Wordless Wednesday

Recipe of the Week

We had a cookout yesterday afternoon. Ryan grilled burgers and everyone else brought something to share. We had grilled some corn Sunday, and with the leftovers I made this Black Bean and Corn Salad. For the Salad part of the recipe I used corn cut from the leftover 5 ears of grilled corn, 2 cups cooked black beans, and 1 can of mexican style (Rotel) tomatoes, drained. It turned out really good. It is good with tortilla chips, and we even ate it in tortillas for lunch today.

Black Bean and Corn Salad or Dip

Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Salad

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grilled fresh corn kernel or 1 can corn, drained
• 3/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapenos, seeded-and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley or basil, finely chopped (I like to mix all three)

1. In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients.
2. In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.
3. Pour over the bean mixture and toss until all ingredients are coated.

Gotta love garage sales

Woohoo, I finally hit some good garage sales this morning. I was able to find a huge pile of clothes for the boys, including 2 new pairs of shoes, and I only spent $12. One of the sales was one that I had went to last year and had found a lot of clothing then too. Brooks was happy to get some Spiderman pjs and Hudson was happy with the Thomas Train tshirt I found for .25. Lucky for me, they usually find some toys to occupy themselves with while I shop. Hudson found a cement mixer toy for .15.

A couple weeks ago I picked up a new Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer for $2. The kids like to refer to it as the apple robot. That will be so nice to have when apple season hits in the fall.

Wordless Wednesday

A windy afternoon

Saturday afternoon we headed to Prophetstown State Park for a picnic. Memaw and Pawpaw were in for a visit so they came along. I was happy that the sun was out, but was it windy! The boys didn't care and had a great time playing. Brooks loved riding his bike around and around the play area with the other kids. Hudson was happy to climb all over the playground. This park seriously has the best playground ever. We bought a yearly pass to all the Indiana state parks, so we will be returning again.

In other news, we have turned Brooks around in the car and he is now front-facing. It is so weird to see him front-facing. He is liking it, it's a whole nother view on the world.

Wordless Wednesday

Recipes of the Week

Ok, I can't remember the last time I posted any recipes, so here's some for you!

Ryan grilled steaks for us on Mother's Day. He is truly the grillmaster, my steak was nice and bloody on the inside. After they were grilled, we slathered this on top. It was sooooooo yummy! We will definitely be making steaks again like this.

Blue Cheese Butter

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 beef t-bone steaks or porterhouse steaks

1. In a small bowl combine butter, blue cheese, parsley, basil and garlic.
2. Set aside.
3. Grill steaks to desired doneness.
4. Top each steak with a generous amount of the butter mixture.
5. Chill the remaining butter for another time.

We had roasted green beans with the steaks. I cannot get enough of these green beans, they are really addictive and so easy to make. I made close to 3 lbs and I will be happy to eat the leftovers for lunch!

Roasted Green Beans

2 lbs green beans, washed and trimmed
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into quarters

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Spread the green beans and garlic on a couple cookie sheets.
3. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir.
4. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.
5. Roast until fairly brown and somewhat shriveled in spots.

Here's a great and inexpensive casserole. I am making a double batch of it this morning, I'll put one in the freezer for another time.

Southwestern Baked Spaghetti

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, cooked
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1. Combine hot drained spaghetti, milk and egg; mix well.
2. Pour spaghetti mixture into a buttered 9X13 inch casserole dish.
3. Brown ground beef with onion, bell pepper and garlic in a large skillet; drain.
4. Return drained meat back into the skillet and add seasonings; Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
6. Spread meat mixture over spaghetti.
7. Sprinkle with cheese.
8. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
9. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Making the pizza

We had Asa over Saturday evening to celebrate her finishing finals. She had never made homemade pizza before and had a fun time making hers. Of course, the best part of making homemade pizza is eating it!

Watch this!

Check out this YouTube video. It will put a smile on your face :)

Wordless Wednesday

Visit with the cousins

We took a trip to Grandma and Pop Pop's house yesterday. Uncle Shaun, Aunt Carissa and cousin Adyson were in town from San Diego. Ryan's half-sister Wendy and her kids were also there, as well as Aunt Barb. We had a fun time visiting with all of them!

Brooks playing kickball with Uncle Shaun.

Adyson loved Brooks's John Deere boots!