Home for the Holidays

Just got home from a visit with my parents down in South Texas for the holidays!  Enjoyed good company, good food and good conversation.

Max and his cousin having a good time opening presents!

Family photo - 4 generations together!

A cute country snail...

Max being silly on the front porch!

Max and I making "cheesy" faces!

Cool old beer sign...see my Mom's house in the back...

This is downtown on a busy Monday.

Our visit was short and sweet, but it was great to see everyone.  Thanks Mom!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  The past few weeks have been very hectic for me.  I am a corporate worker bee in the retail industry and this is the busiest time of the year.  Very long hours and stressful times, which make it very difficult to really enjoy and appreciate the season.  This year we hosted Christmas at our house and I was really excited to have everyone over and enjoy some good food and good company!  We had a wonderful time!  The kids opened their presents and had an awesome time playing with their new toys, while the adults ate yummy food and enjoyed each other's company.

Max on Christmas morning with his super sized stocking!

The adults playing a gift exchange game...it was a blast!

Brownies

The other day while I was at work and Dad was outside mowing the yard, our 10 year old son decided to make brownies....from scratch.....by himself!  He started by googling brownie recipes and then got started. The first batch did not turn out so well, luckily he tasted the batter before baking.  Since it tasted a little salty, he went back to check the recipe.  He realized he put 1/4 cup of salt instead of 1/4 tsp...oops!  Upset, he went outside to tell Dad.  Dad being very supportive of his ambitions (and wanting to eat brownies for desert) encouraged our son to try again and then left him alone to do it himself.  Our son needed to do this on his own to be a great learning experience and to have the satisfaction of his accomplishment!  The second batch turned out much better!  The brownies were a little dense and more cake like, but for a first timer a great success!

Mess from first attempt left in the sink!

Close up of mess...notice all the chocolate....EVERYWHERE!

Empty bowl from second batch, licked clean!

The finished product...it was so awesome to see how proud our son was of his first baked creation!  I guess watching those episodes of Top Chef is sinking in.  Next step...dinner!

It Really is a Zoo Out There!

It really can be a zoo out there!  At work today there was a bobcat with her babies in the picnic area outside!  It was so cute (looking thru the window, of course).  Check it out!

I know it is really hard to see...picture taken thru the window with my iphone.

Hatch Chile Peppers

Hatch Chile Pepper season is coming to an end.  But , boy have we enjoyed some  great recipes using the peppers.  Hatch Chile Peppers got their name from where they were first cultivated...Hatch Valley, New Mexico.  The pepper has a very short season of only six weeks, which usually begins mid-August.   These peppers are considered the best pepper grown in the U.S.  These peppers have a great flavor are usually mild to medium, which is just perfect for us!

The peppers are long and curvy.  They taste great raw, roasted or thrown in to your recipe.

This is a recipe my husband made.  Green Lentils, Hatch Peppers and Veggie Stock thrown in a pot for awhile.  While, it doesn't look great, the flavor is awesome!

Cooking some peppers with some black beans and onions.  Throw this over some rice for a quick and yummy meal.

Delicious veggie enchilada's with Hatch peppers, of course!

Even threw some peppers on my pizza along with sun dried tomatoes.  The sweetness of the tomato with the heat of the pepper was the perfect combination.

Last night I made roasted veggie quesadilla with Hatch peppers and they were delicious...sorry no picture. 

There are so many things that you can add these peppers to, takes up the flavor a notch.  Hope you are enjoying the pepper season!

Bargain Shopping?

I have been researching ways to cut back and save some extra money.  I have read a lot of very interesting blogs regarding couponing and getting great deals at the supermarket.  This is fantastic, but unfortunately they don't coupon fresh fruits and veggies.  While I think it is great that I can use a coupon, double it on a product  already on sale making it practically free.  I am just not willing to substitute twinkies for apples for my family.  In the long run is it really a bargain?  What about the effect to their health by switching from freshness to processed just because I got a great deal.  This is one area where I am willing to spend more and I think it is worth it.  Even though I love a good bargain, that should not be your ultimate goal when it comes to feeding your family.

What about non-food items?  I have learned the hard way that a deal is only a deal if it something you truly need.  There have been many times that I have bought a top or shoes because it was on clearance and thought wow I saved a lot of money.  But, that top or pair of shoes stayed in my closet with the tags still on them before I finally caved and donated.  So, that item was not a deal.  I was actually out the money I spent on it because I got caught up in the bargain of the item and didn't think, is this really something I need or even want.  I was seduced by the sale price.  Being frugal is not about buying as many things as you can as cheaply as possible, it is not about getting a lot of stuff at low prices.  Its about consuming less and consuming more intelligently.  If you apply this mind set, this is how you will save.  I recently read an article that had a great passage "Our relentless effort as a culture to obtain as much as we can as cheaply as we can has cheapened our lives and made Wal-Mart the largest and most profitable business in the world."
Did you know that Americans spend nearly seven times as much time shopping as they do playing with their kids?  Next week-end focus on spending time with your kids, ask them what they want to do.  Play a game with them, whatever it is just enjoy their company.  Both you and your families lives will be the better for it. Stop wasting your time in the mall....and wasting your money!

Pizza Night

Friday nights are great pizza nights.  But, instead of ordering delivery and getting cheese covered cardboard or throwing in the oven some processed frozen concoction from the grocery store, try making your own.   We make our own pizza's and it is incredibly easy and fun!  Last night we made pepperoni for the boys and vegetable for the grown-ups.  We all pitched in and helped, having a great time in the kitchen.     My son helped me roll out the dough and then grated the cheese.  My husband helped me chop the vegetables.  Check out our yummy pizza that cost a fraction of delivery and tasted better too!

Rolling out the dough....it can count as exercise, right?

Yummy ingredients!

The boy's delicious pepperoni - fresh out of the oven.

The boy's enjoying their creation!

Lastly, our vegetable masterpiece.  The best part is that there were leftovers for lunch!