Favorite Recipe: Baja Fish Tacos

This is another recipe creation that I came up with to satisfy the husby's cravings for fish tacos from McCormick & Schmick's. It has proven to be a favorite among the family, and even The Fred likes it. Enjoy!

Baja Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

2-3 Mahi-Mahi Fillets (or other firm white fish)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package taco seasoning
1 package angel hair slaw
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Texas Pete hot sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package burrito-size flour tortillas
1 container fresh pico de gallo or salsa

Directions:

1) In a bowl, combine angel hair slaw, vinegar, cilantro, and diced jalapeno. Mix well and put in refrigerator to marinate.
2) Mix together sour cream and hot sauce and refrigerate.
3) Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut Mahi-Mahi fillets into one-inch wide strips. Combine flour and taco seasoning and mix well. Dredge fish in seasoning mixture until well coated.
4) Add fish to skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through.
5) To assemble tacos, spread sour cream mixture onto flour tortillas, add fish, top with slaw and pico de gallo, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

New Pair of Kicks

The Fred got her first pair of sneakers today...a pair of pink New Balances...very cute! As soon as I put them on her feet, she turned into an athlete...or what she thinks, in her pretty little two-year old head, someone should be doing when they have on sneakers. First, she showed me how to run...then, she showed me how to jump...next, she picked up a ball and said, "Shoot that ball!"...lastly, she showed me how to march in place, very quickly...

Someone will be sleeping well tonight...

I Might Be Slackin' With Baby #2...

Well, SweetBoy is eight months old now, and although I have taken hundreds of pictures of him since birth, I have not had any professional photos taken. GASP!!! With The Fred (a.k.a. Baby #1), I had pictures taken at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, one year, etc. I have to get my act together and setup an appointment for some 9 month portraits. As for what I will tell him about his lack of professional pics in the previous 9 months, I will be busy using Photoshop to add the cheesy backdrops to his digital snapshots...

Third Release by The MommaDrool Mafia

MommaPeas, after hearing that Tooty can bob her head to some of your favorite hits, I was inspired to do a MommaDrool & MommaPeas rap duet for the much-awaited third release by The MommaDrool Mafia. Hope you enjoy the new release, "Nuthin' But a Mom Thang."

Nuthin' But a Mom Thang

One, two, three and to the fo'
Got my SweetBoy and The Fred on the flo'
Ready to play with our toys, so back on up
Cause you know we 'bout to tear things up

Gimme my magic wand first, so we can blow lots of bubbles
SweetBoy and The Fred together, now you know you in trouble

Ain't nothin' but a Mom thang, baaaaabay!
This stay at home mom is goin’ craaaaazay!
The hardest job but no one ever paaaaays me!
Unfadable, so please don't try to fade this [Well yeah]

But, uh, back to the lecture at hand
Perfection is perfected, so I'm 'a let 'em understand
From a young Mom's perspective
And before we have us one more I have to take a contraceptive
You never know they might be playin' with toys, And breakin' the toys, and at the same time throwin’ their toys
Now you know I ain't down wit that, my mommas
Ain't no other stay at home ladies that don’t git my problems
Now that's realer than real-deal Holyfield
And now all you mommas and tot's know how I feel
Well if it's late enough to put ‘em down for a good nap
I'll do anything to get all these kids off my lap

It's like this and like that and like this and uh
It's like that and like this and like that and uh
It's like this and like that and like this and uh
MommaPeas, creep to the mic like a phantom

-MommaPeas

Well I'm peepin', and I'm creepin', and I'm creep-in'
But I almost got caught, cause my Tooty was sleepin'
Now it's time for me to make my impression felt
So sit back, relax, and strap on your seatbelt
You never seen a mom like this befo'
With a cool girly who can play and control the whole show
At the same time with the dope food that I cook
You know, and I know, I flow, even readin’ a book
To add to my collection, the selection
Momma-haters say, it’s not fair, I don't care
If ya' do, ya' have no clue
O' what me and my baby Lil’ Tooty came to do

It's like this and like that and like that and uh
It's like that and like this and like that and uh
It's like this, than who really cares about those?
So jus' chill, 'til the next episode

-MommaDrool

Gettinin' kids in the car is like nothing you ever seen
A funky diaper smells like a' old batch o' collard greens
It's the capital M, oh yes, the fresh O double M-A D-R double O-L, M-O-M-M-A ya' see
Showin' much flex when it's time to wreck a mic
Slammin' do's and givin' me lip while I play with these tikes
Yeah, and it don't quit
I think they in a mood to see these kids throw a fit

So Peas. [What up Drool?]
We gotta give 'em what they want [What's that, D?]
We gotta break 'em off somethin' [Well yeah]
And it's gotta be bumpin' [City of B’ham!]

-MommaPeas

It's where it takes place so I'm a ask your attention
Kids are yellin’ real loud but I ain't pinchin’
Droppin' the funky beat that's makin the mommies mumble
When I'm on the mic, it's like a cookie, they all crumble
Talk about my Tooty, and you might get smacked
My stay at home mommy, MommaDrool, has got my back
Never let me slip, 'cause if I slip, then I'm slippin'
But if I got my Tooty, then you know I ain’t trippin'
And I'm a continue to put the rap down, put the mack down
And if your mommies talk mean, I have ta' put the smack down
Yeah, and ya' don't stop
I told you I'm just like a clock when I tick and I tock
But I'm never off, always on, 'til the break of dawn
P-L-A-Y-I-N-G, and the city they call B’ham
Puttin' the stuff together
Like my gal, MommaDrool, no one can do it better

Like this, that and this and uh
It's like that and like this and like that and uh
It's like this, than who really cares about those?
So jus' chill, 'til the next episode

Halloween Preview

Our Halloween costumes arrived today from Old Navy, and of course, I had to try them on the chillins' as soon as I got the box open...soooo cute! I have to say, for $16.50 each, these are some really nice costumes made out of their Performance Fleece. The Fred has had her lion costume on for the past hour, but SweetBoy was done as soon as he realized that his thumb was not accessible...damn primates...sheesh...

Good Morning, Brother

Since moving The Fred to a big girl bed, she likes to visit with her brother in the next room when she wakes up in the mornings. I always know when she is awake because I can hear her talking to him over the baby monitor that is by his crib.

The first night that she slept in her big girl bed, I heard The Fred whisper over the baby monitor, "Brother, are you sleeping?" A few seconds later, I could hear SweetBoy giggle. When I went into his room, he was sitting in the middle of a crib full of stuffed animals. I guess that The Fred decided that he needed some company.

In the morning, after The Fred's second night in her big girl bed, I found her, with her pillow and blankie, laying on the floor beneath SweetBoy's crib. She was laying there "reading" him the books that she had found on his bookshelf. What a great big sis! I am sure that things may change in the coming years, but for now, I am enjoying how close they are to each other.

She Can Spell!

The Fred can officially spell her first word, and it is a doozie!
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S ... GLAMOROUS! Thank you, Fergie. Because of your lyrical masterpiece, The Fred may enter her first Spelling Bee at age three. Oh, the flossy, flossy!

Favorite Recipe: Pheasant & Forest Mushrooms

Okay, I always wonder exactly how I should cook some of the things that my husband kills...that didn't sound right...well, pheasant is one of those things that we don't cook on a regular basis, so when the Husby came home with pheasant from his bird shoot this weekend, I decided I would whip up a gourmet meal "a la pheasant." Make your husby cut up the pheasant for you...it makes them feel loved and then you don't have to touch them (the pheasant not your husby). This is an easy recipe, and it goes well with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli. Enjoy!

Pheasant & Forest Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 cup forest mushroom blend, chopped
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 portabello mushroom caps chopped
2 pheasant- skinned, de-boned, and cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
3 tablespoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup white wine
(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute pheasant meat with garlic and basil until lightly browned.
2) Remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add butter, shallots, and mushrooms to pan. Saute until golden brown.
3) Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and add white wine. Return pheasant to skillet and stir into mushroom mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Parenting Rule #468

I kind of felt as if this was a rule that all parents knew and understood...

Parenting Rule #468

DO NOT EVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE WITH WET PAINT, DRYWALL, ETC.

Unfortunately, the Husby is either in the early stages of Alzheimer's or he had inhaled too many fumes this evening while doing one of his projects around the house. SweetBoy felt that he needed to test the claim that the drywall is non-toxic...

I Couldn't Resist...

Here is my eBay listing for the Siamese Twin Carrots...

Siamese Twin Carrots on eBay

I know...I have officially lost it...

SweetBoy vs. The Mashed Potatoes

The mashed potatoes had no chance up against SweetBoy. He ate them all and then sang for more...

SweetBoy Enjoying Mashed Potatoes...


And Singing for More...

I Could Sell It On eBay...

Look! It's siamese twin carrots! This is one of those things that looks so weird that you almost don't want to touch it...looks like two little fingers...ewww...

Should I sell it on eBay?

Mine Too!

Well, I am known to straighten my hair on a regular basis because my waves/curls tend to be extremely unruly. The Fred, on the other hand, has beautiful ringlets. Although, I am sure she will hate them too one day.

Last night, before we went to dinner, The Fred was watching me straighten my hair and asked if I would do her hair like mine. I obliged, and she ended up looking so different...her hair is actually past her shoulders when it is straight! Here is a pic of The Fred showing off her "straight" hairdo!

Happy (Early) Birthday To Me...

Happy Birthday to me!

How can this be?

A Plasma TV-ee...

In my room, just for me!!!

I Laughed So Hard...

SweetBoy loves to ride on people's shoulders...especially, if they have a bald head to slobber on. My MIL caught this video of SweetBoy with Grandpa last weekend. SweetBoy laughed so hard that he instantly fell asleep in Grandpa's arms!

Reason #12: Why You Should Not Have White Suede Couches, If You Have Children

Reason #12:
They may decide to use the back of the couch as a canvas for their latest masterpiece...and you may cry...


(The Fred keeps telling me, "Uh-oh, that wasn't supposed to happen!)

Sensible Observations

1) When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died
peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the
passengers in his car."
--Author Unknown

2) Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you
get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:
"Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."
--Author Unknown

3) "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so?
There's a support group for that.
It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
--Drew Carey

4) "The problem with the designated driver program, it's
not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into
doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night,
drop them off at the wrong house."
--Jeff Foxworthy

5) "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball
and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the
infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base."
--Dave Barry

6) "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and
we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend
wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice.
There should be severance pay, the day before they leave
you, they should have to find you a temp."
--Bob Ettinger

7) "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took
her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said,
'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"
--Paula Poundstone

8) "A study in the Washington Post says that women have
better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the
authors of that study: "Duh."
--Conan O'Brien

9) "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm
halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God....
I could be eating a slow learner."
--Lynda Montgomery

10) "I think that's how Chicago got started. Bunch of
people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime
and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough.
Let's go west.'"
--Richard Jeni

11) "If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the
impersonators would be dead."
--Johnny Carson

12) "Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography."
--Paul Rodriguez

13) "My parents didn't want to move to Florida ,
but they turned sixty and that's the law."
--Jerry Seinfeld

14) "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in
case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line
from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that?
What, do tall people burn slower?"
--Warren Hutcherson

15) "Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many.
Monogamy is the same."
--Oscar Wilde

16) "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a
member of Congress.. But I repeat myself."
--Mark Twain

17) "Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student.
At least they can find Afghanistan "
--A. Whitney Brown

18) "You can say any foolish thing to a dog,
and the dog will give you a look that says,
'My God, you're right!
I never would've thought of that!'"
--Dave Barry

19) Do you know why they call it "PMS"?
Because "Mad Cow Disease" was taken.
--Unknown, presumed deceased

20) "Everybody's got to believe in something.
I believe I'll have another beer."
- W. C. Fields

Sprinkler Stars

Well, it has been so hot outside that I told The Fred that we would play in the sprinkler after lunch. It was also a great excuse to water the front yard...since we still have watering restrictions due to the Stage 3 drought. The Fred and SweetBoy both had a blast!

And That's All...

I am a big fan of one of our local restaurants, The Paw Paw Patch. They have a great meat and three buffet, but what I love even more is that they have a drive thru. Therefore, I can quickly breeze through and pick-up my vegetable plate without having to deal with the hassle of getting kids in and out of the car.

Obviously, The Fred has picked up on my dialogue when it comes to the drive-thru. When placing an order, my side of the conversation sounds something like this:

"May I please have a _____, uhm ______, and uhm _____, and that's all! Thank you!"

After pulling forward the other day, I heard The Fred say from the backseat, "Yes, may I please have a hamburger...uhm, chicken...a quesadilla...uhm, french fries...and a small coke...and that's all! Thank you!"

Now, she walks around the house "placing orders" all day...some of the food combinations are hilarious. Just more proof that they hear and are able to repeat everything we say!

Mission Completion

We did it! We did it! We did it! Hooray! I finally took the plunge...I moved The Fred from her cage (crib) to a big girl daybed today. She was so excited about the transition that she "helped" me convert her crib to a daybed. Needless to say, her "help" turned a 20-minute project into a 1-hour fiasco, but at least she was excited about the idea.

I have been avoiding this transition for quite some time now because of my own concerns for her safety...as well as my desire to keep her a baby as long as possible. I have had this overwhelming fear that if I put her in a big girl bed, she would climb out in the middle of the night, unlock the front door, and go traipsing around the neighborhood in her pajamas. I know that this is probably a ridiculous thought, but I wouldn't put it past her.

Most of my concern has revolved around the fact that neither of the kid's bedrooms have doors on them. Instead, they have shutter-style double doors that pull closed. I wanted to have a real door on her room if she was going to be in a big girl bed...knowing that I could hear her door open over the baby monitor (or that I could lock her in her room if we had escape issues). So, the Husby began the project of putting a real door on her room yesterday. Until then, she has a blanket hanging over the space as a pseudo-door.

When I put her down for a nap this afternoon, I knew that I would probably have a problem with The Fred staying in her bed if there were not rails to contain her. She pitched her usual fit about having to take a nap, and I laid her in her bed with a cup of milk. I waited to see her run through the blanket hanging in the doorway...but there was nothing...not a peep.

Two hours later, I returned to her room to find her laying in her bed in the same spot where I left her. She was awake and had not even thought about getting out of bed. I am beginning to think that a lot of these transition issues have everything to do with me and nothing to do with my children...can't we keep them small forever?

Crawling for Cookies

I should have known that all it would take for SweetBoy to start crawling would be to motivate him with some food. As you can see, as soon as he spots the empty animal cookie bag on the floor, he is quick to move in that direction. I really can't believe he is so big!

Escape!!!

For some reason, The Fred thinks that it is funny to run away from me...in parking lots. She finds even more humor in it if I have on heels...so, after church today, we went to get some lunch. It was The Fred's turn to choose, and she chose pizza...surprise, surprise!

After we finished our meal, Husby grabbed SweetBoy and the diaper bag, and I was in charge of the leftover pizza box and The Fred. Needless to say, as soon as we exited the door, she broke free and took off across the parking lot. I have nightmares about my child being run over in front of me, but she has complete disregard for my fears. I starting yelling her name, but she just started laughing...and running...so, I started running...in high heel sandals...carrying a pizza box. I am sure to all of the onlookers it was hilarious. Only once The Fred reached the edge of the apartment complex behind the restaurant, did she begin to slow her pace.

In a moment of genius, I did what any mother would do. I told her that there were big spiders in the grass that would bite her if she didn't come back to me. I know, I know...but, what is a gal to do? When I turned around, Husby was just standing there laughing. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Of course, it had to start raining on my way back to the car. Here I am, carrying my child like a sack of potatoes...in a silk dress with heels...in the rain...

I can honestly say that my life is without any dull moments...