Friday, March 21, 2014

Jan and Feb.

Can you believe it we are almost into April!!! As a kid time seemed to drag on forever and now, well I can't get it to drag and some days I wish it would (but still there are days where I feel like it doesn't move fast enough).

Anyways, Things from Jan. and Feb.

JANUARY

 
city of rocks

 
Julian is into putting pants and underwear on his head.





FEBRUARY
 
shaving cream + buried cars= confusion


san larenzo canyon
walker pointing out horse poop to julian
seriously this kid points out poop every time we go on walks.






Friday, March 7, 2014

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken



1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2-4 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (it’s safest to thaw them first before placing in the slow cooker, although I usually add them frozen)
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.

**It is very important that you use MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn’t flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

***freezes well***

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Fish Tacos with Peach Apricot Salsa

Fish Tacos with Peach Apricot Salsa

 

Ingredients

PEACH APRICOT SALSA
  • 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches
  • 3/4 cup seeded, chopped cucumber
  • 1/3 cup chopped red pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sliced green onion
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons Smucker's® Orchard's Finest® Coastal Valley Peach Apricot Preserves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle pepper, or to taste
SOUR CREAM SAUCE
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon adobo all purpose seasoning
 
FISH TACOS
  • 1 pound firm white fish, such as cod, tilapia, haddock or pollock
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • Adobo all purpose seasoning
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped nappa cabbage
  • Lime wedges

Directions

  1. STIR together chopped peaches, cucumbers, red pepper, green onion, cilantro, lime juice, preserves and chipotle pepper in medium bowl. Stir together sour cream, cumin, lime juice and seasoning in small bowl.
  2. HEAT grill to medium high heat. Brush remaining lime juice over fish. Season with salt, pepper and seasoning. Grill 5 to 6 minutes or until just cooked through.
  3. HEAT tortillas in skillet or on griddle about 30 seconds or until soft and hot, turning several times. Place on serving plate. Divide fish evenly and place on each tortilla. Top with a dollop of sour cream mixture, cabbage slices and Peach Apricot Salsa. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

***we didn't use the adobo all purpose seasoning, we baked the fish and we also shredded the fish once it was cooked.***

Spiced Pork

1 pork butt roast from 3 to 4 pounds
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. paprika      
1 tsp. all spice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups Heinz® Tomato Ketchup
1 cup Heinz® Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup Heinz® Yellow Mustard
2 tsp. cornstarch
soft rolls

Preparation

  1. Remove all string from the roast and trim away excess fat.
  2. Blend oil, chili powder, pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, allspice, salt, and garlic to make a paste. Rub all over the pork, working the spice mixture into the meat well.
  3. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the roast to a crock pot.
  4. Blend the Ketchup with the vinegar, molasses, and mustard.
  5. Pour mixture over the roast and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until very tender.
  6. Transfer the roast to a large bowl; discard any visible fat. Use two forks to separate the meat into long strands. Cover bowl and keep warm.
  7. Remove cooking juices and strain.
  8. Place juices in a saucepan; whisk in the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling.
  9. Place shredded meat and sauce back into crock pot to keep warm.
  10. Serve the meat on soft rolls.
****we also make other things (stir fry, tacos, etc.) with the meat and it freezes well****