Updates & Life...

I can officially say this has been the busiest October ever!  I can't believe the month is almost over, I never even got to enjoy it!  So what have I been up to that's kept me so busy?

Well... Let me tell you!  We adopted a puppy!  Her name is River and she is the cutest 18lb. black lab/ golden retriever mix.  She is a great dog and super sweet.  We're definitely glad we added her to our family, but, having a puppy is a lot like having a baby.  Which I had forgotten.  There's the potty training, waking up at all hours of the night, and I can't turn my back for a second without something getting chewed up.  So far my spare kindle charger and a pony are the only victims, but she's sneaky, so I have to be diligent about picking everything up.

We've also been really busy with the kids and school stuff.  First grade has turned out to be an entirely different experience than kindergarten.  Which leads me to my next update.

I've decided to put my Dinner Delivery business on hold for a little while.  Next week, November 3rd will be my last Dinner Delivery week for the rest of the year.  I absolutely love cooking for my customers and I feel so blessed to have had so many orders and so much support. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, and my priorities, my family, haven't been getting the attention that I feel they deserve.

I am hoping that after Christmas, once Ella starts preschool, I will have a little more time on my hands and can start back up.  In the mean time, I plan to put more work into my blog and get a lot more recipes posted.  I have so many things I've been cooking, but I haven't gotten a chance to post them all yet.

Again, I want to thank my customers for their support!  I hope you will all continue to follow along on my blog and will order again when I'm back up and running, ahem, I mean cooking!

Our New Family Member!

Last Wednesday we adopted a 10 week old Black Lab/Golden Retriever Mix puppy!  My husband has been wanting a "big dog" for years now.  I was always able to talk him out of it by saying not until Ella is potty trained.  Well, she's been out of diapers for a couple of months now so the puppy talk started back up.  Originally we planned to adopt an older dog.  We actually had one that we were fostering for a while, but that didn't work out.  It did, however, last long enough for the kids to completely fall in love with her and for us {the parents} to decide that we really did want to adopt a "big dog".  We put in an application with a Golden Retriever rescue and contacted a few friends who are involved with local rescues.

Eventually we found this little lady.  She's the perfect mix of our favorite "big dog" breeds.  And, boy is she a love.  A BIG love! :)  The kids wanted to name her River.  Since it's a beautiful name and so much better than some other names they've come up with {Fluff, Pen, Christmas, Crabbie...} we agreed right away!

It's been a long time since we've trained a puppy, but we're excited!  Our family is now made up of two little girls, a puppy, Paris, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Old Cat, Anna & Elsa, the kittens, Goldie, the gold fish and Crabbie, the hermit crab.

It's a full house!

Turkey Chili

I was searching my blog the other day for recipes that reminded me of fall and I realized I did not have my Turkey Chili recipe posted!  Since it's one of my favorites, and something you must make, I knew it had to be the next recipe I would share with you!  As an added bonus, I woke up to heavy rain this morning!  Something to celebrate here in Sacramento, where it has been bone dry for far too long.  This chili is the perfect food for this weather, so, without further ado...

Ingredients:
1 lb of lean ground turkey
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 onion diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 pkg of taco seasoning (I like Trader Joe's brand)
1 pkg of ranch seasoning mix
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Suggested garnish toppings:
sour cream
cilantro
tortilla chips
cheddar cheese

Directions:
Brown turkey in a heavy bottom pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium heat with a little olive oil in the pan.  Once the turkey begins to brown add the onions and garlic.  Cook until the turkey is nearly cooked though, then add the taco seasoning and mix well.  Add the tomatoes, beans and ranch seasoning.  Simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld together. Serve in large bowls and garnish with your choice of suggested toppings.

Enjoy!

Grilled Caesar Salad

I like meat and potatoes as much as anyone, but sometimes a salad is just right for dinner.  Croutons are delish, but with all the craze of Paleo and gluten free diets, I came up with these crunchy garbanzo beans instead.  They have enough crunch to be super satisfying and a bit addictive.

Ingredients
2 whole hearts of romaine lettuce
two large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
your favorite caesar dressing
olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions:
Marinade your chicken breasts in about 1/2 a cup of your favorite Italian or Caesar salad dressing for at least an hour.  Slice your romaine hearts in half and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Heat a grill pan on high and grill sliced side down for a couple of minutes, until lettuce begins to wilt and gets a few char marks. Remove and set aside.

Grill chicken on your pre-heated grill pan until cooked through completely.  I generally get my grill marks on both sides, then transfer to a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through.  You can also buy grilled chicken if you want to skip this step.

On a large baking sheet, spread out your two cans of garbanzo beans into one even layer.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake until crunchy, about 10-15 minutes.  Shake the baking sheet every few minutes so they don't burn.

Assemble your salad by slicing the chicken and laying it on top of the lettuce.  Then sprinkle with parmesan, about 1/4 cup for each lettuce half, top with tomatoes & garbanzo beans and a drizzle of your favorite salad dressing.

Voila, the perfect salad for dinner! {or lunch, or snack time...}

Pumpkins

Here in Northern California we aren't experiencing much of a fall, as of yet.  The high yesterday was 97 degrees and the 5 day forecast is 90+.  Of course, the heat wave didn't stop me and the kids from heading out to Davis Ranch to pick up a load of pumpkins. 

I basically let the girls choose all of the pumpkins.  I have to say, they did a great job.  We got quite a variety.  Green, red, white orange, small, big, warts and all.

They wanted to carve them right away, but since Halloween is still a few weeks away, that would not be a good idea.  We settled for painting them.  There was a little mishap with the glitter, but they turned out pretty cute.  This is one of the ones my mom did.

I hope you all have as much fun picking out and decorating your pumpkins as we did!

Mango~Avocado Salsa

I am lucky enough to have an uncle who lives in Ketchican, Alaska.  What does that have to do with salsa?  Well, you need something to put the salsa on, and I was lucky enough to have a huge salmon that my uncle just brought down when he visited.  I love, love, this salsa over salmon, but it's just as good over grilled chicken or pork.  I hope you give it a try and love it as much as my family does!

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
2 avocados diced into 1" cubes
1 large shallot or 1/2 of a red onion diced finely
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice from one lime
2 tbs of olive oil
1/2 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine mango, avocado, shallot, garlic and cilantro in a large bowl.  Add the juice of the lime, a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over any grilled meat, or with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!