Baja Turkey Tostadas and National Twins Day

So, I just learned that there is a National Twins Day and Twins Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio this weekend...really?  I joined a local "Mothers of Multiples" club when the girls were first born, but had no idea that there was an actual annual festival that takes place every year.

This festival is for those twins that truly do look exactly alike.  The siblings that you cannot tell apart, just like our nieces.  Truth be told though our girls not only don't look like twins, they don't even look like they could be cousins.  They are as opposites of the spectrum as you could find....day and night both in looks and personalities.  It's as though I gave two separate births at different times.

They do have one thing in common though, just like every other child....I saw this posting on Pinterest and could not stop laughing.  I loved it so much that I immediately printed and posted on our refrigerator.  The girls and my husband read it and said, "Yep, that's so true".

As you know, we have been trying to improve some of our eating habits and I have been a regular on the Jennie-O Turkey website trying to find different turkey recipes because I think I have now exhausted every type of salad that I can stand right now.

Great diversion from our regular Tuesday Taco Night option.  So easy and I am in love with this new cole slaw...we are using it all the time now.  Incredibly flavorful with such few ingredients.  I changed up their recipe and made my own short cuts for weeknight time savings.

Baja Turkey Tostadas
Adapted from Jennie-O website

For the slaw:
1 Bag shredded cole slaw mix (purple and green cabbage with shredded carrots)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup shredded jicama

For the turkey filling:
1 (20-oz) package Jennie-O Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast (or your favorite brand)
1 package of your favorite taco seasoning mix (I used the McCormick's brand package made for Chicken tacos, for a lighter flavor with the white meat)

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges, if desired
Salsa, if desired

To make the slaw, in a large bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, cayenne pepper and mix well.  Add the cabbage/carrot mixture and jicama.  Toss well with dressing.  Cover and chill 3-4 hours, if time permits.
** I chilled mine for only about an hour while I prepared the rest of the dinner and it was still great.

To make the turkey filling, in a large skillet, cook the turkey as specified on the package.  Always cook to well-done 165 degrees F.  Add the taco seasoning and prepare as directed on package.

While turkey is simmering, prepare the tortillas.  Heat a medium size skillet to medium-high heat.  Add tortilla one at a time and heat each side about one minute, or until the tortilla starts to get golden brown and crisp.

For plating, fill each cooked tortilla with turkey mixture.  Top with slaw and sour cream, if desired.  Serve with lime wedges and salsa, if desired.

Turkey Chili

When I was a little girl my favorite song was "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" by B.J. Thomas.  I even had a little square glass wind up music box with a watercolor sketch on it of a little girl in her raincoat and galoshes under an umbrella that I would wind up and play over and over again.

Today, I still love that song and watching and listening to the rain...but no one warned me of a typical Colorado rain.  When it rains, it rains...and when it pours, it REALLY pours here.  We have had 90 degree days, a 4:00 pm cloud cover and rain and then right when we are going into our REM sleep, a flash in your eyes, a crackle in the clouds and the skies open up with the loudest rumble you could imagine.

It is virtually impossible to figure out what to wear each day, truly remarkable weather and certainly no drought or water shortage here.

The only drawback is we have been limited as to when we can enjoy our backyard to eat outside and let the dogs bask in the sun as they love to do so often.  The good news is my husband's tomato plants have taken flight and are well on their way to becoming homemade salsa!!

For those rainy, dreary afternoons you just want a warm bowl of yummy, so I dug up JoAnne's (my sister-in-law) friend's Turkey Chili recipe that we have been making for years.  JoAnne (a.k.a. Aunt Jo Jo) has a remarkable group of girlfriends that she has shared some their recipes with us.

Sandy's Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped yellow, red or orange bell peppers
1 pound ground turkey
1 (28-ounce) can crushed organic tomatoes, undrained
1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce (my husband likes "Frank's" Red Hot)
11/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic and bell peppers in olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add ground turkey and cook until browned.

Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and shredded sharp cheese.

Stay dry my friends....

Taco Tuesdays

I know the title of this post reads "Taco Tuesdays", and yet today is Wednesday.  As hard as I tried yesterday, I just couldn't get the post finished when it should have.  You see, Tuesdays are by far my least favorite day of the week.  I know everyone else seems to dread Mondays, but for me it is without a doubt...Tuesdays that I really don't look forward to.

Everything goes wrong and chaotic on Tuesdays. Wake up late, girls wake up cranky, get to school late, cold weather makes an expanded crack all the way through my windshield.  Of course the crack conveniently goes right through my line of sight, so it's bad enough that I am already wearing transitional bi-focals, but now my windshield has it's own bi-focal line now?  Tuesdays are not my favorite!!

The only good thing that came out of this Tuesday was that the girls made these precious Halloween cupcakes, to keep our house in the spirit of the season....because there just isn't enough orange and black all over the place.

Chocolate makes everything better...even Tuesdays.

The best part of all was my husband's annual pumpkin carving event.  Every year the girls pick out their custom designs that they want carved.  As they have gotten older, they tape them up on the pumpkins, do the tooled punching of the design, then the best part comes...Mr. Makita.  Thank goodness my husband has a garage full of custom tools for this one day of the year.  He has really mastered the art of his Makita drill bits and carving of the pumpkins.

The younger's scary creation.

Every year he says, this is the last year he will do this.  Thankfully 360 days later, he has forgotten that and the girls talk him into doing it all over again.  This year though, was his masterpiece.  The oldest girl is on a Monsters Inc movie kick right now and found a Mike Wazowski template for her carving.  Are you kidding me??  I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack.  I was so proud of him though, he stepped it up and nailed the design.

Meet Mr. Wazowski

I have gotten into the routine of making some kind of Mexican food (primarily tacos) on Tuesdays.  It stems from a place in Miltona, Minnesota called "Club Miltona" that we used to visit for a few summers with our dear friends.  "Taco Tuesday" was their big draw for the week and the place was packed.  Darling, small town USA place that we will never forget...and the phrase and meal just stuck with us after all these years.

However, this recipe comes from my sister-in-law's very good friend.  These tacos are not your ordinary ingredients, but they are awesome together!!

Sandy's Tacos

Meat Mixture
(2) pounds ground beef or ground turkey
Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 white onion, diced

Tortillas
flour tortillas
finely grated parmesean cheese
canola oil

Dressing
4 tbl. balsamic vinegar
4 tbl. olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tbl. dijon mustard

Brown the onions and meat together until full cooked through.  Add the taco seasoning mix, according to directions and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat the canola oil at medium-high and fry the tortillas on both sides until lightly brown, but are still pliable.
Lightly sprinkle some of the parmesean cheese on top and either fold like a taco shell or let sit if you are going the tostada route.

Mix the dressing ingredients and let sit while you assemble with the following recommended condiments:  cilantro, diced red onion, chopped tomatoes, shredded mexican blend cheese, shredded lettuce, 2 ears of corn (cooked and shaved from husk), 3 chopped jalapenos, avocado and sour cream.

Once you have assembled your taco, drizzle with the dressing.