico de gallo recipe yet. But the rest is wonderful. We made it last week and have been eating leftovers like crazy. These are not the kind of leftovers that you dread either. These are delicious, look-forward-to, leftovers. I promised i would post the recipes, so here they are: (I included a pico recipe, even though I didn't love it, I actually don't really like costa's pico either) (also, Andrew was the tortilla maker, I'll get the tortilla recipe from him and post it).

Pork:
Put roast and chopped carrots, onions, diced green chillies and water in crock pot overnight (in sealed bag on low setting).

Separate pork from the rest and shred.
Sauce:
La Rosarita Enchilada sauce
about ¾ cup brown sugar (add according to taste)
Bottle of Dr. Pepper (maybe coke)
Salt
(Maybe Cayanne or Serrano peppers)



Dressing:

2 tomatillos
1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 packet hidden valley buttermilk ranch
½ bunch cilantro (just the leaves, chopped)
1 large garlic clove minced
½ a lime, squeezed
1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped, but use gloves because your hands will burn...personal experience)

Put all in a blender and mix well.


Cilantro-Lime Rice:

3 cups uncooked rice
1 can chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp lime juice

½ bunch cilantro (just leaves, chopped)
3 tbsp sugar
2-3 limes, juiced

put top ingredients in rice cooker. Stir bottom ingredients together and mix in with a fork when rice is done.


Black Beans:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice (i used tomato paste and just added water)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.


Pico de Gallo:


Ingredients:
2 firm Roma tomatoes
1/2 of a medium onion
1 jalapeno (seeded)
1 small bunch of cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt

Dice tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno. You want them in nice little same-sized pieces (smaller jalepeno pieces). Gently mix together tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno. Tear steams off of cilantro. Give the cilantro a rough chop, then add to the bowl. Squeeze juice of 1/2 a lime over the mixture and salt to taste.


It seems like a lot of preparation, but it is totally worth it. Especially if you make a lot and use it for a couple meals. We had a lot of fun cooking together :)

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

As I sit here eating my ramen noodles in an oversized pyrex measuring cup, i can't help but think of how I'm a WINNER! I won twice last week! First, and the one I'm most proud of....My team won the upper division women's volleyball intramural championships! Yes. I got another shirt :) The Second, and the one I'm most shocked by....I won a $25 gift card to walmart! How? You ask. Well, I signed up for some drawing on the utahcoupons.com facebook page and my name was picked :) That is a first. I never win drawings. Andrew always does. That's why I married him. But me, no.



For those of you waiting for the costa vida recipe. That will be the next post.

Big Boy Bed

This is what I walked in on when William got up from his nap on thursday. It was only a matter of time really. Some of you may already know, but we built the crib. It was a great crib for a long time. But, I knew the day would come that Will would out-muscle those little slats. Unfortunately, the gap without that slat was just the right size to put Lil Will's big head through. I didn't know what to do. Andrew and I talked about it for awhile.... "should we buy a whole new crib?" "maybe a pack and play would work well enough" "what about a toddler bed?...is he even old enough for a toddler bed?"

Well, we did a little research online and decided to try our luck with a toddler bed. We ran to Walmart before bed time and grabbed one, thinking we could throw it together in a few minutes. Not so. We were almost finished putting it together, when we realized we put one part upside down and had to take the whole thing apart again and start over! Soooo frustrating! Especially with Will screaming the whole time. We finally got him to bed at about 11.



After a minute of crying in bed. All was silent. A couple minutes later, a thud. Andrew went in to find will still wrapped in his blankets on the floor trying to get back onto his bed. Since then he has done wonderfully in his new bed. He loves it! Especially the fact that he can reach the light. He turns it off all the time. And in the morning, instead of hearing crying, I hear him trying to open the door. A little easier on the ears.

So, one broken slat and one tumble out of bed later, and my little boy is forced into toddlerhood.

Coupon Clipper

Ok. So, I have become one of those people that you curse under your breath at in line at the store. Why? Because I have become a coupon lady. One of those ones that you stand behind and think, "really? Can this take any longer?" But, secretly you're thinking "where did she get these coupons?" "why am i not saving money like her?"



I am just a beginner, but I got a rush after going to walmart today and buying (along with regularly priced stuff):
a 10 lb bag of potatoes for $1
tomatoes for $.44/lb
onions for $.16/lb
pumpkins for $.10/lb
eggs for $.99
lean ground beef for $2/lb
$1 off any block of cheese

and some other stuff...

I feel like a superstar. Even though I still spent too much money and I'm still not sure if it was worth the time and stress. Seriously, I couldn't fall asleep last night because I was worried about checking out with all my coupons. Then, I had nightmares about the cashier not accepting them and me standing like a fool in line. Yes. I'm weird.

For those of you who care. The trick is to take the ads from Buy Low to walmart. Buy Low has great prices with no so good product, especially produce. But, walmart has great product and will match any price.

Old Friends

Facebook may be a waste of time. In fact, when I usually find myself wasting time, facebook is at the heart of it. But, there is definitely a silver lining to it, and a worthy reason to keep it around. A couple weeks ago, a woman that was baptized in latvia that I helped teach randomly added me as a friend on facebook. This may seem inconsequential to some, but to me, this was a miracle. I have been thinking about her and wondering about her and her family on and off for the past 3 years. I had no idea if she was still going to church, or still alive for that matter. We have been chatting a bit and I am so grateful for the bond that we have. She doesn't have family or friends around her there, and I think our chats help brighten her day. But I'm sure it is doing more for me than it does for her. I found out today that the sister missionaries(which were both my students at the MTC) are coming to her house to visit her tomorrow. What a huge relief for me that there are people watching out for her there.

Also, Heidi is coming for the weekend! Anyone that knew me in high school or college knows heidi. Rarely were our names used alone in a sentence. Are Heidi and Ellie coming? What are Heidi and Ellie doing? We were frequently teased on dates because by the end of the date, the guy knew more about the friend then the girl he took on the date. Haha! Since she moved to texas though, we really haven't spoken much. I'm excited to see her and catch up.

Yay for reuniting with old friends.