Get yourself out of this pickle....

The other night I was doing some computer work when I heard the unmistakable sound of Grace dropping my (full) water bottle in the kitchen. This is how it landed:

Nice.

Quesadillas

These are fast and mighty tasty. I got the recipe from a friend in Logan...don't know where she got it. 

Pico de Gallo Quesadillas

serves 4

4 roma tomatoes

1 onion

1 jalapeno

1 tablespoon cilantro

lime

salt and pepper

1 green pepper

2 chicken breasts

3 garlic cloves

monterey jack cheese, shredded

tortillas

1. First make the pico de gallo by dicing up the tomatoes, half the onion, the jalapeno (seeded and ribs removed unless you like really spicy) and the cilantro. Mix it all together and squeeze the lime over it. Season with salt and pepper and let sit. ~ this is really just an outline. Adjust the amounts of the ingredients as you see fit. 

2. Slice the second half of the onion, the green pepper and the chicken into thin strips. 

3. Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium high heat till cooked through. Put in a bowl and keep warm. Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook till softened, about 5 minutes or so. Press the garlic through a garlic press and add to the vegetables and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the chicken back to the pan and heat through. 

3. Add half of your pico de gallo to the chicken mixture (drain the pico if it is really juicy) and heat through. 

4. Fill your tortillas with the chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese and cook in a hot skillet till the cheese is melted and the outside of the tortillas is brown and crusty. ~ I find it easiest to make half-moon quesadillas; putting the filling on one half of the tortilla and folding the other half over. This makes it a lot easier to flip. 

5. Serve with the extra pico de gallo and some sour cream as a garnish. 

West Side Story

Rob really wanted to spend mother's day with his mother so yesterday we drove over here to the west side of the state. Luckily it isn't too long of a drive; only 6 hours with a nice break half way at Vantage on the Columbia River. We always stop there and let Sam and Grace throw some rocks in the river which is an activity that they never seem to tire of. Also by the time we've been in the car 3 hours it's time to use the potty, and while the bathrooms at the boat launch are just about as foul smelling as any I've experienced, they happen to have the most amazing acoustics ever which Grace and I discovered with a rousing rendition of 'Book of Mormon Stories', which must have been heard from miles away. I'm not sure that I can't still hear the echos. What made our trip even more exciting yesterday was that we were driving our new-to-us minivan!!! Yes, we finally took to plunge and are the proud owners of a 2001 Toyota Sienna with a bit more miles on then I would have hoped but still quite capable of driving us wherever we need to go for the next however many years. It really is quite wonderful to have at least three times as much space as our little Suzuki Esteem, and in true Packer/Hansen fashion we made sure to pack at least 4 times as much stuff for this trip, which means that poor Sam was banished to the outer darkness of the back bench and had to endure his mother throwing snacks all around him but never quite to him. Actually, we had so much stuff because we brought Grace's crib and Sam's old toddler bed to store in Rob's mom's basement and that required moving out half the back bench and folding up Sam's regular seat. So we will have quite oodles of room on the trip back not to mention all the extra room in the apartment with two beds gone.
We had a great day today at the Locks with Rob's brother Rick watching all the boats and ships coming up and down and watching the salmon coming up the fish ladder. We found a great Fish and Chips place where I had a yummy Italian Grilled Cheese sandwich without a hint of fish on it and wound up the day at REI where we got sleeping bags and water shoes for the kids, spending a whopping 96 cents! Gotta love those dividends. The Seattle REI is the flagship store and is really a cool place. Of course, we think all REI's are cool places to go but this one is especially cool with an enormous climbing wall and a great big tree house for the kids to play in. Grace was so tired by the end of the day she was practically catatonic and hopefully the kids will sleep in a bit tomorrow. Rob and I hope to get to the temple tomorrow morning and then will spending the rest of the day preparing for Mother's Day which means Rob will be shopping for brunch foods and I will be getting a pedicure. Sometimes life is just right.

Chicken Fajitas

These were really great, probably the best fajitas I've ever had. 

Chicken Fajitas on the Grill

serves 4-6

1/3 cup lime juice

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 medium garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed, chile minced

1 1.2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves

salt and black pepper

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat, tenderloins removed, breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness. ~its important to get these an even thickness so that they will cook evenly.

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (do not separate rings)

1 large red and 1 greed pepper, quartered, stemmed, and seeded

8-12 flour tortillas

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade in small bowl; set aside. Add another teaspoon salt to remaining marinade. Place chicken in marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brush both sides of onion rounds and peppers with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat your grill until hot; scrape grill grate clean. 

3. Remove chicken from marinade and place chicken smooth side down on hotter side of grill; discard remaining marinade. Place onion and peppers, skin side down on cooler side of grill. Cook (covered) chicken until well browned, 4-5 minutes; flip chicken and continue grilling until done, 4-5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook peppers until spottily charred on both sides, 8-10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10-12 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes. When chicken and vegetables are done, transfer to a large plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

4. When grill is empty, set heat to medium. Working in batches, place tortillas in single layer on grate and grill until warm and lightly brown, about 20 seconds per side. As they are down, wrap tortillas in kitchen towel or large sheet of foil. 

5. Separate onion rings and place in medium bowl; slice bell peppers lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips and place in bowl with onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved unused marinade to vegetables and toss well to combine. Slice chicken into 1/4 inch strips and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade in another bowl; arrange chicken and vegetables on large platter and serve with warmed tortillas. 

Blog Pilfering

Barter

By Sarah Teasdale

Life has loveliness to sell,

All beautiful and slendid things,

Blue waves whitened on a cliff

Soaring fire that sways and sings,

And children's faces looking up

Holding wonder like a cup

Life has loveliness to sell,

Music like a curve of gold,

Scent of pine trees in the rain,

Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

And for your spirit's still delight,

Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,

Buy it and never count the cost;

For one white singing hour of peace

Count many a year of strife well lost,

And for a breath of ecstasy

Give all you have been, or could be. 

I took this off my sister's blog. She tells me she took it off a friend of a friend's blog. Feel free to put it on your own.