Two Posts in One Week????? Unheard of.

Well, I guess I am back in the swing of things, and I am renewing my committment to being more faithful to post on our blog. I started this blog so I could chronicle our family's activities, and by not blogging, I am in essence allowing myself to forget all the wonderful things God is doing in our lives. Because I am hoping that what my mind cannot remember someday, this blog will remind me of. As I get older and with all the responsibilities of life, my ability to remember details fades away (the funny words of my children or their hilarious antics). So precious are these times and the kids are not getting younger. They are growing older as fast as dishes get dirtied around here. I want to be able to remember it all!

So with all that said, here's a Tasty Tuesday for you!

This weeks recipe is a new one I recently added to my recipe book, and for very good reason. It's really a two-in-one. I love it when meals fall into place so easily with just a little effort. And this meal was a home-run in my house...actually both of them were. So I won't beat around the bush (Karen did I get that one right)????? I am famous for destroying cliches.

Beef Dip/Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

......AND........bonus recipe:

Authentic Tasting Beef Tostadas

People, I wish I had a picture for this, but I don't. A picture would describe it all, and you wouldn't even have to think twice before making this. So just trust me on this. You just have to try this. Don't be fooled by the simplicity. It's amazingly delicious.

Let's start with the meat. You want to go get yourself a lovely rump roast. The recipe says a 2 1/2 lb roast that will serve 8, but I went a bit bigger so I could make the tostadas another day. Depending on your family's size, you can adjust the amount of meat easily, and the rest of the ingredients don't matter all that much. So, the night before, throw your roast in a ziploc with the following ingredients and marinate overnight:

14 oz of beef broth (I love Trader Joe's) 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste) 1 garlic clove, minced

In the morning, empty the contents of the bag into a crock pot, and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is tender. When ready to serve, place the beef on a cutting board and let it stand for 10 minutes. Slice the beef, place in a shallow dish, and pour the liquid over the beef. Now, get yourself some really nice crust french rolls (or sourdough, or whatever you like), and serve up the sliced beef onto the roll. Serve as simple as this with a side of the au jus for dipping, or kick it up a notch and add sauted bell peppers and onions and a piece of provolone cheese. Either way, it's delish! I served it plain with the dip on the side. It reminds me of my Mom, who ALWAYS ordered French dip sandwiches if it was a choice on the menu.

So, just when you think it's all over, just wait! If you planned ahead, you will have lots of tasty leftover meat. So plan ahead. You really want to. You really need to. Shred the remaining leftover meat, and place it in a ziploc or other handy container and freeze it. On another night, you can pull out that delicious meat and made tostadas. It is like having authentic Mexican meat, since it was slow cooked to perfection. I fried up some corn tortillas in oil until they just crossed the line from chewy to crunchy. When the edges just begin to brown, pull them out of the oil. Heat up some refried beans, chop up some lettuce or cabbage, crumble some cotija cheese (or cheddar if you're boring), add cilantro, guacamole, salsa, or whatever else you like, and you have another meal. The meat only needed to be reheated in a frypan, and it was done. Nothing else required. How easy is that? This is definitely one of my new regulars. In fact, there is a rump roast in my freezer as we speak! Enjoy!

What has been happening....

I have a curled up, purring cat tucked tightly against my arms. I cannot leave the desk. I am a prisoner to the sweet and soft, cuddly little creature that is Scooter. I guess I needed to blog anyways.

It's been so long since I last posted! January was chock full of many hours of overtime and deadlines for Dave at work. He worked long day shifts, all night shifts, and everything in between! We missed him a lot, but are thankful for God's extra provision!

Dave was scheduled to go on a business trip to NYC leaving Valentine's weekend, and since airfare was so cheap, Vance and I were going to join him for a whole week. However, the Lord had other plans for us, as the the company decided about three days before we were to leave that they would send another employee. We were disappointed, but it was such a good opportunity for me to share with the boys how much God is in control of every detail of our life, and how He ultimately makes the plans and knows far beyond us what is best. So as fast as I booked those plane tickets, I completely shifted around our entire week so we could go camping like we had originally planned before the NY trip so rudely interrupted. So off to the grocery store I went, and out to the garage Dave went to quickly ready the trailer and the dirt bikes to leave in two days flat. Our plan A was God's plan A all along, we just didn't know it! We ended up having a wonderful time out in the desert, and the weather was gorgeous. I think I much preferred the 80 degree warmth as opposed to the 30 degree and snowy weather I would have been enduring in New York....BRRRRRR!

I ain't gonna lie.....the kids were still a bit disappointed. Luke was supposed to go to my sister's house all week, so he was totally bummed. Austin was going to spend a week with one of his greatest friends at his house, so he was totally bummed. And Vance wasn't going to see New York, so he was MAJOR bummed. My sister had some things planned to do with Luke, and decided she still wanted to have him come over for a couple of days. Luke was super excited. We arranged for Austin to spend two days and one night at his friend's house, so he was excited. And I decided to spend the whole day with Vance doing something super special, to ease the blow of not going to NY. So off to Knott's Berry Farm we went, just the two of us. It was an absolutely wonderful day in every way. We walked on every ride, and most we rode several times. The weather was 75+ degrees. We stopped for lunch at the newly opened Pink's just outside the park and had ourselves pretty much the best chili dogs on the planet, no joke. And by the time the park was closing at 6pm, we had seen everything, and seen it twice! Of course, no trip to Knott's can be complete without a visit to Mrs. Knott's famous fried chicken restaurant. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, and pie for dessert. Can you go wrong? The food was stellar, and Vance said that was the best restaurant he had ever eaten at, and told me he'd like to eat there every week. Uh, sure sweetie. You'll have a heart attack and we'll go broke, but hey, whatever floats your boat! We just had so much fun together making memories. Can't really complain about not going to NY when you get to experience such fun! We are so blessed!

So now we're all back together again, and back to the grind of daily life. School, laundry, cooking....exactly where I love to be.

Eating a chili dog at Pink's. A beautiful thing.

Yes, we went on that thing, and yes, we were soaking wet!

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner......YUM!

Vance and his bud Snoops.

Cherry pie for dessert.

At the top of the ferris wheel. Look at the tiny car in the background!

Inside the stagecoach!