First class BBQ.

Had a lazy day at home this afternoon with the kids.  Made some artichoke dip and a salad and headed over to the Callands for our first UPT class mini bbq.  The St. Johns, Erions, and Callands were there.  Hadn't seen Mary Beth's new house yet and it's adorable!  Great place to hang out!  The kids had a blast and it was a fun night.  At one point Kinleys bandaid had lost it's tackiness and she started screaming like she had been seriously hurt...I ran over to find her wimpering because her "bam bank" was falling off.  Silly girl.  Adam was also running around on one of those pony's that's kinda like on a stick that you ride around and was wearing a cowboy hat running around spankin his behind :)

Mexican Red Rice and Grilled Chicken Tacos!

John and I are having our friends the Painters over for dinner tonight and decided to make a few Mexican dishes!  First I thawed some chicken tenderloins and marinated them in salt, pepper, and garlic powder for about 4 hours in the fridge.  Next I'll be whipping up a new recipe for Mexican Red Rice!  I found this recipe online but made a few adjustments.  The recipe is as follows...

Recipe for Mexican Red Rice

Ingredients:

2 Cups Long Grain Rice

4 Cups Chicken Stock

3/4 Cup Blended Original Rotel Tomatoes

4 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1 Medium Diced White Onion

2 tsp each of Cumin, Garlic Powder, and Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 1/2 Cup Thawed Peas and Carrots

Olive Oil/Real Butter

Chopped Cilantro/Jalepenos (Optional as garnish)




Directions:

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil/butter on medium heat, next add the rice and saute until the rice becomes slighty browned.  Add the onions and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the dry spices and stir to combine. Add the blended Rotel tomatoes and  chicken stock, stir well.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes without removing the lid or stiring the rice.  

Add the peas and carrots evenly to the top of the rice mixture. Cover and continue cooking until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Total cooking time is about 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat once liquid has evaporated and let stand for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, fluff with a fork and fold in the fresh cilantro if using.

Lazy Saturday

Last night John and I attended the 70th Birthday ball for Columbus AFB.  We were able to celebrate with some of our close friends here in MS.  Jenn and Adam Matheis took the kids for the night and we had a blast!  We were a little slow moving this morning but it was worth it!

Around noon we finally left the house and went over to Lowes for an umbrella, umbrella stand, and some pillows for our patio table.  Then we swung by Monica Mays for a water table for the kids.  They had fun playing with their new toy while John and I fixed steak, rice, and grilled veggies :) It was a nice cool evening out on the deck while the kids played in the water.