my food boards are put to use!

It was a hot day. Typical. But it's always nice spending time with my loves. We got to eat at our favorite pho restaurant before we ran our errands. I've pinned a lot of recipes off of Pinterest in the past, but never really made them. Now I have a reason to! I picked out a couple of recipes and wrote it down on our grocery list.  Instead of our to-go-tos (wal mart & HEB), we went to HEB plus. It's almost like a market and of course, more choices to choose from. It's a little further out from where we live, but we stayed for quite some time! It was pretty neat. For dinner tonight, I made a crock pot recipe called tater tot casserole from http://www.tamileetips.com If you're interested in wanting to make this dish, visit her site. This is one of their top ten recipes. 

While the casserole cooked for 3 hours, I began the dessert recipe. Healthy Blueberry banana bread from http://www.mynaturalfamily.com . I typically do not eat bananas, but really like banana bread. While my mom was here, she bought bananas. I haven't touched them until now. Super ripe they were! I figured I'd do something with them instead of throwing them away. I'm also putting my blueberries to good use  from picking during this summer. So this recipe was perfect! It turned out really good! 

 

 

Crockpot Rib Recipe

I’m thinking this rib rack has been freezing for quite sometime now and needs to be cooked & plus my cousin has done it in the past and has suggested it because it was fairly simple to make. I’ve searched online to find basic recipes and decided to tweek it to my own personal liking. Don’t worry, no major tweeking was involved because I’m afraid to mess it up. Lately I’ve made soups with my crockpot because my mother forced me to. Although delicious and simple, they weren’t picture worthy. Ha! It has definitely saved me a lot of time since I have Baby B waking more and more and my current addiction is sewing.

I don’t have a name yet, but
I name this my “First Take” rib recipe.

Ingredients:
A rack of ribs [ I cut mine in thirds]
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt and pepper
A can of coke
Half of an onion
Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce

Directions:
Sprinkle each third on both sides with salt & pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Dice the onion.
Place the thirds on top of each other.
Place diced onions in between the layers & on top.
Pour In your coke.
Set your temp. on HIGH for 3 ½ - 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.

Oops, I forgot my onion.

^^^SCORE! You don't get this everyday! We were lucky!^^^

I would say that it was a hit in this household. J REALLY liked it and so I could see myself making more of this in the future! I accompanied the ribs with panfried zucchinni & yellow squash tossed in olive oil, salt, & pepper and mashed potatoes with bacon bits (not the fake kind. I wouldn't dare do that to myself. Ha!)topped with cheese. We were recently introduced to Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce, that stuff was AMAZING! It was on sale too!

Let me know if you try this recipe and how it has turned out.

Words from a Pro Daddy

"Swaddle, Vacuums, & Classical music".

My recent roadtrip to San Antonio gave me some great good out of it (ALWAYS!!). My good friend Joe's father was sitting at the table with us, telling stories of what he'd do to soothe each and one of his babies. Did I mention both Joe's mom & dad said he was the worst out of the three?! Haha! Those three things.

I have been meaning to clean this house. How does it get so messy so easily?! I'm not one for schedules. I have terrible organizational skills. Seriously, artistic people are carefree and do whatever, whenever.... At least in my eyes. Haha. I promised J I would have dinner cooked and the house cleaned once he gets home from work. With Baby B waking up more and wanting to be held, I remembered what Mr. Joe said. 

So here we are, smushed in the front pack, carried by mommy while vacuuming. This kid sleeps through any noise. 

Vacuums don't phase me, they soothe me. Like music to my ears...

 

Baby Girl Booties

These are the booties  that were made today. I'm trying to better myself at making baby shoes so I can make tons for my son, but it never hurts to make things for girls. 

 

Lumpia at midnight

 

Frying at midnight? I think yes! I've done nothing, but snack on m&ms today therefore I didn't have the chance to cook up a meal for myself. I mainly worked on baby, girly booties when Baby B was asleep. J came home, asked if I'd want something to munch on that he'll prepare and thought to myself "Why not fry some lumpia?". It so happens that I ended up frying them, but I didn't mind at all. I've been on this cooking kick. We will see how long THAT will last, but I'm determined to cook more again. I've always enjoyed it. Every recipe for lumpia is different. Although I'm going to say that my mother's the best ( every Filipino kid says that about their mom's cooking recipe ), they all go fantastic with the sweetened chili sauce that you typically find in oriental/asian markets. It's apparent that my lumpia didn't fry picture perfect, but what does really matter is the taste! J and I ate every single one in a ziplock bag that my mom & I had prepared before her departure. We have a total of 6 bags left! There's no telling how long they're going to last!

Pacifier Clip & burpcloth combo.

Ah yes! I found this super cute fabric that J and I bought months ago. (I seem to misplace things alot!) I went ahead and sewed it on my dull, white burp cloths that were sitting in the drawer. It needed a little pop! Aaaaand I went ahead and made a pacifier clip to go with it.

Stop... It's crafting time!

Since now I've become a "stay-at-home mom", it's always a good opportunity to craft, craft, craft!! My project for the day was a pacifier clip. I thought these were super cute when I looked up tutorials. Of course, my first one will never come out perfect, but voila! These are so convenient for on the go or at the house. There's no telling how many times I've searched for Baby B's pacifiers when he gives those random outburts of cries, turning so red he turns purple and makes you wonder whether he's going to breathe anytime soon??!! Scary. Trying to blow on his face hasn't really phased him, he just continues... Just so I have the time to make his formula, his paci helps until I can get everything together.

He's starting to take in MORE formula. Chunky monkey soon? His rolls are starting to form.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I was searching online and through books around the house to see what I could make for J's day off. Since mom has left to go back home, I have to count on myself to make food for both J and I. I've only had a couple of ingredients to get to make this recipe and so yesterday, as soon as the sun went down and cooler, Baby B and I strolled through the neighborhood to the local grocery store. It's not far at all [Which I would love to do more often]!!

When I read the recipe, it was an amazing amount of food for just the two of us and so I decided to start cooking it last night since J did get to come home early. Usually he feels "snacky" once his shift is over. "Snacky" to my defintion is a whole entire meal for that guy. Ha! It was quite the struggle at first. There's normally a routine once he comes home with the pups. They hear his engine through the driveway, they bark loudly and once he greets them, their tails wag vigorously and jump on him like as if he's been gone forever, letting them out into the backyard while chilling and catching up on news through his phone. I had the chance to get some things cut up since Baby was sleeping, so I assumed... My little man likes to fight sleep and is starting to like being carried. With baby being carried, dogs licking the living snot out of him, and me trying to get dinner started; I literally wanted to pull my hairs out. Thank goodness J came in to help!

The outcome of the dish was amazing! I'm typically not a pasta gal, but my taste buds really enjoyed this dish. J liked it too! I figured he would. I just hope I can find more recipes such as this that we both can enjoy. I tend to be the more picky one since J eats literally everything. I did well!

Botanical Garden, mid-day equals no bueno.

Why on Earth does it have to be so hot down here? It's practically still summer while in other regions, many are pulling out their scarves and sweaters or relaxing by their windows, reading a book and drinking tea/coffee. I'm not one to sweat easily [which I hear is not a normal thing to do], but this heat is intense to the degree that I have been!

Mother wanted to see the botanical garden, which was not far from the house. J and I haven't gone yet as well and so I thought it was a good idea to check it out. I did invite him by the way, but I suppose flowers weren't his thing today. As we were getting ready to pay, the little old lady at the checkout center asked how old I was because she assumed that I was a student. I suppose I shocked her with my age. Do I really look THAT young?! I get it a lot....

The trip was rather short for Baby and I. Looking at the map that the little old lady had given to us, it was pretty big, but entirely way too hot for Baby B since there weren't enough trees to provide shade. Boo! We'll have to go during late fall or winter with daddy if the weather permits. We sat under this huge pavillion for quite some time. Mom went out and walked through the gardens while I sat and practically stared at the baby. {haha} Creepy? Although hot and I didn't really get to see anything, the Botanical Center is pretty. If any of you decided to come to Corpus and can withstand the heat, check out the Botanical Garden and Nature Center.

Perseid Meteor Shower.

It's almost noon. Here I am, finishing up a beef jerky stick accompanied by cheese & drinking Starbucks Refreshers, strawberry lemonade flavor. Interesting combo. I wonder if women have weird post-pregnancy cravings because these two, I wouldn't dare pair together. I'm awake yet still asleep, so I needed a pick-me-up and I'm definitely waking up because I'm still questioning whether I like these flavors being put together. My taste buds are probably confused.

After J came home from his shift last night, he asked if I wanted to go out to the island and watch the meteor shower. He mentioned it a couple of nights ago, but I had forgotten. I was about to put Baby B to sleep so he could come with us. I had asked my mother if she wanted to join, but she was tired and was afraid that he would get sick. So it was an evening for just the both of us. My mom is so awesome and so nice to let J and I hang out.

As we were heading towards the beach area, J decided to take the route where it had loose sand. I told him that I was getting nervous and he just kept going. He then said I was getting him nervous, but proceeded to keep driving. AND we got stuck!! What were we going to do?! We tried getting out ourselves, but our tires were digging deeper into the sand. We paused for a moment. Turned on the flashers, hoping someone would stop and help us out. Thank the stars that a group of people came to our rescue. I definitely had a "tourist" moment. These beachies know what they're doing with their big ol' honkin' trucks! Maybe WE need a truck! {haha}

I felt like being in the movie "Stardust" {one of my favorite movies}, where Tristan and Victoria set out in the countryside, sipping on wine and watching the star falling, except J didn't ask for my hand in marriage and capturing that shooting star for me to win my love. It was really romantic. Just two people who care for each other, laying beneath the stars, watching them fall, hearing the crashing of the waves, and enjoying each other's company with little or no words. { "ooh! did you see that?!" were said multiple times though.} We got to see many shooting/falling stars last night. I was hoping to see a fireball or something huge, but it didn't happen, but it was a beautiful and amazing experience. Although J works so hard all the time, he still manages to take the time to do things and it makes me happy.

I love the outdoors. Last night was perfect, difficult at first, but we laughed and smiled it off. It's the only thing you can do. It's definitely one of those nights to remember and so gentlemen, take your woman out to see the stars {if she's not high maintenance}. Make sure you keep up with Meteor Shower dates so you'll know in advance when to expect them.

My sister's visit.

It's always a treat when my sister is present. With her hectic schedule and productive weekends, she managed to spend time with Baby B and I. With mom being here as well, it was really nice for the three of us to be together. I had hoped that she had a relaxing time. The last thing I wanted for her to feel was to be rushed and having to be dragged everywhere. Whatever she wanted to do, I was all up for it. We did a little tour of downtown Corpus and had a bite at Landry's to eat on the pier, went to the beach and soaked in the sun while taking pictures, ate loads of mom's cooking so it seems like it, and hung out with Baby. The weekend just went way too fast for us. It's like with a snap of a finger, she already has to fly out and go back to work. Reality, I know. As we dropped her off for the airport, I choked up a little. It's hard seeing a loved one go. I have no family here and with my hormones still raging, I could cry really hard, but only in the inside. Haha. I miss her terribly already, but I'm so glad she got to come out and meet her nephew.

Stomach pains and good filipino food.

I somehow came down with something the morning after mom came in from the airport. It shocked me because I haven't felt sick in quite some time. Chills, aching body, drenched in sweat (I didn't think I could sweat that much!), and the thought that I couldn't get out of bed made me think I couldn't do ANYTHiNG all day. I felt better after what I thought of overdosing on medicine because whatever the doctor prescribes, I rarely use. I'm just stubborn that way. You would think I'd be taking them after having surgery, but this noggin thinks differently.

Mom and I shopped at various places for Baby B. My favourite stop, however, was the Asian Market. I can get pretty excited when it comes to asian food. Throw in the fact that mom is here to cook! Like everyday! I'm just EXCSTATIC! BUT!!! These past couple of days, my stomach did not agree with her food and so every single thing that was put into my mouth, my body rejected. Do you know how much that made me sad?!?! You have no idea!!! Ask any kid with a filipino mother. Ha! My mom jokingly told my dad that I didn't like her food anymore and J......omg (What am I going to do with him?! ), said that it's how third world people lose weight. Jee, thanks.

I felt like maybe I lost 10 pounds in two days with not having any food in my system and sweating like a hog for no reason, but I feel better now. She made loogow (sp) which is like rice porridge soup. Tasty! I was asble to hold that down and so I scarfed as much as I could!

We're to that point in her visit where I can do things outside of the house. I feel liked I've cooped her up. We did though, see a little bit of Corpus Christi yesterday. We walked down a pier at a park nearby my home which is literally a block away for a minute. We didn't stay very long because my back was starting to hunch over and legs were waddling. My medicine was wearing off. How embarassing. We did get to see some jellyfishes and a stingray surfacing from the water. It was pretty neat to see.

I promise it won't be a boring visit, mom!