You're killing me smalls...

This is going to be one helluva summer.  I can feel it my bones.  And I can see it in the way we've spent it so far. Now if only it would stop raining so we could go back to the beach...

Chipotle Yam Enchiladas/For you Marjan!

About a month ago I made the decision to sit down and put together a monthly menu for our family.  We were eating at home a whole lot more (baby ch ch changes) but it was often a struggle to figure out what we wanted to eat. There were many a night where take out won out of our inability to make a dinner decision.  So the big problem with menus is that they get boring really fast.  And I notoriously hate eating the same thing over and over and over again.  Leftovers have to be something special for me to even think about eating them.  Anyways, so if this is the case then why make a family menu right? Right. Except! I made it better, I made it just the right amounts flexible and just the right amounts confining.  For example, Tuesday nights are vegetarian night.  Normally this would be too vague and we would go off course but I set it up where I have a 'suggested' meal for each day of the week for the whole month.  So Tuesdays are vegetarian night, but this week was vegetarian enchiladas, next week is pasta, and so on.  Wednesdays are chicken night, so tomorrow is roasted chicken and veggies, next week it's Chicken Caldo.  With most dinners they can be adjusted to be as decadent or healthy as we want, they also allow me to be as simple and easy as I want or as new and exciting.  There are even specific meals that Jesse does the best, so I know I don't have to worry about those nights.  It is also helpful because we both know what will be for dinner and can plan our other meals around it, or plan our grocery trips. We even have Monday nights scheduled as take out night.  sigh...I think motherhood has given me a whole new level of OCD, or control issues...but I am not going to delve too far into that psychoanalysis because for the last month dinners have been a breeeeeeeze.  And that is a good thing. Hell yeah Martha Stewart, it is a verrry good thing. 
Speaking of good things...this was our vegetarian enchilada for this Tuesday evening.  We had a yam sitting around...it was enchilada night...so duh, yam enchiladas. I didn't go off a recipe for this one, so this is my attempt at putting together what I did. They turned out so good. Another bonus of being a total control freak menu making mom...good food. 

Chipotle Yam Enchiladas

Filling:
One large yam
1/2 cup of ricotta, cottage cheese,that mexican melty cheese, cream cheese or whatever soft melty cheese you got.
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbls Adobo sauce from chipotle pepper can
8 oz crimini mushrooms
one medium onion

1 1/2 cups of your favorite Enchilada sauce
Colby Jack cheese
Cilantro
Olives
12 soft white corn tortillas

For the filling, roughly chop the yam into inchish size pieces, add to a pot of water with some salt and a clove of garlic.  Boil until soft.  Drain and mash potatoes with the chipotle sauce, cheese, and sour cream.  Saute mushrooms and onions until soft, add to mashed potato mixture.  Set aside.

Coat bottom of a casserole dish with enchilada sauce, fill each tortilla with filling and place in casserole dish seam side down.  When the dish is filled top the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce, a couple hand fulls of cheese, some cilantro and olives.  Throw it into a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. 

Kaboom!

What you can't see in the picture is homemade refried pinto beans and a delicious spicy coleslaw I made with thinly sliced cabbage, radishes, jalapenos, and onions tossed in some garlic/red wine vinegar/sugar combo thing. I let that marry in the fridge for about an hour and it turned out amazing. Lyla Bean sucked on some avocado while we were eating.  All in all a nice family dinner...made even better with a little tequila.

Currently...

Sitting, crawling, teething, drooling, laughing, sleeping, playing, eating.

















These are things happening in our house.


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Shots, shots, shots...

...turn happy baby into cranky baby. With any luck she'll also be sleepy baby. Poor baby...



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Good mood food.

Banana, summer squash, and avocado! Next up, butternut squash, pear, and sweet potato.


Everyone had to have known that feeding the little bean was going to be one of my favorite parts. I can't wait until we get to the good stuff!

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Back to life.

I keep trying to sit down and write in this here blog. But every time I do all I want to do is write about babies. And I stop myself because I have been cooking up a storm, throwing parties, doing crafts, reading, watching...I have been doing things other than baby these days also! And I have been trying so hard to not turn this blog into THAT kind of blog. And well, I don't really remember why. When I started this thing it was just meant to be a place to drop my thoughts off. So folks, we are going back to my roots. Even if that means this Casa turns into a big fat mom blog. CasaMama. CasaBebe. I mean, the reality is that CasaIrlanda is pretty much a big house of baby right now anyways...so let's roll with it!


The first days.



Yesterday.

It feels good to be back.



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hello? is this thing on?

oh hi.

I had a baby.

She's a little distracting.

I mean come on, would you want to be on the computer if you had this to stare at all day?

I'll be back. I've been crafting some, and cooking some (gluten free again!). And I've been doing a lot of thinking too...so don't worry. Just give me a little more time, for now I've got diapers to change and baby face to kiss.