fixed

fyi, the video on my last post is now up and running. apparently i didn't understand youtube copyright policy. oops.

bon voyage

One of my dear friends returned from a six month stint in Paris. She also is moving out of our neighborhood, so we had a homecoming/farewell party for her. Jamie and Kimmy went to a fantastic Parisian themed party in New York a few months back, and it looked like so much fun we decided to try our own.

Giveaway

I'm doing another giveaway on my work blog. It makes me look good to have lots of comments, so enter to win yourself some Target love.

Bajio's Green Chicken Chile Quesadilla

It was a sad, sad day in the Packer home last week. Ella and I drove to our favorite Monday night dining establishment only to find out it had closed. Bajio will soon be Costa Vida. It still boggles my mind that they would swap a Bajio for a Costa Vida when there's a perfectly good Cafe Rio 1 mile away....but alas...que sera sera.

So to ease my pain I made my version of our favorite meal. The Green Chicken Chile Quesadilla. Or Nachos. Or Salad. All good. And this time I paid attention to how to make it.

2 chicken breasts
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c lime juice
1 T Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

1 sweet onion
2 4-oz cans of green chiles
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
2/3 (almost, but not quite. Maybe 2-3 T less) c sugar
1/4 t salt
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder


Marinate the chicken, oil, lime juice and seasoning in a plastic bag for an hour or so. Mash the chicken around in the marinade and pound it until the thick part of the breast flattens out a bit.

Grill the chicken. While it is grilling saute the onions and green chiles. After 10 minutes or so, when they are about half-way cooked, add the vinegar and sugar. Once the chicken is done shred it and add it to the onions and chiles. Let cook together for a minute or so.

Serve on cook at home tortillas (did you know that you can buy food from Costco.com now? There is a $20 delivery fee, but you'd probably save at least that much by avoiding that inevitable impulse buy) with black beans and cheese. It made 2-3 big quesadillas.

Not quite as good as Bajio, but pretty tasty.

genetics

Everyone has something they like about their body. For me: my eyelashes. If Anna had to get my nose (of which I am not a fan) at least she also got my lashes.

I'm sorry and you're welcome.

4th of July

I'm a little behind on event blogging. It may not happen. But Kimmy and Chris posted some great pictures from Grandpa Rob's 80th birthday party and the 4th of July. Here you go. Isn't that Anna cute?

over and over and over again

Do you ever feel like all you do, all day long, is tidy your house? Not clean, just pick up. All. Day. Long. 'Cause that's where I'm at. All. Day. Long. I think I am genetically incapable of keeping a tidy house without constantly working at it. All. Day. Long.

I know I said this, but apparently I didn't really mean it.

Any good tips or solutions?

it must be Y linked

a sampling of what Ryan comes home with when I send him to the store for detergent and batteries.

like father, like son.

sitting pretty

Anna decided she was tired of this view

Thought she'd try this

Ended up like this

growing up

Doug caught this video last time he was in town. Guess we can't keep her little forever. She'll just be "dwowin' up."

motivate

{she's picking out her own clothes these days. very stylish}

During my formative years, my parents employed the carrot more often than the stick. Today I learned that Ella is a carrot girl as well. She wants a princess sippy cup like her friend Emma from preschool. So we made a tried and true sticker chart and viola! She's helpful, obedient and kind. 

Hope it lasts.

Cutting for Stone

If you liked this book:

Listen to this interview. You can also download it for free from iTunes.  Abraham Verghese is brilliant, in a humble way, and made me want to reread all 560 pages of his book.

dinner jacket

Yesterday our friend Justin took his Orthopedic Boards. The Boards are a 'final exam' of sorts after 9 years of training. Kind of a big deal. To celebrate Justin wanted to ride to Sundance and then dine at the Tree Room. We were in. 

Ryan and Justin at the summit of the Alpine Loop

Justin somehow sweet talked the girl at the Spa to stay late (missing yoga) and let them shower. She was supposed to charge them $30 but then felt badly because she thought she was rude to them when they first got there (because they were an hour late and she was missing her yoga) so she gave it to them for free. 

Amelia and I brought clothes for Ryan and Justin to change into.

Oops.

So Justin ate in his bike shorts and a jacket we found in the car. Gave us all a good laugh, especially when he got a little warm and inadvertently unzipped his jacket. Good thing the Tree Room doesn't have a "no shirt no service" policy.

csa

Picked up my first box from our CSA. Pretty excited about it. Also excited about the new camera Ryan gave me for our anniversary. We'll see if the camera makes the picture, or if it's still mostly operator (or photoshop) dependent.


(As I'm writing this, Ella is asking me how we get to Heaven. I told her I didn't know. She told me that she thinks "We just ride up in an airplane because Heaven is in the sky.")

snowboarding on the 4th

94" base at Snowbird.
Justin, Ryan and Alex are taking advantage.