Salsa...Restaurant Style

If you are like me than you love love love restaurant style chips and salsa.  Problem is, you can only get them at the restaurant...until now!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and it is soooo good!  I have made it a couple of times and I love it so much!  I changed it up a bit so it's just how I like it and you can add more of or less of any of the ingredients that you like.  The first time I made it I used the whole can of the jalapenos and it was almost un-edible...hahaha...lesson learned!


Restaurant Style Salsa:

1 large can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sugar
salt & pepper
jalapenos (I buy the can of the halved ones and use one and one-half of those...so basically its like 3/4 of a jalapeno...not the whole can but they are super cheap and so I don't feel too bad)

Put all ingredients in your bullet machine or just a regular blender and blend until super smooth.  Refrigerate until the next day and Voila...super yummy salsa.  You can also add some cilantro or some lime juice if you like.  I am also super snobbish about my chips and I have found that here in Utah, you can buy Juanitas chips at most grocery stores and they are as close as it gets to warm, crispy, fresh chips from a restaurant.

Fact:  I am an emotional person, I wear my heart on my sleeve.  If I am pissed, happy, sick or sad, you will most definitely know it.  Problem is - I used to think this was a bad thing.  I used to think I needed to portray a happy face all of the time and I just couldn't do it.  I used to think something was wrong with me.  Truth is - I am okay with my emotional self.  I am okay that you know exactly how I feel just by looking at me.  It's not something that I can change or turn off and I am okay with that.

Fact:  Taylor missed me while I was out of town for 3 nights.  She missed me cuz she needed her laundry done.  I am glad she missed me.

Fact:  I got my haircut and I LOVE IT!  I was waffling with the idea of growing it out again and Miss Julia convinced me to just keep cutting it.  I have decided to do the round brush thing again even though it takes more time and energy, my hair looks better if I do.  Thanks Julia!

Fact:  I love my sister and my sister-in-laws.  We have a good time together.  They get me.  They don't judge me.  They teach me.  They like me just the way I am...even with the bajillion flaws I have.

Fact:  I think cooking is a lost art.  I think it's sad that people don't learn how to cook anymore.  I try to cook every night for my fam, but it doesn't always happen.  It's okay though, cuz I still mostly cook for them.

Fact:  Speaking of cooking...I love recipes and love to try new things.  If you have any good ones, send them my way!

Fact:  I am on a new med these days and sugar does nothing for me anymore...how cool is that!!!  I am just hoping that this little side effect will stick and I will be able to nix it for good.  Except for Christensen's JuJu Hearts...those totally get me every time!  Good thing Valentine's is only once a year!

Fact:  Jenner is still in her pj's and it past noon...and I don't even care!

Fact:  I love my kids.  They are so great and so good.  They are so kind to each other and so happy to play with each other (most of the time) and I feel so lucky that they are like they are.  Really, it's true.

Cheesy Chicken and Vegi Soup...

This soup is so Delish...

and I am putting a personal guarantee on the fact that you will never have to look for a good, creamy, cheesy soup recipe again...

Cheesy Chicken and Vegi Soup:

1 lb Chicken (tenders or breasts)

1/2 cup onion, diced small (I just use minced onion)

3-4 carrots, sliced

3-4 stalks celery, sliced

3-4 potatoes, diced

water (I don't have an exact amount so I just eye-ball it and add more if I need it)

Put chicken and onion in soup pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to medium and cook until chicken is done.  Remove chicken and bring water back up to a boil.  Add vegi's and a cup of cold water.  Shred or dice chicken and add to pot when the vegi's are cooked.  Bring down heat. 

In a separate sauce pan, melt 1 cube butter, add 1 cup milk, 2 Tbsp. flour and 3 boullion cubes.  Whisk until mixed good.  Add 16 oz. of Velveeta cheese that has been cubed and continue to cook on med. heat until the cheese is melted.  Add this to the chicken and vegi's.  Now add some broccoli that has been cut into smaller pieces.  Cook on low heat until broccoli is tender, being really careful not to scorch the soup cuz it's gross if you do...I would know.  Serve.

She's 2

Seriously people...

she's only 2 and she knows how to play this...

CRAZY!

Fact stealer...

So my sis-in-law does this awesome 'Fact' thing on her blog...

and I am shamelessly copying her because it is so great...

so here goes...

Fact:  I joined the gym the end of November and I am just now feeling like I am getting into a routine.  Mind you, I am way outta shape (obviously) but it feels really good to feel my strength and endurance building.  I am hoping to feel way better by summer.

Fact:  My boys are off track for 3 whole weeks and I am so excited that they are home with me and the girls for awhile...excited because they can babysit while I go to the gym :}

Fact:  My husband works sooooo hard and sooooo many hours that I don't even know how he does it.  Then on top of that, he has been doing a few side jobs that take even more hard work and long hours...he is nothing short of amazing!

Fact:  I love Harry Potter.  I am thinking of re-reading the whole series again but I am afraid of getting too bored in the first few...I have this weird aversion to reading books more than once but I am willing to try.  We are watching all of the movies right now and I miss the details from the books...I hate how they just assume that you know all of the dark little secrets/details in the movie...bugs me.

Fact:  I love to brush my teeth.

Fact:  I have been trying to eat healthier lately and it's going good.  But forget about the french fries I just ate.  I was having a craving and had to suppress it!

Fact:  My Addy is growing up waaaay too fast.  And she stills has a binky and bottle...so sue me!  I don't care what you think and who are you to judge anyways...hahaha  (that's for all the haters who stare at the grocery store when they see my bigger than average 2.5 year old with a binky)

Fact:  Speaking of Addy...she has to get her tonsils out on the 30th and I am way dreading it...she is our 'Beast' of a child and to say that she will be high maintenance is an understatement...Oh help me now!

Fact:  Taylor got good grades on her report card and that makes me one happy Momma!

Fact:  My basement is at a major standstill right now and it's not looking like we will be getting carpet in the spring...bummer...but Chris is still trying to get Taylor's room and the bathroom ready by then so she can move down there and free up her room upstairs...(we will just carpet her room and be sorta white-trashy) hahaha

Fact:  I love pinterest with every ounce of my being...it's so fun and so informative!

Fact:  Time for a shower!

Matchy Matchy...

Who doesn't love their little ones in matching clothes...

I sort of have a problem with it...

you see, I LOVE for them to match and it kinda drives me nuts if they don't, at least in some small way...

And the above outfits are courtesy of one hand me down and one second hand store find..

how cool is that...

I bet I am not the only one who loves the matchy matchy stuff...

and, who doesn't love those "take my picture mom," when they are like two inches away from the lens...

hahaha...

What a way to wake up!

We were woken up by our kiddos today to a beautiful winter wonderland...

this was Addy's first time playing in the snow and she loved it...

she was strutting around like she was all boss...

it was super cute

TaDa...

A beautiful, crazy, teensie little snowman!



Finally some pics of my own kids...

I am having a hard time editing the picture of Addy below because this is what she was doing right before we took the pictures...and so therefore, she was onery and crying and cold making her face go red and blotchy...look how perfect her little face looks in the sleeping picture...

Ringing in the New Year...

We went to the big ol' town of RF this year to celebrate the New Year...

and with 32 people around, things can get pretty rowdy and loud...

but nonetheless, it was a good time...

here are our pictures from New Year's Eve...

Right before midnight...

"HAPPY NEW YEAR"

Mags is one of my favorites right now...Love her to pieces

This is Jenner's best buddy



Obligatory Christmas Post...

This year we spent Christmas Eve at our house with just my little family...

and it was PURE BLISS...

the night was so calm and so relaxing that I am wondering why we have never done it with just our seven before...

we were trying to figure out our own traditions and what we wanted to do for the night...

and we had a huge dinner with 3 bottles of Martinellis that we didn't have to ration...

PURE BLISS I tell ya...

Then on Christmas morning we had a sheet inbetween the rooms and the living room so the kids couldn't see what the big guy brought them...

and I even planned so well that on Saturday I bought some donuts for us to have for breakfast before church...

you see, we weren't planning on doing any of our Christmas stuff until after church (it was at 9:00 am)...

so we ate our donuts and got ready in our Sunday best...

and when it was time to leave, Chris led the kids out to the garage one by one with blankets over their heads so they couldn't see anything still...

AWESOME...

and then when church was over, we led them back to the bedrooms with blankets on their heads so they could change and get ready to open their presents!

Christmas on Sunday is always so special...

I love that you get to wish your friends and neighbors a Merry Christmas on the actual day and that you get to feel of the spirit and remember the true meaning of Christmas...

it was such a great day!

I can't wait for next year!

 The sheet that kept everyone out until it was time

First look at the loot...
love their faces...

a motorcycle...
are you kidding me...

Taylor got her shotgun and was so happy....

Addy was priceless...
every present she opened she would exclaim..."I love it I love it I love it"
she even opened one that was wrapped in a box for lights and was so excited that she got lights...
it was such a fun year with her...

the traditional stocking loot...
this is how I grew up getting my stocking stuff and I love it more every year...

All tuckered out from a big day of celebrating...

I love how she is wearing her coat and boots...

A post with no name!

This is what happens when I ask my boys to pose for me...

actually, I was playing with my camera to get some nice bokeh effect on my Christmas tree...

isn't it cool looking, all blurry and stuff...

This is what happens when I ask my youngest to pose for me...

Chris' mom made each of the kids Christmas pillows and they were all so excited to get them...

and she gave each family an Angel ornament so we can have Sage with us at Christmastime!

Nammy, Jenner and Amanda with their pillows...

so cute!

All I want for Christmas...

I thought it would be a fun idea to write down what my kids want for Christmas...

some of their requests are quite funny...

Addy:

if you ask her directly what she wants for Christmas she always says, "A bracelet for Daddy."

I will explain...

she drew her dad's name for our family Christmas exchange and she seems to think that giving him a 'bracelet' is the same as asking for something...

it's quite funny...

Jenner:

a room...

a Repunzel doll...

the 'Shark show' (Soul Surfer)

and a bed for Addison...

she has been asking for a room for two years now, and isn't that the saddest thing ever...

poor little girls sleep in our room, one on the floor and one in our bed...

by morning, they are both in our bed...

this whole wanting a room thing breaks my heart and let me reassure you that we are working soooo hard to make that happen...

Chris has been bustin' his gut to get the basement done and we are hoping to at least get Taylor down there in a week or two...

so Jenner can get her room!

And the whole 'Shark show' thing just cracks me up...

she loves that movie and her favorite part is when the shark bites her arm off...

don't even ask! (I have no answer)

Grady:

a couple of WII games...

baseball cards...

an air soft gun...

Rhett:

he says, "stuff" (yay me!)

a football...

anything Minnesota Viking's related...

Taylor:

a shotgun...

(yeah, I know...WEIRD!)

So there you have it...

the requests of my kiddos!

Good luck to me!

The halls are decked...

and the children are on the 'Nice List'...

the weather outside is frightful...

and the faint sound of bells can be heard in the far away distance..

I do believe it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Sage's Tree...

 

Taylor and I were able to help Sarah and the kids decorate Sage's tree for the festival of trees this year..

it was such a great experience and I have never felt like I did there...
there was such a great feeling of everyone there who were decorating their trees...

and so many people have suffered just as we have and that seems so weird to me...

but it also comforts me in a weird way...

the tree turned out soooo beautiful and we were all in awe at how amazing it all looked when we were done...

the kids and I went down there tonight and all I wanted to do was just sit there and stare at her tree...

it was just so beautiful~

if you have the chance to go down there, her tree is in section F and #10...

Homemade Rolls...

K - Don't freak out!!!  Homemade rolls can be really easy to make with the right recipe...and I think this one is perfect!  It's super easy, makes a ton and they taste fantastic!

Homemade Rolls:

1 cup water
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup cold water
4 1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs, beaten
7 1/2 cups bread flour
butter for spreading on dough and on top of rolls when they are out of the oven

Bring the 1 cup of water to a boil.  Add the butter, sugar and salt and remove from the heat.  When butter is mostly melted, add the 1 cup of cold water.  Let mixture come to room temperature.

In a separate bowl,  Dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water.

Pour the first mixture into a counter top mixer and add the yeast mixture and beaten eggs.  Mix briefly.   Add flour and stir together well.  It will seem like it is too sticky...but it's okay, I promise.  Cover tightly (I put mine in a greased ice cream bucket) and store in fridge overnight.

When ready to roll out, divide the dough into 6 equal parts.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each part into a circle and brush the circle with some melted butter.  Cut into 8 pieces and roll into crescent shapes.  Place on greased cookie sheets (24 to each sheet) and let rise for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.  After a few minutes out of the oven, brush tops with melted butter.  Makes 48 rolls.  Store any leftover rolls in an airtight container or bag.  So good!

The reason why I love this recipe and think it's easy is because of the refrigeration step...this step makes the dough sooo easy to work with.  I hope you like them as much as we do!

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies...

So my neighbor brought over these to die for cookies about a week ago...

and I am not kidding, they are to die for...

since then I have made 2 batches and I think together we improved them slightly!

I will post the original and our newer version for you and you can decide which one to try!

Recipe courtesy of Studio 5

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 c.granulated sugar
• 1/2 t.salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

· Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)

Mix together butter and sugars until fluffy, add eggs, vanilla, salt and apple cider packets and  mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.
· Refrigerate for about an hour (This is crucial...I learned the hard way)
· When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.
· Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
· Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
· Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over- bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and place on another piece of parchment paper that is on your counter.
· Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies.  Store in an airtight container. 

Michelle and I's version:  We thought that using the Kraft Caramel Bits would make the caramel distribute evenly and also make the cookies easier to make.  It was beyond perfect after using the caramel bits.  Let me tell you, rolling all those caramels into the cookies was not the most fun thing to do!  And, if you use the small pampered chef cookie scoop for these, bake them for 10-11 minutes, they turn out perfect

First Place!

So my Dad is obsessed with all things Pine Wood Derby...

and he graciously helped Grady out with his car this year...

we're talking like seriously helped him out...

in the past, he ordered a kit for maximizing your car while staying within the 'rules'...

and...

We Have A Winner!

He was so excited!

and by 'he'...

I mean both Grady and my Dad!

What's Up Buttercup?

 Last month a couple of Hobo's came to my door for some candy...

aren't they the cutest Hobo's ever?

 Last month this small child fell asleep sitting up...

she fights her naps like the dickens I tell ya...

  Last month we went to the coveted punkin' patch in Elsi and got some awesome punkin's and gourds...

look at that cute buncha crazies...

 Last month this little man received his Arrow of Light...

and it was a proud moment for us...

 Last month was trick or treat time...

and my kiddos had a blast...

Last month at the Arrow of Light ceremony, Papa came to support his grandkids and it was very special...

My Mom drove 200 miles to be there too, she is Ah-Mazing!

Pizza Crust...

We made pizza's for YW the other night and I found this recipe on a blog and decided to give it a go...

it was soooo good!!!

and the crust was all brown and cooked all the way through...

unlike other recipes I have tried...

this will only make one pizza so I suggest doubling or tripling it if you are feeding a crowd the size of my crowd...

I can't remember the blog, but because I changed the recipe a bit so I don't feel too bad...

I did steal this picture from a blog too because I never took one of  my own...

doesn't that look delish?

Pizza Crust:

1/2 cup warm water (from the tap is good, I let mine get a little hot)

1 1/4 tsp. yeast

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 tsp. salt

Combine the warm water and yeast in a bowl.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the flour and salt and mix in a countertop mixer for 3-4 minutes.  Roll dough onto cookie sheet...no need to grease the sheet, just a little flour and you will be all set.  Top with your favorite toppings and bake.

The trick to a good pizza crust is a really hot oven and putting it on the lowest rack in your oven.  This recipe calls for a 420 degree oven and baking it for 11-13 minutes.  

Also, we tried doing a pizza without using any sauce and it was really good.  In fact, it was so good that I have to intention to ever make my pizza with sauce again!  The flavor really comes through with your toppings...YUM!

Chicken Tortilla Soup...

I found this recipe on the PW's tasty kitchen blog and I had to try it...

I love me a good tortilla soup but I don't love all of the work that goes into some of the recipes...

after I made my usual changes I was really pleased!

this was an easy one and it had a really good flavor...

I will be making it one of my staples for sure!

Chicken Tortilla Soup...

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded

4 cans chicken broth

1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Lime juice and Cilantro

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder (I used less)

1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly

1 carrot, cut into big pieces

Bring the broth to a boil and add tomatoes, garlic and spices.  Bring back to a boil and add beans, chicken and carrot.  The carrot is basically there to bring the spice down a bit...if you like it super spicy, skip adding the carrot.  Add the chicken and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Take the carrot out and serve in bowls topped with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream and avocado if you like!

I am assuming that you could use regular canned tomatoes and skip the whole carrot thing altogether but I really liked the cilantro and lime flavor in the rotel tomatoes.  Play around with it until you get the flavor how you like it!