The Landscape Crew

Chipotle Pork Soft Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

These tacos are spicy, delicious and healthy. The recipe calls for chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. A little bit goes a LONG way so use it sparingly. I have never used a whole can of this ingredient so I separate tablespoon size portions into small freezer bags and save them for future recipes. I keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

From Cooking Light Magazine


Yield
6 servings (serving size: 2 tortillas, 2/3 cup pork mixture, and 1/2 cup salsa)

Ingredients
Salsa:
2 cups minced pineapple
1 cup minced apple
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Tacos:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir until well blended. Cover and chill.

To prepare tacos, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes or until pork loses its pink color, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and next 7 ingredients (through chipotles). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Serve pork mixture with tortillas and salsa.

"Samantha"

Sort of sounds like, "Bamantas" but I know what she means :)

Lila and Natalie

My friend Jen stopped by to visit with her 6 1/2 month old twins, Lila and Natalie. They were adorable and Samantha was in heaven having TWO babies to play with.
Samantha had to call her girlfriends, she could not contain her excitement, "Yes there are TWO babies here and you are not going to believe this, they look exactly alike. Get over here ASAP, you have got to see this!"

Birthday Party

Samantha's friends Jak (3) and Kaya (1) had a birthday party last weekend. Here are some pictures from the party.

The bounce house was the highlight of the party - even after Samantha fell out of it.

The Little Artist

I think we finally have found Samantha's "must have" item. Markers! She refers to them as "colors" and she refers to them often. The first thing she says when we go to get her out of her crib in the morning or after her nap is, "colors". She continues to say "colors" until we give them to her (we keep trying to hide them thinking she will forget about them).

The problem is the mess. She is drawing on the floors, the doors, walls, furniture and of course, herself. And even though the box says they are washable, it still freaks me out to see blue and red scribbles on my couch (which does indeed come out - thank you Crayola!)

The good thing is that the inside of our house still needs to be painted (hence the blue tape you see in all the photos of our house) so we will be painting over anything that does not come off. However, I feel like she is getting the wrong idea that it is okay to color everywhere and anywhere. I can't keep up with her, my little Picasso races around the house with multiple markers screaming "COLOR, COLOR, COLOR"!

Of course her Daddy, the artist, is so proud :)

Twins

Todd and I had the pleasure of watching Reese for her parents last weekend overnight while they attended a wedding out of town. It was Samantha's first sleepover.

Note to Reese's parents: they went to bed at a decent time (8 PM) and they did not sneak out at any point during the night.

We had so much fun! Look at these cute girls - they look like twins!

It was so funny to look in my rear view mirror and see TWO kids. They kept looking at each other, smiling, trying to trade pacifiers, sharing snacks and toys.

Lollipop was in heaven because she had not one but TWO toddlers to clean up after and beg from.


We went out to lunch and got several looks from other people. I figured they thought we had twins. Most people seemed to think they were adorable while others seemed to be thinking, "that poor couple, they have their hands full".

Reading to my girls before bed

All in all, it was really easy. Sam and Reese are on the same exact sleeping schedule and they kept each other busy and entertained. I really think they got a kick out of waking up in the morning and realizing that they were both still in each others presence.

I did find myself saying, "Share", "Don't Hit", "No", "Share", "No", "No", "Get Down", "Off the Table", "Stop Feeding The Dog", "Don't Touch", "Share", "Share", "Share"............. A LOT!

But it was all worth it. We can't wait for another sleepover.

Can't Take The Heat

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few days, you must know that Santa Barbara was on fire, or I should say still is. As of right now, the Jesusita Fire is 55% contained leaving behind about 80 damaged or destroyed homes. We have friends that were very close to losing their homes and even some who did. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by the fire.

Images like the one above combined with the sounds of helicopters practically in our living room is not something I will ever forget.

I thought I would also share how our dear Lollipop reacted to the fire. We don't have A/C like most homes in Santa Barbara. I am actually kicking myself because when we were at the point in our remodel when we installed the heat, we talked about getting A/C. I cheaped out and said we didn't need it, no one else had it. However, when temperatures reach the triple digits outside, the inside of your house is dreadfully hot, almost unbearable. You end up sweating bullets, fans are buzzing in every room and all you can talk about is how hot it is and how you wish you had A/C. On top of that, with the fire, you can't open your doors or windows because of the smoke and ash.

Thus, here is our little Lollipop, overheated, draped over the couch, trying to maintain her cool wishing she had been included in the A/C discussion last year:

Huevos Rancheros Verdes

Breakfast for dinner or as my friends reminded me the other day, "Binner", is a fun way to mix it up. I never order Huevos Rancheros when we go out to breakfast nor have I ever made it but when I came across this recipe in Eating Well magazine I thought I would give it a try. Breakfast for me is usually whatever my daughter is eating (a frozen waffle or dry cereal) so making a "real" breakfast sounded like fun and having it for dinner allowed me to have the time to make it.

This was very easy to make and the really great thing is that I think I finally learned how to cook eggs......I have always flipped them. Instead I was patient and followed the recipe when it said to cook the eggs undisturbed and on low heat. They came out perfect I must say.

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine May/June 2009 Issue

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1 scallion, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed

1/2 cup prepared green salsa

8 6-inch corn tortillas

Canola oil cooking spray

3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Combine lettuce, scallion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon oil, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; set aside. Combine beans and salsa in another bowl.

3. Coat both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet in 4 sets of overlapping pairs. (Each pair should overlap by about 3 inches.) Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on top of each pair of tortillas and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cheese each. Bake until the beans are hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack each egg into a small bowl and slip them one at a time into the pan, taking care not to break the yolks. Season the eggs with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes for soft-set yolks. (For hard-set yolks, cover the pan after 5 minutes and continue cooking until the yolks are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.)

5. To assemble, place an egg on top of each pair of tortillas and top with a generous 1/4 cup of the lettuce mixture.

I served them with a side of sliced avocado. For a heartier meal, you can add a side of rice.

Uncle Drew

Todd's brother Drew got to spend some time with Samantha this week. Samantha loved playing catch with her Uncle.

Yummy Mummy

If you haven't noticed, I LOVE to cook. I find it very relaxing. I love the whole process of making a meal from start to finish (actually up until it's time to wash dishes) but that is what husbands are for right? Just Kidding Todd :)

I by no means think I am a gourmet chef or even close to it, but I do love trying out different recipes that I find from my favorite cooking magazines or blogs and adapting them to my own or replicating them as best I can. It is nice to keep track of all the good ones so that I have something on hand to prepare for guests or special occasions.

My friends Marina and Sarah also love to cook (they are better than me at it) and also share recipes on their blogs. We thought it would be nice to post all of our recipes in one central place so that we have an even larger catalog of "go to" recipes.

Thus, Yummy Mummy was born! Check it out, try out some recipes and leave us comments, we would love to hear from you.

Grilled Tuna Steaks with Citrus-Ginger Sauce

This recipe is all about the sauce. It is so light and flavorful. I love that we have a flourishing orange and lemon tree in our backyard, it is so nice to walk out into the yard to collect fresh ingredients for the nights meal. And even nicer not having to pay for overpriced produce that is not fresh.

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine by Ann Chantal Altman


Serves 6

1. 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon safflower oil, plus more for brushing
2. 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
3. 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
4. 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5. 1 cup fresh red grapefruit juice
6. 1 cup fresh orange juice
7. 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
8. 3/4 cup dry white wine
9. 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
10. 2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
11. Six 1-inch-thick tuna steaks (about 2 1/4 pounds total)
12. Salt and freshly ground pepper
13. 1/4 cup wasabi paste

Directions
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the safflower oil until shimmering. Add the sliced ginger, shallots and garlic and cook them over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the red grapefruit, orange and lemon juices along with the wine, light soy sauce and stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup and is slightly syrupy, about 40 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh sieve over the jar of a blender. Strain the sauce, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid. With the blender on, slowly pour in the remaining 3/4 cup of oil until combined.

Light a grill or heat 2 grill pans. Lightly brush the tuna steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over moderately high heat, turning once, until medium rare, about 6 minutes. Transfer the steaks to plates, spoon the sauce on top and serve with the wasabi on the side.

I served the fish with whole-wheat cous cous which soaked up the sauce perfectly along with steamed peas.

What a Life

Piano Duet