TRY IT!!!

Okay...for those of you in the neighborhood - you HAVE to try Chrissy's Coolers. It's this new little shop that just opened up in the area (it's where Roma's used to be - over by the bakery and Manuel's). They serve gelato, italian ice, sorbets, funnel cakes and are soooooo tasty! I met Chrissy at the park a few weeks ago and she couldn't be nicer! Give her a try...and I promise you'll be going back for more! I told Steve he was welcome to stop on his way home from work anytime and grab us a treat for after dinner! :) And if you want my advice...try the chocolate hazelnut gelato...you'll be in heaven!

Friday Favorite!

This week we rented a wii game...Excite Truck! Our friends called us one day and told us that we HAD to get it! They had just spent an entire Saturday playing it with their family and had so much fun! I have to admit...I wasn't that excited for it. My least favorite games ever, on any system, have been the driving games! I am AWFUL and really don't see the point of even trying...it's not really a skill that I've ever felt the need to improve at...especially since we are just not big gamers anyway! But, we gave it a try and I have to say...I LOVE IT!!! It is so much fun...and I even win. Steve and I have spent the last two nights racing each other (interspersed with Olympic watching, of course) and I win half the time! Wahoo! So, if you have the wii...give it a try! I'll bet you love it too!

Any other favorite wii games out there??? We're always up for suggestions!

Friday Favorite

Okay...this week's fave is a bit random, but for those of you who live here in TX (or anywhere else in the world that is blessed with fire ants or mosquitoes or anything else that bites) you will find this extremely useful too!

The Benedryl Itch Stick. It is GREAT! Get one to keep in your purse or swim bag or whatever...it is an absolute blessing when your out with the kiddos and they happen to find the ant hill. Just dab this little stick on the bite, and you're good to go.

I'm sure there are other methods of soothing those nasty bites...but when on the go, I have found it so extremely useful to have this little pen in my diaper bag! Plus, I can guarantee that you'll be the 'oh-so-prepared mom' at the park when you whip this out for another frantic mom who is consoling their teary/itchy little one!

Friday Favorite

This week I've been thinking of so many different food favorites...probably because it's getting so hot here that I find I'm not cooking many big meals...just finding little snacky meals to make instead. So here are just a few random snacky faves I've come across lately.

Okay...so has anyone else tried the Chocolate Chex??? They are soooo yummy! They're good in a bowl with milk in true, cold cereal fashion, but I LOVE them as a snack...it helps that chocolate craving I get so often...and I don't feel as guilty grabbing a handful of those than I would grabbing a snickers bar or making a batch of brownies or cookies or something! Besides, it's cold cereal, so it's fortified, right??? Basically, you're doing your body good by eating a handful of them every day - how else would you get all those extra vitamins and minerals?!?!?! Okay, only kidding...but they really are a tasty treat!

Another thing I've been eating like it's going out of style is chips and salsa. Seriously, I can not get enough of it! For some reason it seems like the perfect summer snack! I am usually not a bottled salsa fan, but I've stumbled across one that I just can't get enough of...and it's a generic HEB store brand so it's a very frugal option, to boot! So if you're ever looking for a new salsa...give the HEB Roasted Pepper Salsa a try - or any roasted pepper version - I think I saw a Pace version too. I am absolutely in love with the almost smoky/roasted flavor. It balances the heat perfectly!!! Another one type I tried the other day was from Walmart - it was Sam's Choice (I think) and it was something like Mango, Peach and Pineapple salsa. It too was very good...but I had to be in the mood for it - it was almost too sweet sometimes! We've also been making salsa too lately...got to put all those tasty garden tomatoes to good use!!! Needless to say, I think I have consumed my weight in tortilla chips over the past two weeks! :)

So happy snacking everyone...and have a fantastic weekend!!!

Friday Fave

Today's fave has to be one of the world's most simple and fabulous inventions! But why no one came up with it before, I'll never know!

Pampered Chef has this random little gadget (and I'm not even sure what it's called anymore!) But it's this little corer tool...and it is the most wonderful thing for taking the tops off of your strawberries. You don't waste a single part of the berry and it is the easiest thing to use ever!!! Seriously, it is my favorite (and smallest) thing in my kitchen drawer! It is just a small tool...about 5 inches long. It has a small handle on one end...and on the other is this little claw thingy. It's almost like a melon-baller...but the 'baller' side has serrated edges! This is the closest thing I can find on the PC website (Core & More)...they must have snazzed it up a bit!

But really, I honestly can't live with out it! I've also heard it is great for taking the eyes off of potatoes and other such uses...but I honestly have only ever used it for the berry topping! We eat strawberries daily in our house and I am addicted to my Grandma's freezer jam which I make on a monthly basis almost...so this little handy tool gets a real work out around here.

So if you're ever invited to another Pampered Chef party and don't want to spend a pretty penny...pick up one of these (the one I bought was only about $3, so if they still make my old version, you can't go wrong!)

Other Pampered Chef random faves...just 'cause I'm now thinking of them...

• The bamboo spoons...they are fantastic! Durable, they don't stain, they're the perfect sizes and I've had them for years and they still look almost new - even though I use them all the time!!! And a great deal...for less than $10, you'll never have to replace a gross, chipped wooden spoon again!
• Those little brown square scrapers. They're mostly for using to clean your stoneware...they work great on that...but they also work great on anything else. They are GREAT on your crockpot, anything stuck on your glass cooking dishes...all the totally stuck on stuff comes off with hardly any effort at all when you scrape one of these over it! I don't know why...but they totally work.

And of course, there's the obvious classics like the

• Scraper/spatula's - soooooo wonderful, no other spatula comes close!
• Food Chopper - can't live w/o it.
• The Garlic press - so handy...and we love fresh garlic!
• The Quick-Stir Pitcher - again - why didn't anyone think of this before.
• And of course...the stoneware - I love cooking on my pizza stone (though it's not pc) and I have the muffin stone - LOVE it - I can't even cook muffins in a regular pan anymore!!!

Okay...sorry this is now a testimonial for Pampered Chef...I really didn't mean for it to sound that way! :) So share you're favorite kitchen gadgets...pampered chef or not!

Friday Favorite

This week's favorite comes out of pure necessity. It also is related to the reason of why I never blog anymore...why my kids don't ever get the chance to play with other kids...why I hardly leave my house...why we've been eating dinner at 7:30 most nights lately...and why I rarely get to bed before 12:30 am!!! I am a quilting fool these days...and I'm still trying to decide if I like it!

For some crazy reason, they asked me...yes ME...to be in charge of part of the Interfaith Quilting Bee in our area. Hmmmm...let's see how fast I can teach myself to sew! :) So now, every night I hide out in our office (in my new designated sewing corner) and sew for hours! It's fun...but I'm really starting to wonder...I think it only takes me days to do what normal, knowledgeable, crafty quilters could do in about 30 minutes...is that a bad thing?!?!?! That being said...I am learning quickly, having a good time (most of the time!), and am loving the fact that I am seeing some sort of progress on these multiple projects that I am tackling!

Oh yeah...the 'favorite' in all my ranting! I am soooooo in love with my rotary cutter! I can not even imagine attempting to do any sort of sewing without it! I bought the OLFA 60 mm Deluxe Rotary Cutter last year (I didn't know why exactly at the time...but talk about serious inspiration!). But this thing is amazing...and I think I may be the world's biggest fan!

I'll have to post some pics of what I've done...just so those of you who really know me, and can hardly believe that I can sew a straight line, can see some proof that I am getting it - slowly but surely! But the pics will have to wait, I'm taking the night off from anything quilting related, yep, all those quilts draped over my stairs, and all over the floors of my house will be picked up and put away!!! Ahhhh, that will be heaven! :)

Friday Favorite

This weeks fave is kinda random. But in all honesty, I think it is worth the 'friday favorite' title and then some!!!

For those of you who buy those icy pop popsicles...the one's in the little plastic sleeves that you buy and they're liquid and you bring them home and freeze them...here's the brand you need to try! They're called 'Fun Pops' and they come in a red mesh bag - no box or anything, just a red mesh sleeve holding them all together! Seriously...I don't even like popsicles...but these are soooo good! My neighbor Becky introduced us to them last summer and I always made Garrett give me a bite of his! I found them at Walmart (again, not promoting Walmart at all...it's just where I've seen them regularly!) for $2.50. I've seen them at HEB, but I'm not sure if they always have them or not. Anyway, this brand is my favorite...way better than Flavor-Ice or Otter Pops or any of the other random ones we've tried! The flavors are incredible...and they have so many different flavors that the pack says something like "contents may or may not include..."(then it goes to list about 12 different types!). Mango is by far my favorite flavor...though I really haven't tried very many...but the bites that I've stolen from Garrett of all his different kinds have been fantastic!

So if you're looking to stock up the freezer with popsicles for the kiddos (or yourself!) this summer...give these a try! I promise you'll be eating them along with your kids!

Friday Favorite

This week's fave is another recipe...sorry to all you out there who are tired of me sharing my random tasty treats!

It's an apple syrup recipe. And it sounds a bit weird, but trust me...it is sooooo good! It's easy and quick and will make your pancakes this weekend (or whenever you make them) a special treat!

Apple Syrup

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 cups apple cider (or juice)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 - 1 TBSP butter

Mix first 4 ingredients in saucepan. Stir in cider and lemon juice until thick and boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute and remove from heat. Stir in butter. Serve warm. Makes 2 ½ cups.

*The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup butter...but I usually just put in a tbsp or so - or I omit it all together. In my opinion, it really doesn't need it all, and especially not 1/4 cup of it!!! But feel free to add it back in if you feel the recipe is lacking something!!!

Friday Favorite

Today's favorite is another baby product (what can I say...this is what consumes my life right now!) BUT...I believe that the other products offered in this line would be equally amazing and worth it's weight in gold, though I haven't personally tried them, I know others who have been pleased with them. And I will be purchasing one soon when Garrett needs a lunch thermos for school!


The Thermos - Foogo sippy cup...absolutely amazing! You don't have to worry about the scary BPA chemicals leaching into your precious baby's drinks...these cups are tough and durable...and easy to clean and most importantly do not leak at all!!! And I love that they are insulated...so once Ethan moves on to the whole milk stage of life...no need to chase him around and demand his cup be placed in the fridge every 30 seconds! (yeah...I kind of have a milk phobia!!!)

The cups are a little pricey...I paid $10 for Ethan's a few months ago...but this was small beans compared to many of the other BPA-free cups out there on the market! There are also more frugal choices in the BPA-free quest...our other favorite due to the ease of finding them and how cheap they are and they are pretty decent at the no-spill factor...are the Nuby soft-spout cups (I got a 2 pk at Target for about $4 - and they have lids...the single cup at Walmart doesn't come with a lid...in case that is important to you!)

I think I may get Garrett something like this one when he's toting his lunch to school each day...and maybe Ethan too since he likes straw cups better than sippys now anyway! These cups state that they'll keep the beverage cold for up to 12 hours, so I know that Garrett's drink will still be icy cold at lunch-time! I know most people are not so picky...but I cannot drink anything that is not ice-cold (weird, I know)...so I apparently think that my kids feel the same way...yea, probably not! They do have more kid-happy versions, complete with cartoon characters if your child so desires...but I prefer the plain styles for our house!!!

Side note...for those of you who don't know what BPA is...it stands for Bisphenol-A, a chemical that is used in many plastics...especially those plastics in so many baby products. The FDA states that the amount of BPA in manufactured products is safe for humans...but when your child comes in contact with MANY of these products that have this chemical, the levels of BPA found in your child's system become quite alarming! These chemicals...matched with the rapid growth of your child during their early years are causing some real health issues! Check out these sites for other (and better info, since I'm sure my definition does the issue no justice at all)...

This one is a great blog...and has reviews on tons of safe baby products:

Nature Moms Blog

This one has TONS of great info:

A Mom's Blog

Or just google BPA and you'll come up with hordes of information!

Friday Favorite...proceed with caution!

Drum roll, please...I am about to reveal my top-secret cinnamon roll recipe. Okay, it's not so top-secret since anyone who asks for it, gets it...but these babies are sooooo good, they should be top-secret! (This is for you Kelley...since I always think of you when I make any kind of cinnamon rolls! I blame you for my freshman(and sophomore!) weight gain!!!)

Beware!!! It is entirely possible to gain 10 pounds just by looking at these pictures! And a word of advice...only make these when you have reason to deliver them to neighbors, give them to multiple friends, or have a big group gathering...they are so rich, you really can't (or shouldn't) eat more than one (or two!) :)

They look tricky...but if you have a breadmaker (and I firmly believe that everyone SHOULD have a breadmaker!) just throw all the ingredients in there and let it do the work for you...just set on the dough setting and take out, fill with cinnamon sugar filling and roll into shape! Couldn't be easier!!!

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:
1 ¼ oz pkg active dry yeast
1 c warm milk
½ c sugar
1/3 c margarine, melted
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. In a large bowl, add the sugar, margarine, salt, eggs, and flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball using your hands lightly dusted with flour. Put in bowl, cover and let it rise about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. (Or put all ingredients in breadmaker on dough setting.) Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about ¼ inch thick.

Filling:
1 c packed brown sugar
2 ½ tsp cinnamon
1/3 c margarine, softened

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough and then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the surface. Working carefully from the top (a 21 inch side) roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the rolled dough into 1 ¾ inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced, in a lightly greased baking pan. Let rise about 20 minutes (or until they look like they're ready!) Bake at 400 for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
While rolls bake, combine icing ingredients.

Icing:
8 TBSP margarine, softened
1 ½ c powdered sugar
¼ c (2 oz) cream cheese
½ tsp vanilla
½-1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt

Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy. When rolls come out of the oven, coat each generously with icing. (the recipe says it makes 12 rolls, but I must make mine much smaller because I usually get about 20 rolls)

Okay, and just one more handy hint...use dental floss or thread when cutting your rolled cinnamon rolls. I keep a package of floss in my kitchen just for times like these! Does everybody already know how to do this??? Just get a good working length (about 18 inches) of floss. Place the middle of it under your cinnamon roll dough (after it's already rolled into a spiral) where you want to cut it. Bring up both ends of the floss, cross them, and pull tight so that the floss cuts right through your dough. This way you don't end up with smashed cinnamon rolls. I know it sounds crazy, but it works like a dream!!!

Favorites!

I know it seems like I've completely fallen off the face of the planet - well, at least the blogging planet, but I'm here, I'm alive, and all is well!

I've been trying to simplify my life a bit...get rid of some of those 'extra' things that were taking up too much time...but instead, I seem like I have more things to occupy myself with! And the worst thing is, they're all important! Nothing that I can push to the side for a bit! :) But such is life...I'm now just focusing on prioritizing and juggling all this good stuff!

Anyway, my favorite for this week is rather basic...but I seriously can't believe I lived my life so long without them!

Microfiber towels. Plain and simple. These babies are the GREATEST thing ever when cleaning your house. Why did I never buy one before??? - I never dreamed it would make that a big of a difference! I seriously feel like I've been just swishing around dust from place to place...but with these towels, the dust is gone (well, at least for a minute or two, until the Texas dust finds it's way back to my furniture again!) Seriously, I've never seen dust like we have here!!!

Anyway, maybe there are different grades of microfiber...but me being the total rookie, just grabbed some off the Walmart shelf when I was walking by (not to be promoting walmart in any way, but I sometimes you just have to go there!!!) But, 8 towels for about 5 bucks - I couldn't pass it up! Maybe one day I'll find a better, more quality microfiber...but for now, my little blue and white dusting wonders are cleaning up a storm and I'm completely smitten!

I love that there are so many of them...especially because Garrett asked to have his very own towel, and he's been so excited to help me clean! Who knew that his own cleaning supplies would motivate the little guy! It's not rocket science though, I'm always more excited when I have a new cleaner to experiment with, so it makes sense that he is too! So, Garrett's been busy this week dusting the baseboards...I figure, he's closer to them, he can do it and I took to the higher/harder to reach spaces and have now dusted all my blinds, doors and the likes...whew!

So, if you don't have one, go get one...you won't be disappointed! Or hey, call me...I apparently have some to spare...we'll just designate you your own, individualized cleaning cloth too!

Favorites

My favorite for today is another great recipe that I've come across lately. It's from the Kraft Foods website - which always has some great and easy quick meal ideas, complete with the user ratings!!! While you're on their site (http://www.kraftfoods.com) sign up for their free quarterly 'Food & Family' recipe magazine! It is a great thing to browse through...and they have some tasty recipes in there! I always LOVE when my issues come in the mail!!!

Okay...back to the recipe. Check out these Cheesy Pepperoni Pulls. They're a tasty little spin on pizza. They were a hit a few weeks back, and in fact, we're making them again tonight! Garrett loves them...especially since it's upside down pizza...what kid wouldn't love that!?! I'll give you the direct link here, but post the recipe below as I made them since I never can follow a recipe exactly!!!

Cheesy Pepperoni Pulls (aka...Upside Down Pizza!)

4 oz. Pepperoni slices
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (I left these out!!!)
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes (or one chopped tomato)
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 pkg. (13.4 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough (or one batch of your favorite homemade dough)

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Combine pepperoni, peppers, onions, tomatoes and dressing in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese.
UNROLL pizza dough; cut into 2-inch pieces with sharp knife or kitchen shears. Place evenly over cheese.
BAKE 30 min.; cool 10 min. Invert onto platter; carefully remove dish.

(We've tried a ham and pineapple version of this and it was pretty good too...I'm sure you could do any sort of toppings that you like on your pizza!)

John Raymond - My Latest Fave!

I have a new love in artwork! The artist is John Raymond and I think his work is AMAZING! It's kind of an antiqued-type photo art and I LOVE it! I've been searching for years for the perfect temple picture for our house...and now I've found it! Now I just have to get it hung! :)

Favorite Things

All week long I think of all these amazing things that I couldn't possibly live without...and I make myself wait until Friday to reveal my latest favorite. But then Friday comes along...and my mind is completely blank. So, I promise to run right to the computer from now on and post about my favorites...why wait until Friday - right?

Today though, in pondering this all morning, I've come up with too many favorites once again. So I'm writing about the thing that I'm grateful for most today. I guess it's more of a feeling than an actual product that I'll give a rave review on, so sorry if that's what you're expecting. I'm just in a different mood today I guess! Maybe that's what being borderline sick (me or the kids) for weeks on end will do to you...turn you into a sappy mess! :)

I've got to say that my favorite thing today is being able to snuggle up with my kiddos while the wind is blowing away quite fiercely out there and the temperatures have dropped to a chilly level - I won't tell you how chilly because you'll think I'm a wimp! :) Since I was little though, whenever it storms, I get the urge to make cookies or a mug of hot cocoa and curl up and watch a good movie or snuggle under a warm blanket and read a good book. As a mom, these things are harder to do - unless your idea of a good movie is anything animated or if your favorite book is anything Dr. Seuss or involves a magic tree house! This is what my stormy snuggle time has turned into...and while I do have some good books that I'm dying to peruse...I'll cuddle up with 'Green Eggs and Ham' any day if it means that I have my kiddo's close by!

I realized a while ago that I had passed my random urge to bake and snuggle down to my kids...quite often when the sky darkens and the thunder starts to crash overhead...Garrett asks if we could make a popcorn treat or cookies or anything tasty and put in a movie. Pretty cute to know that though my boys look exactly like their dad...there's a little bit of me in there too!!!

Okay, and I just have to add...that our stormy two days here are nothing, I know, to those of you still getting snow and real winter weather. I know I'm a pansy...but there's a reason that I love living here...the weather is great - well, if you don't count the wickedly hot summers! :)

Tasty Treat

I'd have to say that Wheat Thins are a favorite snack in our house...especially when paired with sliced apples and cheese - our favorite snack and sometimes lunch or dinner! :) But, I tried these 'Lightly Cinnamon Wheat Thins' today, and I was very pleased. The light cinnamon taste was surprisingly good - a nice treat while not being too sweet or sugary! Give them a try - I bet you'll love them too!!!

Hymns Made of String

I've been trying to decide what my favorite thing is to share this week...sometimes it's too hard to pick just one thing! But here it is...

After we moved to TX, I was desperate to find some nice Sunday music...all you UT people don't realize how good you have it, having entire radio stations dedicated to a great variety of music on Sundays!!! I did a little searching and came across this one..."Hymns Made of String" by Chad Woolner. It is the most peaceful and perfect music to have playing on Sundays - though I generally have this playing every day of the week on my other favorite - my under-cabinet cd player - in our kitchen!!! I love it! It is just an acoustical guitar (my favorite sound in the world) rendition of many of our church hymns. Anyway, check it out - even if you're not into churchy music...it is so peaceful and soothing to listen to! You won't be disappointed!

Life is a Highway...

So, we bought Garrett the 'CARS' soundtrack for Valentine's Day and it was a hit! He loves it and listens to it all the time! It's so fun to have a CD that he loves and that doesn't involve any baby voices singing along about a froggy going courtin' or a whale down by the bay! Just kidding, we have our fair share of kids cd's but my kids get a healthy dose of mom's music too...in fact the other day in the car, Green Day's "I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life" was just ending and Garrett informed me that that was his 2nd favorite song...he then proceeded to tell me that the classical song that came onto the radio station I had switched to was his 3rd favorite...so I'm not holding much sway to his hit list right now...but I love that he is interested in all kinds of music! I love hearing him sing his primary songs in bed at night as he's falling asleep too! And can I just say...there is nothing cuter than your 5 year old singin' along with 'Route 66' and belting out 'Life is a Highway'! It is just so funny! And it is a great family dance party CD...Ethan loves it too...especially when Garrett goes bouncing by or if he's in my arms and we're shakin' our groove thing!

Our Weekend & my late Friday Fave

This weekend has been absolutely beautiful, after the rain of last week, and we decided to put our garden in. Well, at least some of it...I'm still trying to decide just how many tomato plants I can cram in our small space! :) I'm trying my hand at heirloom tomatoes this year...and I'm excited to see if they're any different than regular ones! They're supposed to taste fantastic...so we'll see how it goes! I really don't know how you can get any better than a fresh from the garden tomato anyway...so it will be interesting to compare with our little crop last year!

I absolutely love planting a garden...keeping up with it is fun, but nothing beats actually planting all your plants and seeds!!! Steve kept laughing at me because I kept raking our little garden over and over...just because I LOVE the dark brown color of freshly turned dirt! I know, I'm a little weird, but I love it! Maybe I'd feel different if I had a HUGE garden to work in...but our little Houston-style raised bed garden keeps things on such a small scale that I am finding joy in all the little things! Lame, I know!!!

So, on the same note as gardening...my favorite this week is my herb garden. I love being able to just pop outside and pick a fresh sprig of whatever I need in the middle of making dinner! And honestly...so much better than dried herbs!!! Now that being said...my herb garden is nothing spectacular. It is only 2 longish planter boxes that I keep on my back porch, but I love it all the same! I do have to admit though...I left them outside during one of our freezes last month...and I'm still trying to nurse a few of my plants back to health...a real feat for a total rookie who completely lacks the green thumb gene, but slowly, I think I'll be able to save most of them! There's no shame in buying a replacement basil starter, right?!?!?! And I vow to take better care of them all this time around!!!

Friday Favorite

This week's favorite is a great book!!!

"Mommy Made (and Daddy Too!): Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby and Toddler" by Martha and David Kimmell

My sis-in-law let me borrow her copy when Garrett was young and I just bought my own copy to use with Ethan - although, I should have bought it alot sooner!

I know I have been through the whole feeding thing before...but this book answers so many questions, has so much advice, and just makes sense! I feel like I am so often in a rut with what I feed Ethan...I mean, can't he live on cheerios and bananas alone??? :) It walks you through making your own baby-food (with pretty tasty recipes I might add), but even if you aren't on board with the whole food prep thing, it is just a GREAT resource for what to feed and when.

I love it and highly recommend it!!!

Another Friday Fave!

This one comes from my intense love of Cafe Rio - a fresh-mex type of restaurant for those of you who are out of the Utah scene. (Thanks Megs for the excuse to go there while I was in town!!!) It also comes from my dire need of crock-pot recipes...my oven just quit working yesterday and I'm desperate! Seriously, how does an oven just quit...isn't that it's main purpose in being?!?!?! It's definitely not just something to sit in my kitchen and look pretty...I need heat!!!
So anyway, back to my favorites, in my search for the perfect recipe to match Cafe Rio's really tasty sweet pork, I've stumbled across this great recipe. And even better than the taste, is the fact that it is probably the easiest recipe on the face of the earth! Seriously, does it get better than that?!? I'm not saying it's the perfect match to Cafe Rio...but it is VERY good regardless!

Sweet Pork
1 (3-5 lb) pork roast – boneless pork loin recommended (I've also used chicken breasts or a beef roast - you really can't go wrong!)
1 cup salsa – use Pace or one similar, not the fresh salsas
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Place ingredients in a greased 3 ½ -4 ½ qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours. (Or on HIGH if you forget about starting your crock-pot until it's too late for the slow method! Honestly, am I the only one who does that?!?) Shred pork with a fork or potato masher before serving. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juice will thicken. Use meat in burritos, tacos, or salads. If freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.

Now you can really eat this any way you want...but I just have to add that it is to DIE for if you use the tortillas from Costco that you cook yourself (another HUGE FAVE in our family which I could devote a whole favorite blog to by themselves!) Add a little green taco sauce, lime juice and cilantro when serving - it really doesn't get better than that!!!