Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We don't usually officially celebrate Cinco de Mayo around here, but we have some friends that do. So, Britt asked me this morning if I could make some yummy Mexican food in honor of the day. Here are some of the things I am planning to make:

Cafe Rio Pork

This recipe comes from Eryka's friend, Amberly. I found the recipe one day when I was stalking her blog. I used to do that a lot, but I don't really have time anymore even to visit my friends' blogs. It's okay. I am not complaining. It is not a bad sort of busy. Just so many good things to occupy my time. You may be able to find the recipe on her blog. It was forever ago, and I didn't feel like searching. So, if you want the recipe I will include it at the end of this post. Also, Amberly actually attributed the recipe to another friend of hers, but I don't know her, so I just say I stole it from Eryka's friend. The truth is, I don't have a pork roast right now, and if I did I still wouldn't have enough time to make it so it falls apart the way we like it, so my slow cooker is actually full of this recipe and boneless skinless chicken breasts. It is yummy that way, too (and less fatty, which we like).

Cafe Rio Rice

Neither one of these recipes is an official Cafe Rio recipe. Just something someone did when they were trying to mimic the restaurant chain. This one is from my friend LeeAnn Parker. I do not know how I got a hold of this recipe since it is in the Blanding Fourth Ward Cookbook from a few years ago and I am not in that ward nor do I have a copy of the cookbook. This is a recipe everyone raves about whenever I make it, so I will include it at the end here as well.

If I had time, I would make this:

Simmered Tomatillo-Serrano Chile Sauce

This is a recipe I found on the food blog of another friend of Eryka's. I have wanted to email here and tell her what a sweetheart I think she is (and this just from reading her food blog a few times!), but I am too shy to do that. So, just so you know, Eryka, I love your friend. And I love this recipe. It makes me cry it is so good. I was looking for a way to use the tomatillos I got in a Bountiful Baskets Mexican pack, and this was the PERFECT recipe. What, you don't get Bountiful Baskets? I am sorry. Maybe you live in a place where you can find quality produce for low prices. I hope so. We LOVE, love, love our Bountiful Baskets. Getting Bountiful Baskets encourages us to be more healthy and creative with our meals.

Of course, I will be making this:

Mom's Guacamole Recipe

Chop Finely:

3 green onions or equivalent amt. regular onion

1 sm tomato

6 peeled avocados

Add

1 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp salda oil

few drops of Tabasco

I am considering making

Brazilian Lemonade

Thanks, Mallory Bilbao for originally referring me to the Our Best Bites blog. I love their recipes and they even occasionally throw in simple and fun craft ideas too!

We will also be having fresh salsa (courtesy of Clark's Market), chips, fajita chicken, sauteed onions and peppers, taco meat, refried beans (from a can), black beans (from a can), sour cream, and chopped tomatoes. All of this will be served with fresh tortilla chips and flour and corn tortillas from Bountiful Baskets.

We made street tacos with those corn tortillas and some left over roast beef the other day. So yummy, and it was a super fast meal, too. Bonus! I like when I can make completely different meals with the same basic ingredients. We don't do leftovers here, but if we can re-invent something for a whole new meal, that's a huge deal.

Hey, did I just make you hungry? Your family isn't doing anything for Cinco de Mayo? Well, there are only seven of us here, and I am making a TON of food, so come on over! Around sixish, okay? It's going to be tasty!

Here are the Cafe Rio Pork and Cafe Rio Rice Recipes:

Cafe Rio Pork (please read all the instructions; don't just throw the ingredients together or it may be too hot for you to consume)

1 1/2 cans Coca-cola classic--do not use substitutes

1 c sugar

1 (7 oz.) can Chipotle Chilies in Adobo sauce (I personally think this is better than plain Adobo sauce, though it does require more effort)

1 heaping tsp dry ground mustard

1 heaping tsp cumin

1 tsp minced garlic

1 3-5 pound pork loin roast

Remove the chilies from the can of adobo sauce. I do this by dumping the chilies and sauce into a strainer, retaining the sauce in a bowl under the strainer. I rinse the can with the Coke, and I pour the Coke over the chilies to get the most sauce out of it. Amberly says you can add a couple chilies in a blender if you want it spicy. I have done this before and liked it, but my kids refused to eat it. Add all the other ingredients in a blender (except the pork of course). Blend until well mixed. Place the pork (or chicken) in the crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or until pork pulls apart with a fork. (Chicken actually takes less time, which is why I am using it today :) 5 or 6 hours).

We like Cafe Rio Pork rolled in flour tortillas that have been heated on an oiled skillet with Cafe Rio Rice and warmed black beans and a little bit of shredded cheese. We cover the rolled filled tortillas with green enchilada sauce or the above-mentioned tomatillo sauce and extra shredded cheese and heat. It is SOOO tasty. And then a little Cafe Rio Rice on the side, serve with some sour cream, tomatoes, and chips and salsa.

Cafe Rio Rice

(clean out the blender)

3 c water

4 tsp chicken bouillon

4 tsp. garlic minced

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 can green chilies

3/4 tsp salt

1 T butter

1/2 onion (I prefer green onions; I use about 3)

3 c Minute Rice premium rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies, onion and 1 cup water together. Bring water and bouillon to a boil and add all ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes, covered. (I can get away with doing this for less time, like 15-20 minutes. Minute rice only needs to cook for 5, but the other ingredients just need a little extra time to meld the flavors).

It's good stuff. I think we are going to be eating Mexican for a few days now. Cafe Rio at my house tonight! :)

Intervention

So, a few months ago, I was contacted by someone from up in the Provo area. They were doing a documentary on people with addictions to modern technology, particularly the internet, and people who use their phones for data streaming. I guess someone (we won't name names, but YOU know who you are) had referred me to them, and somehow they didn't think Blanding would be too far to drive to do a small piece on me and how unnaturally attached I was to my BlackBerry.

They sure discovered how far it really is when they tried to take the freeway to get here, and ended up on the road two extra hours, back-tracking on I-70. But I guess they were determined to do their jobs, because they stuck around for almost a week after showing up later than they had planned.

Those of you who live in Blanding may remember the small film crew that was trailing me for a few days. Yeah, that was a little weird. And for a while I even tried not to check my email, and facebook messages on my BlackBerry every five seconds whenever I was talking to them, but wow, it was harder to do than I thought. They probably thought it was rude that I had to leave a comment on my sister's blog while they were trying to ask me a question about whether I thought my addiction to technology had taken over my ability to function normally in the real world--"No way! Just let me finish my thought here. Now, what did you want?" And of course, they had to document how I would wake up in the middle of the night to check my messages, and how that is the first thing I would do when I woke up in the morning. I am sure that is going to make for some lovely footage. Those of you who have read this post know what I am talking about.

But even though having the film crew around was more than a little strange--and seriously stressful, that was not the worse part.

The worst part was when I went over to the Counseling Center to talk to Steve about Garrett's medication, and they took me back into one of their conference rooms instead, and the room was filled with "concerned" family and friends. Ugh!!! Seriously, you guys. I should have known. I used to be addicted to this show (See above picture), especially when I could Tivo it and watch every episode in succession. But this whole idea that I am addicted to the internet, especially blogs and facebook, and obsessed with my BlackBerry, it is just ludicrous! I know I never actually use the phone part to talk to someone--texting really works better for me--and come on, I have never liked using the phone. And as far as the idea that spending so much time on the internet is making me socially awkward in real life, seriously folks! I have always been socially awkward. You all know it is easier for me to express myself in writing.

But I guess the part where I had to concede there might be a problem was when they pointed out I was spending more time Googling recipes than actually doing any cooking, and my family was getting tired of eating cold cereal--you know it is bad when they tell you they don't want to eat cereal!-- and peanut butter sandwiches all the time.

While I think the whole "Intervention" thing was a bit over the top, I have to admit, my life has actually improved since I started my addiction rehab program. Luckily, San Juan Counseling has a pilot internet addiction program that I have been able to do as an outpatient, so we have been able to keep this whole process pretty low-key, as far as how many people have known about it. And as I have worked the program, I truly have been able to find my way back into the real world. I think the happiest one about that is Olivia, because now when we play pretend, I don't have to pretend to be the lady at work on her computer, I can actually interact with her.

It has certainly been hard. I have to admit, I have had a few relapses, and Britt has even threatened to get rid of the internet at our house altogether, but I am doing better. My BlackBerry is no longer blinking at me, feeding my compulsion to check whatever that new message is. That was and is still the hardest thing for me, but at least I can call from almost anywhere around here now with my new Alltel phone--I actually have service!

And since Britt has given me a lot more work to do while I am at the office, I don't really have time to be tempted to feed my addiction, like I was when I first started working here.

I just thought I would let you know, the episode of Intervention that features me will be airing next Spring. I will tell you when they give me an official date. They said they will be checking up on me again around that time also. So wish me luck! It has been so nice to learn how to interact in the real world again. It still going to take me some time, but I know now that I can. Thank you to all of you who cared about me enough to want to get me help. I promise I won't fail you.


Alright, I hope none of you seriously believed that story. As if a show like Intervention would ever come to Blanding for little old me? But truthfully, since I gave up my BlackBerry just last week, I realize how much that little phone/mobile internet device had taken over my life. I still want to keep checking my new Alltel phone just to see if it will do something more than tell me what time it is. It is driving me a little nuts that it doesn't do more, but really this is a good thing. We have downgraded to a simpler, less expensive phone plan.

We changed some things on our home phone calling plan also, to try to save money. We even considered eliminating it altogether, including the internet. I tell Britt I could have done it, but our boys do need the internet for their school work, and I obviously still love my internet, even without my BlackBerry and all its quick updates.

Trying to cut back on our expenses in other ways, we turned in our van lease and sold Britt's truck. Both had XM Radios in them, which we all LOVED listening to. We bought a nice little used Honda Civic and an old truck. They just have regular radio, and let me tell you KRTZ just doesn't cut it.

But again, I can live without.

The simple life really isn't so bad.

I promise, I have some real blog posts coming soon. I am amazingly busy, but that just means Britt and I will be making real money this month. Yay!