Taco Tuesdays - Tri-Tip Version

Mornings in our house are extremely busy, even more hectic than our evenings, I think.  We have four people trying to squeeze in showers in the allotted amount of time, I of course need my 15 minutes of coffee/wake-up in my chair time, lunches to prepare and I try to get a couple loads of laundry done, so it is not overwhelming on the weekends with trying to fold 37 loads.

Well today was no different and just as crazy.  As I was in the kitchen tidying up (because my OCD kicks in and I hate coming home to a messy kitchen) and cleaning the counters off, I hear one daughter yell from her room, "Mom, will you please make me a cappuccino to go ?" Not two seconds go by and the other one yells, "And could you please toast me a bagel with butter?"

I looked at my husband in dismay and said, "Does this look like Starbucks drive-thru to you?" Since when did I become their personal Barrista???

The Princesses' personal cappuccino machine.

Since my Barrista mornings are so busy, I try to plan the dinner menus a week ahead of time and use my crock pot as much as possible.

This taco meat is so easy, juicy and flavorful!!!  Best part...it's all ready to go when you walk in the door from a long day at work.

Prep before leaving for the day.

Awesome dinner when you arrive home.

Ultimate Tri-Tip Tacos

2-3 lbs. Tri-Tip steak
1 or 2  jars favorite salsa (depending on your size of steak)

Put tri-tip in crock pot.  Empty both jars of salsa over meat.  Cover crock pot with lid.  Set to low setting and let cook 8-10 hours.

When ready to eat, shred the beef with two forks (like you are making shredded pulled pork), in crock pot.
Serve on flour or corn tortillas with your favorite accompaniments.

**Also really delicious if you want to do a taco salad with or without a flour tortilla bowl.

Green Eggs and Ham - "Angus The Ham"

We take the boys to their spa for a shampoo, rinse and blow dry every 2 weeks at our favorite self-serve dog spa, Paws 2 Groom.

They have the best set up there for a DIY dog treatment area.  All the shampoo, combing/brushing accessories and dryers at your fingertips.  Spa day is by far Angus' favorite day every month.  He loves all the warm bath water and personal attention he gets for that hour.

There's King Arthur...and then there's "King Angus".

When blow dry comes, he gets up on his "throne", crosses his feet and gets this look on his face that says, "Serve me now, you peasant".  He loves to ham it up and work the room like he is actual royalty.  He walks out of there thinking he is pretty special and struts his newly clean coat.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and my dog "The Ham", I couldn't resist by making Green Eggs and Ham (bacon in this case - that counts doesn't it??) for the first time in my life.

Heather and Matt came over for the festive dinner and I made this version of deviled eggs for our appetizer. Nothing difficult, just added green flood coloring to the deviled egg mix and topped it with a small piece of crisp bacon.  My husband and kids looked at the creation, looked at me and shook their head.  I blamed it on the blog...said I needed something fun to post.  They ate it and loved them!

We also had fun with making the secret recipe for a Shamrock Shake - delish!!!  My daugher perfectly got the taste of the original shake.

Since we didn't have enough green going around I also made a batch of cookies for the girls this week, green mini M&M's and mini chocolate chips.

Simply Salmon with Shrimp Tortellini and Sunsets

As I have previously mentioned, we have the most unpredictable weather here in Colorado.  On any given day, you can go to work in cute strappy high-heel sandals and come home that day in boots and down parka.  You clearly need to be prepared every day for mother nature.

The great thing about this is the most beautiful sunrise and sunsets occur.  Rolling clouds come in and out with purple and orange skies.

Last night's sunset (after a high of 68 yesterday) was rolling in a new rain storm for us today.  For our no meat Friday, I pulled together this very flavorful dinner with minimal ingredients.

Salmon with Shrimp Tortellini

1 pound, peeled and deveined shrimp, tails off
2 salmon filets
2 Tbl, melted butter
lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 package, refrigerated cheese filled spinach tortellini (in deli case)
1 container, pre-made pesto (in deli case)
1/4 cup, heavy whipping cream
fresh parmesano reggiano

Preheat oven to 350.  Place salmon filets on foil lined cookie sheet and drizzle with melted butter and lemon/pepper seasoning.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until salmon is done and flaky.

While salmon is baking, cook tortellini according to package directions.

Saute shrimp on medium-high in butter and crushed garlic, until pink and a light golden crust has formed.

Warm pesto in saucepan.  When sauce is fully heated add heavy cream off heat.  Cut salmon in bite size pieces and serve over tortellilni with shrimp, pesto-cream sauce and fresh parmesano reggiano cheese.

Sweet Dreams (Layered Sweetness)

Today is very bittersweet for me...

So very happy that it is my grandmother's (a.k.a. GGMa) birthday and she is still here with us celebrating every day.  The sad part of today is that it marks the passing of Jodi, my sister-in-law.

My grandma is in her 80's and you would never know it.  She is a fireball that just keeps on going.  Still famous for her Snickerdoodles and her beautiful homemade cards that I continue to use to this day.  She has a heart of gold, a solid faith foundation and not afraid to let you know what's on her mind, in the most kindest way.  I am so blessed to have a grandmother like her in my life.

Our GGMa, so "pretty in pink".

Jodi was the sister that I never had and not a day goes by that I don't think about her.  As two girls who both grew up in families with just one brother, we had a lot in common as we got to know each other in this very large family we married into.  I miss cooking together, our over-the-top entertaining that we loved to do and having a glass of wine with so many laughs together.

Jodi, leading our team of sisters in the kitchen.

To cheer me up today I made a little sweetness this morning.  It actually reminds me of a dessert that Jodi used to make for us during her favorite family holiday, Easter.  I'm pretty sure that my grandma also has a very similar recipe as well, since she has quite the repertoire of desserts.

Delicious fruit and Jello layered on a pillow of fluffy cream cheese and Cool Whip.  I love the combination of sweet and salty with the added pretzel crust.

Sweet Dreams 

6 oz package Raspberry or Strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups pretzels
¼ cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese - softened
1 (8oz) package Cool Whip - thawed
1 cup sugar

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 bag frozen mixed berries - thawed in refrigerator

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Crush 2 cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.

Melt 1 stick of  butter than add ¼ cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.

Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13x9 -inch dish (prepped with non-stick spray) and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes).

While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.

Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined.

Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don't want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Place mixed berries evenly on top of the cream filling..

Pour Jell-O over mixed berries and refrigerate until jello is set.

Jodi's favorite wine that Rick left for us during his visit.
We will definitely have a toast to her (after Lent) on Easter Sunday.

Chile-Cheese Egg Bake

We just finished three whirlwind days at the annual Colorado Crossroads Volleyball Tournament in Denver.  Last year was our first year to experience this competition.  There are no words to describe such an event.
Imagine 90 volleyball courts, back-to-back and all filled with amped up screaming female athletes - Insanity!!

This is just half of the arena.

The other part of the weekend is a merchandiser's dream.  All the volleyballs, t-shirts, knee pads, blinged out headbands and sports paraphernalia you can imagine.

All the free Gatorade a girl could want.

The team did great and took 1st place in their pool on the second day.  They all worked so hard and came home exhausted every night.

Their "Dig Pink" uniforms for the day to support breast cancer awareness.

The tournament's famous donuts - people wait in line
 that is wrapped around the lobby for these little guys.

To start our morning off right, I made our family breakfast casserole.  Love this dish.  Wonderful for any gathering, weekend morning or sporting event for that much needed protein.  We paired it perfectly with blueberry muffins and fresh fruit.

Chile-Cheese Egg Bake

10 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pint creamed cottage cheese
16 oz. package shredded  jack cheese (or mexican blend)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies

In a large bowl, beat eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, grated jack cheese and melted butter.  Blend and stir in chilies.  Pour into well greased 13" x 8" casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is browned.  (Ingredients can be assembled a day ahead and baked at a later time).

** I cut up the left over casserole into individual sizes and freeze for weekday quick go-to breakfast.

Tapenade Pasta Salad and Prayers

Today is Ash Wednesday, a very special day and a day of reflection.  As we attended Mass tonight, the first hymn was a very familiar one, "Hosea".  My husband leaned over and said "This is one of your favorites isn't it?"  How did he know that?  In over 20 years together I have never mentioned this or any other hymn, and yet he knew it truly is one of my favorites.  Every time I hear it, I get overwhelmed in emotion and choked up.  He really does know me.....

During the season of Lent, we have all decided to give up something as a sacrifice and respect for these next 40 days.  One daughter has given up pancakes and the other Taco Bell.  I'm here to tell you that is not an easy feat for either one of them.  I'm very proud of their choices.  My husband and I mutually decided in order to start working out more, eating better and trying to get our girlish figure back for the upcoming summer wardrobes, we have given up all adult beverages.  

For those "no meat" days in Lent, I made up a large bowl of pasta salad.  I make this salad for the volleyball tournaments and every time I think I am going to come home with leftovers, the pan is scraped clean.  My husband has repeatedly requested this for the house, so here it is.

An extra added bonus is three weeks ago Trader Joe's opened their first three stores in Colorado.  Can I hear a "Hallelujah"??!!  So excited to have them 10 minutes from my office.  I stop by and pick up goodies and their specialty items on the way home - yummy!!

They have two different olive tapenades (one green and one black) that are out of this world - very versatile and rich in flavors.

Tapenade Pasta Salad

1 - 16 oz. box rainbow rotini pasta (cook as directed), rinse in cold water and let cool
1 can quartered artichoke hearts (cut to bite size)
1 pint of grape tomatoes (cut in half, crosswise)
1/2 block of cheddarella (or your favorite) cheese (diced, bite size)
1 cup baby carrots (diced)
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (diced) - (or 1/2 jar of your favorite black olive tapenade)
1/2 jar Trader Joe's Green Olive Tapenade (or your favorite available brand)
1 - 8 oz. bottle of your favorite Italian salad dressing

Other optional adds:
1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper (diced)
1 cup broccoli floretes (diced)
1 cucumber (diced)

Mix all ingredients and season as desired.  Best if chilled overnight for flavors to fuse.

Priceless

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...tonight, that's all that needs to be said.  

Ribs for our family dinner: $36.85

Smoker to keep the brothers busy: $135.95

Continuing to prepare the ribs
while beer tasting in our outdoor cooler: $43.95

Two brothers not paying attention and
burning dinner beyond recognition:  Priceless

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes and Too Much Fun

And so it has begun, our weekend with Uncle Rick.  He arrived Thursday afternoon and the fun has not stopped.

Mark, Rick and Matt....trouble!!

  Rick and Heather took a detour to Boulder for some shopping on the way to our house.  They stopped for Tequila, Wine and King Kong...yes, I said King Kong (more on that in a minute).

Leave it to my husband to photo bomb.

Everyone came over for our family happy hour and my pot roast, which was a welcomed cozy aroma to come home to after working (or traveling) all day. I accented the pot roast with sauteed mushrooms, mustard-roasted potatoes and glazed baby carrots. Nothing like a home cooked crock pot meal to warm your soul in the Rocky Mountains.

Father and Daughter - so sweet.

Rick did not disappoint with his selections of new vineyards (and some old favorites) for everyone. Mark and Rick spent Friday in Golden touring the Buffalo Bill Museum and Coors Brewery Factory Tour.  It was a beautifully sunny day and perfect weather for their outing and tours.

Just a few selections for the weekend.

So Thursday night I am at the kitchen sink doing dishes and I look up to see King Kong on the Empire State Building staring at me.  Never a dull moment and always the practical jokers around here.

King Kong guarding the new Coors 19 archive recipe.

We are now preparing for Saturday's carnivore fest....stay tuned for that tomorrow.

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
Courtesy of  Barefoot Contessa

2½ pounds small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan. Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half. Slice them crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices to make half-rounds. Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper and toss them together. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.

Note: I substituted with fingerling potatoes.

Original Peanut Coleslaw and Uncle Rick

We are T minus 24 hours before Rick (my husband's brother) arrives.  There are three very important things to remember when you are preparing for Rick's visit.

Summer sailing with Rick in Newport Harbor.

1.  Get plenty of sleep ahead of time and rest up because we have many late nights with a lot of laughter while he is here and each morning we are up early with our coffee time together and start all over again.

2.  Prepare your liver for many beverages.  Rick has impeccable taste in the best wines and always introduces us to some incredible vineyards.

3.  Try to lose 5 pounds before he comes because we gain at least 10 pounds back from all the amazing cooking.  My husband and Rick love to cook together and I get to benefit the rewards of some really awesome meals.  Their specialty is anything carnivore that can be smoked, grilled or roasted.

Two Peas in a Pod (or a Duffy boat in this case).

It was a year ago when Rick was last here and I remember all of us sitting around the dinner table discussing a cooking blog that I should start up...great ideas always happen around the family table.

The fun in the kitchen never ends!!

My husband and his family grew up in Southern California near a great BBQ restaurant called Wood Ranch BBQ.  I really miss this place - must try to get one here in Colorado, especially with all the bbq lovers around the Rocky Mountains.

I love, love, love their coleslaw and get cravings for it now and again.  This is the perfect and quick salad of fresh ingredients to get my energy level up for this week's visit.

Copycat Recipe:
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill "Original Peanut Coleslaw"
Courtesy of food.com

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix, packaged, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups red cabbage, packaged, shredded
• 3/4 cup celery, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine coleslaw, red cabbage, celery and green onions.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together wine vinegar, water, sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder and oil.
3. Mix dressing with coleslaw; stir in garlic pepper and peanuts and toss well.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lasagna Soup and Life Back To Normal (Someday)

It has been quite a week since I was in New Mexico for our first long distance volleyball tournament.  The good news was that our team took first place in their division and in the spirit of the Olympics, they "brought home the Silver Medal".  The bad news was my daughter in the final 5 minutes of the last game for first place took a dive for the ball and got kicked in the head.

I watched and waited....not wanting to overreact, but also a flash of concern comes over me to see how bad it is.  Wait for it....then hear it comes, heavy tears streaming down her face, holding her head and she cannot get up off the court. Her coach helps her walk off and her team cheers for her.  All I can think of is concussion.  The team carried on as she and I sat on the sidelines and they brought sweet victory in the end.  Of course the rest of the night and during our 8 hour drive home, I kept waking her up to make sure she was okay (she wasn't really happy with me about interrupting her naps).

When we returned home, my other sick daughter was making a full recovery, which was a blessed sight to see.  Then the real fun started.....

Tuesday:  Took our dog Angus in for a tooth removal, which turned into 4 teeth and an eye skin tag removal $urgery. He came home barely able to walk from being heavily sedated.  Too many puppy martinis it looked like.

Tuesday and Wednesday:  Kitchen torn up for plumbing repairs and then drywall and paint patching.  I tried to pay off the contractor an extra $100 to keep my kitchen torn apart for the week so I wouldn't have to cook or do dishes...he didn't take the bait though, bummer.

Wednesday was my birthday.  Everyone asks me what I want for my birthday.  Every year I want a Personal Assistant just to be able to get through weeks like this.  I didn't get one, maybe next year.  I did however get showered with beautiful flowers, cards and well wishes from family and friends...can't ask for anything more than that.

Friday worked the last high school basketball game concession stand duties with both my girls.  I have never hustled so much popcorn, nachos and soft pretzels in my life (even more than working the state fair in my youth).  People do amaze me though and I just have to vent about this. Some other mothers that were gracious to show up and volunteer too (one in a fur vest and the other in a designer leather jacket, really???) Do they not understand that nacho cheese sauce is flying around this place and every batch of popcorn made, you end up with a canola oil facial!!!  They looked beautiful when they showed up for duties, I only hope their clothes didn't get ruined.

As we are preparing for Uncle Rick's (my husband's brother) arrival this week, Saturday and Sunday were equally schedule packed:  pest control service, carpets got professional shampoo cleaning, dusting, scrubbing, planning weekly dinner menu and shopping, car wash, laundry, paint touch up and the list goes on and on.  I know I am not the only household that does extensive house cleaning and "honey-do-list" when company comes.  It's amazing how much things get accomplished for house guests.

By Sunday night, I was beyond exhausted and needed an easy dinner....this one is awesome and doesn't get much easier.  A one pot wonder that also makes great lunch leftovers.

Lasagna Soup
Courtesy of Cuisine at Home Magazine

BROWN:
1	lb. bulk Italian sausage1 lb.
2	cups chopped onion2 cups
1	cup diced carrot1 cup
2	cups sliced button mushrooms2 cups
2	Tbsp. minced garlic2 Tbsp.
ADD:
4	cups low-sodium chicken broth4 cups
1	can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped (14.5 oz.)1 can
1	can tomato sauce1 can
1	cup dry mafalda pasta1 cup
2	cups chopped fresh spinach2 cups
PLACE:
1	cup diced provolone or fresh mozzarella1 cup
1⁄4	cup shredded Parmesan1⁄4 cup
4	tsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes more.
Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.
Place ¼ cup diced cheese in each of four serving bowls; ladle soup on top. Garnish each serving with Parmesan and basil.