Conversations with Kaylin

Tonight in the car, Kaylin and I had a conversation that I knew I had to write down somewhere. I completely soaked every bit of this up, because I know this is short lived, and she’ll only believe this stuff for the next year, or maybe 2, if I’m lucky.

I’ll start with the back story and why this conversation started…she lost her other front tooth yesterday at school. She brought it home in a cute little treasure chest called a “tooth saver.” She placed the tooth under her pillow, for The Tooth Fairy….and then The Tooth Fairy didn’t come last night. Yeah. Parenting FAIL. I felt bad, she was upset, and crying, so I told her we’d go out for a treat after Daddy got home from work, just us girls. She picked Yogurt Story.

So, on the way home from Yogurt Story we’re talking about the Tooth Fairy…
Kaylin: She probably lives in a tooth shaped house

Me: Wouldn’t that give her identity away though? I mean, her neighbors would obviously know someone living in a tooth shaped house is the tooth fairy. So, where does the Easter Bunny live then?

Kaylin: In a meadow and yeah the bugs, birds, and rodents know he’s the Easter Bunny. And Santa lives in The North Pole…

Me: And the penguins and polar bears know he’s Santa?

Kaylin: The penguins, yeah, but polar bears live in a different arctic. They would eat the penguins if they lived together.
 
So, she knows that polar bears eat penguins, but apparently, when it comes to where Santa lives. Everyone lives happily every after and Santa makes special food chain related living arrangements. Which, shouldn’t surprise me. I mean, he IS Santa!

My chili recipe

My friend Kristi asked me for my chili recipe, and I decided I'll just share it here. These are all approximate, because I never really measure the spices and such when I'm making it. If you like a chili that packs heat, this is not the chili for you. Of course, you could always add more chili powder, red pepper flakes, etc. to your liking to up the heat factor.

15 oz canned dark kidney beans
15 oz canned light kidney beans
15 oz canned black beans
8 oz canned tomato sauce
2 - 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
¼ teaspoon lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon ground cumin
1 cube beef bouillon
½ cup onions, diced, cooked
1 bell pepper of any color, diced
zucchini, diced (Jeremy doesn't like when I add this, so this isn't *always* in there)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound extra lean ground beef

Brown ground beef, add to slow cooker.

Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic and then add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook on low as long as possible.

Menu Plan Monday

I’m sorry if you don’t enjoy reading our menu plan for the week. I do this for me, because it’s better than wasting paper every week, and if I don’t write it down somewhere I’ll never remember what I planned!
Leftovers
Greek Couscous (plan is to throw some plain grilled chicken in there, sub cucumbers for the tomatoes and make this a one-dish meal)
Cinco de Mayo Feast - Southwest Chicken Wraps, salad w/ranch-salsa dressing, queso, chips, maybe even some margaritas!!
Chef’s Salad
Barbecue Chicken, baked beans, salad