Crockpot Recipe of the Week: Cheater Beef Stew

Sooo...I'm in Dallas where we're currently experiencing an historical weather event.  Not only did we get hit with a bad ice storm on Tuesday of this week, we now have close to 5 inches of snow on the ground from last night.  The kids have been out of school for four days and I've been forced to work from home.  Unheard of in Dallas.

Needless to say, I've been playing games, wiping runny noses, making snacks, doing kids crafts, watching movies and cleaning up after people for four straight days.  Last night I went to the grocery store for fun.  It's bad down here in Big D.

So I'm whipping up winter food today.  Comfort food without the work.  Cheater food.  Which means I have a little outside help.  Fire up the crockpot today.  We're making Cheater Beef Stew!

Cheater Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef stew meat
8 oz. baby carrots
1 white potato, cut into chunks
6 white button mushrooms, halved
1 celery stalk, cut into medium pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into large chunky dice
1 packet McCormick's Slow Cooker Beef Stew seasoning (the cheater part!)
1 1/3 c water
1/4 cup red wine
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 t garlic powder
1 t kosher salt
cracked black pepper

Mix veggies and beef in crockpot.  Remember, you don't want your veggies cut into pieces too small since we'll be cooking them low and slow.  Dissolve packet of beef stew seasoning in water.  Add to crockpot.  Add wine, bouillon, garlic, salt and pepper.  Give it a stir. 

Cook on Low for 8 hours.  DO NOT LIFT THE LID UNTIL IT'S DONE PEOPLE!!! 

Inform your family that you will be spending the rest of the day on the couch watching movies such as Bridget Jones' Diary, What a Girl Wants and Overboard.  You will not be available for nose-wiping or snack-making.  If the chance should arise, you might be able to clear your schedule for snowman-building detail or snowball fight protection.  Roll your eyes and huff (notice I say "huff" and not "sigh") when they laugh and say "Yeah, right."

Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes or crusty bread.  Or noodles and crusty bread.  Or mashed potatoes and crusty bread.  Or plain.  Whatever floats yer boat!

Stay warm and Enjoy!

Art Show

"Monet Garden with Bridge"

This is a work of art from a FIRST GRADER.  Never mind that I never worked with chalks and paint and oil pastels in elementary school art class.  Never mind that I never studied the works of classical impressionist painters when I was seven.  Never mind that this piece was selected out of over 500 student works to be displayed at a local gallery.

The only thing that really matters is that I am the mother of this first grader.  And even if "Monet Garden with Bridge" was instead a macaroni necklace stuffed in the bottom of her backpack for three weeks, I'd still think it, along with the artist, was a masterpiece.

Reinventing the Peanut Butter Sandwich

I LOVE peanut butter sandwiches.  They're one of those foods I will phase in and out of my life on a regular basis.  I usually rediscover them when my pantry is a bit bare and almost always put jelly on them.  I prefer grape jam, actually.  Jam spreads more evenly across the peanut butter.  I used to be a smooth PB gal but have recently made peace with the chunky stuff.  Jif and Skippy are good...Peter Pan is too sweet for me.  Not real keen on the natural stuff...it's that stirring-of-the-oil thing.

Bread is important in the construction of the PB sandwich.  I like them kid-style on Wonder Bread, what I refer to in my house as "cake bread" because it's pretty much the dietary equivalent of a piece of yellow cake sans frosting.  But I'm not a kid so that's a treat for me.  Usually I have it on 100% whole wheat.  Orowheat is our favorite...it's a nice, dense wheat bread and doesn't have all that unhealthy garbage thrown in.  It's also $4.68 a loaf at Kroger which sucks but I still buy it.  This is one area I've learned not to skimp.  Ketchup falls into this category.  But I digress.

Right now, the PB sandwich is definitely phased IN.  I'm enjoying them so much that I'm trying to find new ways to enjoy them so as to avoid the phase OUT.  In the past week, I've tried the following:

PB and grape jelly
PB and butter and grape jelly
PB and butter

In the past I've also tried these concoctions:

PB and banana:  To be honest, I'm just not a fan of banana and PB together.  Sorry nanner.
PB and Mayo:  My dad used to make us this.  It's interesting but not awful...really.
PB and sprinkles:  Want your kid to love you?  Try this.  Sydney loves it!
PB and chocolate chips:  See PB and sprinkles.  Put it on wheat or crackers and call it dessert.
PB and apple:  This is a great combo.  Macintosh apples work well...nicely tart!
PB and pretzels:  A nice, salty addition.
PB and Ruffles:  Okay...now I'm getting out of hand but again...a nice salty sensation.

Anyway....my newest obsession:  PB and sliced almonds!

I don't know what possessed me to try it but I had sliced almonds out for my oatmeal one morning and thought...hmmm...this might be good on a peanut butter sandwich.  I PB'd up a piece of wheat for my lunch today (just one slice) and put 1 heaping T of almonds on it, folded it in half and packed it up.  Had it with a salad, if you're wondering.  IT WAS AWESOME!  The almonds added just the perfect amount of crunch!  And...almonds are way good for you.  They're loaded with calcium, vitamin E, the good fats and are a great protein source.  Couple that with some PB and some whole wheat?  Psshaw!  You've got a great healthy snack that rocks.

I made one for lunch tomorrow.  Hope it makes it that long.
:)

Recipe of the Week: King Ranch Chicken

Okay, so....no crockpot recipe this week but man-oh-man is this one a killer!  There are many, many, many, many variations of King Ranch Chicken.  My friend Julianne introduced me to her version eleven years ago when we lived in Houston.  Let me just say....WHOA...my tastebuds are still seeking and destroying after this one!  Let's just say it's hot.  Absolutely the best I've had but SO SO HOT!

This one is much milder and I'm guessing is closer to a cheater version.  Which means it's super-easy and FAST.  I use the store-bought rotisserie chicken when it's on sale.  You could easily substitute any chicken you have in the freezer but then you're adding a step:  Defrost and cook chicken.  Bleh...we don't like extra steps. 

King Ranch Chicken

1 whole rotisserie chicken, cooked
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 T butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel (or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can diced green chilis if you don't have access to Rotel)
1 T or 1 cube chicken boullion dissolved in 1/2 c HOT water
1/4 cup milk (whole milk is best, heavy cream is decadent!  I only had skim and it was A-OK!)
6 burrito size flour tortillas (or any old size, I just know that 6 burrito size is enough)
2 c shredded jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Remove chicken from bones.  Chop into bite-size pieces.  Set aside.  In large skillet, melt butter.  Add onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add soup, rotel (don't drain!) and stir to combine.  Add boullion water and milk.  Bring to boil and reduce heat.  Add chicken and combine.  Let simmer 5 minutes.

Cut or tear tortillas into bite size pieces.  Layer 1/3 of the tortillas in baking dish.  Spoon half the chicken mixture over tortillas.  Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese on top.  Repeat another layer.  Add remainder of tortillas and cheese to top of casserole.

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and browned.  Serve with sour cream and a salad on the side!  And maybe a margarita...yum!

Enjoy!

Tips for Kid-Friendly Cooking

Picture a beautiful meadow.  Picture a beautiful meadow that is home to chicken nuggets, spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese (I know, it's weird but just picture it!).  Now put a prison-height, high-voltage electric fence around the beautiful meadow.  Add barbed wire to the top of the fence.

I've just described my daughter's palate.

My daughter isn't so much a picky eater...she just has some very clear boundaries around what she will and will not eat.  I am working to infiltrate those boundaries without destroying the beautiful meadow that lies beyond.  Consider me a bunny hopping around the fence looking for a hole to wiggle through. 

Or a loving family member trying to smuggle a weapon into the prison in order to assist an escape.

Anyway, here are a few tips for infiltrating the boundaries:

1.  Lie.  When she asks if I put such-and-such into the dish, I am A-OK with telling a white lie if I'm certain she won't find out.  Good for covering up ingredients like mustard and sour cream.  Incidentally, this also works on my brother-in-law who will not knowingly eat anything with mayo or sour cream in it.  And now that I've put it out there, he will most likely never eat anything I make again.

2.  Grate the onion in.  Pull out your cheese grater and grate it right in.  I do this for meatloaf, meatballs and any ground beef/turkey recipe.  The onion pieces are unnoticeable, she'll never get a big chunk of it and the juice of the onion actually seems to flavor the dish better than a dice.  This also works for carrots, celery, zucchini and squash.

3.  Remind her that she loved the dish when I made it last time...see tip #1 if necessary:

Me (very enthusiastically):  "Oh, I've made this before and you loved it!  Remember?  You asked for seconds!  I served it with biscuits!"

Her (with thoughtful expression):  "I did?  Oh, yeah."

4.  Serve with ranch dressing as a dip.  My daughter will pretty much eat anything if it comes with ranch.  It's how she eats grapes for God's sake. 

5.  Serve it in a taco shell.  I have iCarly to thank for this.  And while she won't actually eat tacos, she will eat leftovers (especially spaghetti) in a taco shell.  Or shredded cheese with ranch (see tip #4) and iceburg.

6.  Tell her she can't eat what Mommy and Daddy are eating because only adults like it.  "Oh, honey, I'm sorry.  I made a grownup dish.  You're just a kid and will hate it.  I thought you could have cereal."  Reverse psychology at it's finest.

7.  Bribery:  I am not opposed to offering the occasional bribe for finishing vegetables.  An extra bedtime story or a popsicle.  I've only paid hard cash once.

8.  Respect her tastes.  If she tries something (that's the rule in our house...you have to at least try everything I put in front of you) and truly doesn't like it, she doesn't have to eat it.  At this point, I allow her to fix an alternative for herself but it can't be junk food.  The key is to make THEM do the extra work in this situation.

Please share your tips!  I can use all the help I can get!
AW

Crockpot Recipe of the Week: Chicken Marengo

Let me share a few of my dislikes:

• People getting on the elevator who don't wait for people to get off the elevator first
• Coming downstairs to my kitchen in the morning only to find crumbs on the counter.  The counter which was clean when I went to bed.
• Eggplant.  I've tried and tried...I just can't like it.  Sorry eggplant.

And right now, today, I am disliking crockpot recipes that require cooking the ingredients before putting them in the crockpot.  Someone please tell me...what the heck is the point???

When my dad came to visit in December, he made a delicious chicken dish called Chicken Marengo.  Knowing my dad (a retired history teacher), you can appreciate that while he was cooking the dish, I was given the short explanation that this dish was supposedly served to Napoleon after the Battle of Marengo in Italy.  Not going to bore you but more info here.  I decided to find a crockpot recipe for Chicken Marengo.  And every one of them (that I could find) required the chicken to be browned first and the vegetables sauteed before putting them in the crockpot.

I love my crockpot for one main reason:  It's easy.  I can toss ingredients in there in the morning and come back at night and have a delicious meal for my family.  So browning meat and sauteeing vegetables before crockpotting doesn't sit well with me.  If I'm going to do that, I might as well just cook the whole damn thing on the stove and hover over it until it's done.  Yeah, I know.  Supposedly you get more flavor and it looks prettier if the meat is browned.  I agree to some extent.  That's why I brown the chicken in my Chicken Cacciatore.  But please note:  my Chicken Cacciatore is not a Crockpot Recipe of the Week.  It's a One Pot Wonder.  he he he

So here's my take on Crockpot Chicken Marengo.  I hope you like it!

6-8 Chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on (I used legs and thighs)
1 large onion, large dice
14 oz. whole white mushrooms, quartered
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1c boiling water
1T chicken boullion
2T flour
1c dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 jar turkey or chicken gravy
1 heaping T minced garlic
1T dried basil
1T poultry seasoning
1/2 T dried sage
1t dried thyme
1t celery salt
salt and pepper

Put half of the onions in the bottom of the crockpot.  Layer chicken on top.  Add remaining onions, mushrooms and tomatoes.

In small bowl, dissolve boullion in boiling water.  Whisk in flour until smooth.  Pour over chicken and vegetables in crockpot.  Add wine and gravy.  Add garlic, basil, poultry seasoning, sage, thyme and celery salt.  Give it all a quick stir but keep the chicken on the bottom with the bottom layer of onions.  In other words, kind of move the top layers around until the herbs are distributed.  Not exactly recipe talk but there you go.

Cook on high setting for 4-6 hours or low setting for 8-10 hours.  Season to taste.  Serve over rice.  Or with potatoes.  Or with whatever you feel like.  Couscous would be nice...it would absorb all the wonderful sauce.  But really, whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy!

Babysitting for 7-Year Olds

Sydney:  Mama, can I babysit Jack while you scrapbook?
Me:  Sure!
Sydney:  Yay! 
5 minutes pass...Sydney:  Mama, Jack needs his diaper changed!
Me:  Well, you're the babysitter, change him!
Sydney:  Can you lift him up on the changing table?
Me:  Sure!
Sydney:  Mama, he stinks.  Can you take the diaper off and wipe him?
Me:  Sure! (proceeds to change diaper)
Sydney:  Thanks.  (in sing-song voice to Jack) Okay Big Boy, let's go over to  your bouncy chair.
10 minutes pass...
Sydney (now in my scrap room):  Whatcha doin' Mama?
Me:  Writing a blog post.  Where's Jack?
Sydney:  He's asleep.  He's chillin' like a villain.

Figures...she gets $5 and a sleeping baby.

The 'Paper' Part....

At the beginning of the year, I changed my blog name to "Crock Paper Scissors" to reflect my goals for 2011 (read about it here) and to help hold myself accountable to these commitments.  Two weeks into the new year and I'm on track (hey...you gotta celebrate the small wins!) except for the paper part:  Read twenty books this year. 

Now, this may seem like a rather weak goal coming from someone who read close to 100 books in 2007 BUT...I didn't have a new baby in 2007.  I didn't have a blog to keep up with and I wasn't cooking dinner every night (do you even REALIZE how much money people spend eating out?  Another post for another time).  I wasn't a Daisy Scout troop leader and I rarely took time to pursue my creative outlets. 

All that has changed.

So, twenty books a year seems reasonable to me and quite frankly, I'm the only one that needs to think it's reasonable anyway.  So there.

That being said, I have chosen my first book of the year (with a little help from my co-Diva Micole):

I've owned this book not once, but twice (my cat peed on the first one...TMI, I'm sure).  I've started this book three times with the most progress being to page 40 or so...I just couldn't get into it.

Micole has assured me that if I commit to 80 pages of this book, I will love it.

Well, there you go.  The gauntlet has been thrown.  Game on.

Book #1 of 2011 has begun.  And of course, I'll keep you posted!

AW

One Pot Wonder: Chicken Cacciatore

While not a crockpot recipe (although I'm sure it could be...I just think the flavors come out better in the dutch oven), this one is a family favorite!  I buy the value packs of chicken legs or thighs (or both!) when they're on sale, break them down into smaller packages of four or five and freeze them for just such an occasion!  Even my 7-year old will eat this...plus it makes great leftovers!

The Stuff:

4-5 chicken legs or thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 t each salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, cut into large dice
14 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 heaping T minced garlic
1 can Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (Yeah, you heard me.  Canned spaghetti sauce.  Trust me.)
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 c red wine (cabernet or pinot noir)
1 T oregano (I usually eyeball these things into the palm of my hand)
1 T basil
2 t garlic powder
salt and cracked black pepper

What I do with The Stuff:

Preheat oven to 375.  In small flat dish, combine flour, parmesan and salt and pepper.  Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Dredge chicken in flour until lightly coated.  Shake excess flour off of chicken.  Discard any remaining flour mixture.

In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Place chicken in oil, skin side down.  Brown and turn until both sides are golden.  Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot.  Remove chicken and set aside.

Add onions, mushrooms and minced garlic to the pot (in that order...you don't want the garlic to burn).  Cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes (by the time I hit this point, the stovetop fan is going and it looks like I'm about to burn the house down.  Keep going!  Trust me!).  Add spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, red wine, oregano, basil and garlic powder.  When heated through, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add chicken back in, skin side up (lay it lightly on top...you don't want it completely submerged).  Cover and transfer to oven.  Bake for 60-75 minutes.  The chicken should pull away from the bone when it's done.  Yummy!

Remove from oven and stir sauce.  It should be a deep red color once combined.  Serve over spaghetti.

Enjoy!

Project: Jewel Case Photo Display Frame

I found a box of old CDs rather, old CD cases...I think the actual CDs are hiding out with my missing socks.  Anyhoo...while playing around with a couple of them, I came up with this fun project:  Creating a Jewel Case Photo Display Frame like this:

The Stuff:

2 CD Jewel Cases
3 sheets patterned paper (different designs)
3 sheets coordinating cardstock
Paint (coordinated to your color scheme...I chose white because it's what I had in my stash)
Foam paintbrush
Ribbon to match
6 photos
Stickers, Rub-ons or any other fun embellishment
Adhesive and strong glue (I used Crafter's Pick The Ultimate)
sandpaper


What I did with the Stuff:

1.  Empty the guts out of two CD jewel cases:

2.  Paint the cases inside and out and along the spine and edges.  

3.  After paint has dried, roughly sand the two outsides of the CD cases (close the CD case - sand the area where your CD insert would show through if you had one inserted.  You will see an open slot running lengthwise down the spine on this side).  Open cases and lay flat with sanded side up.  Apply strong glue to one sanded side and adhere the second case, sanded side down, so that the case will appear to be 3 across.  Allow glue to dry completely (you may need to weight it down on top...I put one of my Mega punches on top).

4.  Trim paper as follows:

• 3 sheets patterned paper:  Trim to 2 mattes each (6 total)  4 5/8 x 4 5/8
• 3 sheets cardstock:  Trim to 2 mattes each (6 total) 4 1/4 x 4 1/4
• 6 photos:  Trim to squares (4 x 4)

5.  Lay out patterned paper then cardstock then photos and plan where you want to place them in the frame.  Adhere mattes and photos to patterned paper.

6.  Adhere patterned paper with photo mattes to CD case panels according to your layout.  Embellish with Ribbon, Rub-ons, Flowers, etc. 

Here is my finished project closed...

...and here it is opened up (both sides):

Have fun!
AW

Heartbreak

I woke up feeling very sad today.  The events in Arizona have touched my heart more than I anticipated.  I keep looking at my daughter and wondering how I'd go on if something happened to her.  It was hard to let her go this morning and send her off to school.

My hearts and prayers are with everyone touched by this tragedy.  Especially the Green family who lost their little one.  Hug your kiddos today.

What's In My Car?

1. A small hairclip
2. An expired Nivea lip balm (they expire???)
3. Three Yahoo! maps printouts
4. Two empty styrofoam cups
5. A binkie still in it's packaging minus it's partner
6. Some polar bear stickers
7. A penguin happy meal toy
8. A Kidz Bop CD
9. Nail salon ad with coupons
10. Red Robin kids menu with crayons
11. The November 2010 American Girl catalog
12. A mysterious white pill balled up in a Vitamin Shoppe receipt dated 9/30/10 for Dandelion Root
13. An empty snack-size Fudge Stripes bag
14. Candy Cane Lip Gloss
15. A nickel and a penny
16. A barf bag (given to us for the ride home after Sydney's eye surgery)
17. Pieces and crumbs from some cheese Combos
18. A Dora sippy cup

Cleaning out the car is always an adventure!!!
AW

Crockpot Recipe of the Week: Kings Forest Beef

Throw this in your crockpot first thing in the morning.  Watch your family sing for their supper.

The Stuff:

2-2/12 lbs. London Broil (or any beef roast that could use a little low-and-slow love)
1 t celery salt
kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 large onion, roughly chopped
10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
2 c beef stock (or 2 beef boullion cubes dissolved in 2 c boiling water)
1 1/2 c red wine
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 t garlic powder
2 T flour plus 6 T
1 T minced garlic
1 T dijon mustard
2 T A-1 Steak Sauce
1 t Gravy Master

What to do with The Stuff:

Rinse beef and pat dry with paper towel.  Season both sides with salt, pepper and celery salt.  Set aside.  (You can sear it in some oil in a large dutch oven after seasoning but why add the extra step and extra pot to wash?)

Layer half of the onion in the bottom of a large crockpot.  Place beef on top.  Add mushrooms and the rest of the onion.  Add onion soup mix and garlic powder.

In a small bowl, add flour and whisk in beef stock.  Add garlic, dijon mustard, A-1 and Gravy Master.  Whisk until blended.  Pour over meat and vegetables in crockpot.  Add red wine to crockpot.

Cover and cook on low heat 8 hours.  When done, remove meat.  In small bowl, whisk 6 T flour with 1 c HOT water until smooth.  Add to crockpot and stir to combine.  Allow gravy to thicken and flour taste to cook off.  Season with S&P as needed.  Slice beef and serve over egg noodles with plenty of gravy.

NOTE:  If your crockpot dies in the middle of cooking, transfer everything to large dutch oven.  Mumble obscenities and stomp around the kitchen slamming cabinet doors and drawers.  Pour a glass of wine.  It'll be alright.

Breathtaking

So....I was exploring YouTube (looking for a video on stitching page protectors for scrapbooking) and came across a video on bookbinding using a basic composition notebook by an artist known as "journalgirl"  (http://www.journalgirl.com/) I linked to her blog and then found her Etsy store and WHAM! saw this:



And even though I'm on a strict budget these days, I had to have it (truth be told, it was only $10.50 including shipping!).  Maybe it was the color, maybe it was the mention of sunlight.  I just love it when art speaks to me. 
AW

Why?

Every January, I re-commit to blogging.  I've done this for the past several years and have 5 blogs I've started and forgotten.  This year, I've decided to try once again.  I'm home on maternity leave now with my son and have the time to start.  What happens when I go back to work in three weeks is anyone's guess!

In order to help me along the way, I've set SMART goals for myself.  These challenges will hopefully keep me focused this year.  Here they are:

1.  CROCK:  Create and cook at least one crockpot recipe per week using mainly ingredients I have on hand.  Saves time and money! 

2.  PAPER:  Read 20 books in 2011.  A few years ago, I was reading close to 50 books a year but work and family obligations have slowed that down.  And the Phillies.  More on that later.

3.  SCISSORS:  Scrapbook 100 pages in 2011.  I have a beautiful studio, an enormous supply stash, a husband who won't hesitate to take the kids off my hands for a few hours and thousands of photos.  Not to mention a family who will appreciate my efforts. 

There.  It's SMART:  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Sensitive.  SMART goals.  Let's see if I can get there!

AW

Request for a Repeat: Lobster Quesadillas!

Reposting...

Ok.  One word:  YUM.


I made these on a whim after working up the courage to learn how to properly steam a lobster for a recipe I made for Christmas dinner.  Let me correct that...I steamed the tails.  Still don't have the courage for the whole, live lobster shebang like in Julie & Julia.

2  4oz. lobster tails
3 c dry white wine
3 c water
1 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 t dried Tarragon
2 lemon quarters
1 stick butter, softened
2 T salsa
cilantro
Queso cheese (the real deal), shredded
3 large flour tortillas
green onions, sliced

First things first.  DO NOT use pre-shredded cheese for this or any recipe that requires the cheese to melt smoothly.  Pre-shredded cheese is just fine in scrambled eggs, baked potato soup, or as a potato topper.  It is not fine in macaroni and cheese, pizza, enchiladas, quesadillas, on top of casseroles, etc.  The reason?  Pre-shredded cheese is coated with a substance that helps to prevent clumping in the bag. This coating also, IMHO, prevents proper melting (ever notice the little strings of shreds when you top a casserole using the stuff?  Yep.  That's coating).  So, friends...get out your graters from the back of the cabinet and get to shredding.

Let's get started.

To a large pot, add the wine, water, onion and tarragon.  Squeeze the lemon juice in and then throw in the rinds.  Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and add the lobster tails.  Cover with a tight lid and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove tails from pot and set aside to cool a bit.  Discard broth.
Meanwhile, mix butter and salsa together in a small bowl until salsa is evenly distributed.  Butter should still be spreadable. Set aside.

When tails are cooled, take a large, sharp knife and place on top of tails.  Flatten a bit and then smack the knife so the shell cracks.  Peel the shell to the side of the tail to remove the lobster meat and chop into bite-sized chunks.

Lay tortillas on a flat surface.  Spread 2 T of salsa butter on each.  Lay even amounts of lobster on each.  Sprinkle with cilantro and shredded cheese (as much or as little as you like).

Heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Add one quesadilla flat.  When the tortilla starts to brown (1-2 minutes), fold in half and continue grilling for another 45 seconds to a minute.  You don't want these babies to burn, you just want the heat to build up inside so everything gets melty.  Which won't happen if you use pre-shredded cheese (wink).

Remove grilled quesadilla to cutting board and repeat with remaining tortillas.

Cut quesadillas into 3 wedges and serve on a platter with some sliced green onion, sour cream and additional salsa.

Spoons

 Once upon a time there was a girl. And the girl wanted to collect something. Only she didn't know what to collect. Should she collect horses like her best friend's older sister? Should she collect stamps like her dad? Decisions, decisions.

One day, her mother and father announced that they were taking the girl and her sister on a camping trip out West. They were going to see the country. So, she packed her underwear and socks, grabbed her walkman and Def Leppard cassette tapes and was off.

Somewhere along the way, in the middle of Nowhere, USA, the girl decided to collect spoons. They were cheap. They were pretty. They were small.

Little did she know they'd resurface many years later in the most unexpected place...

AW

Your Love Is...

Two down, 98 to go!

"Your Love Is..." by Allison Williams

Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill Basics Paper; 

Patterned Paper:  Scenic Route;

Rub-ons:  Making Memories;  Flowers:  Prima; 

Pen:  American Crafts;  Adhesive:  Tombow

First Layout of 2011!

Here it is...my first layout of the year in honor of my new baby boy.  Only 99 more to go!

"Jack" by Allison Williams 
Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill Basics Paper;
Patterned Paper:  Sassafrass Lass;  Circle Stamp:  7gypsies
Letter Stickers:  Stickopotamus;  Cardstock Quote Sticker:  DCWV; 
Acrylic Paint:  Folkart;  Adhesive:  Tombow

My OLW Journey: Simplify

Found this in the church newsletter in the Pastor's note titled "Are You Too Busy to See?":

"We all need to constantly ask ourselves the questions, "Is this really important?  Who are the important persons in my life?  Am I spending time with them?  Am I listening to them?  Am I really seeing them as they are with loving eyes?"
~ Pastor John Allen, Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, Flower Mound, TX

Doesn't get more simple than that, eh?

I am loving my OLW!  It is searching me out and tap-tap-tapping me on the shoulder until I stop what I'm doing and say "OKAY!  I GET IT!"  lol

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Love This Quote!

"Remember...people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions.  You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg."  (Anonymous)

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My New Studio

I'm calling it a "studio" so I take it more seriously.  This is my place, my room, my things.  Even though I've carved out a corner for Sydney to pursue her crafting efforts, this is all mine.  Since the redesign, I have pretty much spent all of my time in here whether on the computer, scrapping or just watching tv. 

Jack digs the ceiling fan.
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One Little Word 2011: Simplify

I am participating in this class taught by Ali Edwards through BigPictureClasses.com.  My horoscope for 2011 indicates that "Expressing yourself through carefully cultivated word choice proves especially rewarding."  I choose to express myself through this class and with this word:  SIMPLIFY.

Here is my cover page for the album we're making:

More to come!
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