Friday, November 1, 2013

Award Winning Sweet Pork Chili Recipe


Sweet Pulled Pork Recipe (adapted from favfamilyrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

  •  2-3 lbs pork roast
  • 3 3/4 cups Dr. Pepper
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Dash of garlic salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 can diced green chiles
  • 3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

  • Marinade the pork in a closed container. Add 2 1/4 cups of Dr. Pepper and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Marinade for several hours in the fridge (works best overnight).
  • Drain marinade. Combine pork, 3/4 cup of Dr. Pepper, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours (until pork is easily shredded but not dry).
  • Remove pork and drain liquid. Shred pork.
  • In blender or food processor, blend 3/4 cup of Dr. Pepper, chiles, enchilada sauce and 1 cup of brown sugar.
  • Combine sauce and shredded pork in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Now for the chili...


Ingredients:

  • Sweet Pulled Pork (from recipe above)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 cans black beans, (drained)
  • 1 can red kidney beans (drained)
  • 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
  • 3 small jalepenos (adjust to taste)
  • 2 medium-sized tomatos diced
  • 1/2 packet ranch dressing powdered mix
  • 2 limes
  • 1 Tbsp honey (adjust to taste)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup Dr. Pepper (adjust for thickness)

Instructions:

  • Combine above ingredients in crockpot. Stir together well.
  • Cook on low for 2-3 hours
  • Serve with freshly chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and freshly squeezed lime juice

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Family Update

It's already almost halfway through October and time is just flying by! It's probably because we are busy busy busy. Jacob is working hard to finish his PhD by the end of next summer. He is still working full time at the MTC but is now in Development, which is more in line with his degree. He enjoys it, but also misses working more directly with the teachers and missionaries. He now designs materials that missionaries will use before and during their missions. With the age change and increase in missionaries, it is definitely an exciting time to be a part of the Lord's work. Jacob is also the ward clerk, so Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings and afternoons are usually spent at the church. He is still playing in the band and they've had a few gigs recently. They played in South Jordan at a shopping center called SoDa Row, for the Alpine Days fireworks show, and at an event at Provo Beach Resort. They are pretty good and are fun to watch. Jacob is working on a few business startups as well. The first one is Priceforguns.com which tracks gun sales and values. The second one is a non-profit for a scripture study database or something like that. So with all of these things going on, he is definitely a busy man.

I have been mostly trying to keep up with Dallin and now Kaylee. That girl never stops moving! At the beginning of September I ran the Mt. Nebo Half Marathon. It was the first half marathon I had ever run. I have never really enjoyed running, but, while training, I got to the point where I actually felt good for the first 3 miles or so instead of being extremely tired and feeling like I was going to die. My last long run before the race was pretty tough, so I was a little worried. The race went down Payson Canyon so it was mostly down hill. I felt really good for the first 8 miles and then I started to feel a little tired, but it wasn't too bad. The last 3 miles were the hardest but I finished with out stopping except for the 15 seconds I spent walking while drinking every 2 miles. That was one of my goals- to not stop or walk (other than to drink). My other goal was to  finish in less than 2 hours -  I came in at 1:55:30... mission accomplished! Since the course is mostly downhill, I was SO sore the next four days. But, I recovered and am very glad I did it. I've had a hard time motivating myself to exercise now though, so I'll have to find something else to work toward. This month I have been in the process of getting a business license to do hair officially from our house. I just have to turn in the application, get an inspection, and then I'll be good to go.

Dallin is becoming such a big boy. We are in the process of potty training and it's going pretty well. He usually goes #1 on the potty without me telling him to go and he stays dry at night. the last 4 nights he hasn't wanted to put a diaper on so I let him wear underwear and he has stayed dry everytime. We're not having much luck with #2 though. He always goes in his underwear and doesn't give me any warning. No hiding, squating, telling me, nothing. It's annoying. Oh well, it will happen sometime. He still loves cars, trains, and planes. His favorite cars are Mater, Lightning McQueen, McMissile, and Francesco from Cars.

Kaylee is 11 months now and is moving all over the place. She pulls up to standing and walkes along furniture. She likes to eat the dog food and everything else she can get her hands on. She has 6 teeth now and has had her 3rd haircut. at 10 months she weighed 15 lb. 2 oz. and was 26 and 3/4 inches tall. So she's still a little one, but a very cute little one. :)

Kaylee Baby is 7 Months Old

Kaylee is already 7 months old... Seriously? Where has the time gone? She has changed so much recently. Here are some updates:

- First haircut - about 5 months old - Her hair was getting really long in the front and always in her face so I gave her some bangs. She also had really long pieces behind her ears that were past her shoulders so I cut those off as well. It's crazy that she has already needed a haircut.

- First teeth - June 3 - 5 and a half months old. Her first tooth poked through on the bottom and one right next to it followed soon after that.

-Sitting up - End of June - 7 months old. Kaylee started to sit up by herself for 5 to 10 seconds. She is now getting better and sits for a few minutes before
tipping over.

- She has gotten way more mobile in the last month. She rolls all over the place and can now scoot forward on her tummy to get to a toy she wants... time to baby proof some more...

-Height: 25 1/4 inches
- Weight 12 lb. 1 oz. - She is still a tiny little bug, but she is happy and eats well. I talked to her pediatrician about it and he said she's fine - some one has to be small or else they'd just raise the percentiles and bigger babies would be in the 5th percentile... so that was a huge relief. I was starting to worry after being in Idaho and hearing from EVERYONE about how small she is. I did start supplementing with formula a month or so ago because she was staring to act unsatisfied after her dinner time feeding. Now, she usually eats formula a couple of times a day.

Kaylee is still our happy, little, sweetheart and it's so fun watching her learn and grow!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Kaylee's 2 Month Update

Little Miss Kaylee is now 2 Months old. Seriously? Where does the time go? She is getting so big and has grown out of most of her NB size clothes. She now weighs 11 lbs 2 oz and is still between the 50th and 75th percentile for weight. She is such a calm and happy baby. She only cries when she's hungry or tired and it's really easy to calm her. She is very smiley and loves it when I hold her hands and shake and wave her arms. At church on Sunday she was just staring at me and every time I looked over at her, she would give me a huge grin. I think she likes me. :) Kaylee is an AMAZING sleeper. Last night she slept for 10 hours and it has been about 8 hours consistently for the past week. I don't know what it is, but our babies have been great sleepers so far. Maybe Heavenly Father knows I can't handle not getting any sleep and that I'd be a mean, horrible mom and wife if I was sleep deprived.
We blessed her on the 6th of this month and my parents and brother were able to come down. Iowa is just a tad bit to far for  LeAnn to travel and Allison had her baby 2 days before so she obviously couldn't make it down. Jacob's family couldn't make it out this time either, but that's ok. We just had a little lunch after Sacrament Meeting. I made Cafe Rio Pork and we ate it as pulled pork sandwiches. It was delightfully delicious! A miracle happened that day...Kaylee is ALWAYS spitting up. It doesn't matter if it's been 2 hours since she last ate - she will still spit up. However, She did not spit up once during the hour that she was wearing her blessing dress. I was shocked! It is probably the longest she has gone without spitting up ever. Despite the fact that she is a little volcano, I am so in love with this little girl. Jacob is totally wrapped around her little finger too. It's hard to remember what our family was like without her and are blessed to have such a sweet, beautiful little princess in our family.

Our Awesome, Crazy, Energetic, Two and a Half Year Old

It's been a long time since I have written about Dallin. He is 100% boy and loves anything to do with cars and trucks and trains and airplanes. He is very good at entertaining and playing by himself, which has been extremely helpful with so much of my attention on Kaylee these past few months. He is a good big brother and always pats her head and gives her kisses. His 2 most favorite shows right now are "Mater's Tall Tales" and "Thomas and Friends." He would watch them all day, everyday if I let him. I try to limit it to once a day, usually while I'm getting ready. Dallin's speech has improved immensely over the past few months. He is using complete sentences and I can understand most of what he says (unless he's throwing a tantrum...). Speaking of tantrums, we've been experiencing the wonderful world of terrible twos. As long as he gets enough sleep he's usually not too bad. Some days are just not good though, and I want to pull out my hair! He has SO much energy and is always running or jumping. He loves riding his Harley tricycle. He can't reach the peddles yet so he just pushes himself with his feet on the floor. Dallin is learning how to pray. He says "Heavenly Father, thankful this day" and then repeats the last word of every sentence we say. It's pretty dang cute. :) He loves going to church and especially Nursery. Every time we sing in Sacrament Meeting he says "Go to Nursery?" after the song ends. He also likes to hold a hymn book in his lap and sing along with us.

I think we are getting close to being ready to potty train. Every time I say the words "potty train" he gets excited. However, it's because of "train" and not "potty"... but seriously though, I've been showing him videos and reading books about potty training and I think he's starting to kind of understand. When he has to go number 2  he tells me and then runs under the table to do his business. I bought him "Thomas" and "Mater" underwear today and he was excited when I showed him. I let him wear just the underwear for a little while today just so he could see what it was like to not have to wear a diaper. He didn't want to put his diaper back on so maybe that will be some incentive for him. So sometime this next week I think I'll test it out and see if he is ready. If not, we'll wait a while and then try again.

We are so blessed to have this happy, energetic, healthy boy in our family. He has taught me so much and is such a good example of  having excitement for the simple, everyday things of life. I can't imagine life without him. He is my little buddy and I love hanging out with him everyday (well most days... ;)).

(Pictures taken by Maija-Liisa Downing)