Lego Cars

Check out the cute cars Cobby made by himself. He is a very talented Lego creator.

Salt and Pepper

I haven't been really posting much. Summer, Cabo, Vacations, Laziness.....you get the point.

Anyway.

For my 30th birthday, I went to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. And picked up these lovely salt & pepper shakers. John hates the Fiestaware ones so much that he won't even buy them for me. But we agreed on these cuties. For 100 pesos. (That is about $8.50) They are petty cute, but the holes are really big, so I am going to have to do something about that. I don't really use salt & pepper shakers though, I am a Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper kind of person (snobby, I know) but they do look cute next to my Tangerine Fiestaware Pitcher!

Vanilla Honey

When I buy yogurt, I HAVE to have a coupon. Period. And, it preferably has to be on sale. I have zero brand loyalty. I do like the Greek style best, but that gets expensive, and I have been known to eat up to 4 a day.

Danon Light & Fit are good, come in a 4 pack, and are responsibly priced. I was at Wal-mart, and they only had vanilla left. Not my ideal choice, but I'm cheap, so hooray. Of course, it's bland. And Greek yogurt with that honey flavor has spoiled me. So, I made my own. I just squirted some honey in, gave it a little stir, and it was wonderful. So great, I bought vanilla on purpose, just so I could do it again.

Since the yogurt is cold, the honey "hardens" a bit, and swirls of honey can be seen throughout it. Making it keep a good strong honey flavor.

Taco Pizza

• 1 Pizza Crust
• 1 can of black beans
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• 1 cup sour cream
• cumin
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• chip crumbles
  

Put the dough on a well olive oiled baking sheet. I cook the crust a bit at 475 just to get extra crispy.

Cook can of black beans (with the juice) on stove top for 10 minutes on medium, crushing the black beans with a potato masher. Add some spices, like cumin, chili powder and garlic. Spread this mixture on top of the crust. Then top with the shredded cheddar. Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

I allowed it to cool just a bit, then topped with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. I jazzed the sour cream up by adding the same spice line up: cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.

John wants you to know, add chip crumbles on top. It really makes it.

Puzzles

I have two boys who love puzzles, but I hate all the boxes that come with them. So I cut the covers off, and pop them into a sharpie labeled ziploc bag. Toss them into a giant bin, and we are golden.

Trees

I just wanted to take a picture of the trees in the backyard, I am sad that the one only blossoms for a week or so. It rained last night, so a lot of the pink pedals have already fallen off.

Beefy Beer Stew

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups of beef broth
• 1 can of the most flavorful beer (Boxer Beer used here!)
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, french cut, peals on
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ground pepper
• parsley

Brown the stew meat with butter and olive oil. Remove the meat, and cook the garlic in the drippings for a few moments, DON'T let it burn. Or your done. Add the beef back in with broth and beer. Add the salt, paprika, and pepper. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another half hour. Serve topped with parsley and bread.

Jbiz hated it. Too many veggies. I liked it. Sigh, story of my life.