Happy Easter!

I know, it seems a little late, but as Catholics, we are actually in the Easter season for 50 days, so see? I'm not late!

I love you so much I just wanna squeeeeeze you!

My little angels.

Sweetie pies. They would never misbehave.

First of all, I'd like to say that we really had a nice Holy Week. We started off the week with Palm Sunday of course, and then on Tuesday evening, the girls and I went to confession. We hadn't been since around Christmas, so it was definitely something we needed to do. I always feel so wonderful after confession! Holy Thursday mass was nice (this is the mass that the priest washes the feet of 12 parishioners - to represent Christ washing the feet of his disciples).

Sky and Emma Rose in front of our church, amid the cherry blossoms!

On Good Friday, we took the girls out of school and spent the day fasting and in quiet contemplation. We watched The Passion of the Christ at 1:00, finishing up right around 3:00, and then prayed a family Rosary together. Later that night, we attended the Good Friday service and Veneration of the Cross at church.

Saturday was spent prepping our food for our Easter dinner, and of course, dyeing eggs. My husband also cooked steaks and sausage on the grill, and Whitney and our grandkids came over for dinner and to dye eggs with us. (It's so much fun dyeing eggs with little kids!)

My girls still enjoy dyeing eggs :) Even the 26yo.

Austen explaining how to dye eggs.

Easter Eggs!

The weather could not have been any more perfect Easter Sunday. We woke up to sunshine, clear skies, and cool air, and my girls and I were able to wear our new Easter dresses without freezing! We were all decked out in peaches and pinks this year.

Emma made Easter Bunny cupcakes. (Recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen)

After mass, Whitney, John & the kiddos came over for Easter dinner. We took pictures in the backyard and then had Easter dinner.

Our family on Easter morning: Emma Rose, Andy, me, Andrew, and Sky.

My beautiful daughter Whitney and her beautiful family. I'm so glad she lives only 2 miles away! :) L-R: John, River (4), Austen (2), and Whitney.

In between shots...

The girls! Me, Emma Rose, Austen Rose, Whitney, and Sky

Waiting patiently with Grandpa in between shots....

River is a little snuggle bug. He always has lots of hugs!

My 4 wonderful kiddos. Andrew (18), Emma Rose (12), Whitney (26), and Sky (16).

Austen saw River snuggling with me and had to get some snuggles too. What can I say, my grandkids were fighting over me.

It took forever just to get a couple of cooperative shots of the little ones.  

My "behind the scenes" shots were pretty funny, though. "River, no super hero poses! Austen, don't lift your dress up!"

Come on, guys, SMILE! Please!!!

Notice the badly behaved son-in-law?

Our Easter menu included: Ham with roasted pineapples and cherries (a yummy recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen), scalloped potatoes, southern green beans with bacon, strawberry-spinach salad with lemon dressing, and buttery yeast rolls. I plan on sharing some of my recipes soon!

And of course, Easter Bunny Cupcakes for dessert.

She had been eyeing those cupcakes all day....and was very happy to finally get to eat one after finishing her dinner!

What did you do for Easter? 

How to Make Restaurant-Style Salsa

One of my favorite snacks is salsa with crispy tortilla chips. I usually have some salsa made up in the fridge at any given time, and if not, I usually have the ingredients on hand to whip some up. If you've never made your own salsa before, I'm going to show you how.  I call this "restaurant style" because Mexican restaurants always have good salsa - they make it fresh right there at the restaurant! You just can't buy anything like it in a store. And it's so easy, once you make your own, you'll never go back to buying it in a jar.

What you will need:

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (regular, or fire-roasted)

1 can (4 oz.) green chilies
1 small can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 sweet yellow onion
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers
1 ripe tomato
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pepper, to taste
Dash ground cumin
1 "handful" fresh cilantro

First, give your cilantro a bath by immersing in a bowl of cool water. Allow to sit in the water while you prepare your other ingredients.

 

Then transfer to a strainer and rinse with cool water.

 

Now place your garlic alone in the food processor and chop into tiny pieces.

 

 

Chop your tomato into chunks, and dice your jalapeno by first slicing longways into slender "sticks," then slice horizontally. Even though I will be putting my jalapeno into the food processor, I always dice it first, just to be sure we don't get any large chunks of jalapeno left in the salsa.

We like our salsa hot, so I do not remove the seeds from the jalapeno. I also try to pick out a nice, hot jalapeno to use. You can tell this one is hot because of the little white lines running up and down the pepper. If you like a mild salsa, pick out a bright green jalapeno with no white lines. Remove the seeds by cutting the jalapeno in half vertically, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and some of the pulp (which is also hot). Then you can enjoy the flavor of the jalapeno without the heat.

 

Now put your tomatoes and jalapenos into the food processor with the garlic.

 

I forgot to put sugar in my picture of the ingredients. Sugar isn't necessary if you are using a very ripe, naturally sweet tomato (say, from the farmer's market, or your garden) - but most tomatoes I buy from the store need a little help.

 Add the canned tomatoes, green chilies, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, cumin, and sugar. Whir in food processor for about 30 seconds, until all ingredients are well-blended.

 

Now add the cilantro and pulse every few seconds, until cilantro is chopped and mixed well. Note: be sure to use the pulse feature for this step, which keeps the salsa from getting too watery.

 

After the cilantro has been chopped and blended, dice your half onion by hand. Transfer the salsa into a serving bowl and stir in the diced onion. I have learned not to use the food processor with the onion, as it will make the salsa too watery.

 

Give it a good stir, and it is ready to eat!

 

Our favorite tortilla chips are Juanita's brand. Oh so good!

 

Just like a Mexican restaurant. :)  Cover tightly and it will keep for a week in the fridge, if it doesn't get eaten up before then. I like to keep mine in a Mason jar.

 

 The aftermath. Time to clean up!

Meatless Lenten Friday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

A meatless family favorite that only takes about 15 minutes to throw together is grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

First, start with making the soup. This cream of tomato soup is so much tastier than Campbell's* - but just as easy!

Cream of Tomato Soup

• 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
• 3 tomato paste cans milk
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tomato paste can heavy cream

1. Whisk tomato paste, milk, celery seed, and salt in a large saucepan together until smooth. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling, stirring frequently, but do not boil.

2. Reduce heat to low and whisk in heavy cream. Serve when heated through. Do not allow to boil. Yield: 6 servings.

While the soup heats, make the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• 12 slices sturdy white bread
• 6 slices American cheese
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, sliced or grated
• 1 stick butter, melted

1. Heat griddle to medium-high. Assemble 6 sandwiches by laying one piece of American cheese on one slice of bread, then add one ounce of cheddar. Top with another slice of bread. Brush each side of the 6 sandwiches with melted butter.

2. Cook sandwiches on hot griddle for about 2 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and bread is toasted a golden brown. (Do not press down or flatten sandwiches with spatula!)

Yield: 6 sandwiches. 

Mmmm....grilled cheese and tomato soup complement each other perfectly!

*True story: After Whitney was married and running her own household, she kept making Campbell's tomato soup but could never understand why it didn't turn out the way she remembered it tasting when growing up. She did remember me opening a can and making soup on the stove - whatever could she be doing wrong by just dumping in a can of soup, adding milk, and heating it?

One day recently, I started making tomato soup while she was visiting, and she exclaimed, "So that's how you do it!" I didn't realize I had never passed on my "secret recipe" to her. Now she knows how to make tomato soup the "right" way. :)

Chipotle at Home - Burrito Bowls!

My favorite fast-food restaurant is Chipotle. If you don't have a Chipotle near you, I would like to offer my condolences. Have you considered moving? Because it would be worth it. I absolutely love the fresh flavor of everything offered at Chipotle - from their meats, to the grilled veggies, to the salsas. And the cilantro lime rice is to die for.

About once or twice a month, I serve what we have come to call "Chipotle at Home." It is a family favorite, and heaven forbid I serve it on a night that someone in the family isn't home and they miss out. I prepare chicken fajitas with sauteed peppers, cilantro-lime rice (unbelievably easy to re-create), beans, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce - and if I'm in an especially fabulous mood, some homemade flour tortillas.

I set everything out, buffet-style, for my family to each pick and choose exactly what they want to put in their own "burrito bowls." I do not claim my food tastes just like Chipotle's (except the cilantro lime rice is pretty darn close) - I just like their idea of personal, assembly-line burrito bowls, and that is the concept I use when I put "Chipotle at Home" on our dinner menu.

How to have your own "Chipotle at Home" night  

Cilantro-Lime Rice: In a rice cooker or on the stove, start a pot of salted, plain, white rice. When the rice is ready, keep it warm until serving time. Just before serving, stir in fresh-squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro. That's it!

My grandmother's juicer - she had it since she was a young newlywed in the 1930's - and gave it to me about 10 years ago. I love it!

 

Pico de gallo: Combine 3 chopped Roma tomatoes, 1 chopped yellow onion, and a "handful" of chopped cilantro. Stir in some chopped jalapeno peppers - the amount depending on how much heat you want - and salt to taste. I usually use 2 ripened jalapeno peppers - unseeded. We like our food hot. Important: Chop by hand! Do not put pico de gallo ingredients into a food processor. 

Guacamole: Mash 1 or 2 ripe Haas avocados with a fork or potato masher. Never, ever use a food processor to make guacamole. That is just gross. I have very strong feelings about smooth guacamole. It should be slightly chunky, trust me on this. Stir in about 2-3 tablespoons of the pico de gallo, and some salt and pepper to taste. You can also stir in a little lime juice if you like, but I personally don't like the taste of lemon or lime in my guacamole because I think it covers up the flavor of the avocado. If it's consumed within the next 2 hours, it will not turn brown. Cover tightly and chill until serving time.

Make the Beans: Open a couple cans of pinto or black beans, drain, and rinse in a colander. Dump into a pan and add 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus about 1 teaspoon of the sauce, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, give it a stir, then cover and reduce heat to low, and slowly simmer while you prepare the other food. Before serving, add salt to taste.

 

Spruce up plain pinto beans with the addition of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce! They make the beans taste amazing.

Chicken & Veggies: Thinly slice a yellow onion, a red pepper, and a green pepper, and set aside.

Slice 4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breast very thinly into strips. Hint: partially frozen chicken breast is much easier to slice than completely thawed chicken breast.

 Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced chicken, sprinkle with fajita seasoning, and add 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers. Give it all a stir, and then cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked thoroughly. 

After the chicken has cooked, remove the lid, turn heat to high, and allow all liquid to evaporate. Stir and cook until chicken starts to brown.

Add vegetables and continue to cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until vegetables and chicken just start to smoke and char slightly. Remove from heat. Vegetables should be crisp-tender.

Of course, the chicken and vegetables can also be cooked separately, in case someone in the family wants a vegetarian burrito bowl. Just cook the chicken on high until it starts to get a little blackened; remove from skillet and keep warm on a hot plate in the oven. Add a little more oil to the skillet and throw in vegetables. Add a bit of chipotle sauce for flavor. Cook on high, stirring and flipping frequently, until slightly charred, but still crisp-tender.

Other things to serve:
 
Shredded Cheese: I like to serve sharp cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese.

Sour Cream: To make sour cream thinner like Chipotle's, just whisk in a couple tablespoons of milk.

Lettuce:  Thinly slice crisp lettuce, like iceberg or heart of Romaine.

It's serving time!

Set everything out buffet-style like Chipotle's assembly line: Start with a stack of empty bowls for self-serving, then the tortillas (if serving), cilantro-lime rice, black beans, the chicken and veggies, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and chopped lettuce.

Everyone's burrito bowl will look different, because they are individually made. Enjoy!