Tomatillo Salsa

Per special request, here is the recipe for tomatillo salsa that I made for my Project Runway Girls the other night. Sorry I don't have any photos. You'll have to trust me.

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos

2 serrano peppers

1/2 small red onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (although I plan to increase this amount next time I make it, because it almost tasted like the salsa verde at Moe's, and I think a little more cilantro would have been just the thing to make it exactly like Moe's- WELCOME TO MOES- sorry, but I had to go there).

Salt and white pepper to taste



Remove the husks from the tomatillos and roast along with peppers, onion, and garlic for 30 min in a 350 degree oven. You don't even have to dice or chop anything because you will blend later.

Allow them to cool completely and then puree in food processor or blender along with cilantro, salt and pepper.



I served this Flying Biscuit style over black bean cakes with fried eggs, sour cream, and feta cheese on top (and of course creamy dreamy white cheddar grits and biscuits on the side). Yummy yummy good!

Laptop Lunches

It's Friday! Woo Hoo! Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!!!!

Wait a second... what am I looking forward to. My days are all the same. In fact now that the boys are in school, the weekend just means that I have to work more. Hmmmm...

Oh well. It does mean that it is time for Favorite Things Friday. If you have a blog, feel free to post one of your favorite things and link below.

This week's favorite thing is a new thing in our household.. It is a laptop lunchbox. It is an americanized version of the Bento style lunches known in asian cultures. Check out the link above for more info. I love that it reduces waste and gives a really cool way to send a healthy lunch to school. Because...well, don't get me started on the school lunches!

I have wanted one of these for a long time, and I finally got one the other day. Here was Jonah's first lunch in it:

Bread and pears that he could spread his own apple butter and almond butter onto, natural white cheddar cheetos (okay so everything isn't healthy, but I don't want the other kids to make fun of him too badly), raisins, and apple butter and almond butter in his dipping cups. It has a little place to keep his fork and spoon, and an area for his water bottle. All of the plastic is PBA and lead free. And, the best thing is... it's so stinking cute!!!
So, now it is your turn. Share your favorite thing and add your link below!

It works!

It's Works for Me Wednesday time over at Rocks in My Dryer, and Shannon wants us to post kitchen organization tips. I feel like my kitchen is pretty organized, but I couldn't think of any earth shattering tip to offer. So, instead, I will show off my new labeler. I purchase a lot of pantry items in bulk, and transfer them to these handy plastic containers, and now I can appropriately label them. I used to think a labeler was too expensive for me to own personally, and then I realized that you can get a decent one for under $20. It helps with organization in every room.

I have yet to start labeling my children's underwear, but that is what the embroidery machine is for, right?

Check out Rocks In My Dryer for other Works for Me Wednesday kitchen organization tips...

Tailgating!!! The highlight of the day!

We had a fabulous time tailgaiting Saturday for "the game which shall not be mentioned."

We even had Santa show up at our tailgating tent. Seriously, some kids came and sat on his lap as he sat on the cooler to get a jump on the Christmas rush. :)

Check out our montage below...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

"What do you mean there is no ice cream left?"

Tomato Pie

When I took an Apples of Gold class in Savannah, I learned how to make tomato pie. It sounded a little "iffy" at the time, but I instantly fell madly in love. It is designed as a southern side dish, but in our house, it is a main course!!! Here is the recipe...

Key players:
tomatoes, onion (the original recipe calls for green onions, but I prefer a red onion), fresh basil, salt and pepper, and mayo (since I am not a huge mayo fan I split the mayo with sour cream and sometimes plain yogart- even though I loved the original).

Peel your tomatoes. This is easiest if you drop each tomato into boiling water for about 20 sec, and the skin almost falls off. Slice and layer the tomatoes in a deep dish pie crust. Sprinkle with salt, fresh ground pepper, chopped basil, and diced onion. Continue to layer until your pie crust is full.

This can take anywhere from four to six tomatoes. Isn't that pretty?

Just a warning: It will look nasty again before we cook it. sorry- it is still tasty!

Then mix 1 cup of mayo (or half cup mayo, half cup sour cream OR one third cup mayo, one third cup sour cream, and one third cup plain yogart- the options are endless) with 1 - 2 cups of grated cheddar (sharp is best).

Stir together and then "ice" your pie with the creamy mixture. The cheese and mayo mixture seeps down into the layers as it cooks. I told you it would look gross. Keep pressing on. It is so worth it!!!!!!

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove and enjoy!!!

This is what your husband's plate will look like after he eats it. Can you see the swirls from where he rubbed his biscuit all over the plate to get the last little bit?

Now I would love to hear about one of your favorite things...

Mourning Munson

I must say that it is a sad time in College Football. A Legend has retired. No not Bobby Bowden- will that ever happen?

Larry Munson, the voice of your Georgia Bulldogs, has retired at age 82.

UGA home games will not be the same without your voice ringing through my headphones as we sit in Sanford Stadium. "Get the picture."

You will be missed more than you could know, Larry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Exciting News!

I just added that title so that y'all would open the post. How much more boring could this tip be?

It might be difficult to tell from this photo, but this is what Works For Me... When I load this dishwasher throughout the day, I like to sort my silverware. I especially like to separate large forks from salad forks and teaspoons from tablespoons. But I also separate the knives and serving utensils as well.

It makes the emptying process so much easier- even my five year old can do it.

Head on over to Shannon's blog, Rocks in My Dryer to pick up some other useful tips today!

"I like football because I get to wear a helmet!"

To say that J-Man loves football would be an understatement. Since he was three (or maybe even younger than that), he has wanted to play football and nothing else. Since you have to be six for pee wee around here, we decided to "let" him play soccer last fall to appease the football beast.


No Luck!


The entire time he reminded us that he wanted to play football and there were a couple of times that he had to be reprimanded for tackling. Each time, he would respond "But, I told you I wanted to play football."


He had.


He also loves to watch football. College Game Day Saturdays are always a cause for celebration and a good reason to wear a football jersey (and sometimes a helmet) all day, and he loves to watch the Falcons on Sunday afternoons. Fortunately, he doesn't care whether his team wins or loses yet. :)


Now football has become a source of pride around our house, because this is J-Man's first piece of recognizable art- other than simple stick figures with no action involved.

At the top, right next to the "G," is a football goal and the guy in the middle is holding a football. You may be thinking future Salvadore Dali. I'm thinking future head coach for the Dawgs!!!!! He's already drawing out plays!

For those of you who may be wondering-

Yes, that is hanging on my refrigerator door.

NOTHING hangs on my refrigerator. I knew they would break me down one day!!!!!

In joy, Troye

The Sequel

Jonah saw a 10th anniversary edition of Toy Story. I can't get over the thought that Toy Story came out that long ago (actually longer than ten years). Ahhhhhh....

Anyway, I digress.

When he saw the move case, he exclaimed, "Huh! Look Mommy. They made Toy Story 10!!!"

Funny guy.

These are a few of my fave things...

Let me begin by saying that I cannot believe that I am posting a cleaner as one of my favorite things. Anyone who has ever been to my house or spent even a few moments with me knows that cleaning is definitely not one of my favorite things at all. But, with that being said, if I do have to clean, this cleaner is the greatest. It is all natural, safe for anything, green, and most importantly, I can use it in any room and on any surface in my house.

I actually stumbled upon this because Charlie's also makes my favorite laundry detergent, but it's packaging is not as fun as this. The disclosure on the back of the bottle is what moved Charlie's into the spot of my favorite things this week.

Charlie's prides itself on being all natural and save for kiddos and pets, so the caution reads:

"Do not spray directly on cockroaches, fire ants, fleas, ticks, termites, spiders, scorpions, wasps or hornets. In case of accidental exposure, rinse unlucky creatures with potable water for fifteen minutes and contact your local Humane Society or qualified insect veterinarian for further instructions."

How great is that? Sarcasm is one of my favorite things as well, so sarcasm on a label wins for me this week.

Now I really do have to recommend Charlie's Soap products, so check them out here.

Thanks Shannon

Through Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer- Works For Me Wednesday, I found Shannon at Shades of Shannon. She posted a recipe for Harvest Spiced Pecans, and here they are...

Check out the recipe on her post. Yum! And my house smells fabulous.

Works for Me Chore Chart

We started an allowance (or as we call it, a "commission") at the beginning of the school year. I made a picture chore chart for Jonah, and he earns his commission of $2.50 each week. The top chores or "family jobs" are things that he does for no money. These are things that are just part being a member of the family:

1. make bed




2. brush teeth (arguably not a chore, I know, but it is a struggle in our house, so we decided to add it for now)




3. feed dogs

These things are bare minimum. If he doesn't do them every day, he does not earn his commission. But if he does only these things, he also does not get a commission. The logic here is that there are plenty of things that Chris and I do around the house without getting paid, and J needs to contribute as well.

Then there are the "commission jobs:"

1. putting clean silverware away




2. wiping countertops




3. cleaning playroom (again, this is arguably a family job, but we decided it was a big enough task to earn $)

J gets checks for each time he does one of these commission jobs, and if he has reached 10 check marks- in addition to a daily mark for his family jobs- by Friday, he earns his commission.

Dave Ramsey recommends half of their age as an appropriate amount for their allowance, so we went with that. Plus, it makes the 10% increments easy. When he receives $2.50, a quarter goes in his tithe envelope, a quarter goes in his save jar, and $2 goes in his wallet. It has been interesting to find things that he can purchase with less than $2, but it is a good lesson in the value of $ as well. Also, we found out that you can purchase Happy Meal toys without the meal for $1.17. It's the little things.

This is my Works for Me Wednesday tip, so head on over to Rocks In My Dryer for more helpful tips.

A family who plays together...

We have promised to take the boys to the park after supper to feed the ducks for the past two nights. Both nights during supper, it has started thundering and/ or raining. Last night was worse, but we agreed to play games if we couldn't go to the park tonight.To enjoy the rain, we rendezvoused on the front porch and played Candy Land.
Oh the excitement!
Chris and I got smoked by both boys who came in a very tight first and second.

Drama!

All of this because I picked him up from school and didn't let him ride the bus home. Watch out Hollywood!

Measuring Up

My measuring days may be over thanks to this little man...

It's amazing what you can get away with when you are so stinking cute (and you know it!).

These are a few of my favorite things...

Ahhhh...... I had this post ready to go, and forgot to set it up to auto post. Now it is Saturday, but I'm hoping that you all can forgive me and still post your favorite thing this week. Love ya!

This is random, and not very exciting, but it is the little things in life, right?

My favorite thing this week is

wide mouth Ball jars.

They are perfect for storage, they are cheap, and I don't have to worry about nasty plastics seeping into my food. Plus they look pretty cool too.

I even use them for display storage on my kitchen counter. I never could find a straw container, and I like this just as well.

I couldn't find one of my jars empty, so I had to take a picture of the one with homemade salsa in it, which is also one of my favorite things. Maybe I'll give you the recipe next week.

A Problem

Jonah: Mommy, I have a really big problem.

Me: Oh no, Jonah, what is your really big problem.

Jonah: I don't know what my problem is.

Now that is a problem.

Labor Days...

Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer started this meme, and if you are reading it, consider yourself tagged!
In honor of Labor Day, it's about...well, labor. And not the kind you get a day off for, either.

How long were your labors?
Kid #1, 21 hours.
Kid #2, 6 hours

I highly reccomend the 2nd version!!!!

How did you know you were in labor?
Kid #1, 6 hours of do-anything-to-get-comfortable, irregular contractions until your husband forces you to go to the hospital.
Kid #2, Visit the doc,and he says, "Go straight to the hospital. You are in labor."

Again, I recommend the 2nd method.

Where did you deliver?
At a hospital. Where the drugs are!!!!!!

Drugs?
Absolutely! 100% Actually, I went about 17 hours the first time sans drugs until my mom talked me into an epidural "so that I could rest." Yeah right! Then with the second, I asked for the epidural at 7 months. I told the doc that I would just wheel around in a wheel chair for a couple of months. Sadly he did not go for that, and there was a moment after almost two hours of waiting for the anesthsiologist that the devil in me came out and looked at The Man and said in a very evil, scary voice, "Go find the anesthesiologist and bring him here... NOW!"

C-section?
Nope

Who delivered?
Doctors. Two different docs who could not have been more different and whom I loved both dearly!!!!

If you want to play along with this meme, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and leave your link on Shannon's page.

According to Andrea it is College colors day. We didn't even know about it officially, and yet we participated.

Goooooooooooo Dawgs! Sic 'Em! Woof Woof Woof Woof Woof!