Tasty Tuesday

Well, Tasty Tuesday made it to week 2. This recipe sounds really gross, but it is oh so good. I kinda have an aversion to hamburger, there is nothing worse then the smell of cooking hamburger (actually there area a lot of things that are worse... but I digress). So even WITH the smell, this is an amazing reciepe. Try it out.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Meatballs:
2/3 c milk
Flour or breadcrumbs
2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp salt, pepper
1 egg
½ onion

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
13 oz canned pineapple chunks
¼ c white vinegar
2 TB cornstarch
2 TB soy sauce
¼ c brown sugar
1 green pepper

Combine all meatball ingredients and separate into 1 inch balls. Cook on 350 until brown throughout the middle.
Separate Pineapple chunks from juice, add enough water to the pineapple juice to make 1 cup of liquid, add all other ingredients stir until not lumpy and then heat over the stove. Pour sauce over meat adding green pepper and pineapple. Serve over rice.

In other happenings, it was our anniversary yesterday. Three years, and what a great three years it has been. I got Eric a wedding ring (better late then never right?) and he gave me a beautiful bouqet of white roses, and COUNTRY ROCK BAND! Love it, love it, love it! In complete cheesiness, Eric is such a great hubby and an amazing Dad. I feel so blessed to have him in my life. What fun we have together. How glad I am that I asked him to ask me out on a date five years ago!

Photographers

Wow I am impressed with myself, two posts in one week! For all of you that want to know how to do your own customize banner and become a technological genius as well, go to www.cutestblogonthebolck.com. On the right hand side you will scroll down until you see "free blogging secrets", click on that. I think the third one down is How to customize your own TCBOTB banner. Just follow these directions, they will be MUCH better then the ones I could attempt to give.
By the way, Glee won a Golden Globe and I loved Kristin Chenoweth on Idol last night!
Back to the title of the post, Photographers. Eric and I have not had the best of luck with photographers. It might have started out with our wedding photographer who was an hour and a half late, or the chick who brought her dog on the shoot, or perhaps it was the one that said, "I don't really make kids smile, your the parent so it's pretty much up to you." We have been LONGING to find a confident, fun, creative photographer for years now. One that doesn't ask you how you want to pose, one that just does everything for you. I was initially interested in Melinda because she did these amazingly cute one year pictures that included baby getting a go at birthday cake. So we booked our appointment, and she was amazing! Talk about everything we wanted... creative, fun, confident, and very reasonable. Really if you need a photographer she is great! I would recommend her to anyone and will definitely be going back. Check out her other work at www.melindabryantphotography.blogspot.com. Below are some of my favorites!

Tasty Tuesday

I am kinda debating about having a weekly recipe post, (seeing as though the family cookbook was such a hit, don't you want to try some?) but I am not quite sure yet. So here is my first attempt, please also note that this might be my only attempt. But welcome to Tasty Tuesday.
My sister-in-law Merisa, invited us over to her house on Friday for Cafe Rio salads, not the bought kind, the homemade kind. (Some of you might remember that I was extremely allergic to cilantro, tomatillos and bunch of other crap. Like throat swell shut allergic. But the oddest thing happened, after I got pregnant allergies turned off. So bring back Cafe Rio!) ANYWAY, Merisa is one of those cooks who claim that she can't cook, but yet EVERYTHING that she makes is super yummy. You should try this woman's banana bread and sweet and sour chicken. I tell you what... she can cook. So here is the recipe for yummy cafe Rio salads:

Cafe Rio-Like Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
Cook all ingredients in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred the meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Cafe Rio-Like Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch-dressing packet
1 c mayonnaise
2 tomatillos, husk removed and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (w/o seeds makes it milder)
Blend all ingredients well in food processor. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Cafe Rio-Like Rice
3 c water
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp garlic mixed, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies
3/4 tsp salt
1 TB butter
1/2 onion
3 c Minute rice
Blend cilantro, chilies, and onions together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.

So there is a lot of food processing, but it is worth it! Enjoy!

New Things Are Happening!

Hallelujah! After two years after naming the blog Larsen Living and HATING it every time I saw it, I have found a new one. The Mommy Monologues, I like it and I am not even sure why. I think that it no longer screams enrichment night, and really I just love being a mom.
I have also found some great new blogs and websites that are full of yummy food, great bargains and creative projects so check them out on the blog list to the side.
I am a Technological Genius! I finally figured out how to customize my own banner! I feel so accomplished. Granted many of you have been doing this for years, but for me this was a huge step. I feel like my blog is getting a makeover. I had a friend who I had not seen for a long time that looked at my blog and noticed that I don't have any pictures of me. This is one of my resolutions. I don't want to be that mom that is never in any pictures.
On to more important things. THE MR. So as promised here are some pictures from Mack's Finding Nemo extravaganza. Thank you so much to everyone who came and made it a special occasion. We have the best extended family, thank you so much for loving Mack. He loves his new toys, clothes and books. He is all sorts of big boy now. Four teeth and close to walking!

And I Thought to Myself....

The following are completely random, unconnected things that have entered my mind lately:
1. Mack totally pooped in the tub last night. Nothing could have prepared me for this. At the first sign of floaties, I gagged and fled the room. (Big E was there, I wouldn't leave my one year old unattended, would I). Maybe I am not so great at this Mom stuff.
2. Praise be for night guards. I love my night guard. Yup the big hunk of plastic to keep you from grinding and clenching teeth. Best thing I have ever done for improving my sleep. In fact I love it so much that I named him: Farsen. Sick aren't I.
3. Why whenever I turn on M.A.S.H., it's the episode where Colonel Blake dies? I hate it, but can't stop watching. Have I mentioned that BJ Honnicut is totally hunkalious to me... in that Tom Sellick way?
4. I am starting to think I might do this whole Facebook business. Not quite sure I can take the plunge yet though.
5. I have a new calling. Sunday School again, but this time it is the 16-18 year olds. I taught last week and they ate me alive. Not sure what to do now.
6. The Family Recipe Book rocks. So far I have cooked three new things and they are delicious.
7. My life is pretty dang great and I am really lucky and blessed. The Mr. and Big E are the best! Even though sometimes I only see the things that I want to improve about my body, I am so grateful for it. I am thankful that it works and there isn't constant pain in my back anymore. I am thankful that I can exercise, even though I loathe sweating and stinking!
8. Big E has a conference in Florida next month. I should go, it would practically be free. I think I might really, seriously need to go to Disney World.

December in Review

Whew! December was crazy busy! It just flew by, but was filled with great things! Unfortuanately some projects had to go to get other ones done, hence no Christmas Cards. Sorry peeps. Instead the monster three year project of the Blake Family Reciepe Book was finished! Hallelujah! I finally finished with probably two hundred or so tried and true yummy family recipes.

We also went driving around to look at lights, with the Mr. in a FORWARD facing carseat. (Can NOT believe he is so old!) We weren't able to celebrate his Birthday on his actual day of birth due to some family stuff. But in two days comes the big "Finding Nemo" party! The poor guy did pick up croup for his Birthday, that was pretty awful and I felt so sorry for him. At least I was prepared that he was going to get it though.

Christmas was sensational! How fun it was to celebrate it with Eric and the Mr.. It could not have been better. The Mr. got a TON of toys, his favorite being Sillytown. A few days before Christmas, I decided to take everything that I had gotten for Eric back and get him a wii.... I know I totally caved. He loves it though and I might mention that I pretty much kick trash while playing the guitar on Rockband 2. Big E gave me a Cricut! Yeah!! Holy smokes, that was really exciting, now I am just not sure what to do with! We got to spend time with both families, which is one of the things I love most about Christmas. Eric's sister Christie's wedding was on December 26th so we also spent time up in Idaho.

As for New Years resolutions, the ones that I am serious about, I keep to myself. Ya know, don't want to jinx them. But there are a few that I can share.
1. Wash our sheets more. Don't think us disgusting... I mean we do wash them, just not as much as we should.
2. Stay in touch with people better. I really need to improve in this area. Do I dare venture into Facebook. I guess I should blog more too.
3. Having more fun with the Mr. during the day and not worrying so much about keeping a clean house.
4. Language. Need to improve. Have to stop using some of my favorite phrases. Afterall Mack is going to speak something other than whale one day.

Anyway, Best wishes and Happy New Year!
By the way, if you read the blog and don't see your name on my blog list, please leave me a comment and link to yours!