Friday, July 30, 2010

{TASTEday} - Grilled Steak Tacos w/ Poblano & Mango Salsa

Friday's have OFFICIALLY been assigned as {TASTEday} , aka recipe day! Since this blog is a mixture of life, love & food, I wanted to make new recipes a new weekly tradition!

{TASTEday} recipe | Grilled Steak Tacos w/ Poblano & Mango Salsa



I found this recipe in an unlikely source. I was reading Parenting Magazine and there was an advertisement for Beef. It was titled "A Recipe from My Family to Yours".  It looked good & was something new so we tried it last night! Here is the recipe for you to try as well!

Grilled Steak Tacos with Poblano-Mango Salsa

1 lb top sirloin steak, cut 3/4 -inch thick
2 medium poblano peppers
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-in slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
8 small corn tortillas (6-7 inch diameter)
* Fresh cilantro sprigs, lime wedges (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Place peppers and onion slices (over medium heat) on the grill. Grill, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until onion is tender and pepper skin is blackened, turning occasionally. Place peppers on a place and set aside to cool.

2.  Meanwhile, combine garlic and cumin; press evenly onto beef steak. Place steaks on grill (over medium heat). Grill, covered, 13-16 minutes for medium  or 8-13 minutes for medium rare, turning occasionally. Remove, keep warm. (Let set atleast 15 minutes to let juices settle before slicing.)
3. Once cool, remove the skin, stems and seeds from peppers. Dice onions and peppers into small pieces. Combine chopped veggies, diced mango, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt into a bowl. set aside.

4. Place tortillas on grill. Grill, uncovered, 30 seconds on each side, or until heated through and lightly browned.

5. Carve steaks into thin slices. Top tortillas with equal amounts of beef and salsa. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.

They turned out pretty good! I had hoped the peppers would have been a spicier through. I also I also never realized how hard it was to peel the skin off the pepper. Oh well! Next time I think I'll make a creamy avocado sauce to top the tacos with, or maybe add some avocado and jalapenos to the salsa.

Of course, after typing the entire recipe from the magazine ad I found, I thought, "oh, I should google it"...sure enough, I found the recipe online. Figures! Here is the link to the recipe as well...


Enjoy!

no. 9 Have a garage sale & get rid of all the crap stored in our house... {a change of plans.}

Back when I created the eleven before 2011 list I had a basement full of crap (boxes, clothes, odds & ends, etc.) that I needed to go through, organize and put in a garage sale. Well, after the ridiculous amounts of rain we got last Thursday and Friday, our basement flooded. I should first clarify that once in a while, after heavy rain storms we get a little water that come through the foundation and other areas. This time though, it was much more. We had puddles in some areas, water leaking in from around a pipe and all of the crap we had on the flood was soaked. We have lived in our house for just short of 2 years, and much of the crap was from when we moved in. If we haven't needed it in 2 years, we should through it away.  I wish I had taken a "before" picture, so the after picture is more effective. Lets just say you couldn't see the floor at all. Seriously, not at all.



 Since we had to get rid of almost everything we don't use from the basement, I kind of feel like no. 9 was accomplished. I know, it didn't get sold in a garage sale, but it's out of out house and the basement is less of a mess, which was the original goal. Hmm.. am I cheating? Heck, who cares, I made the list up! haha!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Our little talker...{and walker!}

Oh goodness, it's been over a week since my last post! I've been busier then usual. Well, starting last week, Baileigh took her few few REAL steps! Here is the picture from my phone...(sorry, it's so blurry, my camera wasn't in sight!)



We were so excited a proud! Over the next few days, she started walking more and more. The first night it was 2-4 steps, and only when we would help her us and get her stable. Next she was standing on her own and walked 4-6 steps every so often....

Last night, I took this video! (Sorry it's sideways!)


How cute is she!!
Here is another of her saying "hi!" 


She keeps us busy! Hopefully these videos explain why I have been so busy and not posting enough. I have a couple projects I'm hoping to work on this weekend as well as a couple new recipes I'm going to try.

Monday, July 19, 2010

no 6- success! Beautiful ruffle dress for B!

On Friday, I decided the first item on my eleven before 2011 list I wanted to complete was a ruffle dress that I found on Simply Modern Mom. I searched for a pillowcase Friday after work and found an adorable one from an old duvet set I had in college. It was colorful & busy and reminded me of Fiesta-Ware. Since the duvet cover it was apart of was long gone, I decided to use it for Baileigh's ruffle dress. I should mention that although I took sewing classes for two semesters in high-school (like 9 years ago!) I have only touched the sewing machine ONCE since then, and that was to make curtain panels. ( I don't even count sewing 4 straight lines as making anything!) I took this as a challenge because even though Tiffany at SMM had good directions, there wasn't a true pattern to follow. Nonetheless, I wanted to create something with ruffles for baby B. 


It was a cool pillowcase because it had a different patterns on each side. The size however, was a bit too small. Tiffany's was 20 x 40 in and mine was only 20 x 30in. I made do. I can't say I didn't struggle with it. From start to finish it took 3 1/2 hours, but since it was my first time sewing in quite some time, I say that isn't half bad!


Well, you can see the "before" pillowcase I started with, and now here is the finished product!








































As you can see, it turned out ok! Not nearly as good as Tiffany's, but I'm still proud of it! I almost didn't post the bottom picture (close up) because I noticed my v-closure didn't look very good and you can see much more mistake then in the top two, but then again, oh well!


Here are a few things I have learned:


1. Use thread that matches. All I had was white. Not a good idea. If I has used red, or pink or some color that was in the material my mi9stake wouldn't have been as obvious.


2. Invest in a seam ripper. Using a sharp steak knife works, but it less effective.


3. Take my time. I kind of hurried myself on a few parts, and I can tell. Next time I'll take more time.


Here are a couple shots of Baileigh in her new ruffle dress. I think she loved it!










It's a little big on her, but she'll grow into it! I have learned that I like sewing, and I may have to start working on more sewing projects. The best part about this dress? It was free! Look's pretty good for free, especially on the super cute model :)


Have you sewed anything cute for your baby, or yourself? I'd love to see it!



Friday, July 16, 2010

6. Learn to sew ruffles and create something beautiful.

As I looked over my eleven before 2011 list, I decided the first I am going to complete is no. 6. "Learn to sew ruffles and create some beautiful." I found a tutorial over on Simply Modern Mom for a Retro Ruffle Dress and thought it looked kind of easy for the beginner sewer that I am. Tiffany suggests that the dress only works for toddlers in size 18 months or smaller, since the dress is made from a pillowcase, so I though while it's still warm out and dress weather, I would create something beautiful with ruffles for baby B.

Here is the dress Tiffany created for her baby. 
My plan this weekend is to look around the house (or a thrift store) for a cute pillowcase and attempt to make this cute dress for Baileigh. Wish me luck!

{image: Simply Modern Mom }


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Baileigh's {first} BIRTHDAY!

My baby girl turned one on June 6th. We had a party with family and friends over Memorial Day weekend. Since I just started to get this blog rollin' again, I'm late putting up a few pictures from the party. It was quite a success! It was a warm day, but that didn't stop everyone from enjoying lots of food such as: pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, vegetable pizza, fruit salad and THREE kinds of cupcakes! (Red Velvet w/ cream cheese frosting, Triple Chocolate and Very Vanilla). Enough with the ramblings, here are a few photos of the wonderful day!



eleven before 2011!

There are a lot of things around the house that I'd like to get done. After reading Nicole's 30 before Thirty list on Making it Lovely, I thought it was a great idea to give myself a little deadline. Being a designer, I do much better with deadlines. I made change this list up, but here is my short list of eleven tasks before 2011.

1. Paint our living room grey {or something other than the current color!}

2. Replace the knobs in out kitchen. 

3. Create a business name & logo for my freelance graphic design.

4. Create some kind of website for said graphic design business.

5. Paint and hang up the mirror in the dining room.

6. Learn to sew ruffles and create something beautiful.

7. Print & burn photo cd's. My computer is full of 1000's of photos.

8. Create a gallery wall in the living room.

9. Have a garage sale & get rid of all the crap stored in our house.

10.Replace the ugly, awful florescent light, in our kitchen.

11. Pull up the carpet in the living room & dining room.

Like Nicole, I'm going to cross items off as they are completed.
Wish me luck!