We Did It!

Okay, last I left you with a big ???? on day 27. We ended up having a deliciously fattening meal of Chicken Fried Steak smothered in country gravy - WHOO HOO! It was a smashing hit and oh so filling. Ahh, that would be the fattening part, I guess?!

Day 28 - last night my Mom rescued us with Take-And-Bake pizza since we'd been working on taxes all day. :) What a sweetie!

Today - we had spaghetti with a new home-made sauce I made up. It turned out very good and fairly spicy!! That, my friends, would be the newly found secret spice I'm using in nearly everything these days. Well, not everything, but supper wise, eggs, meat, everything. It's got the bang of a 30-06 for sure! (Pronounce that thirty-ought-six. It's a rifle. A very nice size rifle. But I want a 25-06. Pronounce that the same way but change the thirty to twenty-five.) Oh how I want a 25-06. Maybe I should tell DH that I want it for Mother's Day? That way I'd have it for fall hunting. Anniverary perhaps? What could be more romantic for a guy than to get his wif-E a rifle? On second thought, maybe I ought to buy it myself. Yeah, that's what I should do.

Anyways...on to The Island discussion. It's over. I can finally go to the store. There's just one little hitch in my get-along. I don't want to. I like having to be creative and make my family eat things they might not normally. I like not having to have balanced meals because we're "ON THE ISLAND!" If we only eat meat - it's okay! The next night may be meatless! So, there. I said it. I want to stay on The Island. We still have too much food in our pantry and in our freezer.

So, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go back to my great meal-planning and not buy everything I want for the meal but make do. Use up what we have and start fresh. Purge the Pantry may be the theme. How does that sound?

The Home Stretch

Here we are, in our last week before rescue comes in the form of March 1st and Moma can go to the grocery store!

What's been cooking here? Not much!!! ha ha ha

Day 23 - Cheap Pizza after Donkey Basketball

Day 24 - popcorn, frozen burritos, left-over pizza, taquitos, PB&J

Day 25 - Sloppy Joe's - nothing else. No sides, no dessert. We did NOT get all the food groups in that night.

Day 26 - Sheperd's Pie - made with leftover gravy from Sunday dinner. No cheese; which totally bummed Troy out.

Day 27 - hmmm, that's tonight. Perhaps I should think about what we're going to have!

Mexico, Here We Come!

On our honeymoon, Roy and I made a quick get-away to Puerto Vallarta. We had a fabulous time! We stayed at the Sheraton and had a walk to town and around. But, it was just the two of us and we didn't mind - it was our honeymoon, remember?!?!

We had such a great time that the next summer we took two of our three kids at the time, Troy & Melynda and stayed in Casa de Los Suenos . It was closer to town and walking right into downtown was great - it was downhill! Yes, the other way was up hill. Up, up, up, hill.

Fast forward two summers from then as we had a baby in between and took our little Paco, along with my parents to the same city, staying in Villa Franchesca. It was wonderful. We had such a great time. There were still hills to climb but we were close to everything. It was not meant for babies, though, so we were always on guard.

Each trip we did different things, seeing new places, trying new things and having complete different experiences each and every time!

So.... with boys Troy and Reggie graduating this year, we are making a grand stand trip to the same area. A little farther north to the city of Bucerias but a nice day trip to places we've been, should we choose to go back. And, I'm sure we will.

One place Roy and I have gone to each time on a date is El Panorama Restaurant. We went there two or maybe three times on our honeymoon, only eating dinner there the first time then going for a very late night dessert and coffee to see the sun set and dark cascade upon the city. When we had the kids, we left them all alone (breathe) and got them Domino's pizza!!! With my parents, they stayed in one night and kept Paco and we had a date together, just the two of us. I really don't know if we'll get to see this breathtaking view place on our next trip since we're not in the same city but I'm sure something will work out for us to get a date in. ;)

This is Gaby's Comida Corrida. You can get their lunch special for 45 pesos (~4.50 US) It's authentic, real and worth finding. Yes, we've gone here several times on our different trips. I wouldn't be surprised if our trip to Vallarta included lunch at Gaby's. I remember ordering a mole dish here and it was memorable! Their limonada is the best around, according to the kids, who tried limonada everywhere. (It's made with limes, not lemons.)

Well, this should wet your whistle for a little bit. Don't worry, I'll be sure to offer more posts on our Mexican Adventures.

Day 21

Since last night was Soup and Salad Supper at church, we got a nice variety for din-din.

Last night the boys were in charge of fixing supper since I had to take Javi to the doctor and then to SLRMC for another complete blood count. We're praying he's fine and he seems to be on the mend this morning....

Supper - we're three weeks into The Island and the boys found macaroni noodles, cream of mushroom soup and tuna to make a nice one-pot meal!

Thanks, boys. It was tasty and I didn't have to cook.

Day 18

We had a most delightful dinner last night. My parents came over, along with my nephew Brady. So, there were 10 of us around our kitchen table - more cozy that way, right?

I made mole de pollo (Chicken Mole) with my mother-in-law's mexican rice and refried beans and then mandatory flour tortillas for this dish. Much to Paco's delight since tortillas de hareina are his favorite over maiz. (he likes flour tortillas more than corn tortillas.)

I cooked the chicken first my Pampered Chef way in the microwave while I got the mole perfect and the rice was cooking. Then I started cooking the tortillas on the comal, a flat round cast iron that sits directly on the burner and cooks tortillas. We have two.

After the chicken was done, Roy got it off the bone for me and put it on the pot with the mole cooking. We simmered that while the rice was finishing and I finished cooking 30 tortillas.

It all turned out delicioso as Paco says delicious and I got rave reviews. My parents think we're still doing very well on The Island.

Sick Boy

There's something precious about a baby who wants to snuggle when he is not a snuggler normally.

Also, how can I possibly think it's cute that his voice is all horse sounding and raspy?! It really is, though.

What's not cute? The snot and fever.

And to think this morning we were at church, stayed for potluck and had no idea he was sick 'cause he acted fine and wasn't on fire.

Oh, it's sweet that he wants his mommy 'cause he's really a Daddy's boy.

The Island - Day 15

What have we been eating on The Island? From Roast and Potatoes to Salsa Beef Skillet, we've been eating well. Add in a few cheap pizza nights and we've been good to go. We're now on Day 15!!!

Day 14 brought a nice pasta dinner to our home. With pork loin leftovers added to spaghetti noodles and alfredo sauce and then another pot full of noodles and bruschetta, it was delicioso! Add hot fresh sourdough bread and Thomas Kemper sodas.... ummmmm ummmmm good!

Tonight we're off to our friends' for adult, I mean grown-up, time! Adult sounds so triple X, does it not?!?! So, here's some pnderings for you:

Here are Javi and I outside today. Notice the mud. Ack. Anyway, I tried out our infant carrier with a modified hip/sitting up style. I saw a lady with her much larger child sitting like this and had an "a-ha" moment. Mine has been folded nicely in his closet since he would never lay in the traditional cradle style anymore!!

Here are my parents, in Hawaii, eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory. They say the food is so good they ate there more than once!!!
I've really missed them this week. Have tried not to call too much even though it's free since THEY are on vacation and I'm still here in muddy town livin'.
They'll be home soon with gifts for us kids. They'd better anyway - at least for the grands.

Heart Cake

Paco's Steps to a Heart Shake Cake for his Daddy:
Add the "ingreedents" Mommy tells him too.

Mommy puts it in the pans, the oven, the cooling rack
Then we make frosting with lots of white cheese (cream cheese), butter and POWDERED SUGAR!!! Next we add a bunch of red food coloring to make it as dark pink as we can.
Paco adds all the sprinkles his Mommy will let him and then throws in a few more shakes just to be sure there's enough. We ended up with red & pink sugar crystals and then lots of red, pink and red lips confetti sprinkles!!!
Placed on Mommy's huge white Pampered Chef plate was perfect!
Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy!!!

Javier is RECOVERED!

Here's a short and sweet post to say.....
my little son weighs 18 lbs. 14 oz!!!! 29 3/4" long. He's back on the growth chart making the 10% for weight and marking a nice 50% on length/height.

That's up nearly 3 pounds since end of December. Praise God. Doctor considers him "recovered" and we're back on regular well-child visits now. So, shots and check-up in a month.

Making Yogurt

As you know, we aren't buying groceries this month so..... I'ma makin' yogurt! And, boy is it ever easy!!! I shall never have to pay $$$$ for yogurt again - not to mention organic!

Here's what you do to have some fresh yogurt in your fridge.

Have 4 cups milk - bring to room temp. As you can see here, I am using whole organic milk since this batch is for sweet Javier. Notice his name in TWO places so his siblings and father don't drink the little lads milk!

A few tablespoons (I like 4 tb., also 1/4 c) of either yogurt from your prior batch (see below)or store bought. It must have life cultures to work! This is your "start."
Add the room temp milk to a saucepan and heat to 180 degrees. Stir often. Not too hot of heat or it will scald! Trust me here. (I just use my Pampered Chef meat thermometer.)

Important stirring part. Once you reach 180 degrees, turn off heat and set aside. Let the milk cool to 115. All the while the yogurt needs to be at room temp. Once the milk is at 115, take 1/2 cup of the milk and add the yogurt "start" to the 1/2 c milk. Stir and then add that combo to the whole pan of hot milk. This is done quickly so the milk is stil 115.

While the milk was heating to 180, you got out your trust Stanley thermos and filled it with boiling water, right? Good. Now, empty the thermos of the water and fill with the milk mixture. Close it up tightly and set the thermos on your top oven rack as close to the oven light as you can. Leave the oven light on, close the oven door and "forget" about it for 4 -6 hours.

The internal temp will remain 110-115 degrees. At the end of your forget about it time, pour the YOGURT into a bowl.

Cover with a lid and refrigerate overnight. It will be set and cold and ready for breakfast! I like using the small batter bowl since I can always find its lid. That's not said for other containers I have. Also, I like using glass as I read it is more sterile than plastic?!?!

If the plain flavor is too tart for you or those eating it, come serving time, add applesauce, jam, vanilla flavor or I guess just plain sugar though cough cough I would NEVER do that. Applesauce, yes and usually do for Paco. ;)

Enjoy! It's so easy and tasty I don't think I'll buy it again!!!

Sunday Dinner (Week 2/Day 3)

Here is our meal EVERY Sunday after church since I can remember. Only today, I made it and not my mother. Let me preface this by saying that my Mom is by far THE BEST cook I know. Everything she makes turns out and if it doesn't, you can bet we don't hear about it.

So, step one is putting a defrosted roast in my Pampered Chef stone. By using my stoneware, I elimiate the the browning step that I grew up with. (Yes, my Mom does this now, too.) Then I season it with rosemary from my herb garden that I dried and some other secret spices from my cupboard...you know, like pepper.

#2 - Next you peel potatoes and cut them in half and then half again...
Like so. #3 -Then place them in the stone as you see pictured here.

I arrange the potatoes around the edges and #4 - put the carrots in center, completely covering the roast.

#5 is adding garlic over it all - 4 or 5 cloves is what I like.

#6 - Adding water to my second knuckle. This is a very important rule. My Mom says!

#7-Put the "top" on to create a dutch oven effect.
This is also my 9x13 baker when not used as the top.

Cook at 250 degrees for 3-4 hours. In our case it's when we get home from church. Yes, I go off and leave the oven on. I trust God to protect my home from fire when I'm at church but I probably shouldn't since my Grandma's ranch home burned to the ground while she ran food down to the workers at her church some 25 years ago. Anyway, I do. (So does my Mom.)
#8 - cooked and deliciously moist roast!

And of course, sitting down with my family for our 1st year anniversary of moving in to our very own home.

Week One/Day 7

Since we are still in the month of February, we are still surviving on The Island.
I forgot to take pictures of our feast last night!!! :( Here, in detail is what was on the menu last night.

There were 10 of us around our real dining room table - not the kitchen table. Us'ens, my folks and niece Shyanne.

Grilled pork loin with Jamacian Jerk Rub, baked potatoes with hickory smoke salt, butter, sour cream, cheese and salt & pepper, home-BAKED rolls, green salad & lime sherbert for dessert. The loin was moist, tender and flavorful. DH (dear husband) did a fantastic job on the grill and together we made it the nicest meal this week.

Tonight? NO IDEA but bet on it containing pork, salad and maybe rice.

Week One/Days 5 & 6

Day 5 - last night we treated our family to cheap pizza. :) That's what happens when Mommy was gone all day, leaving for the evening to boot and needed food. Daddy took over and brought home pizza. It was yummy.

Day 6: Salsa Beef Skillet and corn tortillas.

Here are the yummy corn tortillas cooked on the comal.

Yummy Salsa Beef Skillet. Far from gourmet but oh so tasty. Made with my homemade salsa added a nice kick. This has everything but fruit servings! From corn, pasta, beef, cheese and salsa it's a home-run!

Week One/Day 4

We have not felt the pain of eating what we don't want to eat ... yet. We still have fresh food from the last trip to the grocer. Tonight, however, I am dipping into some of my frozen carnitas (frozen pork stew meat in English. Doesn't it sound so much better in Spanish?!?!)

We're having a very yummy stir fry:
Asian Pork & Noodle Skillet

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper (or yellow or orange)
5-6 green onions with tops (about 1 1/4 cups sliced), divided
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each) (carnitas work great)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp Asian Seasoning Mix
4 pkg (3 oz each) oriental-flavor ramen noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups water
Directions:1. Cut carrots into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler. Cut bell pepper lengthwise into 1/4-in. strips using Chef's Knife. Slice green onions; set aside tops for garnish.
2. Using Boning Knife, trim fat and silver skin from pork tenderloins. Slice pork lengthwise into four strips. Thinly slice strips crosswise. Combine pork, sesame oil, seasoning mix and two of the ramen seasoning packets in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well with Classic Scraper.
3. Add vegetable oil to (12-in.) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add half of the pork. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until browned; remove pork from Skillet and keep warm. Repeat with remaining pork.
4. Add carrots and bell pepper to Skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add water and remaining ramen seasoning packets; stir to loosen browned bits from bottom of Skillet using Bamboo Spatula. Add ramen noodles and green onions to Skillet. Cover; bring to a boil and cook 4-5 minutes or until noodles are softened. Add pork; stir to break apart noodles. Remove Skillet from heat; let stand, covered, 3-4 minutes or until pork is heated through. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 530, Total Fat 24 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 100 mg, Carbohydrate 38 g, Protein 38 g, Sodium 1290 mg, Fiber 3 g
Cook's Tip: If desired, 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips, can be substituted for the pork tenderloins.

To save on time, you can use the food chopper on the carrots, it's just not as pretty. I have to double this recipe to use as a meal for us and I'll use different colored peppers for looks. Yes, this is one of my Pampered Chef recipes. :)

SURVIVOR ISLAND

In the wake of reality television, I am taking my family on a SURVIVOR ISLAND trip! I am not going to the grocery store for the entire month of February!* That's right folks, we are playing that we have to eat what we have here on "the island" until rescued. Yes, they know we'll be rescued on March 1st and I'm sure that the extra day in February due to leap year will cause a buzz but help will come in the form of mommy making a shopping trip for new food.

Why am I doing this? Let me know show the reasons why. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right? Well then, here are SIX thousand words in the form of my pictures.

Here you have our main fridge. There is even a freezer below where the picture ends.












Downstairs we have two refrigerators. Here is one with a freezer on top, fridge below. (pictured left)

Below is a new fridge we just got that is all refrigerator - no freezer. I haven't got organized with it yet but it has some food in it already.

Deep freeze has TONS of meat in it, my salsa, applesauce, babyfood, bread, etc.




The pantry is pictured here and needs no description. It's full.

Again, why??? That's what the kids keep asking me anyway. Besides having enough food to last more than a month, I am up to the challenge on what seems to always be the longest month of the year even though it's the shortest. I know we spend - are you sitting??? - at least $500 a month on groceries. If I don't go shopping, that is $500 that I won't spend this month!

*Exceptions to the island
#1: Javier is not playing. He will get fresh, organic food for mommy to make when he needs his food supply replenished. (As will diapers since I didn't get with the program to cloth dipe him.)
#2: I will buy NO MORE THAN 1 gallon of milk per week for cereal. If I need milk for cooking or baking, I will use powdered milk. Agast.

So, if you are curious as to what I am feeding my family, I will DO MY BEST to post what's for supper each day.