Jia wish I had two years off . . . at least!

So here I am with my newborn.  Yes, she's 3 months old and she's still my newborn.  ;)
She is so sweet.  We hang out together all day and do whatever we want.  Jia likes taking long walks, so we do that a lot.  She also likes playing and smiling, so we do whatever we can to keep the smiles big.  I'm happy when I think about how lucky I am to be home with her, but then I feel sad when I remember that this won't be forever.

I'm a principal at a Deaf school.  Although I love what I do as a professional and am proud of how hard I worked to get here, this job is very demanding.  It definitely is not a 9-5 kinda job.  I have parents to meet with, kids to reprimand, teachers to evaluate, staff to watch, and the list goes on.  I have so many deadlines as a principal that it is hard to keep up.  And if I want to be a really good one, I really have to devote lots of time to it.  To have such a responsibility along with the responsibilities as a wife and mother is hard.  So I try to cherish each and every second I have with my little one.

Here she is at 3 months already.  Time is flying by . . .

Jia Paola = sweet love

La Ropa!!

The Old Clothes are ready!!

Ok, so the Ropa Vieja is now ready.  I left it over night for about 6 more hours, and kept it on "warm" in the crockpot.  I shredded it today because it broke apart when I was trying to slice it.  It looks so delicious!  I can't tell you if it is though, but I will update you once my husband comes home to try it.

Lent . . .  I guess I'm having quesadillas tonight.   :(

Elote en vaso. yum!

I'm back!!

Ok, so you gotta know, my flank steak wasn't ready in time for dinner.  Shucks!  It looks like it's gotta go for several more hours.  I guess that will be tomorrow's dinner.  No worries.  In a quick decision, so that I could feed my family, I made beef tacos, steamed rice and "elote en vaso."  So, you wanna know how to make elote?  Where I come from this stuff is deelish!!!  Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

Corn (on the cob, white if you can find it)
butter
salt
mayonnaise
chili powder
limes
shredded cheese (Colby Jack)

Ok, so you already know me.  I won't tell you how much to add.  Just add to taste.

step 1:  shuck the corn (is that spelled right?)
step 2:  boil in a big pot of water for about 30 minutes
step 3:  Cut the corn off of the cob
step 4:  divide the corn into small cups for individual servings
step 5:  add butter, salt, a spoonful of mayonnaise, chili powder, a squeeze of lime and cheese
step 6:  mix well
step 7:  say "chinchilagua arriba voy!" and enjoy

This works on the cob as well.  You can add everything listed above to a roasted corn on the cob, it's just messier.  This recipe is best when eaten out of a small paper cup with a plastic spoon.  Yum!

I'l let you know what our guests think of the "ropa vieja" tomorrow.  I won't get to eat it :(  It's lent season and of course I won't be enjoying my flank steak until Saturday.  boo hoo
See ya!

p.s.  for those of you still wondering . . .  have you ever played chinchilagua?  Oh the memories of my childhood.  :)

Ropa Vieja! Andale!

Hello Ya'll!

Turns out my lasagna was a hit and the family was happy. Now for today . . .

I am preparing a flank steak in the style of "ropa vieja." What I did was marinated the flank steak (my husband did that really), and will put it in a crockpot for several hours. Ropa vieja is usually served with a soup and rice, but I think I will Americanize it and make it with baked potatoes and broccoli. I will let you know what I decide. See you in a bit.

I love to eat Mexican Lasagna!

I'm a lactating mother! I need to increase my calories!

Woo Hoo! Boy, if you only knew. I loooove to eat so you can imagine how happy that second statement makes me. It is glorious to know that I really shouldn't be "dieting" right now, since I am nursing my 3 month old daughter. Breastfeeding is great! It allows me to eat as I please, well almost. In all seriousness, I truly love that I am able to nurse my baby. It means the world to me. To see her smiling at me from my boob . . . so sweet. So, as you can probably guess, I am constantly thinking about eating enough and drinking enough so that she receives the nourishment she needs. For example, this morning's breakfast: a bowl of strawberries-and-cream oatmeal, 2 buttered toasts, one scrambled egg, a glass of milk, and one slice of fried bologna, which my husband refers to as ghetto bacon. Crazy right? No hint of eating a balanced meal with that spread. Trust me, I know how this looks. sigh. But I just love to eat.

Sure I'd like to get back into shape fast. I would really love to start eating better and exercising, but it's just not that easy right now. And since I obviously love food, nursing is a cool way to keep eating more (excuse). I should say that I am responsible though. No, I don't eat honey (although studies show that it really doesn't pass through to the breastmilk). I also have cut out caffeine since 1996, the year I learned I was pregnant with my first child. And if I must have a drink it is usually one light beer, which doctors say helps with milk production anyway. So, really, it's just the food that I eat. I can't help that I learned how to cook from my mom, a typical Mexican woman who . . . well . . . cooked like a typical Mexican woman! Sure I have modernized some of her dishes and have cut out lots of the really horrible stuff (like cooking with lard!) What was that about?! Although I loved her cooking as a child, and as an adult, I know that there are definitely better ways for me to prepare meals for my family, even if I do cook like my mother. :) Most of what I prepare is really not so bad, as far as calories are concerned. Well at least, I think so. Of course, my husband would probably not agree especially since he is on this health kick as of the last month or so. He is really trying to eat better and lose some weight, without letting go of his beer mind you. No, don't touch the beer! :) Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to share with you some of the meals I enjoy with my family. My husband cooks a lot, so there's lots of variety in our household. We also have four children aging from 12 years to 3 months, including one very finicky eater. So, we do our best. Last night we had my famous lasagna, Mexicanized of course, and here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

one box of lasagna

1 pound ground beef

1 large can spaghetti sauce - homemade or store bought

shredded cheese

cottage cheese

sour cream

13x9 baking pan (deep)

foil

step 1: preheat oven to 350 degrees

step 2: boil the lasagna for about 10 minutes

step 3: brown the ground beef and add the sauce

step 4: in the pan, begin the layering process in this order: lasagna, meat sauce, cottage cheese, sour cream and cheese

Continue this to make 4 layers. Notice I didn't tell you how much cheese, cottage cheese or sour cream you need? That's because it's best if you sprinkle and add according to your taste, while you're layering. Make sure to finish with the cheese sprinkled on top.

step 5: cover with foil and place in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 15 minutes.

Let cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes. Bake some garlic bread and enjoy!!

You can add spinach or black olives, or any other type of cheese you like! Really, it's pretty easy and it's delicious. As you will see, this is totally a feel-good kinda meal, not for those of you trying to "watch your diet." Or maybe it is, who knows! Either way, have a good time eating! I always do.

Now, back to the baby!!

Pammy Pig