And the Desert Shall Rejoice, and Blossom as the Rose

Life is a little rough out in the desert. I'm reminded every time I get into my sweltering car and the thermometer reads 120. I tried to grow some marigolds and they fried. It was horrifying to see them die so quickly, even when planted inches away from the drip system. Experiences like that may be discouraging, but I appreciate this even more:



We have two of these bushes, and I think they're some kind of desert sage. Even though they're not my favorite, I LOVE when they look like that.

California Trip

I've been so bad about blogging lately. It's like writing in my journal . . . I wait and wait until I have so much to say it overwhelms me. Anyway, thanks to the flu scare in May, we got a screaming deal on a cruise. We'd never been on a cruise together, so it was a great adventure. We loved it.

First we spent a couple of days in San Diego. We went to the zoo where Ryan was tragically attacked by a gorilla. The little girl may never recover from the trauma.



We went to Seaport Village for dinner that next. The food was okay but the view was awesome. We sat outside even though it was chilly so that we could enjoy the sound of the waves and view of Coronado Island. We decided to go back and wander around Seaport Village again the next day before our ship left port.





The next day we took an incredible tour of Catalina Island. We rode on a unimoger, which means loosely "one of a kind vehicle" in German. It wasn't that fast but had incredible torque. So we were able to venture over some pretty rough terrain to get to some gorgeous views. Like this:



An especially this:



Because of the Swine Flu, they canceled our day in Mexico, so the other two days were "out to sea" days. We had a blast on the ship too, but we didn't take many pictures. I didn't want a reminder of such gluttony. One night was more formal, so we did actually take a picture of that.



May was an extremely hectic month for us, so we were mostly just so glad to get away for a week! It was definitely a good break.

Baby Birdies

I am SO excited! I'm definitely not a bird lover, but there is something really cool to me about having baby birds just outside our front door. I feel like I somehow contributed to nature or something. Anyway, I think they were born sometime Friday night because I heard cute little chirps Saturday morning. I can't see them because they're too high, but Ryan got a good picture by reaching and using our little stepping stool. I just think they're adorable. I name them . . . Pitrie, Ethel, and James. As you can see James is a little shy.

My Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

Note this is MY mom's enchilada's. My mom is the offspring of two Idahoans, so this recipe is a little not authentic. She has lived in New Mexico most of her life though, so does know what she's talking about. In New Mexico, we often do layers instead of rolled enchiladas though. I like that for two reasons: 1.) I like being different 2.) we're talking 100x's easier. I do deviate from my mom's recipe a little as noted because Heaven forbid I follow directions verbatim.

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Healthy Request and it's still good)
1 can cream of chicken soup (again, I use Healthy Request)
1 cup milk or 1 cup chicken broth (hey, I used Healthy Request, so milk's okay, right?)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 4 oz. can chopped Hatch green chili (only Hatch? YES)
2 cups cooked chicken (recipe calls for diced, but I like shredded)
12 corn tortillas
cooking oil
3 cups cheddar cheese

Combine the soups, milk/broth, onion, chili, and chicken in a large saucepan to warm through. Next, the tortillas need to be softened. Either fry very briefly (just until soft) in a little cooking oil, or simply dip in the sauce after it's warmed. I ALWAYS dip in the sauce because it's easier and uses fewer pans. Very lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Layer the tortillas, sauce, and cheese in the pan. Repeat until all of the sauce and cheese are gone. The sauce to tortilla ratio doesn't always come out perfectly for me, so use some judgment if needed. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is nice and brown. Mmmmmm.....

Irma's Salsa with Christie Commentary

1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes (Irma says use generic; it's less sweet)
1 clove garlic (I use the largest clove I can find because I like my garlic)
1/2 of a whole pickled jalapeno pepper for mild (yech, I don't like pickled anything, so I chop a fresh one with all but a few seeds removed)
1 teaspoon diced (yellow/red/white/not green) onion
salt to taste
1 small fresh tomato, diced (I use two to make it chunkier)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I use a bit more cilantro than this)
Lawry's seasoned pepper to taste (the recipe doesn't call for it and is good w/o, but I think it adds just a little personality)

First, I like to blend the garlic, jalapeno, and diced onion really well in the food processor/blender; I definitely don't want any big chunks of those to hang around. Then throw in the can of tomatoes and pulse (I add my cilantro after just a pulse or two, but Irma likes to add it later). If you like your salsa really liquid, blend it longer. Otherwise, just get it fairly chopped up. Then, Irma likes to chop her cilantro and add it now that the blending is over. I figure it's lazier, but you can chop it less if you add it to the food processor earlier on. Irma's way is probably better though, I admit. Anyway, add the remaining ingredients, then salt and pepper to taste. Remember that spices need to be stronger if you're going to serve your salsa chilled instead of room temperature.

I'm just learning how to make salsas, so please share if you have a good recipe!

Fiesta Night!

Okay, so we didn't realize have a "fiesta" per say. I only thought of that as an oh-so-clever title to a posting on our dinner. But we did have enchiladas, salsa, and rice (er, rice-a-roni; forgive me). I will try to post the recipes tomorrow, but here are some pictures for now.

New Layout

When my friend said, "I can't remember your blog. What is it? I do remember that it was red and yellow at one point (I hope you changed that)" I realized I needed a change. I was too scared to make changes because I thought I would mess it up. But I decided to be brave. Honestly, it was 100x's easier than I thought. So, let me know if this one is even uglier than the orange. I promise I won't be offended.