Chalupa Bowls

I don't use my poor, neglected Crock Pot nearly as much as I should. Even though I love the idea of having dinner put together in such a snap, I'll be honest: so many of the recipes I've tried lack the texture and flavor I'm looking for. This recipe appeared in Southern Living magazine eons ago, and I was super pleased to see it make an appearance in their new cookbook. (Some of you might remember me posting this on the Feeling Scrappy blog a while back.) I serve this in crispy taco bowls the first night with cheese, sour cream and salsa, and then I use the leftovers for quesadillas or soft tacos. Leftovers also freeze well, which is an added bonus!

Chalupa Bowls
1 lb. dried pinto beans
3-4 lb. boneless pork loin roast
2 cans chopped green chiles
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 (32-oz.) container chicken broth
1 can Rotel

Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in crock pot; add roast and next 6 ingredients. Pour chicken broth over roast. Cover and cook on high 1 hour; reduce heat to low, and cook 9 hours. Or, cover and cook on high 6 hours. Pull roast into large pieces with two forks. Stir in Rotel. Cook roast, uncovered, on high 1 more hour or until liquid is slightly thickened.

Menu Monday

Another week of travels for Matt; another easy menu for the week. I seem to be in a bit of a rut when it comes to our go-to recipes, but I just can't stop craving the same things!

Monday - Green Chile Cheeseburgers with Sweet Potato Fries and Cantaloupe
Tuesday - Vegetable-Quinoa Pilaf with Salad and Bread
Wednesday - Stir-Fried Beef, Broccoli and Yams with Salad
Thursday - Pork Chalupa Bowls (a great Crock Pot recipe I'll share later this week)
Friday - Pizza and Salad
Saturday - Pork Quesadillas (with leftover meat from Thursday)

Happy Memorial Day! We owe such a debt of gratitude to those who serve or have served this great country of ours to guarantee the freedoms we all too often take for granted.
A.

My current craving

When I was pregnant with Jack, I had a mayonnaise fetish. Considering I really don't like to have much to do with mayo when I'm not expecting, that was a very odd thing for me to want on a continual basis! (Needless to say, I certainly packed on the pounds with him...) We had a church picnic last Sunday, and as I was considering something picnicky (I am almost certain that is not a word) to make, the first thing that came to mind was a recipe I nearly ate my weight in with him: pimiento cheese!

I am not a fan of store-bought pimiento cheese. The sweetness of it generally puts me off, and it all tends to have a certain tang I'm not particularly fond of. The homemade version, though? Scrumptious! The following recipe came from my mom, and it is ridiculously easy to make.

One tip: if you can possibly get your hands on it, I highly recommend trying Duke's mayonnaise in this recipe. Man, is that stuff good - so fresh and lemony! I have to thank Miss Donnell for introducing us to it. :)

Fabulous Pimiento Cheese
1 (8-oz.) loaf Velveeta, cubed
1 (8-oz.) package shredded sharp Cheddar
1 (8-oz.) package shredded Mexican cheese blend
1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
A few drops of Tabasco (optional)
1 cup (yes, an entire cup!!) mayonnaise

Process half of cheeses in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Transfer to a bowl. Process remaining cheeses, sugar, salt, pepper, and Tabasco in food processor until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Stir into cheese mixture in bowl; stir in pimiento and mayonnaise.

Today's project

I thought I'd share this little outfit I made today for Charlotte. The pant pattern is Britches and Bloomers by Jackie Clark, and although I am going to have to tweak the sizing a bit the next time around (she needs more room for her little caboose! :), I really enjoyed working with it. The t-shirt I picked up for $1.50 at Wally World a while back, and I added some coordinating fabric yo-yo's and some leaves I cut from the pant fabric. (I stitched the yo-yo's and the leaves on with a small zig-zag.) If you've never made any yo-yo's you really should give it a try. They are so simple to throw together, yet the options for using them are endless!

Bows

I've been trying my hand at making some more bows for Charlotte (those little bug bows got me hooked!), something kind of fresh and out of the ordinary to go with all of the cute outfits Mammo is always sending her. I came up with this little flower design, and I have to say I am really digging these things! I made my own korker ribbon for the flower centers. It was so easy to do, and I think it really adds a lot.

I have been a fairly delinquent blogger lately (bad me). My craft time is keeping me off of the computer for the most part! Between the bows and the maternity tops (I made myself another one on Saturday) and some card making, I'm a busy girl of late. More pics of my finished projects are sure to come.

By the way, menu Monday is getting pushed back to later in the week. It was such a wild one last week, I am still working on fixing some of the things I had planned for last week!

A.

Menu Monday

Here's what's on tap for us this week.

Monday - Sausage, Fontina, and Bell Pepper Strata (from this month's issue of Bon Appetit) with Salad
Tuesday - Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair Pasta and Broccoli
Wednesday - Mama Reita's Meat Loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
Thursday - Taco Salad (using my Taco Beef recipe found here)
Friday - Fajitas with Black Beans and Guacamole
Saturday - Frozen Pizza
Sunday - Church Pot Luck

I hope everyone had a lovely (and restful, if that's what you needed!) Mothers' Day!
A.

Sketch #6

Happy Hump Day!
Amy

Menu Monday

Happy Monday! Here's what's on tap for us this week. We've got a crazy few days ahead, so lots of what we're having are go-to recipes.

Monday - Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf with Bread and Salad
Tuesday - Spaghetti with Sauteed Mushrooms, Salad and Bread (we didn't wind up eating this on Saturday as I had planned)
Wednesday - Stir-Fried Beef, Broccoli and Yams
Thursday - Chile Rellenos with Black Beans and Spanish Rice
Friday - Chicken Parmesan with Broccolini, Salad and Bread (I am doubling the sauce recipe on Tuesday to have enough for this as well)

We are having a party at our house Saturday, and Sunday will be a Mothers' Day surprise (fun!!), so that is about it!

Since we're having the quinoa again this week, I thought I'd share this pic from the last time I made it. All of these gorgeous colors have me looking forward to tonight's supper already! Isn't healthy eating gorgeous? :)

A.

My latest projects

Matt was gone for a couple of days during the latter part of the week, so I opted to stay productive during the evenings after the kiddos had been tucked in instead of concentrating on being lonesome. I have been wanting to make these little bug bows ever since Mom sent me the tutorial eons ago, and I finally got around to it! The supplies for these came 100% from my stash. Love that! In addition to these dragonflies, I also made a really cute layered butterfly, but since it is currently on top of Miss Priss's little head as she's taking a nap, y'all will have to wait to see that one. :)






I know I'm biased, but isn't she too cute for words?


I shared a link to the Sew Mama, Sew! blog a few weeks ago, so some of you might have seen the tutorial on there for the most adorable (and easy!) ruffled top. I am in dire need of some duds that accommodate my ever-growing belly, so just about the moment I saw the how-to, I headed out to buy some fabric. I am so pleased with how it turned out. (So pleased, in fact, that I think I'll probably make a couple more!) This wasn't designed specifically to be a maternity top, but because of the length and overall design, it works perfectly for that purpose. My handsome little man wanted to pose for the camera, too. ;)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

A.