Footies

Nothing is cuter than a kid in footie pajammies.

Makes me think of Wintertime! (Too bad it's still H-O-T here! Next week a few days have a high of 106. Sick!).

Cafe {homemade} Rio

Yesterday on Facebook, I commented that we were having the missionaries over for dinner and that I was excited because we were having homemade Cafe Rio. (For my friends who have never heard of it...Cafe Rio is a yummy Mexican restaurant that was first in Utah and has since branched out to AZ and I've heard it's on it's way to CA as well). Anyway, after I posted that, a few of my friends asked for the recipes, so I thought I'd just post them here. And for the record, I found these somewhere on the Internet, but for the life of me can not find them now (which is a real bummer because it means I have to type them all out instead of copy and pasting. But for you, my friends, I'll do it).

Here goes...

Lime-Cilantro Rice

2 Tbsp. Oil
4 C. long grain rice (6 C. water)
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Pork Roast
1 (16 oz.) bottle of salsa
1 can of Coke
2 C. brown sugar

Place pork in crock-pot and fill it half way up with water. Cook roast on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together ingredients (salsa, coke, brown sugar) and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. mayo or sour cream
2-3 tomatillos (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
Salt & Pepper

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

Serving Suggestions

You can either assemble burrito style or salad-style. For salad-style, lightly toast a buttered tortilla with a sprinkle of cheese to get the tortilla a bit of a crunchy texture. Place tortilla on a plate or in a large salad bowl. Then put rice, pork, chopped lettuce and the dressing. Finally, garnish your salad with shredded cheese, tomatoes, sliced avocados or whatever else you may want.

My suggestions: The dressing was a bit runny when I made it. I used the sour cream, not the mayo. Next time I make it, I may try adding less buttermilk, perhaps? If anyone has any ideas on how to make the dressing a bit thicker, please let me know. And as far as the pork is concerned, the pork roast I used was kind of small, but it did not take nearly the time this recipe calls for. I cooked mine on low the entire time and it was perfect after 4 hours or so. I guess it depends on how big your roast is.

Little Monkey

So much for putting things on a higher shelf so that Rocklin can't get to them.

This little monkey climbs on EVERYTHING these days!!

Yes, please

I've been telling Adam for a while now that {someday} when we get a house, I will need a craft/sewing room.

Notice I said need, not want.

Anyway, I found what I want. Everything in this room is perfect. Wouldn't you agree? So babe, if you're reading this, now you know. Pink walls and everything.

This particular craft room happens to belong to THIS lucky lady.

Just Do It

Last night we bought Rocklin his very first pair of Nike's. He looks like such a big boy these days. Here are a few pics of the new kicks...mostly so his Grandparents can see how BIG he's getting!

And yes, this is a picture of him putting my ipod ear buds up his nose. He's recently graduated from putting everything in his mouth, to trying to shove things up his nose and/or ears.

And this one was just cute. Watching a little Sesame Street in Mom & Dad's bed.

Cheap Frame Re-do

I have had this itch to spray paint lately. I think it's because a) I've never bought anything at a hardware store for myself b)never spray painted before and c)I've seen some super cute things on blogs here and there that have been brought back to life via a little spray paint. (i.e. THIS). I've been to local thrift stores on the hunt for a yummy frame, but haven't really found anything that suits my fancy. I was at the 99 cent store the other day and came upon this little gem:

And was thinking - YES, something I can spray paint! (And if I messed it all up, I was only out 99 cents...the best part).

So off to the hardware store I went and picked up a can of Cherry Red spray paint. And here's the result...and I kind of like it!

Now, I'm not really a dried-flower-kinda-girl, but I've had this rose I've been saving from the very first bouquet of roses Adam sent me at work when we first started dating (Cheesy, I know). I thought it may be cute framed or something one of these days. I'm not sure if I like this really, but I love the way the red turned out on the frame so for now, this will do.

I mostly liked the edging on this little cheapy frame...looks kind of fancy in all it's 99 cent glory.

And her she sits, adding some much needed color to the bookshelf.

Next up...find a much bigger frame. I want to spray paint another one (it's kind of addicting) and make a calendar (wouldn't it be cute on the calendar I found below on etsy?) or a fabric-covered bulletin board. If (I mean when) I come across a bigger frame, I'll be sure to post my before and afters here. Hopefully it will turn out just as cute as this little red one did!

Books

I love to read. At night before bed, I read while Adam watches T.V. I've been needing a good book for a while now, so I hit up the library yesterday. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. She writes fiction novels about relationships, family, love, etc. Her books always tug at my heartstrings, and I was lucky enough to find her latest release at the library yesterday! I highly recommend her books. Anyway, has anyone read her latest? "Handle With Care." I only have seven days to read it since it's a new release I guess they want it back ASAP...which means I have a lot of reading to do this week!

The other book I checked out is called "These is My Words". (And how sad is it that I can't remember if the title of a book is supposed to be underlined, in quotations or italicized. Also, does the period go before the end quote or after? I think I need to go back to school!!). Anyway, has anyone read this book? It came highly recommend by my sister-in-law Katie and I've read some good reviews online. I'm anxious to read this one as well, but it will have to wait until after "Handle With Care." (Again with the quotes and punctuation!!).

Maybe I'll do a review post once I've finished with both books to let you know what I think of them. Meanwhile, if you have any good book suggestions (preferably ones that I can check out at the library) please leave a comment and let me know! I'm always looking for a good book to read. (And thanks to Jenn for your recent recommendations as well).