No Bus 4 Us: Home Invasion: Part II

Here you'll see more prep for our group. This prep was done mostly on the day that they first arrived; Friday. However, I had most of the day to clean/prep, as they did not arrive until about 10:30 pm. I had a LOT to do though; including (but not limited to) laundry, sweeping/mopping of all tile floors, beds to make, a few sheets left to wash, food to cook, etc. I was on the verge of hyperventilation!! lol. I had to force myself to relax & BREATHE! One thing at a time. One item at a time from the to-do list, checked off when it was accomplished. If I did something extra that wasn't on the list, YOU KNOW it was added to the list and crossed off! You get to feel a bit more accomplished that way! (HEY, every bit helps!).

As I was cleaning, I realized I had 2 pork roasts in the fridge that I wanted to put in the crockpot. I sprinkled some Chef Merito Steak & Meat Seasoning in the bottom of crockpot. Then I placed the roasts inside and sprinkled some more seasoning on top. Next, I poured two bottles of mild salsa (I usually use the Stater Bros version of the "Pace Picante" salsa). Put it to cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours and you are good to go! Shred when you're done and serve with rice or in tacos or taquitos. This works even better with beef than with pork! **My actual favorite for pork is to use the Chef Merito seasoning, but then squeeze fresh orange juice on top (my dear friend Colleen gave me that recipe!). Cook, then add a bit more seasoning & a bit more orange juice. Shred up for soft tacos (in corn tortillas), top with some onion/cilantro & a squeeze of lime! MMMMmmmmm!!!!!** If you go the salsa route, you can still finish up with the cilantro, onion & lime!

After that, I boiled a couple chickens that I had. I shredded the chicken and put it aside to use in at least two recipes. Then I set the broth aside for two recipes as well. First I made some Curry Chicken (okay, to be specific, this is WHITE GIRL curry chicken! lol. I LOVE the taste of curry, but it was not really a Middle-Eastern or Asian style of curry chicken. It's just chicken with a curry flavor that tastes good, okay?

Then I made some chicken rivoli (or riboli...I'm not sure how my grandma spelled it...I always thought it was the German word for "dumpling" but when I looked it up, it wasn't. lol. Anyhoo, we call the little dumpling-like things in this soup ribolis.). We make chicken soup and add these little ribolis, which are very simple to make. You just use 1 cup of flour, a dash of salt (I never even use the salt), and 1 egg. Just mix it with a fork until it's crumbly, then use your hands to break the pieces smaller. Throw it in your soup & in about 10-15 minutes they'll be cooked. I love this soup!!! It is one of my favorite things to eat in the winter, but I'm a soup-in-the-summer gal too! I love breaking pieces of cheese (my faves are Swiss or Cheddar) and putting them into my bowl of soup! YUMMY!

On the same day, I also cooked up some bacon for use in a couple recipes & made some cucumber salad, using FRESH cukes from our GARDEN!! (Didn't I just tell you that my mama is an awesome gardener???)

Here are some photos! A few extras in the mix: me in my jammies (all day long & boy do I look FAB, right?), the ingredients for our banana shakes & banana cake that I made to use up some super-ripe bananas & the mess I made along the way! :)

This is the seasoning I used. **Contains MSG, so I only use this occasionally.

2 roasts in crockpot with seasoning.

Finished curry chicken. Serve over rice. Can use toppings: shredded cheddar, diced dried apricots, raisins, coconut, chopped nuts. (My faves are the cheddar & apricots.)

I made a large batch of ribolis, so this was 3 c. flour.

Added my 3 eggs.

They should be in pretty small crumbles before you put them into the soup.

See how they are floating on the top & cooking away...

Completed, wonderful chicken riboli soup! **If you refrigerate the broth before you use it, do not scrape off the fat when using the broth. So much of the flavor is there. Its okay to have some fat in your diet, peeps. As a matter of fact, you need a certain amount of fat...so eat up!

Banana Shakes

Ewwww, I look disgusting!!!!!!! Remember, I was singing "Ice, Ice Baby" when asked about the ice
by my hubby! **Just imagine me busting that '80s move! Oh yeah! :P