Mealtime Cutie

Claire is eating big girl food in her high chair... She loves eating, just like her Mommy :)

Ready for those peas!!

Yum yum yum.

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Bumbo Smiles

The little munchkin is sitting up like a big girl these days, but it's nice to put her in the Bumbo when you need to do some quick chores-- like dinner!

little elephant.

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THE Enchilada Recipe

I'm not typically an Enchilada kinda gal, but I love these. This is a more complex recipe than I would normally spring for, but they're delicious. You can double this recipe and portion out in disposable aluminum baking pans and get several meals out of it. It's especially awesome if someone is willing to do the hard work for you (thank you Granna!).

Los Tios Enchiladas Verdes, Tomatillo Sauce

8 cups Tomatillo Sauce
4 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken
6 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 teaspoon oregano
1-teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable oil
12 (6 in) corn tortillas
1 1⁄2 cups sour cream
2 avocados, sliced

Tomatillo Sauce:
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 3 to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons chopped garlic and cook until soft. Stir in 3 1⁄2 pounds tomatillos (roasted and pureed), 1 roasted and pureed jalapeño, 1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth, 1⁄2-teaspoon white pepper, 1⁄2-teaspoon salt and 1⁄4-teaspoon sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add 1 cup fresh cilantro and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally 15 minutes.

Enchiladas:
In a large bowl, mix chicken, 2 cups cheese, oregano and salt; set aside. Pour oil to a depth of 1⁄4 inch into an 8 to 10 inch frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, cook each tortilla, turning once, until just limp and slightly blistered (about 10 seconds per side). Add more oil as needed. Drain on paper towels. Preheat oven to 350°. While tortillas are still warm, spoon 1⁄2 cup of chicken mixture down the center of each. Roll each tortilla around filling and place seam down in a 10-by-15 inch-baking dish. Cover enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered until hot in center and cheese is melted.

To Serve:
Spoon sauce onto dinner plates and set 2 or 3 enchiladas atop each. Top with dollop of sour cream and avocado slices. Serve with rice and beans.
sdf

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Alaska State Fair

Claire, Noelle, Mom Huebel, and I went to the Alaska State Fair on Saturday. It was such a popular event, we even had to wait in a traffic jam to get there... in Alaska!

Unbeknownst to me, Claire and I wore LSU colors, which made Miss Noelle really proud :)

After parousing aisles of food booths, we decided that the turkey legs were looking (and smelling) mighty good.

There was a display of Champion veggies. Need a 5 pound carrot or a 50 pound cabbage? I think it's safe to say these aren't organic.

In front of the "Talkeetna Spinach Bread" booth. We had a rhubarb blueberry crisp-- yummo!

Mom and daughter aviators

Fun day!

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A Special Invention

Can you guess what this wooden thing is?

How about now?

In case you're living under a rock... 

How cool is this gadget?? Everyone totally needs one of these. The problem is that Grampie made this one for me and I haven't seen these at Bed Bath & Beyond so... you might be out of luck. But you can come over and drink wine with me. I'd be happy to aerate for you :)

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Claire Video

What's the best way to start off this fine Wednesday?

Hint: It's not caffeine.

How about some chubby baby legs? Perhaps ear to ear smiles? Or baby noises?



Here's the Youtube link if you can't see the embedded video: http://youtu.be/D04OO77Att0

It's going to be a good day :)

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Basil Chicken

Gigi and Granna have been doing a great job at stocking our freezer with delicious meals when they come to visit. But I do recognize that some meals are just better fresh, especially those with fresh herbs. In that case, it needs to be fairly quick and hassle free if it's something for me to consider making during the week. From that perspective, I highly recommend this recipe for Basil Chicken. I actually had such low expectations for it because of its simplicity that I didn't even take any pictures of the meal. Sacrilege!

Since the magazine image is poor quality, here's the recipe online.

As you can see from the picture, doubling this recipe is a great idea. Don't skimp on the basil, it really wilts and shrivels!

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Granna's Visit

Granna arrived today and it was perfect timing because Claire had a tough evening. It went something like this happy, happy, tired, sick, sad, mad, giant projectile throw up, HAPPY, happy, sad, sleepy.

So this momma is ready for bed, g'night!

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Family Hike

We've been able to get outside and do some nice family hikes this summer with baby Claire in tow. She still has to ride in the Ergo (front side pouch) because she doesn't have quite enough neck strength for the backpack carrier- soon though!

We hiked the front side of flat-top, however no summit scramble with baby!

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Kenai Lakes

Here's the last of the pictures from our first camping trip with baby Claire. We made it!

Claire had to have 3 blankets because she didn't like laying on the rocks. :)

Great Outdoors.

Brown, Beige, and Grey. What more do you need? Skeeter, Fenway, & Roma investigating...

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Kenai Lakes Camping

Here's some group shots from our camping trip a couple weekends ago. I mean seriously, can you find a more beautiful camp spot?

Pantsless Owen and Juno

Roma and her friend Owen.

Alaska at it's best.

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Mornings

This is why being a full-time Mommy is hard...

This little boo is all smiles in the morning.

She likes to sit like a big girl in mommy & daddy's bed after picking out her outfit for the day :)

That's weird, I wonder why I'm late to work again...?

Love this age and love this girl.

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Lettuce Wraps

I made Cashew Chicken lettuce wraps last week and was really pleased with the end result. It ranked high on the effort versus reward matrix :)

The recipe is listed below, however I would recommend amping it up with some chili garlic sauce or siracha. I also added shitake mushrooms and water chestnuts just because those sounded particularly delicious to me that day. Also, go ahead and double this recipe while you're going through the effort and you'll be happy with the leftovers for days to come!

CHICKEN CASHEW LETTUCE WRAPS

 

Author: Amy Johnson | She Wears Many Hats. This is a simple recipe for Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps. Top it off with your favorite hot sauce, basil or more cashews and you'll have a winner for sure.

Serves: Makes 6-8 lettuce wraps.

INGREDIENTS

For stir fry sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

For Cashew Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts (about ¾ lb. total), diced
• 8 leaves of greenleaf or iceburg lettuce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ¼ cup cashews, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

For stir fry sauce:

1. Mix all stir fry sauce ingredients making sure to dissolve brown sugar. Set aside.

For Cashew Chicken:

1. Heat canola oil in pan over medium to medium high heat. Add diced chicken and brown (about 4-5 minutes). Remove chicken from oil. Add onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to pan; brown. When onions and garlic are brown and tender, add stir fry sauce, browned chicken, and cashews. Saute mixture for a few minutes and remove from heat.
2. Spoon chicken mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more cashews or basil.

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