How random can you get?

Here's a quick update on the last month in pictures:

We had a great Christmas. Here you see Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and the cow. I played the part of angel/shepherd/wise man/donkey. You see now why I didn't take a picture with me in it. My costume would have been very confusing.


The kids LOVED their Christmas presents. This is Allison saying, "Thank you Grandma!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new clothes."


Santa Claus lined up all of the Allison's stuffed animals so that they could watch the kids open their presents. Lindsay sort of blends right in, doesn't she?


Allison was badly in need of a makeover before Christmas. This is before:


This is the after.


Lindsay enjoyed hanging out with her dad for Christmas.


Here is my brain spewing some thoughts that I've been thinking on lately:

I smell like maple syrup. I've been taking a supplement lately that makes me smell like maple. So if you have a sudden craving for pancakes when you are around me, you'll know why.

Recently Allison has been fascinated by baptism. We've had many a baptism of her toys in the tub, but I had to put my foot down when she wanted to baptize Lindsay.

Steve and I had a really fun date a little while ago. We would like to have an international night about once a month. This month was Cuban night. We dropped the kids off at a friends house and made dinner together. We had this yummy Cuban black bean soup and picadillo empanadas. We had SO much fun.

Allison told me the other night that she wanted to go to Kentucky. How did she learn about Kentucky, you ask? Beats me. But I think that she may have somehow picked up the strange idea that the My Little Ponies live in Kentucky. Anyway, if someone knows a good horse farm we can visit in Kentucky, we're ready for a field trip.

Okay, that's enough randomness for today.

Recipes

I thought I would post this easy treat recipe. Once again, Kraft Foods, I love you.


Oh, and if you like spinachy pastry thingy's, you might like these.

I'm hungry.

I'm hungry right now, but it is too early to make lunch yet. So I thought I would post some recipes that we have tried and liked in the last two weeks.

Before I post these, I must explain that I am perhaps what you would call a "lazy foodie." I love to try new recipes and I love exotic sounding dishes, but I don't try them very often. Why? First of all, as we've seen before, making dinner with two young kids is an adventure. It is usually better to make something fast and easy rather than making something that takes 3 hours to create.

Second of all, gourmet dishes cost too much. We are on a limited budget right now, so the cheaper the better.

Last of all, Allison has to be the pickiest eater on the planet. I don't know where she gets it from. I'm not picky and Steve will eat anything that he can chew. (He once took a can of cream of mushroom soup concentrate to work and ate the soup cold straight from the can.)Anyway, as much as I'd like Allison to try Chicken Tikka Masala, I know she won't. If she could live on macaroni and cheese and peanut butter sandwiches, she would.

So back to these recipes. These are easy and fast, and they taste kind of gourmet. So enjoy!

Phyllo bean burritos

2 cans black or pinto beans or refried beans
1/2 c. salsa
1 onion, chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 package frozen phyllo (filo) dough, thawed
cooking spray or olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Smash beans with a fork until they reach the consistency of refried beans (or puree them in food processor). Mix in salsa, onions, and taco seasoning. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough on work surface, but keep unused dough covered with a damp cloth. Take one sheet of phyllo dough and either spray with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. (I tried both and I couldn't taste the difference.) Layer another sheet of dough on top of the first sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Then spoon bean mixture along one edge of the dough. Carefully roll up. Place burrito on a cookie sheet. Repeat until dough or beans are gone. Spray tops of burritos with cooking spray or brush a little olive oil on the tops of the finished burritos. Bake until the dough turns a golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Or just eat them plain like we do.

The second recipe is one I ripped off from Potbelly's Sandwich Works. It is DELICIOUS! Don't skip the homemade croutons--they are the best part. I don't have measurements, but it doesn't seem to matter. Just throw it together and enjoy!

Italian Salad

Romaine lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumbers, sliced
Pepperoni
Salami or ham, chopped
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Artichoke hearts (from a jar), chopped
Roasted red peppers(from a jar), chopped
Cheese, cubed or shredded
French or Italian bread (to make homemade croutons)
Olive oil
Italian salad dressing

Slice bread and brush slices with olive oil. Then chop bread into bite size pieces. Or you could chop the bread into bite size pieces and toss with the olive oil. Anyway, the point is get the olive oil onto the bread somehow. Place bread in a non-stick skillet and saute until bread pieces are golden brown. Sprinkle croutons with a little salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, meats, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cheese and croutons. Add Italian salad dressing to taste. Serve immediately.

Note: I used turkey pepperoni, ham, and fat-free Italian dressing to save on calories. I made up the calories I saved, however, by eating the homemade croutons by the handful. Seriously delicious.

Okay, now I can go eat lunch. Macaroni and cheese, anyone?

NOTE: PHYLLO DOUGH IS A VERY THIN PASTRY DOUGH. IT MAKES A FLAKY, CRISPY BURRITO. YOU CAN FIND IT IN THE FROZEN FOOD AISLE OF THE GROCERY STORE, BY THE FROZEN BREADS.

The best cookies ever!

I was going to post some cute pictures of the girls, but I am having some difficulties with my computer. So I decided to share this recipe we tried at Rachel's house instead.

Warning, these cookies are addictive!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

1 box chocolate or devil's food cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
2 eggs
1 bag of Rolos chocolate caramel candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake mix, butter, and eggs together to form a soft dough. Take one Rolos candy and roll enough dough around it to form a small ball. You can roll the cookies in some granulated sugar to give them a pretty texture, top with a pecan, or drizzle with white chocolate. Repeat until either candy or dough is gone. Eat remaining candy or dough (He, He!)Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Note: I made these with a regular chocolate cake mix, but I think it would probably better with a devil's food mix.

Mmmm . . .

We tried a great new recipe tonight. Here it is:

Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Red Peppers with Cucumber Relish

2 c. plain fat-free yogurt, divided (Greek-style recommended)
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 large sweet red peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 large cucumber, diced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 c. yogurt, 2 chopped garlic cloves, rosemary and lemon juice. Add chicken and let mixture marinate at least 15 minutes or overnight in refrigerator.

Grill or broil chicken and peppers--about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, to make relish, combine cucumber, onion, remaining 1/2 c. yogurt, remaining garlic clove, parsley, oil, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Serve relish over chicken and peppers. Yields about 1 1/2 c. of chicken/ pepper mixture and about 1/2 c. relish per serving. (5 points per serving)

This was pretty fast and easy and it was delicious. I realized while I was typing, however, that I forgot to add the garlic to the relish. It was still great! Leftovers would taste great in a pita or wrap the next day.


It kind of reminded me of this recipe that I tried a few months ago, which was also really yummy and fast.


Greek Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing (I used a generic brand)
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into small wedges
1 medium lemon, halved

COMBINE dressing and mayo; pour into large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing mixture. Refrigerate at least 20 min. or up to 2 hours to marinate.

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. Thread chicken and onions alternately onto 16 wooden skewers.

GRILL 8 to 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, place lemon, cut-sides down, on grill grate next to kabobs. Squeeze lemon juice over kabobs just before serving.

Enjoy!