You might remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that a life saving grace to making meals at home for us was to cook whole chickens, then add the protein to other dishes. Here is a quesadilla that we often make with that exact recipe. You can also keep this recipe vegetarian by just omiting the chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 mild Chile (Anaheim or Poblano)
• 2 jalapeno chilies (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 lb variety of mushrooms
• 1 tbsp. chicken of Chile powder
• 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
• 1/4 cup of your favorite tomato based salsa
• 2 cups Monterey jack cheese
• 8 oz. of chicken (optional)

1. Fire up the grill and cook the chilies over the heat source until it blisters on all sides. Transfer to a container with a lid, I use a bowl topped with a plate. Sweat the chilies for about 10-15 minutes then peel, deseed, and finely chop.
2. Meanwhile in a bowl add mushrooms, olive oil, Chile powder, and garlic toss until well incorporated. Grill over direct heat until mushrooms are softened. Remove mushrooms from heat and roughly chop, add finely chopped chilies, and salsa mix until well incorporated. If you are adding the chicken finely chop the chicken and add. You may want to add additional spices listed above to taste (Lori does). Allow to cool.
   
   
3. While the mixture is cooling mark the tortillas one side over direct heat of the grill this should only take a second or two per tortilla.
4. Next place a tortilla on an oiled sheet of foil. Add cheese on one half of the tortilla, and then spoon the mixture on to the cheese with out overfilling the tortilla. Then fold the tortilla in half. Fold the foil sheet over the tortilla making a cocoon.
5. Grill over direct heat each side for 5 minutes, 10 minutes total.
6. Enjoy with a Negra Modelo.

Remember food is only good for you if you can eat it!
-Nate

Instructions

• 4 lb. Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Breast or Thighs
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
• 4 c. Buttermilk

Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry.

Measure out the buttermilk stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme until well incorporated. Submerge chicken in buttermilk allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (freezes well).

Grill over direct heat for about 8 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Tent for a few minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

     Breast per oz.

• 31 Kcal oz
• 3g of fat
• 27g of protein
• 1g of carbohydrate

    Thighs per oz.

• 33 Kcal oz
• 10g of fat
• 23g of protein
• 2g of carbs

Remember food is only good for you if you can eat it!

I received my warning from the dentist, informing us at Big Sister’s bi-annual check-up that a tooth would likely be gone within 6 months. That got me thinking about tooth fairy pillows. From there I was able to work out what I envisioned for the pillow. So when she showed me the adult tooth already making its way through her gum, despite the baby tooth still in place, I was ready and had the pillow done the same night!

It can even be a lot of fun to include your child in the fabric choices. I let Big go through my fabric stash picking out her favorites for each piece of the house. As I said before, this part doesn’t have to be a secret!! In my world, that greatly adds to my chances for success!

Since I love you all so much, I’ve helped out with Phase 1. I’ve put together a pattern & tutorial for our Tooth Fairy House pillow. You can follow along here, or I’ve made a Printable version, along with the Pattern pieces that you can download by clicking on the image below:

You are totally going to rock this Tooth Fairy thing!! Enjoy!

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To get started: Print out the Pattern Pieces.

Cut out all the pattern pieces, ensuring that they have printed at 100% by checking the measurement of the line at the bottom of the page in the box titled Print Test. It should measure 1 inch.

Cut a piece of fusible interfacing slightly larger than the house front.

Follow the instructions included with the interfacing & adhere it to the house front fabric, then cut the piece out. Cut out remaining pieces as indicated on the pattern piece.

Prepare the pieces to be assembled: 

Place the Door Front and Door Back fabric RIGHT sides together and pin in place. Stitch a 1/2” seam along the curved edge as shown by the dashed line on the pattern piece, leaving the bottom open.

Using a piece of interfacing that is just smaller than your stitching & 1/2” shorter (you can use the light grey portion as a pattern),  iron interfacing to both sides of the door.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4” and clip the curve as shown.

Turn the door right-side-out and Press flat.

Turn the open edge inside 1/2” and stitch closed 1/8” from the edge.

Fold the Pocket fabric RIGHT sides together and pin in place.

Stitch a 1/2” seam up each side, leaving the top open.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4” and clip corners as shown.

Turn the Pocket right-side-out and Press flat.

Turn the open edge inside 1/2” and stitch closed 1/8” from the edge.

Fold the Tab fabric in half, RIGHT sides together and pin in place.

Stitch a 1/2” seam up each side & across the top.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4” and clip corners.

Turn the Tab right-side-out and Press flat.

Following your sewing machine’s instructions, make a button hole, centerd on the Tab ~3/16” from the closed edge.

Assemble the House:

Center Ric-Rac or any other embellishment on the dashed line indicated on the pattern. Pin in place and stitch.

With RIGHT side down, align edge of Roof to the dotted line indicated on the pattern piece and pin in place. Stitch a 1/2” seam along the pinned edge.

Fold Roof up and press seam.

Flip the House Front over and cut the Roof fabric to match the shape of the House Front.

Pin the Roof to the House Front & Baste 1/4” from edge.

Using the dashed lines on the pattern piece as a guide, pin the Window in place and closely stitch around the raw edge a couple of times with a contrasting thread, adding window panes if you wish.

As with the Window, pin the Pocket in place. Stitch in the same way along the sides and bottom, leaving the top open.

Before attaching to the House front, stitch around the door the same as you did the Window & Pocket.

Using the dashed lines on the pattern piece as a guide, pin in place and sew along the Right edge, creating the door hinge.

Allowing enough room for the button, fold the Tab around the door as shown. Use the dashed line & circles as a placement guide.

Open the door & pin Tab in place. Stitch where indicated by dashed line. Trim excess as needed.

With RIGHT side down, place House Back on top of House Front.

Pin into Place.

Stitch a 1/2” seam along the edge, leaving open between circles
as indicated on the pattern piece. Clip top corners.

Reach inside the house to pull open the cut-out corner on one side. Flatten so that the seams match up, with the seam allowances folded
in opposite directions. Pin in place. Stich across with a 1/2” seam.

Repeat on the other side, making sure that the seam allowance on the bottom of the house is folded in the same direction on both sides.

Turn the house right-side-out & stuff.

Close the turning hole with a ladder stitch.

Put a tooth in the pocket and you are ready for the Tooth Fairy!!

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Now that the pillow’s done, it’s on to Phase 2. The money & the note. But don’t worry, I’m here to help on those as well! Check back soon and I’ll show you how to get maximum impact for very little effort! Your kids will love it!

xoxo Lori Danelle

I’m taking over Good Food Friday today because I had to share the salsa recipe I made a couple of weeks ago for my birthday. Yes, salsa for my birthday. Much better than cake. (I feel confident Lesley at Recipe for Crazy would agree with me.)

I love Street Tacos, but what truly makes them great is the salsa. Though different than what I’ve had from a taco truck, this salsa a perfect mix of tart & spicy and is super flavorful! I just used the last of my birthday-weekend-batch last night and will most definitely be making some more!

Ingredients: 

• About 7 small tomatillos (10 ounces) with husks removed and washed
• 10 dried Arbol peppers (5 for mild, more if you dare. I think 10 is a good number to start with the first time you make it. Then you can adjust the next time around.)
• 3 garlic cloves — more if you love it as much as we do at our house
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Place tomatillos and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Roast until soft and brown, turning them to get all sides,  about 18-20 minutes. Garlic cloves will be done faster, so remove when they start to brown and throw ‘em in your blender or food processor.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, quickly toast the dried Arbol peppers. It takes just a couple of minutes, so stay close. The peppers can burn easily and give your sauce a bitter taste. Once they’re done, cut the stems off and throw them in with the garlic.

From experience, we play it safe when handling peppers. (We also cut up Serrano peppers that day, which we definitely needed the gloves for!)

Once the tomatillos are done, quarter them, and add them in with the garlic and peppers. Add the salt and start blending until you get a slightly chunky sauce. Add water if needed, but my experience is that it rarely is.

Put it on your tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chicken, steak — whatever. I promise, it would be good on just about anything. I also suggest a margarita on the side. Can’t go wrong.

ENJOY!!!

xoxo Lori Danelle

Unfortunately, she did have to go to the dentist to have it pulled. Apparently, as the new tooth came up, only the back half of the baby tooth’s roots were dissolved, leaving it still attached. So the only (safe) way to remove it was with a dentist visit.

So last night, I had my first opportunity to play Tooth Fairy! And I must say, I did this one right! Too often, my plans get way too extravagant and I’m not able to deliver, or it becomes a major stress, but not this time!

I can’t wait to share it all with you! I’m finishing up the pattern and tutorial for the Tooth Fairy Pillow and I’ll show you the special note & money the Tooth Fairy left. I’m pretty tickled with how it all turned out.

xoxo Lori Danelle

Please pardon the photos! They were taken with my phone. 

And, if you haven’t been over to my shop in awhile, you might want to stop by. I’ve been busy with new designs this past month.

Enjoy. And BE AWESOME!!!

xoxo Lori Danelle

This dish is one of my favorites, it is light, and fresh, yet gooey with a just the right amount of kick.

Instructions:

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 4 Slices of Smoked Gouda
• 8 Fresh Sage Leaves
• Salt
• Pepper
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Sage (minced)
• 4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• ¼ tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper

Place chicken inside a plastic grocery bag, or use plastic wrap to cover the chicken breast. Using a meat pounder, or a rubber mallet whatever you have in the tool box to do the job, pound the chicken evenly as flat as you can without tearing the meat. Next place a slice of gouda inside the chicken, then roll the sage between you index finger and thumb crushing the sage and releasing its extracts, place the sage on top of the cheese. Fold the other half of the chicken over closing the breast. Season the breast with salt and pepper.

(The chicken breast in the back is a great example of what not to do. If this happens suture the breast with tooth picks.)

In a large skillet add the oil, minced sage, garlic, and cayenne pepper to a small pan cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook chicken until done, inside temperature should be 165F.

An Additional Tip: Make a double batch of the oil mixture and toss with some pasta for the side.

Remember food is only good for you if you can eat it!
-Nate

My first reaction when I saw both the baby tooth and the adult tooth trying to cram its way into a full mouth of teeth, was panic. Surely, this could only lead to expensive orthodontic bills and braces!

But upon further inspection, we quickly realized that the baby tooth was indeed loose and the world most likely was not going to end — OK, so I was the only one who needed reassuring of this.

Big’s reaction to a loose tooth and new adult tooth?
The biggest, longest, most wonderful belly laugh I have ever heard from this kid.

She was elated.

And then she left a note for her Daddy to tell him the news when he got home.

Awhile back, I had begun thinking about what sort of Tooth Fairy Pillow I would make, and I’m so glad I had! I pulled out the pattern I had been working on and began sewing on the pillow immediately after saying good-night and shutting her door.

Behind the door is a cute little pocket, just big enough for a tooth.

I might make a couple of adjustments when I sew the next pillow for Little Sister, but I think Big is happy with it just the way it is.

 Now we just need to get that tooth out of her mouth!!!

xoxo Lori Danelle

Celebrating at our house almost always means cooking.
And I know no food more festive than Mexican fare.

Recently, I had discovered and pinned some recipes for Street Tacos along with a couple of recipes for the salsa to go with them — which, in my opinion, is what makes a good taco — and had been wanting to give them a try, so on Sunday, we did!

Big helped me with the salsas. From experience, I’ve learned to wear gloves when dealing with any pepper hotter than a jalapeño. I’ve gotten smart in my old-age.

I’ll have to share this recipe with you. It was SOO good! Really easy too. Basically just Arbol peppers & tomatillos. Perfectly spicy & flavorful. Mmmm.

I could eat tacos EVERY. DAY.
They make me happy.
How about you? What’s your ideal birthday meal?