FAA Fridays...

of the food addicted variety, not airplanes.

Disclaimer: this is in no way intended to treat food addictions, as a matter of fact anyone with a food addiction should stop reading right now because I don't want to to be responsible for enabling you in your addiction.

I am not a food addict, at least I don't think so...hmm, denial? Anyway, I love food & love cooking but with 2 under two (mommies know what that means) I don't often do gourmet. I really can't justify blogging about PB&J or tuna sandwiches (unless I create a stupendous new sandwich that out does any sandwich heretofore created) so instead I will tempt you with a tasty snack.

Guac...hee hee, it sounds so funny when you just say guac instead of guacamole. I LOVE avocados, therefore I love guacamole & have decided the only guacamole worth eating is of the homemade variety. First off, picking the right avocados is key. When I go to the farmer's market I always buy 5 avocados because they give you a deal if you buy 5 but I that usually leaves me with avocados getting soft faster than I can eat them. Solution, 2 avocados & a tomato plus a little garlic & some onion turns in to a gorgeous guacamole with very little prep & a few minutes in the food processor.

Basic Guacamole

2 ripe, soft avocados (skin color is not an indication of ripeness. squeeze gently to see if the whole avocado is soft, squishy spots on an otherwise firm avocado are bruises & usually indicate brown blemishes under the skin.)

1 medium tomato (tomatoes have the best flavor if they are not refrigerated, pick them fresh or buy them on the vine & store on your counter if you can)

onion (one small onion or 1/2 of a medium onion)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic depending on how much you like

salt to taste

3 tsp lime juice (keeps the guac green & pretty while adding a hint of flavor)

Quarter the tomato & onion, coarsely chop the garlic, and pulse together in the food processor until you have something that resembles pico de gallo (in other words well diced but not pureed). Set the tomato, garlic & onion aside in a bowl for a moment. Cut the avocados in half & remove the pit. Peel the avocado halves and then cut in to chunks (cutting in to chunks isn't necessary but it speeds up the blending in the food processor). Puree the avocado chunks & lime juice in the food processor. Then add the salt to taste. Finally mix in some of the tomato, garlic & onion that was set aside. Depending on your personal preferences, you might only use a tablespoon or two of the tomatoes, garlic & onions or you might mix it all in (that's what I do). If you have tomatoes, garlic & onion left chop a bit of cilantro, toss it in & you have pico de gallo salsa to go with the gauc. Voila, from "hmm, some guacamole & chips sounds tasty" to eating it in 5-10 minutes flat (10 minutes accounts for the various interruptions by kids).


not, the best picture but you get the idea :-)

Happy munching.

Cold Chocolate

As much as we love hot chocolate, we also love cold chocolate...ice cold chocolate...the best ever chocolate ice cream...mmm...Haagen Daz 5 chocolate ice cream. To live for, die for, be resurrected for :-) Irreverence aside, it really is the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had & I'm generally not a big fan of chocolate ice cream. It only has five ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, eggs, chocolate. Which results in a gorgeous creamy rich chocolaty flavor & a wonderful smooth texture. Its my new addiction :-P and now I really want some...guess I better get the kids in the stroller & walk over to the store.



















Do you want one? Get one, you'll love it...it's the perfect medicine for a chocoholic ;-)

World's Worst Blogger...Ever...

That's me, or at least I think it should be me. For as good a writer as I consider myself to be, I am a terrible blogger. Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm also terrible at keeping a journal.

BUT... I have a game plan now :-) So the next couple weeks should show some improvement in the frequency & quality of posts.

Lameness & Procrastination

I finally got over my lameness & quit procrastinating...its amazing how much I can get done when I put my mind to it even with 2 kids running around & a bunch of explosively dirty diapers. I don't know why but it seems like every time Liam has a poopy diaper he blows a gasket & it leaks, usually up the backside. The leaky diapers wouldn't be too bad except for the fact that the boy wont sit still, he's bouncing & squirming & it takes all my strength to hang on to him & keep him from smear poo every where. Nevermind the fact that he likes to grab the diaper while I'm changing him or reach down to check out what is going on so I'm defending against curious hands while trying to hold him relatively still...it can get a little crazy.

I think I'm starting to make my New Years resolutions because I caught myself thinking about the things I'd like to improve on this year so no I just need to really pull my thoughts into a cohesive plan & then get crackin' on it.

No more dirty diapers (well, sort of)

I am so thankful that little miss Emma is no longer in diapers, the less dirty diapers I have to change the better. Last night she went all night without wetting her diaper (I'm not brave enough to try putting her in underwear at night yet) & she didn't even wake up to go potty until 4:30am. Now we just need to work on the EC (elimination communication) with Liam.

Today was another one of those days where you just want to curl up with a mug of something warm to drink. I opted for chai tea today instead of hot chocolate...what?! you say...but I say chai is like drinking a liquid pumpkin pie & some days it just hits the spot. Of course Emma wants to try anything mom eats or drinks...she loves chai, just like her mommy.

Mmmm...Hot Chocolate

It is a hot chocolate kind of day, gray & dismal & wet & cold...snuggled here in our warm little home I'm thinking some hot chocolate is in order. A spicy mexican hot chocolate for me & a pint sized milky hot chocolate for Emma. Its one of those days where you just want to snuggle under big warm blankets & hibernate in front of a fire (of course we don't have a fireplace). But there is too much to do today so I will content myself with some hot chocolate.

Frustration

Why must straightening out financial messes be so frustrating? So last night DH gets home from work & realizes he doesn't have his phone, no big deal because he probably forgot it a work. Well this morning he gets to work & his phone is nowhere to be found. We're guessing that somehow he dropped it while biking home last night because someone found it & has been using it. I had to call the cell phone carrier this morning to suspend the services on his phone & although the customer service rep was very friendly, she wasn't as helpful as I would have liked. We can't dispute or reverse any of the charges made by the person who found the phone until after we get billed for them at the end of the month & meanwhile we still get charged the monthly fees for his phone even though we aren't using it. It makes me want to gnash my teeth.

On a more positive note, at least I got more sleep last night...baby boy didn't nurse as much last night, maybe his growth spurt is slowing down. And his teeth have cut through most of the way now, 4 teeth all at once, so hopefully the days will be going a little smoother now too.

Okay, I feel a little better now that I vented. I'm off to do dishes, make yogurt, bake bread, & come up with something yummy to take to food storage club tomorrow night. Fingers crossed that we get the last of our W-2s in today's mail so that I can hurry up & file our tax return (I love taxes because we get $$ back).