Filed under: Uncategorized
I recently participated in Weight Down Throw Down, a weight-loss competition that my friend Clayton hosts on his blog. It was a lot of fun, I got to help raise a little money for his church TNLC, and I lost ten pounds and several inches off my waist! Once it was over though, I quickly realized that even though I am continuing my workout routine- and even pushing myself a little harder with spinning and P90X classes several times a week- it is much more difficult to watch what I EAT when I don’t have any type of competition to drive me.
So today I see this online competition for the month of October called EAT.SWEAT.BLOG and I just know I have to do it. The best part about it is that it focuses on healthy eating habits and fitness rather than just weight loss. It also seems to celebrate food and eating more than most ‘dieting’ sites, and I am definitely into that. And as an added bonus, it will possibly help me to start blogging more often! Hehehe…
I am doing ten challenges for EAT.SWEAT.BLOG and am also going to be blogging all my workouts. (Some of the blogs will be private journal entries that will just be on the ESB website, some I’ll also post over here.) These are some of the challenges I am doing:
For the month of October I’m not drinking any sodas.
I’ll drink just water from Oct 1st to Oct 7th
I won’t be ingesting any caffeine from Oct 8th to Oct 14th
No dairy from Oct 15th to Oct 21st
Juice fast Oct 28th
I’ll take my lunch to work 10 days in October
I’ll make ten meals or dishes for others in October
For more info visit EAT.SWEAT.BLOG. This type of competition certainly isn’t for everyone but do let me know if you decide to sign up for the challenge and what you decide to do! 
Have a healthy fall!
Way out on rustic Bannerman Road, a modest hand-painted sign simply states “La Hacienda II”. If you ever see it- it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking- turn in, park in the small gravel parking lot or pull around the back- there’s plenty of room back there- and prepare to enjoy great Mexican food that could compete with any restaurant in my hometown of San Antonio. If you’ve ever been to San Antonio, you know what a huge compliment that is!
La Hacienda Dos has a full bar, live entertainment, a large and neatly kept patio, and a wide range of Mexican food for you to choose from. I have been several times and my high expectations are always met and exceeded.
You can't see it here, but the thing was literally smoking AND steaming like a tiny delicious volcano!
One thing I appreciate about La Hacienda is that they are not afraid to bring the heat- but not at the expense or instead of great flavor! Their salsa is delicious and has a good deal of the peppery heat and flavor evident when only the freshest ingredients are used. My most recent order was the Molcajete Caliente Verde, and they do mean caliente in every sense of the word- I was cautioned several times by our kind waitress that the dish was VERY HOT. I was presented with a HUGE literally smoking molcajete (the ancient mexican version of a mortar, made from stone and shaped like a bowl with legs) brimming over with tender marinated steak and roasted potatoes swimming in a steaming bath of salsa verde, topped with queso fresco and pico de gallo, fresh tortillas and guacamole salad on the side. (For those turned off by the tangy green tomatillo sauce, the Molcajete Caliente also comes in Rojo, with carrots and red sauce instead of potatoes and green sauce.) And yes, it was MUY CALIENTE both in taste and temperature!
There is something for everyone at La Hacienda Dos, even those who would prefer to stay away from spicier items. I would highly recommend the Antojitos la Hacienda, which consists of a taco, a quesadilla, two flautas, an enchilada with mole sauce, a sopito (similar to a canape), a tamale and a side of beans. The presentation of this plate is also stunning, albeit a little more understated than a humongous steaming molcajete. This is one of my favorite dishes because you get to try a little bit of everything.
I look forward to visiting this Tallahassee treasure again and again. Their friendly waitstaff, huge menu selection and simply brilliant food have hooked me and I hope you get to experience it soon!
Have you ever been to La Hacienda Dos? What do you think? Let me know!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Sam said they were goooooood.
I woke up this morning in a great mood and decided to make these beignettes. I had a box of Cafe Du Monde mix that I had kept hidden from my husband in the pantry for about 6 months, waiting for the perfect day to make them- which turned out to be today.
I really wish we could have shared them with someone, alas, these things just can’t be planned. We only got partway through the batch before throwing in the towel.
The leftovers.
I also had a whole bottle of that starbucks dark mocha frappucino thingy. LOTS OF SUGAR EARLY IN THE MORNING. Next time I’ll plan better and invite plenty of people over to share…
The following is something I shared recently with a friend of mine. To tell you the truth, I don’t know this friend very well, but when I found out that she struggled with something I have struggled with, I felt an immediate bond, and I hope she can say the same thing about me.
” I feel like I’ve dealt with depression almost my entire life since I was about 9 years old. It started when I was very young and I would just get this overwhelming feeling of not being good. Not ‘not being a good person’, but actually not feeling worthy or worth life. I’m sure you have felt the same way and know what I mean.
I now can say I have victory over depression, but it doesn’t mean I am always happy. Sometimes things still get me down a lot more than they would a normal person, and I do still sometimes struggle with negative thoughts about myself, but even though I might feel a certain way it no longer has that debilitating power over my life and I am now able to fight back with the Word of God. Because of this I’ve been able to do things I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of before and I am so thankful, but sometimes I still wonder if there is a reason why I am this way, because like I said before, even though I know I have victory over depression, I still sometimes have to fight very hard not to slip back into it.
Last night during the worship service, God revealed something to me. He reminded me of something I had read a while ago in a David Kuo blog called ‘Thin Places’. The idea of a “Thin Place’ is that whatever mental, emotional or spiritual walls between a person and God become thinner in certain places or environments and we can better connect with God. Every week he would ask people to send in pictures of their ‘thin places’. Usually people would send in pictures taken from beautiful mountaintops or overlooking the sea or a lightning storm or rainbow or some other kind of natural wonder. I thought about the thinnest place I had ever been and this was it:
I was about 15 or 16 years old. I was going through a severe bout of depression and my mom was extremely ill. She was on medications that changed her personality … I was on my knees in my bedroom with the light off except for the lamp by my bed. I was hiding because I didn’t like my parents to know what I did every day when I came home from school, which was to hide on the far side of my bed away from the door and cry, scream and pray into a pillow. Sometimes I prayed for God to heal my mom, more often I was furious with her because I didn’t really understand what was going on and just screamed and cried. It is not what most people think of when they try to imagine a thin place, but God was always there and each time I went to him He loved me in a real and amazing way and that gave me the strength I needed to go on.
Then God reminded me of the many times in my life that I have battled depression, negative self-talk and low self esteem. The many, many times I cried and thought terrible things about myself and my life. Then he showed me that those times, when I was at my lowest point, were the thinnest places. They were the times when there was the least separation between me and Him, if I would only reach out and let him love me.
The world we live in is hard for people like us because we’re expected to always put on a happy face, but I want you to know there is nothing wrong with being sad and it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you, physically or spiritually. It probably just means that you are a compassionate person who is able to feel things very, very deeply. This is not a curse, it is a blessing! Even though it is VERY hard at times and I would not wish my ‘blessing’ on anyone, I am so, so glad God made me this way because I’ve been able to experience God’s love so deeply and intensely, and I would not trade that for an easy, pain-free life, EVER.
Psalms 56:8 – David says about the Lord:
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”“
Is God taking you through a thin place now?
Filed under: RECIPES
I really shouldn’t be sharing this. It’s hazardous to waistlines everywhere. It should be locked in a safe inside Fort Knox. Then they should take Fort Knox and sink it to the bottom of the Marianna trench. Then they should detonate the entire earth.
But I have to share it.
It’s that good.
It’s really easy too! Many people have the main ingredients in their pantry already. If you don’t have something below the first 4 ingredients, just improvise with something else in your spice rack. I used a real vanilla bean since I had one from a previous recipe and Meyer Lemons that I saw in the grocery store this weekend. Other good ideas are cinnamon sticks, crumbled up cookies, chocolate, or dried fruit.
Try it, be creative and let me know how it comes out!
But don’t say I didn’t warn you…
VANILLA BEAN RICE PUDDING SCENTED WITH MEYER LEMONS
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups plain cooked white rice
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp salt
Meyer Lemon
Vanilla Bean
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Coriander
1. Wash the lemon (whole) and peel off about 3 inches of the rind (try to get just the yellow part) carefully with a paring knife. Then split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with the paring knife and remove the seeds by opening up the bean halves and scraping the inside.
2. Heat the lemon rind, vanilla bean pod pieces and beans in about 1/2 cup of water over medium heat in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking to separate the seeds (they will stick together if left alone). Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, until the water takes on a yellow cast from the lemon. Remove from heat. Take out the lemon peel and vanilla bean pods.
3. With the cooked rice in a larger saucepan, pour the flavored water into the rice and stir. If you are using cold leftover rice (I did), make sure to break up any clumps. Add in the cans of milk and salt. Season to taste with ground spices.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously for about 10 minutes. If the mixture is still too watery for your taste, turn the heat up, still stirring continuously, until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
Enjoy. It doesn’t last long.
This is a game I saw on Facebook that my friend Katie posted! I’m not gonna do the tagging part because I think it’s lame but you can put it on your blog if you want. Or just see if you can guess some of my songs! It’s fun to do and play! Put your answers in the comments and remember, GOOGLE EQUALS CHEATING EQUALS YOU’RE GOING TO HELL.
Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle
Step 2: Post lyrics from the first 30 songs, not matter what they are
Step 3: Strike out the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is cheating
Step 5: Tag your friends to guess
1. Do you remember the JAMC, and reading aloud from magazines? I don’t know about you but I swear on my name they could smell it on me. I’ve never been too good at secrets…
2. This week the trend is to not wake up til 3PM and pick the few conscious hours that I choose to spend then waste away the rest of them… Elizabeth
3. All the chisels I’ve dulled carving idols of stone that have crumbled like sand neath the waves, I have recklessly built all my dreams in the sand just to watch them all wash away.
4. And this time I don’t have an answer, and don’t think that I haven’t tried. I still have the heart of a seeker, but I need the faith of a child.
5. Here we are, here we are windows down we see a falling star, stop the car, wanting nothing but our beating hearts, going far…
6. Monday found me on my knees again to breathe you in, to blur the lines that mark where I begin and you end.
7. So she woke up woke up from where she was last day and said I’ve gotta do something about where we’re going. Step on a steam train, out of the driving rain maybe…
8. Sent it off in a letter I need something better than a nail and a hammer to put me together but this ain’t my first ride and it aint my last try I just gotta keep moving on…
9. Oh come desire of nations bind in one the hearts of all mankind Oh bid our sad divisions cease and be yourself our king of peace Jen Herrick
10. I’m strictly trying to cop these, colossal size picassos and have papi flippin coke outside delgados!
11. I’ve been the burnout kid, I’ve been the idiot. I’ll turn the other cheek to be hit. You can take what you want from me, empty me til I’m depleted. I’ll be around if I’m ever needed.
12. It’s not unusual it happens every day. No matter what you say, you’ll find it happens all the time. Elizabeth
13. There’s no one else to blame. I’ve lived my life between the fire and the flame. I’ve built my house where the ocean meets the land. It’s time to live again, pull my dreams out of the sand.
14. Give me your body.
15. Hallelujah we are on our way, Hallelujah we are on our way to God
16. I believed in what I hoped for, and I hoped in things unseen. I had wings and dream could soar. I just don’t feel like flying anymore.
17. I guess I let myself believe that the outside might just bleed its way in and maybe stir the sleeping past lying under glass waiting for the kiss that breaks this awful spell to lead me out of this lonely shell.
18. Where were you the night before, someone saw you at his door, searching eyes are on fire for the answers you hide. Would you let them find the light?
19. My thoughts trouble me. I’m overwhelmed by my fears. This cancer kills the soul in me. I need you to heal me again.
20. The last time we saw Amy, she was heading for the shore, fighting off the volatile gray skies. She said now begins forever and that no one knows their time. We bid farewell not knowing it would be our last goodbye. Jen Herrick
21. A performance deserving a standing ovation, and who would have thought it’d be the two of us? So don’t wake me if I’m dreaming, cuz I’m in the mood come on and give it up.
22. Move me up through the darkest clouds, ‘til I’ve lost in the sun every shadow of doubt. There is no better find than to find myself with you.
23. I see an expression so clear and so true that it changes the atmosphere when you walk in the room.
24. The moon is full but there isn’t any completeness. The days are beautiful but I feel a bittersweetness. If I had a wish, or even any choice, I’d wake up to the sound of you voice.
25. Rationality left her or shrunk with her sweater. She’s a fanatic. She’s over the edge. She needs Lemon Pledge to clear the cobwebs from her attic.
26. I’ve got a hunger that’s tied my stomach into knots, that my tongue has tied off. My brain’s repeating, “If you’ve got an impulse let it out” but they never make it past my mouth. Elizabeth
27. Lately I’ve wanted life so much more since you arrived to meet me, oh to meet me. Things that seemed to pass me be now I’m taking time to recognize I need them, oh I need them.
28. And now I find a blurry line here between you and I. Raise the cup drink til I’m full sing til I can’t my voice is gone my head is spinning dizzy Elizabeth
29. Very good boys, lets sing it again. Yes let’s sing it again. No that’s enough let’s not overdo it. What do you mean overdo it? We want to sing it again. Now wait a minute boys! Why can’t we sing it again? AAAAAALVINNNNNN!!!
30. Consider this a letter that I never sent, however inconsiderate it seems do you still consider me? Consider me the boy you laughed with or you learned to live without, I suck, I know I’m late, I know you waited. Elizabeth
Filed under: Uncategorized
I always thought you had to have an ice cream maker to make ice cream. Apparently, I was proven wrong by Janet at GourmetTraveller88. And it was just in the nick of time, since I really, really wanted to try an ice cream recipe from my favorite website, Smitten Kitchen!
It wasn’t too hard to make this ice cream. I did half a batch (you have to use a TON of egg yolks, and I didn’t really feel like wasting a whole dozen in case it didn’t come out the way I wanted it to the first time) of Deb’s Smitten Kitchen Buttermilk Ice Cream recipe, using a real fresh vanilla bean. I also cut down half of the ’secret ingredient’ (buttermilk!) since I wasn’t sure how strong the flavor would be. Turns out buttermilk is a little like yogurt and lends a nice rich flavor to the ice cream, enhancing the vanilla wonderfully!
Thanks Janet and Deb for sharing your knowledge!!!
SECRET INGREDIENT VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cup sugar
12 large egg yolks*
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoon vanilla or half a vanilla bean, scraped and simmered with the cream
Pinch of salt
1. Put the stainless steel bowl in the freezer.
2. Flavor the cream by simmering the vanilla bean in it for a few minutes. First halve the bean lengthwise, then scrape the seeds out of the pod. Dump the seeds and pod into the cream and simmer with 1/2 cup of the sugar over medium heat. Remove from heat after 2-3 minutes and let cool slightly.
***(If you want to make a unique little gift, take the pod out when done, pat dry with a paper towel and put it in a Ziploc baggie with regular sugar for vanilla sugar later! It’s a good idea for coffee lovers! 
***
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/8 c sugar.
4. Gradually add some of the warm cream mixture to eggs while mixing, slowly so that eggs do not curdle. Do this a few times until yolks warm up a bit. Then pour eggs into cream mixture. Whisk constantly.
5. Cook over LOW heat for just a minute or two. the mixture will become thick & foamy quickly. You are done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in buttermilk and salt. (if you just used regular vanilla, you can add it now.) Allow to cool for a few minutes.
6. Take the stainless steel bowl out of the freezer. Pour the ice cream into the bowl and set in the freezer for about 45 minutes. You can leave the spoon in the bowl as well. Then take out, stir and repeat about 3-4 more times.
7. Transfer to a plastic container, cover and let ice cream freeze for about 2 more hours. It is now ready to enjoy!!!
Sorry I would post a picture for you, but it didn’t last long enough…
BIG THANKS to Janet for the secret to her machine-less ice cream making and to Deb for her recipe!!!
Filed under: Uncategorized
OK, I’m not really going to show you how to break any laws. I’m just going to tell you all how to make crack.
Hahaha!!!
I’ve already had some.
Seriously, this is a great recipe. I got it from Smitten Kitchen. If you’ve ever let me talk to you for more than about ten two minutes then you already know I want to BE Deb from Smitten Kitchen when I grow up. Please don’t tell her though, I’ll die of embarassment. I’m like 90% introvert. Anways. Crack-making.
Cook Time: Maybe half an hour, including baking and cooling time.
Yield: Errrrr…. you won’t have enough. Make two batches. Or more. Make as much as your budget allows.
Click here to view original recipe from my hero Deb at SK!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
12 oz bag chocolate chips
1 box of saltines (you will end up using about half for each batch.)
1. Line a baking pan with foil. Cover foil with crackers. (Make sure you don’t leave any empty spaces or the caramel will flood underneath the cracker and may burn.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. To make caramel, melt the butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar once butter is melted and turn heat up to medium-high. Stir mixture continuously. It will begin to boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes until it begins to thicken.
3. Pour caramel over crackers. Put in oven for 15 minutes. You may want to check a few times to make sure it doesn’t burn; if it starts to burn manipulate the oven temperature.
4. Remove crackers from over and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Wait for them to start melting, then smooth with a plastic spatula. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes…. lol… as if you can resist it that long…
DISCLAIMER:
Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. It’s called crack for a reason. A very delicious reason.
Filed under: LIFE
I was talking to a friend recently and they told me something big. It was not something I was happy about. I thought it was stupid and it made me really mad to hear that this person had done that. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t get upset. They could see it all over my face- *disappointment*- and let me know. But at one pivotal moment, when I heard something that could have pushed me over the edge from having the upset move from my face to my tongue, I heard:
“Hug them.”
I wish I could say I obeyed immediately. Sadly, I froze. Then the words tumbled out of their mouth.
“Why am I this way…”
Followed by more words that just revealed how broken this person was, words that can never be taken back, words that I refuse to write because I will not agree with them. It took that much for me to move, to obey that still small voice. Why does it take so much for us to just be nice to people?
Don’t wait. Just move. Just obey. God knows exactly what He’s doing.
I have totally NOT abandoned my blog, guys, I promise. In fact, I just now decided that this blog has got to have more of ‘me’ instead of just my cooking. The reason I haven’t been keeping up with my blog isn’t that I haven’t wanted to write, just that I don’t always want to write about food or recipes. There have actually been several times when I’ve just wanted to share thoughts or funny stories, but I felt held back by my own silly rule that this is a ‘cooking blog’. Well, I don’t want it to be just a ‘cooking blog’ any more. I will always want to share recipes and my food-adventures, but I also want this to be a place where I can share my life with people that may care to hear about it.
Without further ado, the rest of this entry is dedicated to my beloved husband, Sam, aka @portorikan. Thanks for reminding me that some rules are made to be broken, especially stupid ones that are just in your own mind.
10 WAYS TO ANNOY @PORTORIKAN
10. USE THE FACT THAT HE IS EXTREMELY TICKLISH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN CREATIVE WAYS.
9. WHEN HE DOESN’T GET YOU A PUPPY, PRETEND THAT HE IS YOUR PUPPY.
8. WHEN YOU GO TO A RESTAURANT WITH HIM, INSIST THAT YOU SHARE A MEAL. THEN TELL HIM YOU LIKE ANYTHING. THEN SAY “EXCEPT THAT” TO WHATEVER HE SUGGESTS.
7. WHEN HE GETS MAD AT #8, TELL HIM YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA. THEN TAKE HIM TO GOLDEN CORRAL.
6. MAKE GUACAMOLE. LET HIM GET ALL EXCITED WHEN HE SEES YOU MAKING IT. THEN TELL HIM HE CAN’T HAVE ANY BECAUSE IT’S FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.
5. BORROW HIS IPOD. WHILE HE IS UNCONSCIOUS (What? How else do you think he’s going to let you borrow it?) GO TO @ANGELRIOS’S HOUSE, ERASE ALL OF THE MUSIC ON @PORTORIKAN’S IPOD AND REPLACE IT WITH ALL OF @ANGELRIOS’S MUSIC.
4. BUY HIM CLOTHES FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. WRAP THEM SO THAT THEY RESEMBLE A GUITAR.
3. START A MOVIE HE REALLY WANTS TO SEE WITHOUT HIM. TWEET ABOUT IT. INCLUDE SPOILERS.
2. BE EXTRA CHEERFUL EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING. TURN THE LIGHTS ON AND SING, “RISE AND SHINE AND GIVE GOD THE GLORY GLORY…”
AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO ANNOY @PORTORIKAN…
1. REFER TO HIM AS MEXICAN.
(By the way, what’s wrong with being a Mexican, man? Huh? HUH?!?!?!)
Hope to see ya’ll later in the week when I will tell you all how to make crack!
