Good Food - and Some Fun Too!

So, this is the first week I've really cooked since....probably the last week of January. My mom was here for several weeks and since she went home we've been surviving mostly on things like frozen skillet meals, mac and cheese, rotisserie chicken, and eating out. But, last week I finally bit the bullet and decided to MAKE a grocery list, GO shopping, and COOK! The break must have inspired me because we've been having some good meals (if I must say so myself!)

A special thanks to Naomi for the subsciption to the Rachel Ray magazine. We've found some winners already! Not all of this goodness is from her recipies but a few are!

Pork-and-Beans Stuffed Peppers - canadian bacon, white beans, mozzarella cheese, etc. in roasted bell peppers..........mmm.....I wish there had been leftovers!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas - Oxacan Beans and Rice - Carmelized Plaintains with Thick Cream

This one was kind of a long process. I had to pay off a dinner bet to Chris and Erin and I needed it to be bet-worthy. I think this meal worked!

Chicken, spices, roasted and peeled peppers, enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, etc. in the crock pot for 3 hours...

Shred the chicken

Fill the tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese

Add sour cream, tomatoes and more enchilada sauce to the sauce from the slow cooker, spread some sausce in the bottom of a pan, place rolled up, filled tortillas in the pan

squish them in....all 12 plus the sauce and cheese has to fit! Good think I put a pan under it in the oven to protect my nice clean oven (thanks mom!!!)

35 minutes to yummy, cheesy, goodness

Oxacan Beans and Rice - cook onion, garlic, carrot, chiles, jalapeno in oil, remove, toast rice, add chicken broth, cook, add green beans, heat, add black beans, heat. Mmmmmmm.......

What a combo!

And now for dessert......ripe plantains sliced. Melt butter in skillet, brown plantians, add brown sugar, melt, add cinnamon and vanilla. serve with toasted nuts (almonds) and thick cream (Mexican Cream). I thoughts these sounded good but they were phenomenal! I'm glad I bought an extra plantain. I think we'll have them again tomorrow!!!!

Jaden had a good time with company over for dinner

look at those big eyes!

We're all VERY full!

Other good meals lately have included Sausage and Zuchinni Rice and tonights Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Salmon with Green Beans and Wild Rice. YUM...again....I WISH there had been leftovers! Sorry, no picture....it tasted better than it looked! I had some issues getting the salmon done enough and had poked it too much for a good pic!

In other, non-food related news.......

Jaden had his first dentist appointment today. He thought the big chair was pretty cool

And didn't mind having to brush his teeth AGAIN (we had to do it before we went because he had a blueberry stuck in his teeth and you just can't go to the dentist like that!) He did really good - of course, that wasn't hard. I think his visit lasted all of 3 minutes. I wonder how much our insurance company has to pay for that?!?!?!

This afternoon Luz came over to play with J so mommy could get a bit of work done. J's favorite activity was giving Luz EVERY SINGLE book from the bookshelf.

She tried to get him to put them back....but that was apparently much less fun! He would only get about 2 into the shelf before he would start bringin them back to her!