Homemade Refried Beans

Ingredients:

2 cans of pinto beans

1 onion

2 tbsp canola oil

4 oz cheddar cheese

Spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Heat the canola oil over medium heat and add a chopped onion and the spices.  I don't measure my spices, but I probably used about a teaspoon of garlic powder and cumin and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Cook the onions and spices until the onions start to get translucent and brown around the edges.

Drain and rinse the pinto beans and add them to the skillet.  Cook until they're heated through.

Mash the pinto beans and onions with a potato masher.

Grate your cheese and stir about half of it into your beans.  Smooth your beans into an even layer in the skillet, and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Put the skillet in the oven and cook just until the cheese has melted, or for about ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Arroz Rojo (Red Rice)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion

3 cups long grain white rice (or 4 of those little measuring cups that come with your rice cooker)

8oz can of tomato sauce

~1 box of chicken broth (you won't use the whole box)

Spices: garlic powder, salt, black pepper

Directions:

Finely chop the onion and sauté it in the canola oil over medium heat until it starts to brown.  I also add my spices at this point: a good shake of garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

Add the rice to your pan and sauté for a few more minutes, just to toast the rice a little.

Add the rice to your rice cooker along with the can of tomato sauce and enough chicken broth to bring your total amount of liquid up to 6 cups (or the 4 mark on your rice cooker).

Close and start your rice cooker, or bring your pot to a boil, cover, and cook according to the directions on your bag of rice.

Fluff the rice with a  fork when it finishes.

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Since becoming a mom, it has become oooooh so much harder to leave the house.  My old favorite pastime of going to coffee shops to read or work on lesson plans while sipping on a delicious doctored-up coffee, was replaced by going through the line at the drive-though Starbucks about once a week (for a large decaf caramel mocha.. yum!).  The drive-through Starbucks is at least a good 15 minutes out of my way no matter where I'm headed (and I pass several other coffee shops on the way there), but it was worth it for the drive-through!  I didn't want to expose my tiny, sweet baby to any germs that might be hanging out inside crowded coffee shops, not to mention it takes roughly ten minutes to get him in and out of the car with all of his stuff.  Now that I'm also taking care of a friend's baby during the day, there's no way I'll even be going through the drive-through at Starbucks anytime soon.  Luckily, I have a hot chocolate recipe that's even better than a mocha, in my opinion.  There's no coffee in it, but since I was drinking decaf anyway.. that doesn't matter to me.  Here's the recipe:

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I've also used the special dark cocoa powder, and it's delicious!)

1/2 cup white sugar

dash of salt

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups milk

Directions:

Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a pan and whisk it together.  Turn the stove on to medium heat and add the hot water.  Whisk it until it comes to a boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.  After two minutes, you should have a thick chocolate syrup in your pan.  Slowly add 3 1/2 cups of milk, whisking as you go, and let it get really hot but not to a boil.  Pour it into mugs and top off your mugs with that last 1/2 cup of milk to cool it so it's drinkable.  This is enough for 4 small mugs, or 3 large mugs.  It is so good!

I've also made this recipe adding the whole 4 cups of milk to the pan, and then pouring it over frozen whipped topping in my mugs.  Today I made a spicy version by adding a good shake of cinnamon and a smaller dash of cayenne pepper to the pan when I was whisking together the dry ingredients.  If you did want it to taste more like a mocha, I'm thinking you could probably add 1/2 cup of strong hot coffee instead of the hot water.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

Last night I finished reading The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago.  This book was a gift from a sweet friend of my husband's when we had our son.  I had been reading him (my son, not my husband..) a story a day for a while, but he was having a hard time falling asleep last night and I ended up reading him the second half of the book in one night.  I love the beautiful illustrations in this book and the way the author ties each of the stories back to Jesus, even stories from the Old Testament.  It's my new favorite children's Bible!

2016 Book Count: 3

Snow Day Hash

It's snowing in Asheville!  We have about 8 inches right now, but it's still coming down!

When it's cold outside and you've been playing in the snow all day, you can't beat a hot, filling meal.  For dinner tonight, I made a hash using some pantry and fridge staples.  Here's the recipe, which is enough for two hungry people plus leftovers:


Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
1/2 lb. sausage
1 onion
1 bell pepper (mine was green, but the color doesn't really matter)
1 cup corn
4 eggs
~1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure)
Spices: salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder

Directions:
Peel and cube the russet potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Toss them in olive oil and microwave them on high for about ten minutes, or until fork tender.  Meanwhile, brown the sausage in your skillet.  Drain off any excessive fat, leaving about a tablespoon or so.  Chop up the onion and bell pepper and add them to your sausage.  Add the corn.  Cook everything on medium heat until the onions are transparent and you're starting to get some nice brown color on your vegetables.  When the potatoes finish in the microwave, add your spices to them (a good, hearty shake of each), and toss them around to make sure they're all evenly coated with spices.  Add them to the skillet with your sausage and vegetables.  Then cook your eggs however you prefer (I like them over medium).  Serve the eggs over your hash with another sprinkle of salt and pepper.

The Wonder Weeks

Last night I finished my second book of the year: The Wonder Weeks by Hetty van de Rijt and Frans Plooij.  The premise of this book is that babies go through ten predictable, age-based paradigm shifts where their whole world view changes.  Each major leap in brain development is accompanied by a fussy period, lasting from a day or two to several weeks, and after the shift parents can expect their baby to be prepared to learn new skills.

I really enjoyed learning about what babies understand at various points in their first two years, as well as the recommended games and toys for each developmental period to encourage them to get the most out of each mental leap.

My sweet little boy is 16 weeks old now, so the wonder week he's coming up on is the 19th week leap into the world of events.  According to the book, ever since the 12th week leap he has been able to perceive smooth transitions as long as the transition is fairly simple (for example, a ball rolling from left to right).  In the world of events, he will now be able to understand that everything he is experiencing can be broken up into events that aren't always so simple.  For example, if someone jumps into the air, they are going to come back down again.  Or, if you drop a rubber ball, it will bounce back up... and will likely bounce up and down a few more times after that.  He will now start to understand the "purpose" of some of his toys (wheels can be turned, bells can be rattled, etc.), will enjoy watching repetitious events (brushing hair, slicing bread, etc.), and will enjoy looking at pictures, talking, singing, and playing games like "This Little Piggy Went to Market".

I love learning about my sweet baby!



2016 Book Count: 2

New Year's Resolution: 50 Books

One of my resolutions for 2016 is to read 50 books by the end of the year.  I decided it will also count to finish a book that I started prior to 2016, because I have a pretty bad habit of starting books and not finishing them, especially with nonfiction.  Once I feel like I have a handle on the current book, I tend to find another book that looks interesting and switch to that one.  So this year, I plan to finish 50 books.

I finished my first book last night: See Me by Nicholas Sparks.  It was an easy first book because he writes in such an engaging way that it's hard to put the book down.  I was a little disappointed that I guessed his big twist before the book revealed it though.  His little hint earlier in the book was too obvious to forget.

2016 Book Count: 1