September 14th, 2013
I am still on a roll making dinners that take almost 30 minutes to prepare and cook. It is very easy to get in a rut and going out to eat instead of making something fresh and wholesome for the family. One of the cuisines I like preparing but usually take a whole bunch of time to prepare is authentic Mexican food.
One of favorite dishes to make are tamales and mole’ so I called my grandmother in Mexico so that she could send me her recipe. She told me that it was WAY to much work and that I should proceed going to the store to buy the bottled mole base to make at home. What?
Has your relative ever done that? HA! I sought recipes high and low until I was able to come out with one that tasted like my grandmother’s in southern Mexico but yes, it took TOO long to make. One of the things I have enjoyed doing is learning how to authentically cook Mexican food even though I did not grow up in Mexico.
When I got married I believe my husband had not tasted some of the foods I started preparing which allowed him to find out that most Mexican restaurants were not really serving authentic food but food catered to American tastes.
One of the dishes I quickly knew we would love was sopes. They are smaller than a corn tortilla and it consists of a lot more dough than a regular corn tortilla. It is heartier and you can fry it on a cast iron pan very quickly.
In comes Maseca corn masa flour. It is instant corn masa flour to make the favorite Central American or Mexican dishes. It consists of only corn masa flour and calcium hydroxide making it an ideal gluten-free product!
When I go to Mexican restaurants I do not usually see so many vegetarian options so I love making them at home so that we can eat on our meat-free days. Here is a delicious recipe consisting of only beans, mushrooms and other veggies to make for a quick, easy, and tasty dish for all your family.
Oh, and did I mention you can eat it with your hands too?
Quick Black Bean and Veggie Sopes
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients (8 sopes (2-4 servings))
Sopes
- 2 cups Maseca corn masa flour
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil for cooking
Topping
- 2 avocados, mashed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- a dahs of salt
- 1/2 cup black beans, cooked
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Garnish
- crema or sour cream
- queso cotija or feta cheese
- tomatillo salsa
Instructions
Sopes
In a large bowl, combine flour, water, salt. Mix thoroughly until forming soft dough.
Preheat an cast iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat.Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of oil.
Divide dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Press each ball between the palms of your hand and flatten to discs 3″ in circumference.
Cook each disc for 3 minutes on each side until each side begins to toast.
Place on a serving plate and cover with cloth napkin to keep warm and soft.
Topping
Remove avocado from skin and seed and mash really well and add lemon juice and salt. Set aside.
In the same cast iron pan and on medium heat add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the veggies, beans, and spices except for cilantro and cook for 7-10 minutes until softened. Add cilantro at the end.
Assembly
Spread 1 Tbsp of fresh guacamole, then top with 2 Tablespoons of the veggie topping on each sope and garnish with cheese, salsa, and crema. This can serve two hungry adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
This post is in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Maseca. All opinions are 100% my own.
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September 12th, 2013
Have you ever done something you were not proud of as a new mom? I consider myself to still be a new mother because I have two girls under the age of 2. Yep. Just as I was learning the ropes with my first daughter, I find out I am pregnant with my second baby. Wow.
When I have people constantly ask me how far apart in age they are I get comments like these:
- “Bless your heart!”
- “Your hands are full!”
- “You poor dear!”
and so on and so forth. I am even more surprised when I get them from moms with kids almost just a few more months than my girls. I keep hearing from experienced moms that having them all close in age gets the hard part out of the way within the first part of your life. Should I start planning for my third? I can barely keep up with my two girls and that is with God’s daily help.
The most recent challenge for me personally is going to sleep early so I can get up early. I am SUCH a night person and not a morning person but when I do go to sleep early then, of course, feel fantastic and feel like I can conquer the world and my children.
On the bad days I can remember I really just did not care how messy my house got. I was tired of running behind my toddler but I really cannot remember a bad moment with my children other than the times we are in the car. My toddler who will be turning two in November is now a big talker but sometimes it is repetitive and so annoying! “I want! I want! I want!” Somehow telling her that she had to wait did not make things go better so she would start throwing a tantrum in her booster yelling like a banshee which then made her younger sister start crying.
Ha ha. This was not even the beginning of the day but in the early afternoon after I had been a super patient mom. I just wanted to transport to Starship Enterprise for a break so what did I do? I tried ignoring the screaming by revving up the volume on the classical station. Did the orchestra calm down the kids? NO, of course not! It just made my toddler angrier. Sigh. How about a little higher? I just wanted to prance in a meadow alone. So there you go. That has possibly been the worst thing I have done in order to ignore my kids screaming. Hopefully that will not traumatize anyone but I know that some days are just going to be like that.
Which brings me to this point. Are you one of those parents that watch prime television focusing on families? I do not usually because sometimes just living in your daily life is just enough, but if it is comical enough, I could see myself watching one. It is just funny that sometimes I feel like I am in my own sitcom except God is the only one watching. Ahhhhh!
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CBS is coming out with a new show called MOM which premieres September 23rd at 9:30 ET/8:30 CT. Here is a little synopsis of the show:
MOM is a comedy from executive producer Chuck Lorre starring Anna Faris as a newly sober single mom raising two children in a world full of temptations and pitfalls, and multiple Emmy Award winner Allison Janney as her critical, estranged mother. Christy is a waitress at a posh Napa Valley establishment who is four months clean and doing her best to be a good mom and overcome a history of questionable choices. Her sobriety is tested when her recovering alcoholic mom Bonnie reappears, chock-full of passive-aggressive insights into Christy’s many mistakes.Bonnie joins Christy’s already complicated circle of relationships: her handsome, married boss – and lover – Gabriel; the restaurant’s hot-tempered chef, Rudy; her pretty, 16-going-on-25-year old
daughter, Violet; her sweet but overly honest son, Roscoe; her irresponsible ex and Roscoe’s father, Baxter; and Violet’s clueless boyfriend, Luke. Christy tries to remain positive as she pursues her new path in life, but she faces an uphill battle, surrounded by a dubious support system – and a copious amount of dysfunction.
Here is a preview of the show too!
Do you think you will watch? It is very humorous so we’ll see!
DISCLOSURE:This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network, all opinions are my own.
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September 11th, 2013
I feel like yesterday was my Thursday and I am hankering for my weekend already. We had a long Sunday that did not turn out to be as restful as usual so it made for a rough start to my week. Instead of leaving after church service at around 12:30pm we left at 4pm due to a congregation meeting. Whew! We happened to be the only family with young children, except for the music minister, to be there the WHOLE time.
Ryan and I alternated taking care of the girls but even so it was a bit taxing. At the end, Julianne only slept a 30-minute nap the WHOLE day. We played in the crying room beside the sanctuary and entertained each other by taking silly pictures of each other. She then ran around the foyer on breaks and was chased down by older kids. Thank God for those kids!
As each passing week goes I come across a new challenge with my girls and not only is that a given, but no one really lays it on thick about parenthood. It is a DEFINITE challenge. (I am hoping that my caps lock is bringing enough emphasis!) Trying to teach a very curious toddler how to correctly emote is hilarious at times but most of the time very frustrating for both parties.
In the last couple of days, Julianne has regressed to baby talk. I really make a point not to focus too much time on Kathleen but sometimes it is unavoidable and Julianne has started getting jealous. She wants everything Kathleen is getting down to her baby’s milk, ahem. Mind you, spewing happened with that scenario.
If you came to our house early morning or late afternoon you would probably hear lots of fussing, crying and refusing to share or play nicely with baby sister. Sometimes I feel like I am out to win a battle but I know it is a day to day challenge. Today happened to be hard for Julianne and a LONG day for mommy, but I was not defeated, by God’s grace and prayer by others.
I have to admit that I LOVE capturing moments like the one above because I know Julianne loves her sister, she is just trying to express her feelings. I hugged her tonight and told her how much I loved her and remembered her as a little baby in my arms when I first had her. I cried!! I showed her that despite times of disciple that mommy loves her dearly and equally as her sister.
I am even tearing up at this moment because motherhood is kicking my behind in a good way. It continues to show me how much of an unloving and impatient person I can be and that I NEED and HAVE to rely on Christ’s strength to bring these girls in HIS image. If I cannot portray that then I am failing.
Sometimes I feel like a failure when I decide to raise the music a little louder than usual just to drown out the crying by hey, I was having a moment where I made a mistake. Every day is a new day!
How about being happy that I got dinner on the table and eating at all? Last night we managed to get the girls in bed and still not have dinner cooked. Dinner was prepared just not cooked but after a long day being at home with the girls, a little longer at the park just beckoned us.
A while back I posted a recipe for Seared Scallops and Fresh Pesto I learned how to cook at a cooking class and mentioned how I would post another recipe from the class.
While I liked the recipe itself I thought I would kick it up a notch and add color by using veggies. Ryan was floored by all the flavors and that soba noodles could taste so yummy. My goal has been to make simple and quick meals that do not lack in flavor and that are every day pantry foods. Are soba noodles one of yours? I believe I will have to because they are so good and a nice change from pasta made from semolina as opposed to buckwheat.
Enjoy this recipe as much as we did!
Miso-Glazed Seafood with Soba Noodles
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: fry boil entree seafood scallops soba noodles Asian
Ingredients (6 servings)
- 1 pound soba noodles
- 1/2 pound sea scallops
- 1 pound of any white fish, cut in large pieces
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons miso paste
- 4 Tablespoons mirin
- 4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- a bunch of green onions, chopped (garnish)
- Sesame seeds (garnish)
Instructions
Cook soba noodles according to packaged directions and once it finishes cooking drain the water and drizzle with a bit of sesame oil.
Marinate scallops and white fish with the following ingredients for 30 minutes:
mirinrice vinegarsesame oilgingergarlicmiso paste
Heat a large non-stick pan and with a slotted spoon remove fish from marinade and add to pan, reserving marinade. Cook fish for 7-10 minutes.
Remove fish from pan and add marinade to pan, bringing it to a boil, allowing it to cook. Add the bell peppers and spinach and cook for 5 minutes.
Add noodles to the sauce and mix in gently.Turn off heat. Serve in bowls and divide seafood between dishes. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
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September 9th, 2013
I love that I finally get to post a recipe and not just any recipe. Honey….I baked! I always like getting to be a part of the Secret Recipe Club because I get to discover new blogs and great recipes. This month I found an EASY recipe that was delicious and fun to make.
This month I was assigned Cookaholic Wife‘s cooking blog. Nichole LOVES to cook and has been since she was 16. I love that she has a tab dedicated to cooking certain recipes by the time she turned 28 years old. Lovely list.
It was hard not choosing more that one recipe. I almost made some shrimp tacos or coconut shrimp but I had to postpone it for this week. 🙂 Thanks for the yummy brownie recipe Nichole, because my hubby liked them so much!
I am all about s’mores and if you search through my recipes you will find cupcake s’mores and raspberry and coconut s’mores and a few weeks ago I roasted marshmallows at a friend’s backyard with JUMBO marshmallows. YUM!. Are you ready to make the following recipe? It is super easy and quick to make.
Take your favorite brownie mix and add s’mores topping and voila! I personally like the Ghiradelli brownie mix because they are so moist. Try them and you will not be disappointed. Take them to your next party.
S’mores Brownies
by
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert chocolate brownies
Ingredients (9 brownies)
- 1 Ghiradelli brownie mix (for a 9×9 pan)
- (Oil, water and eggs as directed on the box)
- 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 5 graham crackers, cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix as directed on the box or use your favorite homemade recipe.
After the brownies are baked, remove the pan from the oven and set the oven to broil at 500-550 degrees F.
Allow the brownies to cool for a minute, then sprinkle marshmallows over the entire surface. Sprinkle the graham crackers on top of the marshmallows. Set the pan in the oven about 4-5 inches from the heat source, and broil for 30 seconds, or until the marshmallows are golden brown. Watch the pan very carefully so it doesn’t burn. Top the brownies with pieces of the chocolate bar. Allow the chocolate to set before cutting the brownies.
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September 3rd, 2013
I simply cannot believe my youngest is almost 7 months! She is healthy at a whopping 22 pounds and wearing the same diaper size as her sister. Talk about competition! Kathleen is still breastfeeding but I noticed that her baby Nuby bottles are not what she needs right now.
She is officially transitioning already!
Here are a few things to know about this cup:
- 6 months +
- 7oz / 210ml
- No-Spill™
- For initial cup drinking
- Encourages natural drinking action & oral development
- Soft, silicone spout
- BPA FREE
I was SO surprised that Kathleen latched on to this cup so quickly. She started drinking her milk really well and using those VERY active hands that she has. I think it is the perfect cup! The milk flow is not to fast and she hardly spills at all.
She is majorly teething right now so the spout seems to be comforting to her. I have not seen her biting this spout.I believe that she will transition to sippy cups faster than her big sister did.
She is a happy baby and allowing her to feed herself seems a bit too early for me but she does continue to require some assistance. Way to shake the cup baby!
The cup is lightweight and very easy to clean. It has an easy grip for little hands and it holds plenty of milk. Where can you find these great cups?
You can find this sipper cup at:
Follow Nuby on Facebook and Twitter to find out more about these great products.
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