Burritos

My husband and I were newly married and we decided to throw a dinner party for his friends. It was just a small group of friends, but I was very excited. I was basking in the glow of new love. I was also three months pregnant. The cravings were in full force.

I decided the very best thing to serve would be these burritos and mashed potatoes.

“Yes.” I said, “the best thing to serve at a dinner party are burritos and mashed potatoes.”

Two things that go so well together. It is a trend sweeping the nation. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. I went ahead with my brilliant plan.

Looking back on the party, I have to laugh. People ate those burritos with mashed potatoes like it was completely normal dinner fare. It was not until years later that I recognized the sweetness of the polite party goers. My husband had realized the two might not mix so well, but did not want to burst my bubble. The party was a lot of fun. Everyone complimented the food… I told you they were polite. My husband and I look back at that night with happy memories…

This recipe is so ridiculously easy, I cannot believe I am going to write a post about it. I grew up eating this recipe. I grew up making this recipe. Now my children do the same.

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It all starts with this little packet of seasoning. It is Lawry’s burrito mix.

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First, cook up your uncooked tortillas in a skillet. Set tortillas aside on a paper towel covered plate. Brown one pound ground meat in the same skillet. Once this is browned, add 1 cup water and seasoning mix to pan. Add one can refried beans. Break it up in the pan with the meat. Sometimes I add a can of diced tomatoes if I need to stretch the meal to feed more people.

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I also use my potato masher to mash it all together (if you are adding tomatoes, do this before adding tomatoes). I do this for two reasons.

1.) I like my meat very finely chopped.

2.) My kids have an embarrassing aversion to beans. I say embarrassing, because my husband and I both love them. How could the two of us make children who despise them so? It makes no sense. So,I trick them. I break the beans up so they do not even know they are there. Pssst… I am sneaky. ; )

And yes, they read this blog. I am hoping the subject of burritos is too boring to interest them. We shall see!

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Let the mixture simmer over low heat for eight minutes. Turn off heat. Serve in tortillas with shredded cheese, sour cream, mexican rice, and homemade salsa. Here is the link to my post about the salsa.

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Let me know if you decide to make these. Oh, and if you have a dinner party coming up, I have the perfect mashed potatoes recipe. Everyone will love it! Or be too polite to tell you otherwise! Enjoy!

It’s The Little Things: Iden Bee Propolis

Iden Bee Propolis

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I only get my hair done every three to four months. It is one of the weird things I am cheap about. I am due for a salon visit soon. I discovered this shampoo and conditioner two years ago. It is called Iden Bee Propolis Shampoo and Conditioner. I buy it in the “Nourished Fortifying and Hydrating” variety. My whole family uses it now. I love that it has a pump on the larger sizes so it is easy to access in the shower.

It is made from bees. Which is always the way to my heart, because my daddy is a beekeeper. Here is an interesting article on bee propolis extract. My hair feels clean. It has bounce and shine. It feels thicker. I love this product.

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I have tried many other products. For a while, my favorite was Biolage. This blows that away. I buy my supply on Amazon. I always buy it in the 32 oz. bottle. I use whichever supplier is cheapest at the time. I highly recommend shopping around for the best price with shipping.

It is expensive, but I am addicted at this point. Being an OCD hoarder, I must have a spare bottle of shampoo and conditioner at all times. It costs me about $55 every two months for my family’s supply.

I lost a lot of my hair with my weight loss. It was kind of scary. And I am hoping it grows back soon. I feel like I am taking good care of my hair, using this product.

It is the little things… Feeling better about yourself!

Oklahoma

I had a different post ready, but It did not seem appropriate in light of recent events. I want to take a moment to send some love to the victims and survivors of the tornado that ravaged Oklahoma.

I am not one to watch the news. I did not know about the tornado until my husband discussed the occurrence at dinner tonight.

So unbearably sad.

My heart breaks.

Donated to The Red Cross.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families touched by this tragedy.

I hope everyone hugs their families and loved ones a little tighter today.

Please take care.

Jenni

*A new post will run Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. PST.

Target, Let Me Count The Ways…

I love you! I was recently at Target to browse some items. I was looking for a white cotton dress I could stamp a gnome on. But I wandered into their clearance section and got lost.

I ended up spending $99.92 on three dresses, a denim vest and 2 dog toys.

I had a whole different post ready to run today, but decided to showcase my Target finds. Just in case you want to run out to the clearance section (maybe you have a horse obsession, too?). I bought all of these items this week.

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You know I could not resist this dress. When I saw it, I just knew. It was a “Sleepless in Seattle” moment, without the weird stalking. It has horses on it! It was originally $24.99. It was marked down to $17.48. I am wearing a medium. I slipped my favorite $10 tulle slip on underneath it. I also paired it with Anthropologie’s Glasswork Obi belt. This will be super cute with black tights or leggings and boots in the wintertime. Add a colorful cardigan to raise the heat.

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This bike dress is the same silhouette. It was also marked down from $24.99 to $17.48. I also paired it with the slip. I am wearing it with a Moroccan belt from a local boutique and vintage Frye cowboy boots. Because, of course, the horse dress should be worn with flats or sandals. And the bicycle dress should be worn with cowboy boots. It goes without saying…

I love whimsical bike prints. However, I will not spend a lot of money on bike prints. They make me feel guilty and kind of like an idiot. Because, you see…I cannot ride a bike. We grew up in the country. And there was really nowhere to learn. I am thinking about getting one of those adult tricycles. That would be fun!

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The bike and horse dresses also came in a floral print. I ended up returning this dress, but wanted to show you another pattern it came in. I think this is the link to the dresses online, but they are not showing up on clearance here.

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I cannot resist yellow. In fact, I would love to paint our front door yellow. But I have not checked with the home owner’s association. So, for now, I will wear it on my clothes. This eyelet dress was not on sale. But for $24.99, I could not resist it. I purchased a large, because I wanted it roomy. It is breathable cotton and I know it will wear and wash well.

I also knew this modest momma was not going to leave the house without something over it. So, I bought a little denim vest in medium. It was $29.99. I am in love with it! I am wearing this paired with vintage Frye cowboy boots and Anthropologie’s Beaded Stallion Head Necklace.

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A squirrel! Oh, yes. They have been on my mind. And a bird! How cute are these dog chews? I bought one for each of our pups. They seem to enjoy them!

Poor things!

Have you found anything fantastic at Target recently? Please share! Also, if you see a plain cotton dress, with sleeves, please let me know! I only wish to spend around $20. I really want to start stampin’ my gnome!

Have a fantastic day!