Mother's Day

I'm a little late on posting but this mother's day my brother's, their wives, children, myself and tc all chipped in to get my mom a little pampering time. One of my aunts decided to join in for the fun. My brothers wanted prood that I actually took her, so here it is!

First we went to breakfast.

When we got to the spa, the massage was first

doesn't she look relaxed?

then she got a pedicure

then she got her nails done

she also got her haircut, but by then the camera had been put away, it looked very cute though, trust me!

a good time was had by all, if i do say so myself!

What a great way to start a 3 day weekend

Cilantro Stuff

I used to hate cilantro. Bleck! Anything that had too much of it I wouldn't eat.

But for some reason recently I can't get enough of it. It has been adding the most amazing flavor to some recipes you wouldn't expect to see it in. Without further ado, here are two recipes I have tried recently that make use of the cilantro very well.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

I know, I know hummus and cilantro, who would have thought? But trust me, it's good. Real good. And it is SO pretty! This recipe is from Annie's Eats, my edits are in italics

Ingredients:

1/3-1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves does anyone pic off the leaves? I just cut off the gross part of the stems and threw about half a bunch in

1-2 jalapeno peppers, ribbed and seeded I used 2, and it just has a touch of jalapeno zing

1 clove garlic, peeled

3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice i think lime juice would be really nice as well

1/4 cup water

6 tbsp. tahini

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil i omitted, and used the chickpea juice instead

1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp. salt i added quite a bit more than that

1/4 tsp. cumin omitted, i didn't have any

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions: Combine the cilantro, jalapenos, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients have been finely minced. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and water. In another bowl, whisk together the tahini and olive oil. (I obviously left this step out) Set aside. Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl and add the chickpeas, salt, cumin and cayenne. Process until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. With the machine running add the lemon juice-water mixture in a steady stream through the feed tube. Scrape down the bowl and continue to process for one minute. With the machine running, add the oil-tahini mixture in a steady stream through the feed tube, and continue to process until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. I just do this until it is the texture that I like
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until the flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. you don't have to wait, it will be fantastic right out of the food processor, and i mean scrape all of the components clean good.

I've been eating this with carrots, but I think it would be delicious with just about anything you dipped into it, and I think it would be a wonderful sandwich spread.

Southwestern Corn Salad

this is a recipe my sweet husband got off the weight watchers sight. at first glance, it does not seem like there is going to be enough dressing to be able to taste it and i do not like dry salads so i was not optimistic. boy, was i wrong. the lime juice provides a tang throughout the salad and there is a hint of spice that makes this salad quite cravable.

4 cup(s) mixed baby greens
15 1/2 oz canned yellow corn, drained
1/4 oz low-fat hard cheese, diced (i used mozzarella, but this is so little cheese you are better off just leaving it out)
2 medium scallion(s), chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar, or fresh lime juice (i used 1T of each)
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tbsp cilantro, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions
In a large bowl, combine greens, corn, cheese, scallions and pepper.
In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients for dressing. Pour over salad, and toss well before serving.

It says this is 4 servings, 2 pts each but I doubled the lettuce and it was not enough for me for lunch.

go buy some cilantro, make something new, and then invite me over so i can try it!

Mexico Trip: Summary

if you don't want to read the rest of this post, let me summarize the trip with one picture

We started our trip by upgrading to first class, so now nothing else will ever be good enough. Champagne, breakfast and arm room are really the only way to start a vacation. After we were driven the 30 minutes it took us to get to our resort we were welcomed with champagne, and taken to check in and served more champagne.

showin off our first class


After seeing our room, we headed straight to lunch at the grill which is on top of two of the resort's pools. After requesting something special to drink, then declining a second, the waiter asked me, "why not, do you have somewhere to drive?" which would be the first of many times we would be asked this question, along with, "why not, are you worried about the cost?" and "why not, do you have somewhere to be?"

our first lunch complete with first two fruity drinks

We spent our first, and eventually every, afternoon in the pool with the swim up bar. Each time we would try new drinks and find new people to chat it up with. Some of our favorites were the mojito made with cuban rum, of which a purchased a bottle because they were so delicioso, a miami vice: strawberry daiquiri on the bottom and pina colada on the top, and tc's favorite was the drunken banana something or other which tasted a lot like banana's foster.

our favorite place to spend the afternoons

Our first evening we had dinner in an Asian themed restaurant and I was very impressed but tc did not prefer it. After dinner we went down to see the band that played outside and ran into some of the people we had spent time with at the pool. That night was karaoke and dancing. Unfortunately, there was a photographer there and he caught pictures of both which he later showed us, not a memory any one needed.

Our second day we spent the morning at the beach reading, and the afternoon at the swim up bar. We had dinner in the French themed restaurant which was incredible. That evening's entertainment was a circus show, which was corny but entertaining.

somehow reading here in the mornings never seemed to get old

one of the performers at the circus show

Our third day was spent exactly like the second, except this one involved sunburn. We stayed at the swim up bar until it was closed plus some. We went to the Italian themed restaurant but neither of us really liked our food at all so we went back up to the room and tc went straight to bed while I watched tv.

another beautiful morning at the beach

another fun afternoon at the pool

Our fourth day I was recovering from the sunburn so we took everything very slow and spent all of our time in the shaded part of the beach. It was a beautiful day to be sitting in the shade reading so it worked out very well. That night we ate dinner at the steak and lobster restaurant, and ended up being joined by a couple we had met at the pool. They were hilarious and so we were very glad we ended up running in to them. They dude had tc's same first and middle name and the exact same sense of humor as my funniest friend so naturally we got along famously. The restaurant quite literally only served steak and lobster so it was of course delicious. After dinner the four of us went to watch the band, then to dancing. It was quite a fun (and hilarious) evening.

our shaded haven

dinner with friends

Our final day we spent mostly being sad. Okay, really I spent most of the day being sad. It is so hard to know you are going to be leaving paradise. We had breakfast, packed our bags, read, and then waiting for our ride to show up. On the way out the door I had one mas cosmopolitan for good measure.

All in all it was an incredible trip. The weather could not have been any better, the service was wonderful, the beaches, pools, restaurants, bars and entertainment were all magnificent. I personally feel so spoiled that we are able to go to someplace that was so amazing.

just a little warning fail from the tabacco industry. we thought this was SO funny

Mexico day 3

Me: thank the Lord for aloe
Tc: so drunk he's praying

Mexico Day 2

Even better than it was yesterday, if that's even possible

Mexico - On our way!