Weekend Update

I know I'm late. I've been trying to get a Thirty One party closed this morning and really didn't have time to blog until now.

Friday I went to Jenny's for Girls Night. She had us all over for Primping, Pictures, Pina Coladas, and Purposes. She has done this in the past and this is the second one I've attended. It was so much fun and I can't wait to see the pictures Amory took of us. Before I left I made Spicy Bean Burritos. Be ready for an influx of recipes. I made three new ones this weekend and have two more to try out this week. The recipes from this weekend will be at the end of this post.

Saturday Bri and I went to run with Robin. Then we were home the rest of the day. Brianna had a sleepover for her friend's birthday. We walked over, she just lives on one of the streets behind us. Brianna said we looked like hobos walking over there with a duffle bag and pillow.

Sunday after church Brian grilled us some pizzas from Bloom. The pizzas from their deli case are really good. I had a Thirty One party that afternoon. End of the month parties have to be closed pretty quickly so people don't lose their specials. Plus the website gets busy at the end of the month making it difficult to enter the orders. It really was a nice relaxing weekend without a ton of stuff to do. I think it makes Monday mornings a little easier when we don't have jam packed weekends.

Spicy Bean Burritos
from http://www.annies-eats.com/

2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1/3 cup water or chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
6 Tbsp. fresh salsa

To make the bean filling, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper; stir, cooking until just fragrant. Add the beans and the water or broth to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the salsa and mash the mixture with a fork or spoon (I used a potato masher).

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream.

Cheeseburger Pie
my mom sent me this one and it was good!

16 oz ground beef (I used turkey)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups cooked macaroni
4 oz grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Brown beef, onion and pepper in skillet. Add tomato sauce and chili and garlic powders. Simmer 8-10 minutes. Add cooked macaroni and 3 oz of cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Pour into 8x8 dish, sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with remianing cheese over top. Bake 30 minutes. Remove. Let set 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs
from Marie Ward

1C sliced onion
1C chopped celery
1C chopped carrots
4lbs chicken thighs (I used 6 thighs that I skinned)
salt & pepper
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
1/4c lime juice
1T minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce w/1t sauce from can
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4c chopped cilantro
sliced avocado
lime wedges

Arrange onion, celery, and carrots in bottom of crockpot. Season thighs w/salt & pepper and arrange over vegetables.
In bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles w/sauce, & garlic. Pour mixture over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Serve with avocado, cilantro (I used dried and mixed it with the tomato, etc. in the crockpot), and lime wedges.

I served this chicken with brown rice and red beans.