Crispy Bean Burritos {Recipe Redo}

This one is a recipe from the archives.

In an amusing bit of irony, I criticized the original recipe for confusing, awkward directions, when my recipe really isn’t much better.

So it got (yet another) makeover, avocado moved to the top and is hopefully a lot more user friendly.

It is still one of my favorite vegetarian meals and a Lenten staple.

Easy Chili con Queso

Do you every invite people over and then wish you hadn’t?

Hubs & I invited people over the other day, but a week later when people were supposed to come over I was So. Not. In. The. Mood.

But since I had committed to having people at my house (with fabulous appetizers automatically assumed) I knew I had to suck it up and get to work.

Angel Wings Wednesday #9

When you lose someone who is part of who you are, time will heal the wound, but no amount of time can erase the scar

-Rashida Rowe

Yesterday after school, we passed by another parent with a 7 month old baby girl.

Dude was immediately drawn to her.

He touched the baby’s hand and tickled her feet.

Dude would have been wonderful with his sister.

Protein Power Muffins

Happy Easter!

This Lent post comes a little bit late - there were just so many other wonderful recipes to share!!   So, uh, pretend like it's still last week!

...

This Lent, school lunch posed a whole new problem to me.

Since we’re Catholic, we abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.  While children under a certain age are exempt, I feel like Dude should probably not take meat for school lunch (at a Catholic school) on Fridays during Lent.

Here’s the real problem.  With the exception of pizza, Dude refuses to eat cheese.  So when school lunch is grilled cheese sandwiches or cheese quesadillas, Dude usually takes a ham sandwich.

But Lent.  No meat.  And schools.  No nuts.  And Dude. Refuses to eat cheese or yogurt or any portable protein!   What’s Mama to do?

Chicken & Pasta in Limoncello Cream Sauce: Spiked!

Yay!  It’s time for the April Spiked! Challenge!  This month’s boozy surprise is Limoncello!  Just for fun, I knew I wanted to do a savory dish with this sweet lemony liqueur.

And because I wanted to be able to control the sweetness of the Limoncello, I decided to make my own.  And then just for giggles, I came across some Meyer Lemons (a cross between a lemon & a mandarin orange) and decided to use those!

Once I got the Homemade Limoncello out of the way, it was on to the recipe!

Angel Wings Wednesday #8

For today’s Angel Wings Wednesday, I’m sharing a poem I wrote.  At least I think it a poem, or maybe prose?  It doesn’t rhyme and the meter is off, so who knows?  Whatever it is, it’s a glimpse of my life.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies: SRC

It’s SRC Day!

This month, I was assigned Emily’s yummy blog, It Bakes Me Happy.  As the blog title suggests, Emily’s blog focuses mostly on baking.  Umm.  Yum!

Emily is a SAHM of two who loves to bake, especially brownies, breads, and muffins! 

If you ever need a way to satisfy your sweet tooth, be sure to stop by!

For the reveal, I made up the delicious Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies.  These cookies are the perfect balance of salty and sweet, with the butter and sugar caramelizing just a bit around the pretzels to make them absolutely addictive!  I am most definitely a fan!

Strawberry Cucumber Salad

After all the nasty blizzard-ness last week, it looks like spring might finally be on its way (please, oh please!)  There’s still tons of snow on the ground, but it’s melting!  And some of the trees are starting to bud out!  And I saw some green grass (uh, next to the snow, of course)!

So it’s time for a bright summer salad!

Wouldn’t this look pretty on the Easter table?  Or really just anytime you need a pick me up!

Angel Wings Wednesday #7

This past Sunday would have been Sarah Catherine’s baptism.

Because our families are spread across the country, I had already contacted the church to schedule the baptism several weeks before we lost her.

On Sunday, I walked into the church, hand in hand with Dude and Spud (Hubs was out of town) and I saw another family sitting in the front row, their baby nestled in the Mother’s arms and I thought, “that should have been me.”

Instead of gut wrenching sadness, I felt more melancholy.  I snuggled Dude & Spud close and prayed for a few minutes, remembering my little girl.

Then, at offertory, the song was announced.  It is one of my favorites and the lyrics were just perfect for what I was feeling.

Bunny Buns

Need a fun side dish for Easter this year?

Try some cute patootie Bunny Buns!

Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Candied Pecans

Will this winter ever end?  Seriously.

A blizzard just ripped through here again this week, dumping so much snow on us that we had a snow day (due to the blizzard) plus, they had to cancel school the next day, because the city couldn’t plow the streets fast enough.  That blizzard was not messing around.

The worst part was, the original winter snow was just beginning to melt!  There was lots of grass visible in the backyard.  The deck was almost clear!  Dude went on a bike ride and I jogged behind him…it was a 5k.

But noooooo.  Now we’re all full of snow again.  It’s like that lovely melt never even happened!

Angel Wings Wednesday #6

Angel Wings took a little break for a couple weeks.

First Hubs & I were on vacation.  It was sunny and relaxing and wonderful.  It was the first real time we’ve had alone together since we lost Sarah.  Though I was actually just tagging along on Hub’s work trip, it was totally worth it.  While he worked, I read on the beach, and jogged on the beach and had some much needed me time.

And when he was free with saw the sights and took long walks

on the beach.

Then we came home.  And it was cold and gloomy.  The boys were whiny and clingy since we’d just been gone for 5 days (don’t get me wrong – they had a blast with their grandparents, but its just not the same as mom and dad).  And I had responsibilities again.  I had to clean the house and cook and keep a schedule.

And then I had a really Bad Day.  Yep, a capital letter bad day.  If you’ve been through grief, you know the ones I’m talking about.  I could hardly move out of my recliner, I just wanted to cry, it felt like the sun would never shine again.