Big news, our family is expanding!
->SUSPENSE<-
We’re getting a puppy! If your mind went to a baby, you are totally and completely wrong but I mean I understand that thinking, we do have three girls. And let me tell you, three girls is plenty, no actually it is more than we can handle most days. But nice try, instead a little fluff ball will be coming home to live with us in early March. I’m really not sure who is more excited, the girls or me. I heart dogs, especially the family type. The dogs that go everywhere with you, the ones that know just how to brighten up your day. Yes, I’m a crazy dog lady.
So a puppy it is, a golden retriever pup to be exact. This past weekend we got to go visit the little furball and the pictures don’t really do justice to how cute these things were. Like pick it up and squeeze it, stinkin’ adorable. And then reality hits and I realize that we are bringing home a puppy in a little over four weeks. A crazy, wild, naughty puppy will be all ours. It’s been a long time since I had a puppy and I think I’ve forgotten just how much trouble they can really get into.
My shoes, our couch, the girl’s toys could very well be destructed because of this cute little furball and then I start to question our sanity. The hubs and I have lost it, we’ve gone completely insane thinking that now in the midst of toddlers and babies, now would be a great time to get a puppy. I mean why not, it’s not like we get any sleep at all, the house is a disaster nearly 24/7, the girl’s hair rarely gets brushed, I can’t keep up with laundry, why not just add to the mix? Go ahead, tell us we are crazy!
So these crazy thoughts creep in, that we have lost it and I very well may never be able to catch up on my life again….like ever. But then I look at the pictures. The sweet pictures of these tiny little puppies and think it will all be worth it. The lost shoe, the baby dolls de-stuffed will all be worth it to have that special companion. Seriously, how can you not want one of these. Okay, you totally do.
The countdown has begun, everyday we talk about the puppy the girls shouting his name (which is going to be kept a secret until he is here…eek!) and I get more and more excited waiting for the day. And then again I get woken up to my new reality when my parents dog eats the triple-decker caramel brownie I just got pictures of. The picture set-up is going to have to change or else there will be no pictures and just one really fat dog. A lot is going to have to change. I’m hoping on the plus side that the girls will learn to pick up their toys and I will learn to pick up my shoes. It will be a good thing, right? Obedience school is in our future… I can see it now.
So how do we get through our crazy days and crazy nights? Tex Mex Salad bowls with Sriracha Crema to add a little bounce to our step. This very well could be our number one eaten food around this house. The girls love it, the hubs love it and it is so easy I don’t even have to think about it. Tex Mex salads happen at least twice a month, if not more. They are delicious and the leftovers are spot-on.
The key to the perfect tex mex bowl, the meat. It must be perfectly seasoned with a slight sauce that sits on a bed of greens with whatever additional toppings you would like. We prefer sweet corn, avocado, sliced tomato, roasted sweet potato, black olives, cilantro, tangy goat cheese, and sriracha crema. Done, this is it. Learn it, make it, love it, repeat. In our house, this is the sanity salad. You can call it what you want.
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (more of less depending on flavor preferences)
- 2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1½ Tbsp cumin powder
- ½ Tbsp chili powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
- ½ cup water
- SALAD
- Sweet Corn
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Avocado
- Bunch of cilantro
- Tomatoes
- Salsa
- Lime juice
- SRIRACHA CREMA
- 6 oz goat cheese
- ¼ cup broth or water (more or less depending on desired consistency)
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, brown meat.
- Once brown drain and place back over heat.
- Add garlic, chili garlic sauce, molasses, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and water. Let simmer until sauce has thickened.
- In a blender or with a hand mixer add goat cheese, liquid and Sriracha. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Plate salad with lettuce, toppings of choice, tex mex meat and drizzle with goat cheese crema with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
