Mommy: Hey son, why are you half naked? (He lost all his clothes except his pull-up)
Kaitlyn (answering for him in the way only a first born can): Because we are having a party.
Mommy: Really?
Kaitlyn: Yes, you have to be half naked for this party.
Mommy: What kind of party are you having?
Kaitlyn: One where you have to be half naked. There are no rules except that you have to be naked.
Mommy (trying to remain calm, but not laugh): Where is this party?
Kaitlyn: In your room.
Mommy: Oh okay.
I had seen them take a bunch of blankets and comforters to my room, so this didn't surprise me.
Now, Ryan comes out into the kitchen, naked as the day he was born, holding a pull up. I presume his was wet. Fortunately, Kaitlyn helped him put it on and told him that he must have pants on for this party. Whew! A little helpful information, my daughter would spend all day, every day only in her panties if she could. She strips down to her shirt as soon as we walk through the door and her pajamas are the panties of the day, or night.
I go into my room to check on them after a few more minutes and I find that they not only drug the comforters and blankets into my room, but also a ton of books and Kaity's mattress! Their "party" was a book/story party in their comfiest clothes...barely any at all...in our room!
I LOVE cheese. This trait did not skip a generation, as evident by these pictures. Tonight I decided to try a new recipe for enchiladas. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/ After a friend had commented about my lasagna post, I decided to try some other meals from the creator of the lasagna recipe. Apparently, I stumbled upon a hidden gem. Thanks to Sarah for telling me how great PW is! Based on all of the sampling I did while making it, I think the recipe will turn out great! Anyway, I sat the kids down at the kitchen table to paint while I poured myself a glass of the finest red wine in the house, started some tunes, and got to cooking. After assembling the enchiladas and pouring the rest of the sauce on top, I needed to grate some more cheese. Since my food processor is in storage, I sat down at the kitchen table with my cheese grater, a huge brick of Tillamook, and my kids. In the amount of time that it took me to sprinkle (okay, dump, who am I fooling I already said I love cheese), the cheese over the top and put the dish in the oven, my sweet bottomless pit did a number on the cheese. Kaity told me that Ryan snuck some cheese, but I thought that he snagged some shavings. Nope, he grabbed the brick! Like any good mom with a story, I ran for the camera and then told him to stop. Of course since I took a picture of Ryan, Kaitlyn wanted me to take a picture of her. And it was only fair since Ryan had so many bites. The damage was already done. What's a few more germs on the brick of cheese?
Here's the recipe if you don't want to follow the link, or really, just in case it disappears. The commentary isn't mine, just the Pioneer Woman and her humor. Enjoy! The smell and sound of enchiladas is filling our home and my husband should be walking through the door any minute, so I am off! P.S. Have I mentioned lately how I love that my husband is home for dinner much more often these days!
Simple. Perfect. Enchiladas!
Sep. 15, 2008
Okay, people. Let’s get down to business here. Let’s make enchiladas!
Did you know that in addition to having an imaginary black grandpa, I actually had a real, live Mexican great uncle? It’s true! And so what if it was only by marriage, and so what if I have absolutely no interesting ethnicity in my bloodstream? See, my dad’s dad, who died before I was born, rest his soul, had a sister named Fleda Mae, rest her soul, and Fleda Mae was married to a Mexican man named Luchan, rest his soul. I remember both Fleda Mae and Luchan fondly, but besides their friendly, loving nature and the fact that they lived in Bakersfield, California, I don’t remember too much about them. I do remember Fleda Mae’s high pitched and very sweet voice. And I definitelyremember Luchan’s enchiladas.
My mom has made these enchiladas for decades, after Luchan showed her the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to the enchilada except through him. Once my mother became a believer, she passed that belief onto me and my other siblings, and I feel I have been commissioned to pass the love on to you.
So c’mon—let’s get rrrready to rrrrrrumble!
Before we begin, let me explain that there are three separate components to these enchiladas: THE SAUCE. THE MEAT. And THE REST. So I’ll split up the Cast of Characters accordingly.
For the sauce, you’ll need canned Mexican red sauce (or enchilada sauce), low sodium chicken broth, canola oil, flour, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Let me repeat: this is for THE SAUCE.
Let’s get the sauce going first. Okay? Okay. Throw 1 tablespoon canola oil into a medium saucepan, followed by 1 tablespoon flour. Whisk it together over medium-low heat.
Keep whisking as it cooks, and continue cooking for about 2 or 3 minutes. This is the base for the sauce. Luchan said so!
Pour in the red sauce (note that some canned Mexican sauce is quite PICOSO [look it up] so you’ll want to do your homework if you’re sensitive to flames shooting from your eyeballs) and chicken broth and stir the mix together.
Add 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Yeah. I mean the powdery stuff. Also add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Give the sauce a good stir, and let it simmer on really low heat while you mess around with the other stuff.
Now. let’s make THE MEAT!
For the meat, you’ll need…well, MEAT. Ground beef, onion, canned diced green chilies, and salt. Not cilantro. It sneaked into the photo. Sorry. Happens.
Begin by dicing the onion. Are you tired of my showing you how to dice an onion? Because I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I’m all about breaking things down here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
Throw the onions into a large skillet with a tablespoon or so of canola oil. Saute over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Then brown the hamburger. Once it’s brown, dump in two cans of green chilies. (Oh, and you can drain the fat off the hamburger before adding the chilies if you feel like being a health nut or a responsible citizen.)
Go ahead and add a little salt to the meat. Now turn off the heat and tell the meat to cool its heels for awhile.
Next component: THE REST.
For THE REST, you’ll need corn tortillas, chopped black olives, sliced green onions, and freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. I say “freshly grated” because although I have nothing whatsoever against convenience foods—I think I’ve established that here, ad nauseam—I find that grating cheddar cheese from a block results in a yummier, melty-er cheesy goodness. You’ll just have to trust me on this one.
Plus, it’s cheaper that way! Love, Mrs. Frugal.
Yeah, right.
Anyway, in a small skillet over medium heat, fry individual corn tortillas just until soft.
You don’t want them to get crispy at all—just soft and a little blistered, about 30 seconds per side. Place tortillas on a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm while you finish them all up.
Now, back to THE SAUCE:
Right at the end, throw in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Give it a stir.
Now it’s time to ASSEMBLE the enchiladas.
One by one, using tongs, dip each tortilla into the warm sauce. (Sometimes the tortillas are such that they’ll fall apart if you leave them in the sauce too long. Just gauge the tortillas as you go and you’ll be fine.)
“Gauge the tortillas as you go…” That’s a really weird phrase.
Lay the sauce-coated tortillas flat, then spoon on some of the meat mixture and a some of the chopped black olives.
Note: if you hate black olives, don’t be deterred by its presence in this dish. You’ll hardly know they’re there—they’ll just add a tangy saltiness and texture that’ll really take the enchiladas over the top. Please. Please don’t be afraid.
Next, add a spoonful of green onions…
And plenty of grated cheddar.
Next, roll up the tortilla and place it seam down in a baking dish.
Now just repeat that process with all tortillas until everything’s gone:
Dip tortilla in sauce, then add meat, then add olives, then add green onions…
Then add cheese. Never, EVER forget the cheese. Luchan wouldn’t be happy.
Once you get them all into a baking dish (this one’s on the small side, so I had to use a second to fit in all the enchiladas I made), pour THE SAUCE over the top.
If you like a lot of sauce, and I do, really lay it on thick. If you like things a little less over the top, well, take it easy.
Just don’t tell Luchan if you do. He liked to lay it on thick.
And of course, we must top it all off with plenty of freshly grated cheddar cheese.
Plenty, I say…PLENTY!
Now just bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are bubbly and your appetite has shot through your roof, leaving an unsightly hole.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle a bunch of chopped cilantro on top. I can’t tell you the difference this cilantro makes in the flavor and beauty of the dish.
Also, give the enchiladas a sprinkle of green onions. That gives it a nice flavor pop, too.
“Flavor pop…” Good one, Ree. Good one.
Mmmm. Goodness gracious sakes alive, I can’t tell you how good this smells. It smells like tiny, sparkly enchilada fairies have waved their magic wands in my kitchen.
I usually serve ‘em up two at a time. They’re a little on the rich side.
And you know what? It takes about a second for forks to start digging in.
Oh! Don’t forget the sour cream, especially if you use the canned Mexican red sauce I used. Muy, muy picoso.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Mine is. And this is a problem. Because I made the enchiladas in this photo several days ago. And they’re now gone. They were gone within ten minutes.
Step #1 – The Sauce In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.
Step #2 – The Meat Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.
Step #3 – Tortillas Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.
Step #4 – Assembly Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.
There is something purely magical about snow. The way it seems to float when it just starts to fall. How thick and heavy it can be. How light and soft it can be. How with the right wind it can seem to be moving on a horizontal plane. The way a gentle wind can send a flake back towards the cloud it came from. The way it covers the ground like a soft blanket. I love how it sticks to the bare branches of trees that are hoping one day soon they will start anew. I am so happy my kids are getting to experience winter. Real winter. And that I am too. I know, most of you are done, done, done with the snow, and while I long for warm sunshine, warmer temps, cool breezes, and the gorgeous colors and new life that come with spring, I can't help but enjoy the last little bit of winter while it is here. Maybe it's me just trying to find the happiness, peace and beauty of the present instead of wishing it away, or maybe it's because I've never lived north of the Mason Dixon line, but there is a smile on my face as I watch the snow fall from the heavens and cover the earth once again while my children play. From the warmth of my home, of course. It really is the simple things in life.
Making the discovery.
Ryan showing the snow to Kaitlyn.
About an hour after it started falling.
Never did I think there would be a day where my kids would be able to identify natural snow falling from the sky, nor did I think we would experience snow from a bird's vantage point. We were dancing around the house this afternoon and Ryan ran to the window with one clear as day word. SNOW! The kids stood in front of one of our many floor to ceiling, wall to wall windows and watched from 18 stories off the ground as the snow fell. Now that I am homeschooling, without curriculum, I am constantly looking for teaching moments. Especially those that align themselves with the Sunshine State Standards for education. I LOVE when learning is child led and Kaitlyn was asking all the right questions about snow and I was able to teach her all about precipitation, the seasons, and why snow is snow and not rain if it is all water. Sure, she may have already known a lot of that and was trying to be silly, but I could tell she was enjoying the "lesson."
So while I too am ready for spring, I am so thankful for the quiet moments just appreciating some of the things we take for granted until they are gone. The mesmerizing beauty of the falling snow that never fails to stop me in my tracks, just to watch it do its thing and to thank God for the simple gifts he grants us.
The snow was starting to cover the ground. I love the awe in Kaity's voice.
Well, a contact number anyway. We FINALLY made a decision about a phone. We decided to stick with Skype because it was the cheapest and easiest option and we will see how it works out for us. We chose a Tampa based number since it is our home of record, so if you live in the bay area the calls are free (or maybe 25 cents if you are across the bridge, but it's been a while since I've called Tampa from the 'Burg)! Luck you! If you are outside of the bay area, call us and we'll call you back. We splurged for unlimited calling to the States for an extra $2.50 a month! We are still waiting on a phone, but are looking into a wifi phone. We have decided on the one we want, but now are waiting to find out how the company ships, Parcel Post or Priority. This has been one of the biggest challenges living out here is ordering things online. Not everyone ships to APO addresses, and of those who do, most ship Parcel Post, taking 2 months instead of 5 days. But, again, I digress. Back to our contact info.
Our new address is
Major William Maclin
PCS 3 Box 1276
APO, AP 96266
and our much awaited phone number is................................
813-699-5549
our Korean cell phone numbers are.......
on the ROK
010-2893-5525 (Kim)
010-4998-4312 (Bill)
off the ROK
82-10-2893-5525 (Kim)
82-10-4998-4312 (Bill)
While we still don't have a bunch of time to just hang out in front of the computer (somehow that is always when the kids act up) at least we will know if you called and can call you back. Once we get the phone, the computer doesn't have to be on (we all know what a black hole it can be) and we can walk around the house (or take it with us to wherever has wi-fi service) and chat then. Or you can call and let us know you want to video call and we can log on. And I know that if I really want to call and talk to someone who isn't online, at least I have that option. Hope to chat with you soon!
Since we moved to Osan, we have only had one car to share. I am thankful we had that one car, and while we were on base or just outside the gate it wasn't a huge inconvenience. Well, since we moved into our apartment a few weeks ago, I won't lie, it's been a pain in the rump! Either I have had to take Bill after the kids wake up and stay on base or run back and forth to pick him up, or the poor guy has had to take a taxi (which doesn't start running until 6), or I have had to stay at home cooped up with the kids in the apartment and very few toys. No fun! Anyway, those days are over!
We went car shopping up in Seoul on Saturday and found a rockin' 2000 Kia Carnival. Yup, I left my fancy MV (that I swore I would NEVER EVER drive, but loved having every time I drove it) at home sitting on a storage lot and moved down more notches than I care to admit. Our original plan was to buy a kimchi (that's what they call a Korean beater around here) for Bill and I would drive our much safer and more reliable 2000 Accord. After trying to get around and take a couple trips with friends, I discovered that if I wanted to go somewhere with a friend and that friend had at least one kid, we would have to caravan and in South Korea traffic that is much easier said than done. I have even more traffic stories than I wrote about after last summer's visit. I'll share them one day when I have a little time and get some pictures to illustrate them.
So, we decided we needed to get an SUV or a van. After doing a little research I found that Korean minivans have nine seats, making them bus lane legal! If you have ever driven (or been completely stopped as the case tends to be) on the interstate here with all the buses and vans zooming past, you know what a bonus this could be. We knew we wanted to try to get a van and we also knew that we didn't want to spend a lot of money for a vehicle we would be selling in two years. So, I lowered my standards and we went shopping. After a bus ride to Seoul and a 45 minute taxi ride through downtown traffic, we met up with a guy named Steve who showed us some vehicles in our price range. We settled on (and are really excited about) an old taupe Kia Carnival with 120,000 (or so) miles on it. She has cloth interior that smells like, well it just smells, but not nearly as bad as one of the cars we looked at smelled. It literally smelled like mildew-y stank feet. Be glad you weren't shopping with us! She is accident free (hard to find here) and has nine seats WITH seat belts and a diesel engine that purrs like and angry lion. One of the middle seats faces backwards too, which the kids will love, or the rear facing infant. She has stained and mismatched floors and mats and a cassette deck. Bonus, she also came with an ashtray full of used cigarettes. Hopefully that will be cleaned up before delivery, but it's funny that even if it isn't I don't really care. Life in Korea is just different. It doesn't matter what you drive or what you wear (well, maybe what you wear when going out) like it does in the states. Cute, impractical shoes are a thing of past as everyone walks everywhere here (the base is a walking base and it is very well laid out), but a good stroller is a must. People don't bat an eye at spending several hundred dollars, or more, on a stroller here where they wouldn't even be able to justify it at home. It's like it's their car and they log the miles to show for it. But I digress. If someone had the audacity to show me this car in the states I would have probably laughed out loud and looked for the hidden camera, sure as sugar that my husband were playing a trick on me, especially with the metal batman decal on the back. Not Saturday, no sir. We hopped in the van, let the kids play around as Bill started the engine and the taupe bat mobile roared to life, and hoped the guy would give us a good deal on it. While it was more than we were planning to spend on the kimchi, it was still within our meager budget. If time is money, just think of all we'll be saving in the bus lane.
Parked in the parking garage of our complex.
Notice how tiny the parking spots are here. Glad those doors slide and I can climb through if needed.
A certified Bat Mobile
The kids were pumped to find the Mickey Mouse window shades actually came with the car! We'll see how long they stay there. ;)
The middle row...check out the mats.
You know the plastic wood grain rocks.
Look closely and you can see the tape deck. And we just threw all those old mixed tapes away!
As a side note...the car was just delivered (I wrote this yesterday) and I am happy to say that they did a pretty good job cleaning it up and there were no cigarette butts or ashes in the tray and I didn't even notice the smell. I am sure that will change once the AC kicks on (Lord I hope that it works, as it is the dead of winter so we didn't even think to check!), but for now I've got wheels!
I know you all are shocked that I am actually taking the time to blog. My only excuse for my two and a half month delay is that I am enjoying my family being back together again after a very long year that sped by and trying to get settled in our new home (more about that later) and not wasting time on the computer. I know that first part may not make a lot of sense to many of you, but those of you who have spent a significant amount of time away from your spouse, best friend, and father of your children know exactly what I am talking about! Let me fill you in...
In January of last year Bill moved to Kunsan Air Base in Korea for a year remote. Well, our year is over! Praise God! While there were days that I thought might never end, the year as a whole went by very quickly and I feel very blessed to have been able to spend so much time with our families while we were in Florida for seven of those months. I also feel incredibly blessed that we were able to see him as much as we did. He came home in June, I went out there in July and Bill and I went on a trip to Thailand (I will get the pics up eventually I promise!), and the kids and I got to spend 5 weeks in Kunsan over the holidays. We have many friends whose husbands are serving 365 day tours in places where they aren't able to see their families and that thought has never escaped my mind. I KNOW how lucky we are to have had Bill serve his remote in a place that is tolerant, if not welcoming of families (the people were all welcoming, just not the facilities...I am aware that could be read wrong ;D). Even though this was an unexpected and non-voluntary assignment, we have said from day one that it was a blessing and could have been a lot worse. I want to take this time to tell all of my friends whose husband are gone or are leaving soon, that I am praying for you and know that as a whole the year will go by quickly, but on those days or weeks that seem to last forever, they do eventually end. Usually in a fat glass of wine!
Bill came back to the States in January to spend a couple of weeks visiting with family before another two year assignment in Korea. This time though we get to be with him! He picked us up and took us to spend 4 fantastic days playing as a family on the gorgeous island of Oahu on our way to Korea (more on that later too). Bill is working for the 7th Air Force on a Staff job. He will be very busy in his role, but is excited that he won't only be flying his desk. He got a flying billet and his relationship with his mistress will continue as he begins flying with the Fiends in the next few weeks! I can't tell you how excited he was to get confirmation of his continued relationship with the F-16, as he wasn't sure he would be able to continue to fly anything with wings while stationed at Osan. We are definitely enjoying him being around a bit more. While I am sure there will be some 14 or 15 hour days while we are here, we are looking forward to that not being the norm after nearly nine years of long workdays in the training and operational worlds of the Air Force. Plus, any time we get now is way more than we got the past year, so we are all quite happy!
We found a great place to live off base and are getting settled out here. Pictures of our place to come soon. This one will be really soon, as we found out our stuff from Florida is on the ROK and our apartment will be decorated in boxes next week, so I need to get crackin' on the pictures! Kaitlyn still isn't in school, but she did start Girl Scouts and soccer this week and is really loving both. We are all making friends and enjoying our time here, but miss our family and friends back in the States. I apologize for not calling, writing back, emailing, facebooking, blogging, et cetera. You all know that we are bad about keeping in touch anyway, but have really been in our own little world half a world away enjoying being (and relearning how to be) a family again. It has been so nice, but has left little time for communication via the computer. Especially with both kids at home all day, every day and me working on school stuff with Kaity during Ryan's nap. We are working on getting a phone and a stateside number (and a semi-consistent routine once we get a second car), so hopefully that will help a little. I swear this is my New Year's Resolution every year, and every year I fail at keeping in touch. Maybe this year will be my year. ;)
