Food

Coming Out Of My Shell {Baked Tacos & Hibernation}

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Hey y’all!

I’m here and I’ve missed you…

Seems like I’m just popping in again real quick to share a fun little recipe with you. It looks like that’s my M.O. lately….say Hello and remind you I’m here with a token post and some good food.

Yesterday was busy ~ we had church class and soccer simultaneously and that meant Elliott skipping out just this once on CCD and going to her 4:00 soccer practice. So it was drop off Holden at church, take Elliott to practice, run into Ralphs {and forget 2 items}, go pick up Holden at church, go back down to pick up Elliott, start dinner, call Jay to retrieve 2 forgotten items at the store, snap pictures of Holden’s class Terrific Tiger to document his {boring} evening with us, come to realize that Terrific Tiger should probably be thrown into the wash {aka given a bath} and spritzed with antimicrobial Febreeze before going into bed with Holden, blah. blah, blah.

However, amongst all this stuffed animal chaos and documentation for the class journal, I was excited about dinner because my IG friend, Elizabeth, posted some Baked Tacos earlier in the day. We had a box of taco shells in the pantry and a pound of ground turkey thawed ~ perfect!

Guys…..these are awesome! They kiiiinda remind me of the Jack in the Box tacos {which I haven’t had in a million years} that are a little softer at the bottom, but they are made with real, legitimate meat and equally as delish.

We had them last night and again tonight!

taco1

This is the recipe I followed. I just Googled {Baked Tacos} and went to the first one that popped up. The lineup sounded good {except that I had to have Jay stop for black beans} so I decided to go with this one.

Super easy…just sauté half an onion and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Add ground meat of choice {I used 1 pound ground turkey} and brown. Add a package of taco seasoning and a little water and let simmer on low for a bit. Drain and rinse a can of black beans and add to the meat along with a small jar of salsa {I used peach/pineapple and didn’t quite use the whole jar}. Preheat your oven to 400* and line up an oven safe dish with taco shells {I used foil tonight for easier clean up}. Fill shells with meat mixture and top with a little shredded cheese. Place into preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove and top with your favorite taco fixins {we used light sour cream, shredded lettuce and chopped tomato}. I added a slice of ripe avocado this evening and they were out of this world!

taco2

Just a fun twist for your average taco night.

They were most definitely missing some Cholula, but we were fresh out.

Next time.

Note: you will need a fork to scoop up all the good stuff that spills out onto your plate.

*****

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

Hoping to come out of hibernation now that the holidays are FAST approaching. This is my most favorite time of the year and I have a lot that I want to share so {fingers crossed} I will make time to blog more.

I really do miss it and just need to get my priorities straight…..

Easier said than done, right.

Happy Friday!

We have early morning soccer, another birthday party tomorrow afternoon and then hopefully hit a few of the bigger coasters at Magic Mountain after church with our new season passes.

Have a blessed weekend, friends!

XOXO

Flashbacks

Four

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Today marks FOUR years for flipflopfollies.com.

4

{via}

I don’t quite know what path this little blog is going to take, but I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet…..

I want to thank YOU all for stopping by from time to time and leaving comments.

It really does mean the world to me and I most certainly appreciate you taking the time to visit my teeny tiny corner of the internet!

XOXO

Faith, Flashbacks

On Honesty

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Last year when I was going through RCIA, we discussed that being a follower of Christ is not always easy. Sometimes being Christ-like is hard. We want to do what WE want to do, not what Jesus would want us to do. Sometimes going against what WE want is not fun, but it is almost always right.

I had a lesson in this about 8.5 years ago before I became Catholic; before I was technically a follower of Christ, I guess you could say.

I’ve always considered myself an honest person. I was born with a huge guilty conscience {perfect for Catholicism many have joked}. I learned honesty is the best policy at a young age from my parents, obviously. I always chalked it up to “doing the right thing” because it’s the right thing to do, but now I know it’s the Holy Spirit guiding me and by following the Holy Spirit, I am glorifying God.

So, when I was pregnant with Elliott I worked full-time and knew that I wasn’t going to return to the workforce after she was born. See yesterday’s post for more on this. It came time to prepare for her arrival and get all my ducks in a row. Like I said, I knew that I needed to give my employer notice before I went out on maternity leave {or SAHM leave} and when I talked to several friends they suggested I tell them I’m coming back so that I could get my disability. Well, that didn’t sit well with me although you KNOW I saw dollar signs flying out the window in my head. Let’s be honest.

It was not worth it to me to LIE to my employer who had been so good to me and have them think that I was coming back only to call them 6 weeks after my baby was born and say, “Hey guys, I decided to be a stay at home mom. I won’t be coming back.” I didn’t want that conversation hanging over me while I was enjoying my new blessing of motherhood. So one morning I went into one of my bosses offices {the one who interviewed me} and sat down. I explained to him that I knew I wanted to stay at home with my baby and that I was sad to report that I would not be coming back to work there. This was the best job I’d ever had. It was an hour commute each way, but worth every mile. I was sad to leave, but I was excited for the next chapter on our life.

Do you know that Mark looked across the desk at me and said something to the effect of, “Amy, I’m so glad you’ve decided to stay at home.We’ll certainly miss you. But I’ll just have you send in a letter of resignation after the baby is born because you’ve paid into this for so many years and you DESERVE to receive these benefits. This happens all the time.”

I couldn’t believe it. I “did the right thing” and was still blessed with the thing that I was worried about losing ~ money.

I left that meeting overwhelmed with gratitude and complete peace. Because I chose to be honest, I believe I was rewarded with several little checks during my maternity leave that certainly helped us financially. I will never forget the day the last one came. I knew it was the last one. I opened it and it was like a big {not THAT big} lump sum and there was a note that said this was my last of my benefits. The total was way more than I was receiving weekly and I guess it was just the balance of what I’d paid into?? I didn’t call to ask, just thanked my lucky stars and lived off that instead of starting to ask Jay for money and getting me a debit card at HIS bank. LOL

Anyhow, I was walking with my friend a couple weeks ago and we were talking about blessings and how they come when we least expect them. I told her about this story and about how Mark’s kindness would be remembered for a long, long time…probably forever. I got choked up as I was telling the story and she could tell that this was something that I held close to my heart after all these years.

Last weekend Jay and I were invited to a 25th wedding anniversary celebration {stay with me here} of the sweet friend who had gotten me the interview of this best job ever. We had a mutual friend and were wine tasting in Temecula one Sunday afternoon. I had expressed to her that I was unhappy at my current job and she begged me to come and apply at her company. So I did and I am ever so grateful.

OK, getting back to the party…Jay and I walked in about an hour late due to a dumb grass fire on I-5. The vow renewal had already taken place and the guests were enjoying passed hor d’oeuvres and cocktails before dinner. The DJ directed us into the room and the first thing I saw was several smiling faces of some of my favorite colleagues from, you guessed it, THE BEST JOB EVER. After a mini hug reunion, we sat and got caught up from over the years.

All of a sudden I asked, “How’s Mark? Does anyone keep in touch with him?”

There was a silence. Art, my other former boss, said, “Mark died!”

I was in complete shock. So saddened.

50 years old and had a heart attack while surfing with his son.

I couldn’t believe it.

I shared with everyone that I was JUST talking about him a couple weeks earlier and how he would forever be remembered as one of the most compassionate bosses in my career. I reminded them about how painless he made my departure for the workplace and that he had been the force behind a little financial freedom that doesn’t always come when you stop working.

It was SO great to share in our friends’, Tom & Teri’s, celebration. It was so neat to view photos of them over the years…the places they’ve visited, the CCI puppies that they have devoted their hearts to raising.

I didn’t know who to expect on the guest list from our Decision One days, but I can tell you that it was so, so great to see the ones that were there and the way they welcomed us when I was feeling terrible that we were over an hour late!

Art, Julie, Teri and Linda ~ I loved spending the evening with you all. XOXO

Being a stay-at-home-mom is great, but working in a cubicle with amazing people all around you is pretty great too!

Mark, rest in peace and love. Your words and kind gesture will NEVER be forgotten. Thank you for reminding me that being HONEST is always the way to be.

*****

No legacy is so rich as honesty ~ William Shakespeare

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight ~ Proverbs 12:22

Faith, Family, Flashbacks

I Always Knew

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I always knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mother.

But I also always knew that I wanted to go to college and earn a degree.

There was a time when I was focused on graduating from SDSU and being a mama was not on my immediate radar.

There was a time when I thought I may NOT be able to be a SAHM.

Thankfully, I surrendered and listened to what HE had in store for me. It took some time, but eventually I saw and understood why everything that had happened in my life up to that point.

I recall being at lunch with my colleagues when I was working FT in Del Mar and looking across the restaurant at a group of what I assumed were SAHMs. They had their strollers, infant carseats, burp cloths, etc. and were sitting around chatting about what moms of infants and toddlers probably chat about ~ sleep deprivation, finding the right diapers, etc.

I recall thinking to myself, “I want to do that someday.” Not live in Del Mar and sit in a brewery/pizza joint, but be a SAHM.

That was about 16 years ago.

I’ve been at home for almost 8.5 years now. It’s hard to believe. I don’t have it all figured out. Like at all. Somedays I feel so productive and others I feel like I’m letting my family down. Some days I just have to be OK with doing the bare minimum…

Kids up, dressed, fed, teeth brushed, hair done, lunches packed, homework in the backpack, socks & shoes on and to school on time {a pet peeve of mine}.

Dishes in the sink at least washed and placed in the dish drainer.

Maybe a load of laundry started {and probably forgotten in the washer for a day or two, but I always know that Jay will remind me it’s in there!}

Making sure we have SOMETHING for dinner that is semi-healthy and not from a drive-thru.

Picking up the kids from school and getting homework done before soccer, religious ed, dance, etc.

Remembering who has practice and at which field/park and at what time.

Asking Holden 26 times to get his shoes on and get in the car.

Getting home from said soccer practice {late} and getting dinner together, the kids in the bath, reading minutes logged, teeth brushed and tucked in.

Somedays that’s all I can do. And that’s not to say that I do this all alone. Jay is obviously tired after commuting and working all day, but he helps a lot, too.

And I’m not complaining about this at all, I’m just saying that there are days {lately more so than not!} that I don’t get a thing more done than what I have to. I am totally aware that I need to put down my phone more and pick up the Swiffer duster and Hoover more. I know this. I get it. I want to. But somedays I just don’t have it in me. And I’m not saying that’s OK either.

What prompted this whole post was reading this article floating around Facebook.

I’m not going to get real deep here {because I never do}, but sometimes you just need to hear that being a SAHM IS work and that it DOES count as a “job”.

I am beyond blessed that I’ve been able to stay at home this long. Yes, we have to make sacrifices and say NO and sometimes even worry about money.

But, lately we have truly seen God’s grace and witnessed his promise to always provide.

It was laid on my heart many, many years ago to be in this exact place right now and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Bad days and all.

Because my “bad day” is someone else’s dream day come true.

insta

The little 4X4 IG photos above are WHY I stay home with my kids.

I am gathering moments each day, the good and the not so good, so that when my babies are older and go off to college or I deliver a speech at their weddings, I can look back and know that I embraced what God placed in my path.

I may not get everything right, but I hope I get this right…..

I knew 16 years ago.

I knew 20 years ago.

I ALWAYS knew.

Food

When A Recipe Brings Back Memories

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In October of 2005, Jay and I put our little 1936 Craftsman home in San Diego on the market and headed to Nor Cal with a 6-month old Elliott and Riggs & Rascal. For 6 months we lived in a little one-bedroom apartment in Sunnyvale while our home was being built. I remember begging the salesperson to get us into a home that was already built so we wouldn’t have to live in this OLD apartment complex {it was the only place that allowed our two dogs}, but this was at the height of the market and we had to indeed wait several months for the home to be finished…there were no houses that fell out of escrow.

We literally knew NOBODY when we moved there. Jay’s cousins lived nearby, and that was great for weekend get togethers, but during the week I literally watched Food Network, did laundry and grocery shopped day in and day out. All our belongings were in storage and we went to IKEA and got two comfy black chairs and a tiny 13″ television/DVD player at Costco. I’d sit and watch the FN line-up and decided to invest in a Rachael Ray cookbook. I’d flip through the cookbook and find something that sounded good or take notes from an episode and Google the recipe. I would go to the grocery store almost daily and get fresh ingredients for our dinners. The bottom of Elliott’s stroller was just big enough to fit everything we needed for one night’s cooking.

Elliott would sit in her swing and I would prepare dinner for Jay and me. This is when I developed my love of cooking and baking. I’d always envisioned myself as the “entertaining” type, but worked FT, had a commute that got me home later than Jay and didn’t seem to have the time or energy to fix a nice meal. BUT, in this teeny little galley kitchen, I learned to LOVE to cook. We didn’t even have a table and if I remember correctly, we’d sit in our IKEA chairs and balance our plates on our laps! Classy.

*****

This past Sunday night a group of mamas got together to visit and pray for our friend, Angela, who is having surgery today. We started talking about a pasta dish that sounded amazing and I asked for the recipe. Turns out it’s called  Peasant Pasta and is a Rachael Ray recipe.

As I was walking the aisles of Ralphs yesterday gathering ingredients for this pasta, I couldn’t help but go back to the slower, simpler days when being a stay-at-home mama was new and maybe a bit lonely at times. Now that we’ve put down roots back in So Cal while establishing many wonderful friendships and with our days being so full and watching the weeks fly by, it’s hard to imagine the quieter, carefree days.

Now that I look back, those days in that little apartment were beautiful, too. I love when a recipe can bring back such memories….

Thank you, Lillian, for sharing!

XOXO

*****

pasta

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 2 links, casings removed
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 4 links, casings removed
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped, optional {I used about 10!!}
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas {I used petite peas}
24 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
Grated Italian cheese, for passing

Directions

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir cream into your sauce, this will blush the color and cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir peas and basil into your sauce to combine. Toss hot drained penne rigate in pan with the sauce, then transfer pasta to serving bowl.

Even without the sweet memories attached to this meal, it was DELISH and will definitely be a frequent contender in menu planning.

This recipe makes a lot so it would be great for entertaining a larger group and even doubling it would be easy, too.

Enjoy, friends!

Happy Tuesday.

Faith, Flashbacks

Twelve

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I’m a day late, but wanted to share yesterday’s Facebook post…

12 years ago at this time, I was glued to the television with fear, sadness, awe and disbelief. I go back in my mind to the visions of Ground Zero even 10 months after “that day” and still canNOT imagine being there in those first moments, hours, days, weeks and months after our country was tested. Red, White & Blue rose above all, and today I am not afraid, but am filled with hope, faith and LOVE.

…and an IG post…

nineeleven

“Land of the FREE. Home of the BRAVE. Always. No matter what.”

Food

Hello, September!

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Hi friends!

Looks like I’m popping in once again to drop a little recipe post and run…

I miss blogging and have so much to catch up on, but just don’t have the time I like to devote to writing my longer posts right now.

Last night I threw together a little Peach Crisp with some over-ripe peaches that sat out over the long weekend while we were enjoying a trip to San Diego.

peach

I ended up using this recipe, but left out the raisins and almonds.

Ingredients
For the filling:
5 large ripe peaches, pitted and cut into chunks
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
Pinch kosher salt
For the topping:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pea sized pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Pinch kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
Special equipment: 6 (6-ounce) ramekins {I used an 8″X8″ baking dish}

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling:
Toss the peaches in a large bowl with the zest and lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Divide the filling evenly between the ramekins.
For the topping:
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor except the water. Pulse until combined, this will take about 30 seconds. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is clumpy but crumbly.
Top each ramekin with the topping. Be sure to loosely sprinkle the topping and not pack it down. The idea is to look very crumbly and craggy.
Place the ramekins on a sheet tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping, brown and crispy.
Note: This is great served hot with vanilla ice cream

You know what I loved most about this recipe? There was a lot more crumble topping than I’m used to. That is my favorite part….confession, when we go to Souplantation and they serve the warm apple crisp, I scrape the streusel topping off and then top that with vanilla soft serve. Hopefully the person that comes after me likes the warm apples better!

I love the addition of lemon zest and juice to this recipe. Normally I’d think some cinnamon or a little nutmeg would go into something like this, but the zest really brightened it up and didn’t leave it too sweet.

Cannot wait to get the kiddos in bed this evening, dish up another serving of this and watch the So You Think You Can Dance finale!

You do you like?

I’m rooting for Aaron. It’s about time a tapper won this thing.

*****

Hope your Labor Day was perfect and that you’re ready to welcome Fall….my most favorite season of all.

“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” ~ William Cullen Bryant

XOXO

Food

Summer Blueberries

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Since I can’t get my act together to do a recap of our trip to the Carolinas, I’ll share with you a dessert I made while on vacation for my sweet in-laws to celebrate their July birthdays…

Blueberry Buckle

A Martha creation, but first spotted here.

It’s like a coffee cake, but not too sweet, super moist and bursting with blueberries…

blueberry1

I love anything with a crumble top, but add vanilla ice cream and I’m sold….

blueberry2

I made this earlier in the day and it had cooled by the time we were going to enjoy it. I can’t emphasize this enough, but you NEED to eat this warm or heat in the microwave slightly before shoving it in your face. 😉

Some homemade whipped cream would also be lovely atop a slice of this, but I didn’t need to tell you that.

Hurry! Grab a few cartons of blueberries before the summer is over and bake one for your family, friends or co-workers.

Make a Blueberry Buckle, brew a pot of coffee and invite some mamas over on the first day of school to mourn/celebrate your freedom!

I’d be doing the latter….I love my munchkins, but I’m more than ready to get back in some sort of routine.

Happy Monday!

{Again, recipe found HERE}

Fashion

A Letter To Summer

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Yesterday I printed off several of these cute summer letter templates from Thirty Handmade Days.

It was a HOT one and we spent the morning at the pool for an early play date. When we got home and after we’d had some lunch, the kids sat down for a little quiet time and completed these sweet notes to pop in the mail before we head out to the {right coast}!

letter1

When they were all done and each box contained darling little drawings and cute elementary handwriting, I thought about sitting down and completing one myself! Instead, I decided to do mine in blog form and write my letter to SUMMER!

Dear Summer,

Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to since you arrived…

DCIM100GOPRO

{GoPro-ing at the pool}

DCIM100GOPRO

Finishing 6 week long projects that should NOT take 6 weeks…

letter4

{full reveal to come ~ stay tuned}

Catching the latest at the box office…

letter5

{we did not see 2 movies in one day…Holden just really loves this shirt! 😉 }

letter6

{Despicable Me 2 on opening day}

What I love best about you so far, Summer, is…

letter7

{quiet afternoons with a good book}

letter9

{concerts in the park}

My favorite memories with you to this point are…

letter8

{going on an adventure with this little pirate}

and

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{getting a sitter and hanging out with this guy}

We’re almost halfway through with you, Summer….why must you go so fast?

The next two weeks will be spent creating new adventures and making new memories in a whole different spot on the map.

You’ve been good to us so far, but I know there’s lots more in store. You’re really good at inviting us to enjoy your warm, sunny days and your starry, chirping cricket-filled nights!

Thank you for always delivering…

DCIM100GOPRO

Love your forever friend,

Amy xoxo