Painting, Laundry and Cooking, Oh My!

I'm aware that it's 2:30 in the afternoon, but I had to sit and take a little break from all the manual labor I've subjected myself to over the last couple of days. Mike's been working at Meredith's all week so I've had a bit of normalcy return to this house. It was very much welcomed. I love being around Mike, but I think we were really starting to get on each others' nerves, being together nearly all day, everyday for the last couple of months.
Yesterday I was able to get all the trim done in the kitchen (yay!) which makes it actually look clean in there for the first time since we moved in 8.5 years ago! It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do to a room. And to my spirits! Mike didn't even notice it when he walked in last night; he just mentioned that I 'must've spent the whole day in the kitchen because it looked spic & span.' He got that right--all...day...long. It felt good to finally cross something off my two-page "things to fix around the house" list that sits plastered to the fridge like a permanent fixture. Unfortunately, I had to veer from the list today and spend all morning folding the mountain of laundry that took up all but "my" little spot on the couch. (Oh, that and take care of Dixon and Bridget.) I'm pretty impressed with myself that I even got dinner started in the crockpot before noon--Turkey & Wild Rice Soup. (Thank you CrockPot Lady!) Dixon's now napping and Bridget is using up some of her points she earned from her Job Chart to watch Arthur while she munches on a snack of little grape tomatoes. (As a side note, I've started leaving cut-up and bite-sized veggies in zippies in the fridge for the kids to eat whenever they want to. They've stopped asking for junk, and it's so nice that they can just go get whatever they want without having to ask. Because they're getting lots of veggies now, I've been less concerned about them eating all their veggies at dinnertime. They especially like cauliflower, green beans and carrots, and I don't even have to bribe them with Ranch dressing!)
Anyway, maybe I shouldn't have taken a break because now I just want to close my eyes and nap. I better not, though. With only 30 minutes before the girls get home from school, I hate to crash then wake up grouchy, which is usually what happens when I fall asleep in the middle of the day.

Sweet Pork Burritos

This one's for Julianne.

If you've never tried Sweet Pork Burritos, you simply must!  I'd heard about them from friends, saw them advertised on TV at certain restaurants, but I'd never actually tried them, (or necessarily wanted to) until a few months ago.  I was looking for a crockpot recipe.  Something new.  Something different.  This seemed to fit the bill, so we tried it.

OH DEAR MAMA!!!!

I cannot get over how incredibly yummy these are!  They rival virtually any food I've ever eaten, including prime rib and shrimp.  Those of you who know me know what a big deal that is.  So, here it is.  A little piece of heaven.

Sweet Pork Burritos

2-3 lb. Hunk O' Pork (Can be a roast, boneless ribs, loin, etc.  Whatever you have or whatever you can find for a good price.)

2 C. brown sugar

1 jar (14 oz. or so) of your favorite salsa (If you don't have a fave, might I suggest El Pinto brand? SO, SO good!  We use 1/2 Mild Salsa and 1/2 Medium Green Chile Sauce.)

1 can cola (Don't use diet, but caffeine free works fine.)

Throw all the ingredients in the crockpot on low for 7-9 hours.  About an hour or so before serving, take the meat out & shred it, then put it back into the pot to let it keep soaking up all that deliciousness.

Serve on a flour tortilla with Spanish rice, black beans (canned, drained), cheese (we like colby jack) & sour cream. Of course, you can add or omit whatever you & your family will eat.

For a quick and easy Spanish Rice recipe, use this:

Spanish Rice

1 1/2 C uncooked rice

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

3/4 can water (fill the empty tomato can 3/4)

1 t chicken bouillon

1/2 packet taco seasoning

Throw it all in a pot, bring to boil, then cover, drop heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Stir and serve!

So, tomorrow morning, throw this together and your taste buds will be dancing come dinnertime!

Let me know what you think!

Got Zucchini?

I'm always on the hunt for good recipes to use my plethora of zuccs in. I usually end up going back to my three main dishes: Fried Zucchini, Zucchini Soup, and Zucchini Bread. The first two are pretty set recipes, but as you know, Zucchini Bread has more variations than Imelda Marcos has shoes. I love tasting all the different varieties I come across--especially those that include chocolate in some form--but I got creative the other day and combined 3 different recipes into one, and I think it's the best Zucchini Bread I've EVER eaten! It's really more like a cake, and seriously, who doesn't like cake??? So here it is, along with a couple of pics. If you venture to try this recipe, leave a comment. I'd love to know how you liked it!

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
1 pt. fresh blueberries
3 T. flour
3 T. butter
1/3 C. brown sugar

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and soda together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl.
4. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.
5. Stir in zucchini until well combined.
6. Carefully fold in the blueberries, pour batter into prepared pans and place in the middle rack of oven.
8. Meanwhile, using a pastry cutter, combine flour, butter and brown sugar to resemble a course meal.
9. Halfway throught cooking time (about 30 minutes), sprinkle sugar mixture onto the bread & put back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
10.Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool...if you can wait that long.

I've seen anything from strawberries, bananas or cranberries to nuts, coconut or chocolate chips in lieu of the blueberries. Use whatever sounds good or whatever you have on hand! The blueberries really were fabulous, though!

Channeling My Inner Polynesian

As I continue to sacrifice my beauty rest on Saturday mornings by participating in the produce co-op (nevertheless...worth it!), this week we got fancy and paid homage to my newly Hawaiian brother by adding the tropical pack, which included bananas, pineapple, mangos, kiwis, limes and a coconut! Not entirely sure of what I wanted to make out of it all, I perused one of my favorite sites on the internet, www.allrecipes.com. (Even if I don't use the recipes there, it's a great place to get some ideas when I'm stumped, and as to what to do with a fresh coconut, well, I was stumped.) I ended up finding a recipe for a Samoan sweet roll called Pani PoPo, that is similar to a cinnamon roll, but is slathered in sticky coconut sweetness instead of cinnamon. Mmmmmm. My kinda food! I even saw a variation of it that included rings of pineapple on the bottom--like pineapple upside-down cake, only drenched in ooey, gooey, sticky coconut goodness. Can't wait to try this one...probably next week when the pineapple's a little less forest green, and a little more golden yellow. I'll let you know how it turns out...

Blueberry Cake Doughnuts

I've had several requests for this recipe, so here it is! Mike is a HUGE cake doughnut fan, while I prefer raised. That's okay, because they were still YUMMY!

Blueberry Cake Doughnuts

2T shortening
1C sugar
2 eggs
1C buttermilk
1 pt fresh blueberries, rinsed hulled & patted dry
3 1/2-4 C flour
Pinch salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 C milk
2 C powdered sugar


In a Kitchenaid-type mixer, cream together shortening & sugar. Add one egg at a time and beat until incorporated. Slowly add buttermilk. Switch to dough hook and add blueberries. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder then add it to the blueberry mixture 1 C at a time until dough forms a smooth ball and climbs up the hook. Put dough in a greased bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Mike made the dough the night before then cooked them in the morning and they were great!)
Preheat fryer to 350. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick, then using a doughnut cutter or biscuit cutters, cut doughnuts into rounds. Fry until golden brown, then remove & drain on paper towels. Whisk together milk & powdered sugar & drizzle over doughnuts & let glaze set before eating. (If you can wait that long!)

So there you have it. Hope you enjoy them! This makes about 2 dozen, depending on how big or small you make them. Mike actually made doughnut holes out of it all and we probably had 3-4 dozen.

Pasta e Fagioli

Since I've had a request for this recipe, and since I will never have someone actually pay me for this or any other, I decided not to disappoint my fans and post it for you! Let me know how you like it!

Pasta e Fagioli

1 T olive oil
1 lb. italian sausage (doesn't matter what kind--spice it up or tone it down!)
1 sm. onion, chopped
3 med. carrots, grated
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 c chicken stock (bouillon or broth works fine, too)
4 c tomato juice
1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 med. tomatoes chopped)
1 can white beans (canellini, northern, navy--whatever), drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 T dried parsley
1 T dried basil
1/4 t ground cayenne (a little goes a LONG way--add according to your tastes!)
2 T white vinegar (apple cider would probably be ok, too)
3 t sugar
salt & pepper to taste (shouldn't need too much, if any)
8 oz. small pasta (small shells, salad macaroni, etc.)

Quick tip: If you have a really big, really good stock pot, you can probably brown everything in it w/o having to transfer from another pan. Since my stockpot is pretty flimsy, I brown my meat & saute my veggies in a separate, heavy pan, then transfer to the stock pot when I add my liquids. The following directions will be according to how I cook it w/my own--less than stellar--cookware! :)

1. In a heavy pan, brown sausage, then transfer to a large stockpot (6-8 qt. capacity)
2. In same heavy pan, heat olive oil on med to med-hi heat and add onion, carrots, celery & garlic. (You can use less oil if there's an abundance of grease in the pan from the sausage.) Saute the veggies until the onions become transparent, then add them to the stock pot w/the sausage.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the stock pot, EXCEPT THE PASTA and bring to a boil. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer for 45 min.
4. Add pasta & return to a boil until pasta is al dente. (About 15 min. or so, depending on your pasta.)

This makes a LOT of soup, but believe me, the leftovers themselves are worth it, and they freeze very well--if it makes it that far! ENJOY!