Hungry?

I'm not an especially good cook. Neither am I a terrible one. In fact, while I consider myself a moderately creative person, I have learned to take zero creative liberties in the kitchen. In the past I have had these grand visions of harmonizing different ingredients into a succulent entree--all from the cookbook in my brain. Truth be told, whenever I actually attempt this, dinner always falls somewhere between birch wood and bathwater on the taste spectrum. So my cooking mantra is "Stick to the recipe." Actually I have 2 cooking mantras. The other one is "The answer is always cilantro."
Therein lies the rub of finding recipes that actually taste good. No offense, Pinterest, but your alluring photos can be deceiving. This being said, I struck gold three times this week, so I thought I'd share my finds for anyone else out there who tires of cooking the same things over and over again.

Tuesday's dinner: Spaghetti Pie. This one is basically a spaghetti lasagna.

12 oz Spaghetti
2 T butter
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
1 egg
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c. Green Pepper, diced
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 c. tomato paste
16 oz can of tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. cottage cheese
2 c. monterey jack cheese, grated
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated. (I wasn't as generous with the cheeses. It seemed a little excessive.)

In a medium saucepan, cook  spaghetti according to package. Drain, mix in butter, Parmesan, and egg. Put into bottom of dish. In a skillet, brown ground beef with pepper and onion. Stir in sgar, paste, and tomatoes. Layer cottage cheese and monterey jack cheese onto spaghetti, then meat mixture. Top with grated mozzarella. Bake at 375 for 25 min.

Wednesday: Cafe Rio Imitation Pork Salad. (This could feed an army, so I halved it)

(Pork Recipe)
6 lb. pork roast
16 oz jar salsa
1 can coke or root beer
1 1/2 c brown sugar

Cook pork in crock pot for 5 hours half-full with water and some salt. Drain and cut roast in thirds. Pour mixture of salsa, coke, and brown sugar over and cook for 3 more hours. Shred before serving.

(Tortilla Recipe)
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tb (or a little more) shortening
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. warm water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut shortening into it, add water and knead until flour is incorporated. Cover dough ball with plastic wrap and let rest at least 30 minutes. Roll golf ball sized pieces of dough into thin tortillas and cook on a hot ungreased skilled skillet or griddle (400 degrees is what temp I did) Leave the tortilla on just long enough to cook each side. (like 10-15 seconds, I think). Then they won't get dry.

(Improved Imitation Cilantro dressing) This stuff makes the salad!
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayo
1 bunch cilantro, with stems cut off
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1/2-1 jalapeno (I like the whole thing in there)
2 cloves garlic
1/8 t. tabasco sauce
juice from 1 lime (I usually to 2)

Throw it all in a blender. If you find the taste needs tweaking, remember my 2nd cooking mantra.

So now you put the tortilla down on your plate, add romaine lettuce, throw pork, rice, black beans, and dressing on top, and enjoy!

Thursday's recipe did come from Pinterest, which came from Land-o-Lakes.(I suggest making lots of tortillas from the cafe rio night, and then using them for this too. They are so much better than store-bought).

http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/3441/thai-peanut-chicken-wrap

Obviously I used regular butter instead of the recommended stuff. 
Obviously also, do not consult this post if you are looking for healthy, low-fat recipes. You won't find them here. 

More of Us

About 80 miles north of us is one of my favorite places in the midwest: the Albanese Candy Factory. Now, normally I'm not much of a candy person; I would much rather spend my discretionary calories (plus some) on heartier, more filling foods than refined sugar. But this place is magical. They let you try ANYTHING you want for free. And their gummy bears are so much better than other gummy bears. And they have a 30 foot chocolate fountain. AND they have my favorite candies ever: red velvet chocolate covered cherries. We went last week when Caleb's brother was in town for med school interviews.

 Alaina has a little crush on her uncle Tyler.

 And I think her dad does, too. I have NEVER seen Caleb more excited to see anyone in his whole life. It was kinda cute.

We also got some cute daddy/daughter shots while Alaina was sick one night.

Holiday Recap

So much for blogging more. Here's what's been happening with the Miskins lately:

Our ward did a "Night in Bethlehem" activity--biblical dress and all. Our friend joined us for the evening (she goes to school with Caleb.) The funny thing: her name is Bethlehem. So we had a night in Bethlehem and a night with Bethlehem. Alaina was a diva and refused to dress up. She looks like a boy in that outfit.

We spent Christmas in California. I used to love flying, with its excitement of takeoff, complimentary snacks and beverages, and thrill of travelling hundreds of miles per hour through the clouds. Now I detest it. I know I should be grateful for an alternative to driving 36 hours across the country, but with every plane ride I struggle to find the silver lining. What do I hate, exactly? Well, it's the recirculated air during flu season, the crowded seating, the testy flight attendants, the frantic layovers, and the icy glares from passengers who get stuck sitting next to a toddler. Fortunately, I have never had a problem sleeping on airplanes. It appears this is a genetic trait. Thanks to Caleb for capturing this flattering moment.

Yes, the plane ride was rough, but Christmas was so fun. Remind me why we live so far from our families? (That previous sentence is not a question, but using a period seemed weird.)

Highlights from the trip include sand volleyball, a hike in the snow, lots of good food, and some competitive family games. I can't forget the Poinsettia Bowl, where we watched BYU overcome a slow first 3 quarters to beat SDSU on their home turf. I'm proud to say our posters made the Deseret News, the San Diego Tribune, the official BYU Facebook page, and one person even said they saw us on tv (this has yet to be verified.) The idea belonged to Caleb's dad, but I must brag that I made the posters, and that the "Y" was my idea. We got standing ovations from the crowd--even SDSU fans--except this one guy, who yelled, "Actually, in history the Aztecs beat the Myans, so you need to get your facts straight." A) I don't think that's true, and B) I think he missed the point.

 Here are some more pics from Christmas:

 LA Temple Visitor's Center

 Hiking at Forest Falls. Doesn't really look like California, does it?

 We are a happy family.

 Alaina loves her Grandpa.

 Apparently she didn't get enough exciting presents.

 Grandma made her these ADORABLE new pjs.

 Snell cousins in their new pajama bottoms. If Caleb had a child that looked just like him, it would be Alaina. If I had a child that looked just like me, it would be my niece Aidyn (left). She looks just like I did as a child.

 We went to a trampoline park in Temecula. Here is my lovely action photo. I always forget to close my mouth in jumping pictures. Eeek.

3 sisters, with a typical cross-eyed Corrie.