Haircut and playdate

Ryland got his first haircut yesterday. I don't deem this one has his "official" haircut because the top was the only part that was trimmed. I didn't want his hair cut in the back because I don't him to lose that baby-ish look about him. I'm holding on to my last baby for as long as I can! My friend, Shelly cut his hair and she was so patient with him. It's not like she's had the practice or anything...she's got 4 of her own! Thanks for the trim, Shelly. Ryland can see again!
Little Miss Mia came for a visit today. Her sister and two brothers joined her but in Ryland's eyes, it was only Mia! Mia is his bud from baby sign class. She's his first little friend! Her momma is my good friend, Dot. I watched the kids for her today so she could attend parent/teacher conferences. The kids were great! Believe it or not, having 7 kids in my house was quite relaxing! The kept each other busy!

Enchiladas

Last night I made a pork loin in the crockpot using this recipe. I had plenty left over so I shredded and saved it for tonight's meal. I also made plenty of brown rice last night and am using the leftovers as well. The original recipe is my mom-in-law's wonderful enchiladas which is one of Chris's favorite dishes. She uses ground beef and no tomatoes or rice. The following recipe is my tweaked version.

Empty entire can of Rotel tomatoes into pan and give a dash of cumin. Mix well.

Add rice and pork to pan and stir. Heat until just warm.

In a separate bowl, mix together enchilada sauce and tomato sauce.

Shred the cheese...it usually helps to stick it in the freezer for a few minutes prior to shredding.

Get your enchilada station ready. Place a couple tablespoons of sauce to a 13x9 pan and turn to cover bottom. Below is a visual of how I put mine together. About two spoonfuls of sauce, meat/rice mixture then cheese. Fold and place in pan.

Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle remaining cheese.

Bake 350 degrees 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

VERDICT: I've never made these with shredded pork before and I actually like it better than the beef. I'm not a fan of ground beef though so I'm a bit partial to anything BUT ground beef. Chris liked it and said that the ground beef is still his fav but this is a close second. I bet shredded chicken would be great in it too. That will have to be next time!

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked pork, shredded (OR ground beef/shredded chicken)
1-2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown rice)
1-16oz block of velveeta cheese
1 can enchilada sauce, mild
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 sm can tomato sauce
dash of cumin
1 package of 12" tortillas

Mix tomatoes and cumin in a large frying pan. Add meat and rice. Stir well. In separate bowl mix sauces. Remove meat/rice mixture from heat. Shred cheese. Place a little sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan, turning to coat. Assemble enchiladas. Place remaining sauce and cheese on top. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

We're going to Hong Kong!

We just finalized our plans today and we'll be there for 5days/4nights. We're going to go to Disneyland! This is quite the accomplishment for us. First Tokyo Disney, now Hong Kong! That will make 4 Disney parks for me. Now I just need to find out how to get to the Paris Disney!

Day off for Veteran's Day

We had a fun-filled day today. We loaded up and headed for the bowling alley to bowl and have pizza but the power was out along with that plan. We decided to pick up Daddy and go for some pizza at Pizza Hut. After that we went to Whimsy's which is a bowling alley/arcade. They also have what Chris calls a hamster cage for kiddies. The kids really enjoyed their day off.

We made lightsabers in the morning.

Ryland playing video games with dad.

Corn Dog - It's a beautiful thing

How can a hot dog on a stick get any better? Add some corn batter to it and fry it up! I love me some corn dogs! *in my best Southern accent*

Logan and I whipped up some of these lovely treats tonight. I didn't even think to grab my camera to document it until afterward but I did manage to snag a quick pic before they were all gobbled up. This was actually easier than I ever anticipated. The best way to coat them is to put the batter in a tall glass. Have a corn dog night tonight and get yourself some of them there fried taters *sorry...can't get rid of that accent!*
CORN DOGS

• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 (16 ounce) package beef frankfurters
• 8 wooden skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.
2. Preheat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat until temp reaches 350 degrees. Insert wooden skewers into frankfurters. Roll frankfurters in flour and shake off excess. Dip frankfurters in batter until well coated.
3. Fry 2 or 3 corn dogs at a time for 5 to 8 minutes (make sure to turn for even cooking), or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.

Clean up, clean up!

I did the floors in the entire house... swept, mopped and vacuumed in an hour. It took me that long just to clean up the toys in the boys room so I could vacuum that floor! I organized everything into drawers and labeled them so everything has a home. I'll be happy if it lasts at least 24 hours.

Ride'em Cowboy!