Saturday, October 27, 2012

Traditional Posole

When I married my spanish speaking, mexican, dark skinned, gorgeous husband; I was just a lil white girl from Maine with absolutely NO cooking skills. When I say no cooking skills, I mean Kraft mac and cheese was pretty fancy with a hot dog added to it. Javy has since introduced me to all kinds of amazing mexican dishes . . .and set his expectations very high with my current cooking skills.

He wants his wife to cook the meals he remembers as a child. Ah crap. I had to somehow learn how to cook traditional mexican dishes. Great. Dish numero uno (like my spanish?) Posole. Javy loves posole maybe more than he loves me. Ok, maybe not- but definitely more than he loves hot cheetos. Definetly.


Here we go.

Ingredients:
5 California Chili Pods (Loma Vista)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 bag menudo mix
4-6 pigs feet halves
2 T tomato bouilon
3 T chili powder
56 oz of white hominy
2-3 lbs Pork shoulder/butt
1 bunch of cilantro
1 onion


Pull the stems off of the chili pods. Place chili pods in a blender with hot water. Let the chilis soak in this water while you prepare meat.

Dice up your pork. Don't be afraid of the fatty pieces, it gives it flavor. Once pork is nice and diced, place in your crock pot and pour entire package of menudo mix on it. Rub it into the meat really good.


Wash your hominy in a strainer.

Its now time to blend your chili pods. Blen well (its ok to have afew larger pieces of chili left). Pour this chili puree, tomoato sauce, hominy, tomato boulion, chili powder in the crock pot. Mix together well. Pour enough water in the crock pot to cover ingrediants & pigs feet.


*****IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE*****
You do not have to eat the pigs feet. I don't get near them with a 10 foot pole. HOWEVER, they give this soup a GREAT flavor. I wouldn't skimp on these. My husband loves them, and eats every piece of meat off the bone. . . .



Once stirred well and full of water. Cook on low for 8 hours. The pigs feet meat should be falling off the bone.

Serve with chopped up cilantro, chopped onion, a Dos Equis, and lime juice. LISTO! You are done. Enjoy this traditional mexican dish, I know Javy does.


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Libby's Pumpkinhead Ribs

One night I was drinking my first Shipyard Pumpkinhead of the season- of course I had to announce it to the world on Facebook. An old high school friend of mine, Libby (she's not old, but high school seems so long ago) commented on my status update about how she likes to make Pumpkinhead ribs. Excuse me? Did I just hear pumpkin head ribs? My heart was singing and full of joy.

Libby e-mailed me the recipe. I had never been more excited to go out and buy some ribs and beer in my life. I decided to be a good wife and make these suckers for my husband. They were a DELIGHT! And best of all . .they were EASY PEASY LEMON BREEZY (how cheesy was that?)




Ingredients:


  • 1 rack of pork ribs
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 Pumpkinhead beers
Directions


  1. Tenderize ribs (use a fork and jab a bunch of holes in them, this is also a good way to get out any aggression you've kept inside that day). 
  2. Rub the ribs with pumpkin pie spice. Don't be shy, rub em real good. 
  3. Place ribs in your fearless crockpot. 
  4. Crack open all 3 beers and dump them all over those glorious ribs. (This part is a little depressing, to pour beer onto raw ribs and not into a tall glass- no worries, you'll get over it when your chowing down on those ribs)


Cook on low for 8 hours. PRESTO! Your ribs are donezo! Was that not the easiest thing ever?

I served mine with mashed potatoes, and asparagus. My husband dipped his ribs in BBQ sauce. I ate them as is because I wanted to taste every bit of pumpkin on them. YUM!!


If you want an easy, flavorful, heavenly, seasonal, wonderful, amazing, incredible dinner, make this now.

What's your favorite fall recipe? Please share! I'm a sucker for anything that taste like Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Top ten must have baby items

I will buy anything that has hype or has good reviews. My husband is the same exact way- we are still somehow a remarkably good match.  I am a sucker, I admit it. I have made my fair share of awful purchases in my day, but I have also made some GREAT baby purchases that I would like to share with all you soon to be moms. Put these items on your registry, you won't regret it!



1) This is the number one best baby product on the planet Earth. The Angelcare baby monitor: I actually didn't purchase it, a friend of mine let me borrow it for Charlotte. I am paranoid about everything when I am pregnant, and everything when I have my baby. I will probably be paranoid about everything for the rest of my life- I mean come on, I fear alien invasions. This monitor detects the baby's heartbeat- if there is no movement for 20 seconds the monitor will sound an alarm. I have had a few false alarms when Charlotte's body was just placed weird in her crib- but I would rather a few false alarms then for something more serious to happen to her and me not know it.

2) Bumbleride Indie stroller/Phil and Teds Explorer double stroller.- When I had only Xavier the Bumbleride Indie was the perfect stroller. It was lightweight (lightest weight jogging stroller), compact, yet very versatile. I could bring it hiking, running, or a quick mall trip- I loved it! When I had Charlotte I wanted a double stroller, but I didn't want something too bulky and boat like. The Phil and Teds was the perfect choice. It is NOT bulky, easy to travel with and still extremely versatile (which is rare for a double stroller).

Product Image3) Bouncer seat- This little cute seat was perfect for my newborn baby. I could place my baby in it when I cooked or attempted to clean. The vibration/music would put my baby right to sleep in no time. When Xavier had acid reflux, he had to sleep in a sitting up position. This bouncer seat was the only thing he could sleep in comfortably. We used it for so long that Xavier was basically crawling out of it. *This is a sign that your child is now too big for this seat*

Product Image4)Fisher price "My little lamb" swing- A swing is a must. I found that my babies would rather just be put in a swing then be rocked by me to sleep *tear*. Most newborns will love the rocking of the swing. I suggest a swing that moves either side-side or have the option to swivel front-back. If you can find a swing that plugs in- spend the extra bucks and buy it. My swing needed batteries which we had to replace every few weeks. By the way, replacing swing batteries is a mans job. I just had to throw that thought in there.


Product Image5) Gerber thermal receiving blanket- Skip the 10,000 cute colorful receiving blankets and buy a few of these. They are stretchy and stay wrapped around your baby when he/she is swaddled the BEST. I hated getting up at night to re swaddle my baby. Buy these and you will only wake up at night to go pee, no more re swaddling. SCORE!

6) MAM pacifier- Now every baby has their specific type of pacifier that they like, but both of my babies loved the MAM brand. I found that they stay in their mouth the best and fall out much less at night then other brands. I actually was so frustrated waking up at night to put the pacifier in my sons mouth that I went on a mad search to find a pacifier that stayed, this bad boy did the trick. An added bonus is that they come in CUTE designs. I found myself buying new pacifiers just for the design. This is not good for the wallet folks. This is also hard to justify with the husband.

7) Dr. Brown bottles: Once again, ditch the 10,000 cute bottles and buy a few Dr. brown bottles. I did find that these bottles really did help my babies gassiness and helped with acid reflux. They help to reduce colic and spitting up through its unique venting system that eliminates air bubbles. 

Baby Bjorn Air Carrier Gray8) Baby Bjorn mesh air carrier- This baby carrier is lightweight, easy to use and great for your new bundle of joy. I especially like the mesh one because you don't sweat like a cow in heat when you wear it.

9) Kelty kids journey backpack carrier- If you like to hike, or do any amount of walking in the wilderness, outside, or even the airport; get this carrier NOW. We have used this carrier countless times with both kids. It is GREAT! Sometimes, you just don't feel like pushing a stroller, when that times comes you will be so thankful you bought this.

Slide 1310)Rainforest Jumparoo: You must have a jumper! Every baby loves these when they are learning just what those little legs can do. This jumper has toys, makes sounds, and entertains my baby perfectly.








Now that I have shared my thoughts on what you must buy for that little sugar plum- here are a few honorable mention must have baby items:


  • Nursing cover- This is perfect for on the go nursing to create some privacy
  • floor play mat- This play mat is really only good for a month, but it really is GREAT to have!Your baby will be memorized by the toys and colors and will want to learn to roll around to grab things around him/her
  • JJ Cole carseat cover- If you have an infant during the winter get this! It is very hard to bundle your baby up and not have a bulky mess once they get in their carseat. This carseat cover keeps them nice and warm without the bulk
  • Pack and Play- I learned a few weekend ago that Charlotte will only sleep in a crib or pack n play. I didn't feel like bringing the pack n play with me on vaca and Charlotte slept horrible! Just buy one and travel with it, your baby will be happier. 
  • Waterproof mattress pad- You may think: Why would I need one of these, my baby can't pee the bed, that's what a diaper is for. Well folks, your baby can definitely pee through the diaper and turn the crib sheets and mattress into a hot mess. 
  • Bassinet- I am sorry ladies, but I am not for co sleeping with your baby. Teach your baby to be independent when sleeping. I found the crib to be so far away and big for such a tiny baby. We used a bassinet in our room for the first 3 months which both of my kids. It was great. 


Have I convinced you yet? Yes? No? What baby items do you love and can't live without?