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.

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***

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 Remove all string from the roast and trim away excess fat. 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. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the roast to a crock pot. Blend the Ketchup with the vinegar, molasses, and mustard. Pour mixture over the roast and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until very tender. 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. Remove cooking juices and strain. Place juices in a saucepan; whisk in the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling. Place shredded meat and sauce back into crock pot to keep warm. Serve the meat on soft rolls. ****we also make other things (stir fry, tacos, etc.) with the meat and it freezes well****

Three Fruit Marmalade Chicken

We had this today for dinner and it was really good.



2 tbsp. of oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
3/4 cup smucker three fruit marmalade
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. orange juice

Salt and pepper the chicken and pan sear the chicken until it is cooked in the oil.

• We cook the chicken on the stove on each side for 3-4 minutes each and then place it in a pre-heated oven at 350 for at least 10 minutes.

Once chicken in cooked remove it from pan and drain the excess stuff out and add all the other ingredients (leaving the chicken out). Bring the ingredients to a simmer and then add the chicken back in. Continue simmering, turning the chicken from time to time, until the sauce reduces and thickens around the chicken, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with some sauce on it.

 

***This was super easy. If you don't have orange juice I don't think it really needs it or makes a difference. I also didn't use chicken stock because Julian can't have store bought so I just made 1 cup water with 1 tbsp. butter and just halved it. I also thinned out my chicken to make more pieces***

2013 recap

For 2013 I wanted to start appreciating living in New Mexico. To be honest I was kinda a party pooper when we first got here. Considering we moved here when I was 8 months pregnant, in the middle of summer, living in a swamp cooler townhome, away from family and friends.

This place has more to offer than I could imagine. from brown dessert environments to green mountainous ones. I am so glad that we tried to do something each month as a family. We made a limit that we wouldn't travel more then 3 hours away, we'll because that how long it takes to get to ABQ. We had a blast going to all of these places and creating wonderful memories that the kids will never remember but we did grow closer together as a family.

WARNING: it's a long one.

A recap of 2013

January: White Sands and Ruidoso

February: ABQ zoo and temple

March: ABQ aquarium and botanical gardens

April: City of Rocks

 

 

 

May: El Paso Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

June: Yosemite National Park

 

July: Potty training and moving

 

 

 

August: Camping at the Gila Cliff Dwellings

 

September: Stayed around the house and hit up the parks probably everyday.

 

 

 

October: Southern NM State Fair,

               Cloudcroft, NM

               Ward Halloween Party

November: Parks, Parks, Parks and snow.

December: A visit to my parents