The Dogs Will Play

I've made a very similar dish and posted it- black bean salsa. This is the same sort of concept, but it's just a little bit different. Still- the combination of beans, tomatoes, onion, and avocado.

This is great as a side dish or a dip for chips. I had it for a light supper one night. You can't go wrong with it!

I happened to not have cilantro this time, so I didn't use it. I also used balsamic vinegar and white wine vinegar, since I did not have champagne vinegar. It still tasted delicious!

Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cilantro

(Makes 4 side-dish servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 can pinto beans, rinse and drain very well
4-5 tsp. white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 avocado, diced into pieces
1/2 inch square
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1-2 T olive oil, or a bit more
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt to taste

Pour beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well until no more foam appears. Let beans drain well for at least 15 minutes. Then blot beans dry with paper towel, place in plastic bowl, and toss with white balsamic vinegar. Let beans marinate in the vinegar while you prep other ingredients.

Cut avocado into 1/2 inch pieces and place in small bowl. Toss with lime juice. Chop tomatoes, or if using cherry tomatoes, cut in half.

Chop red onion and cilantro. Mix onions and cilantro into marinating beans. Then use a large spoon to gently fold in avocado and tomato. Drizzle olive oil over salad and season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt, and gently toss again. Serve immediately, at room temperature.


And the other night, while I was busy blogging away and Jeremy was studying, here is what Ivy and Win were up to . . .

They pulled all the stuffing out of a toy, pulled blankets off the bed, seemingly got out all their toys, and oh yes- that's poop you see right there at the bottom corner! Classic!

July 4th Extravaganza!

Our July 4th was full of fun and visitors. It started off on Thursday night, when Jeremy's Uncle Matt and PawPaw Walker came for a short visit. They had been to California and were driving back to Tennessee.

They were only able to stay for a short while, since they were really ready to be home!

On Friday, Madison came over to play while her mom had something important to do. I thought it would be a perfect time to get started decorating some cupcakes in red, white, and blue!



James is staying with us for a few weeks to do an internship here, so he joined in the cupcake fun!

Madison absolutely loved Ivy and Win and they loved her! She had a blast playing with them in the backyard!

Later on Friday afternoon, David, Cynthia, Deborah and Delancy came to stay with us and visit OKC. They were pretty tired from their trip, so we hung out and made an amazing 4th of July Feast!

We had steak, chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pasta salad. Of course, the cupcakes were for dessert!

Here is the pasta salad recipe that I borrowed from this blog.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

adapted from Ina Garten

Dressing (makes more than enough; spoon leftovers over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers)

1 7-oz jar sundried tomatoes, drained

4 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

Salad

16 ounces corkscrew pasta

1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives

1 pint rip cherry tomatoes, halved

Several (10 to 15) basil leaves, chopped or julienne

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed together.Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta, add olives, and toss together. Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking. Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

What a spread!

Deborah and Delancy also wanted in on the cupcake decorating action!

On Saturday, everyone wanted to see the sites of OKC. Our first stop was the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

They had some very beautiful plants and flowers.

We wanted to kiss the frog . . .

He did not turn into a prince.

We also took the ferry boat ride on the downtown river. It was very pretty and only a little bit hot!

On Saturday night, as we were eating our leftovers that we made into steak and chicken fajitas, a horrible storm came in. It was windy and lightning and thundering. It was crazy.

We played games, the electricity went off and finally, the Walker family decided to head home. We had a great visit with them!

Ivy and Winnie were also sad to see them go!!!

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

Happy Easter!!!!

After heading to church to celebrate Easter Sunday, we came home to get our Easter lunch ready. It was quite a feast for just two people. We both really missed seeing our families this holiday, but luckily, we are seeing our families in the next few weeks.


Jeremy grilled steaks and I made a salad and warm bacon potato salad. It was all delicious. We finished off our meal with my absolute favorite Easter treat, a Cadbury egg!!!


It's a pretty yucky day here- cold, wet, rainy, etc. Ivy and Winnie have been exhausted all day. I think it's just the weather- it's the kind of day that you should curl up in bed with a good book!

Warm Bacon Potato Salad

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
1 tablespoon sugar

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes
Salt
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 medium sized red onion, diced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped dill leaves, plus more for garnish

For the vinaigrette:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Directions:
Add potatoes to pot of salted cold water. Bring to a boil, over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm, if necessary.

Add bacon to large saute pan and cook until crisp over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and reserve. Add onion, dash of pepper and garlic to bacon grease and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add vinaigrette to vegetables. Let cook until reduced and thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add potatoes, dill and bacon to the pan and toss to coat with dressing. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer potato salad to a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped fresh dill.

Happy Easter from Jeremy, Erin, Ivy and Winnie!

From the very start . . .

You stole my heart! So the card from Jeremy read. Overall, I prefer a pretty low key Valentine’s Day. I don’t expect expensive jewelry or other nice things- I really think it’s more about spending time with the person you love.

Time is what I wanted- time is what Jeremy gave me. We planned to make a special Valentine’s dinner. It might not seem like much, but that’s a pretty big sacrifice for Jeremy. He doesn’t really like to cook that much, but he knows much I absolutely love it!



Jeremy picked all of our recipes for our V-day feast. On the menu: cumin tomato, avocado salad, shrimp linguine, butternut squash macaroni, asparagus and strawberry mascarpone mini-cupcakes.

Avocado Salad with Tomatoes, Lime, and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks, or 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 ripe large Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette, recipe follows
2 cups arugula leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
Gently mix the tomatoes, avocados, onions, arugula, and half of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Check for seasoning and add more vinaigrette, if needed. Sprinkle the cumin and cilantro over the top and serve immediately.

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, honey, cumin, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oils until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Do not use a blender to make this vinaigrette.

Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened

2 egg whites

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 box white cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the mini tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

Jeremy also got me this singing bear-"I'm Yours"

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!