Colombia: Day 2

Today we woke early and had some breakfast at a little tiny "Fruteria" around the corner from Tomi and Chuma's house.  It was SO yummy!  Oh how I have missed latin food...

We were all excited to be together.  Marcos and Dylan were still not there, but we were ready for today's activities.... hot springs and food :)

Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Fresh Squeezed OJ and a Cheese Arepa... SO GOOD!

Everything in Colombia is little.  The cars are all small and the tires tiny.  Tomi and Chuma don't need a big car, unless Tomi's family comes to visit.  It was quite the sight to see us all piles in that car.  Tomi and I took turns holding our mom and tia on our laps for the 1.5hr ride to Los Volcanes...

The whole bunch of us.  This might be my favorite pic of the entire trip.  REALLY good times!

Colombia is more beaitful than I had pictured.  It is so great and lush.  The people were beyond kind and hospitable.  Absolutely beautiful country!

The girls... 

Esteban looked like a tourist, more so than I did.  Tomi said it was because he wore tennis shoes... jajaja.  I am sure that the fact that he was one of the tallest persons around had nothing to do with it. ;)

We finally arrived at Los Volcanes.  Its a beautiful "resort" where they have three natural hot spring pools and a huge natural steam room.  The water is filled with natural minerals and nutrients for your body.

When we got there we had to walk down about 2.5 blocks down into the 'resort'.  It was a really nice walk down.  Plus we were eager to have some relaxation.

 As soon as we walked into the resort, we saw this TINY tennis court.  Esteban being the tennis fan that he is, insisted on a picture :)

These pool are not warm, they are HOT! They are awesome!

We were surrounded by lush green foliage and the air temp was just right, like a crisp fall morning, all day :) perfection!

This picture was taken from a little waterfall up from the resort.  It is a small 'resort'.  But it left us felling fully relaxed and hungry....

After Los Volcanes, we went to a little city calle Sopo.  There we stopped in a store called Alpina.  They make all sorts of dairy products and some pretty delicious pastries and treats... Tia Maggie had her cart FULL!

This is maybe 1/3 of the goodies we bought and ate there.  Seriously, so delish!

We ate our goodies outside surrounded by more beautiful scenery.  Seriously, I was in awe of the beauty in this country! We had some mate while with our goodies.

Our day ended there.  We were successfully stuffed and relaxed!

On a side note: They have milk that comes in bags there.  Its called "leche larga vida" You can leave the unopened bag in your cupboard and its good until 12/23/12!  CRAZINESS!  I had to take a pic :)

Cold weather, Warm Dinner

Chicken and Corn Soup

Click HERE for recipe

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Click HERE for recipe

I just purchased a new recipe book at Costco.  I love it!  Every recipe is done with in 30 mins.  plus it give you ideas on how to make it into a meal, by adding a salad or a quesadilla for the above soups.  We have loved them both.  Both very easy.  With the cooler temperatures a nice warm soup for dinner is welcomed by most :)  Leah loved both of these soups as well.  She has become a great eater.  Mylo and Milli didn't love the "green" soup.  But, I feel a renewed desire to cook for my family again... Dave's prayers answered :)

Pastafrola with Abuela

Abuela spent Sunday with us.  It was great.  We just chilled, watched t.v., had left overs from Leah's baptism celebration and made yummy Pastafrola.  Its an Argentine Cake/pastry.  I love it and its been forever since we had some. 

The kids 'helped' Abuela by adding the ingredients and rolling out the dough into 'long snakes' that would go around the Pastafrola.

Leah made most of the 'snakes'.  Then the kids did some fine decorations for the top of the Pastafrola.  Leah made an L for herself, a flower for Milli and an O for Otis.  Mylo made his name out of the dough.

Abuela is a pro at making Pastafrola.  Plus, she is very sweet and patient with the kids, I need to learn form her!

The end result :)  Its half gone already and only Abuela and I have been eating it.  :)

Pastafrola

Ingredients:

600 grams flour
200 grams sugar
200 grams butter
4     eggs
1     tbsp baking powder
1     tsp vanilla
1     can Quince Jelly (melted)

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and butter.

Add eggs and vanilla and form a dough.

Place 1/2 of the dough in a GREASED 9X13 pan, pressing so the dough forms a lip around the edges.

Pour melted Quince Jelly of top and spread over dough, leaving 1/2 inch exposed.

With remaining dough from a laddis and place on top or Quince Jelly.  Make a long strip to decorate and finish the edges of the cake.

Bake @350 for 40-50 minutes.

Notes: I use a scale to measure out my ingredients.  The dough is very easy to work with.  Once baked the cake is pretty dry, its not a regular cake.  We like to enjoy it with Mate (aka. Argentine Herbal Tea).
Source:  Abuela :)

Milli is TWO!!!

Milli turned two on May 1st. We had a little get together with family and although the weather was less than cooperative it was a very nice time. We kept it pretty low key. We had a little BBQ and a very tasty cake. (I usually make the cakes and go all out on decorations and things like that but I have no more creativity at this point... So I just fancied up a Costco cake with some cute little flowers made out of m&ms).

What's not to love about chocolate cake? Milli loved it! (I a week later I am having the last piece, tonight :))

She was very cute about opening her presents and said "thank you" very quietly :) She got lots of fun things and has had a great time with all of them. Leah and Mylo have also benefited from the new toys.

Although the weather was not great the kids still managed to play on the tramp and make friends with the other side of the family. Marcos cooked the burgers and hot dogs, THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I can't believe my baby is two! She is as sweet and happy as she looks but don't let her fool you... She has a nice "latino" sass about her and I love it! People always comment on how "she doesn't look at all like me", and "where did she come from?!?", but let me tell you... Milli DOES have more than the "latino" sass, she has some great latino moves, just like her mom... so she is mine! She loves to dance and she loves anything musical. She loves to tease Mylo aaaaallll day long!

We love our Mishushi!!!

Spring Break: Day TWO: Part ONE

While the kids slept... very close together :) ...


...The Easter Bunny went crazy with the kids Easter baskets. When I say crazy, I mean CRAZY! I mean look at that table!


The kids woke up early and where very excited for this fun holiday!

I am not sure why Mylo's face is a little weird looking in this picture... but I think its funny.


Milli was not feeling her best (we later found out she had a double ear infection, poor baby)

The egg hunt was fun for all the kids and there were so many eggs in such a small space that it didn't take very long. We all pigged out on Easter candy for the rest of the week.

Before the egg hunt we had a quick family home evening. We had the same lesson we have had for the last two Easter FHE's, with the true meaning of Easter. The spirit was of course strong and its wonderful to see that the kids all know so well, why we celebrate such a great occasion.

We had a very tasty "fancy" breakfast of Overnight French Toast. eggs. fruit, OJ and Milk :) It was a great start to a great week to come!

Avocado Lime Banana Shake

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado (peeled and pitted)
1 lime, quartered
1 ripe banana
2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups white grape juice
ice (enough to fill blender)
sugar, to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender finishing with ice. Blend until totally smooth. Add sugar as desired. (I used Splenda). Strain into pitcher or individual cups. Garnish with thin slice of lime and enjoy.

Source: I got this recipe while visiting my local Costco. It was SO tasty! I love all the healthy things in it.

I am giving up on making ANY food/treat

At least for an indefinite amount of time, I am giving up on making ANY food/treat for my family or friends. I have had so many FAILED attempts lately, its just not helping my self-esteem. I made a not so delicious pasta sauce with veggies, NOBODY liked it. Then I made less than pleasing cupcakes, and not so long ago I made burnt panninis for some friends (YUK)... and to top it off I made BRICKS for some lovely friends out of rice krispies and marshmallows, also known as rice krispies treats. They were ROCK hard, however, I didn't notice until it was too late. I made them look pretty but that was it! I am so tired of sucking at this cooking thing. I will have to seriously make up for that non-gift! One friend said, "at least the chocolate on top was tasty"... I love her for being honest :)

Valentine's Day

Another holiday with sick kids. I had plans of making a really nice meal and fancy things up for one night, but with sick kids a fancy meal is just a big waste of time and energy.

We did have a lovely dinner of a delicious homemade chicken noodle soup. It really was one the best I have made, at least lately (my cooking skills are very minimal when I am pregnant). We had rolls for us 'healthy' folk and crackers for the kids. We made a fancy drink with some sprite and powerade from food storage, it was really tasty. Leah and I decorated the table with the few things we had handy.

Dave had been out of town and we were just glad he was home!

Dinner is my favorite time of the day. I love to just sit and chit chat with the kids about the day and to let the kids tell Dave all the fun or not so fun things that have gone on.

Valentine's was celebrated with LOVE surrounding the dinner table and it was wonderful!

I feel my Heavenly Father's love when I look around and see what I have. I am always amazed at how I/we have been blessed with the children that bright our home. I also feel a tremendous amount of love for my husband. He is a wonderful partner and a great team mate for me.

ps. finally got that lovely picture at the top of this post from Dave :) Love you!!!

Corn Chowder

Serves 6

Ingredients:

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/8 cup good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
5 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
1 cups half-and-half
1/4 pound sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Source: Barefoot Contessa, Food Network
Notes: The recipe is actually doubled, but this is halved. It was really tasty and very easy to make. I used sweet frozen corn. This is not a recipe you could make in the crock pot but its worth the work. It was sweet and comforting.

Millis "cheezer" and Some Copy Cats

Last night after we enjoyed a delicious corn chowder, we played around with the camera. EVERY single picture I took of Milli she smiled in. She kept on saying "gain, gain" (again, again) and then she would cheese for a long time and as soon as I would take the picture she would laugh. It was really fun!

The real "Cheezer"

We all did our best Milli "cheese" smile... I think Dave got it down the best. Leah and Mylo look like they are about to chomp on something and Dave said I look Asian, I agree. I think we should just let Milli do that cheese face, it suits her best!

Please see below. I really want to know what you think we are having.
CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!!!

A Challenge and Some Help Needed

So I was checking blogs when I found this picture ^ of Melissa and I. The picture was taken about two weeks ago and HOLY 'COW' that body looks way to big to fit my seemingly small head! Melissa was also griping about her weight and I have challenged her (and I, and whoever else wants to join) in loosing 25lbs by Christmas. I think its very doable for the both of us.

I need some motivation. I simply have NONE right now, NONE! Hopefully this will get my lazy rear up off the computer chair and back in gear. If you want to join let me know. We will go out to dinner around Christmas time to celebrate our success!

***********

I need your help!!!!!!

I have been thinking about cutting my hair, about chin length. What is YOUR opinion? Should I or Shouldn't I?

I have been tired of my hair and I feel like I need a change. Be honest. I won't be offended.