Mango Salsa

I don't know what the weather's been like where you live, but here in Albuquerque, it's been H-O-T!  I've found myself craving something snack-y, but refreshing. 

I have a friend at church who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and now lives in New Mexico.  She invited my family to dinner one night...EVERYTHING she made was amazing!  But one thing stuck out to me...her Mango Salsa.  This is my version:

THE STUFF YOU'LL NEED:

(And as an added bonus, I bought all of the ingredients at my local Farmer's Market.)

Mangoes (I used 3 large ones), Cilantro, Green Onions, 1 Jalapeño, and 1 Lime (Yes, yes, I know there are 3 limes here.  I wasn't sure how many I'd actually use when I took the first picture.)

STEP 1:

Cut your mangoes into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl.

***NOTE:  Cutting mangoes can be a messy business.  Be ye prepared.

STEP 2:

Chop up about 1/4 cup of cilantro and add to the bowl.  You can add more or less depending on your own personal taste.  I, personally, love the bright, fresh taste of cilantro, so I added quite a bit.

STEP 3:
Chop up the stalks of 1-2 green onions and add to the bowl.  (Again, this depends on personal preference.)  I used 2 onions. And then I realized I should've bought some Altoids.
Look at the pretty colors!

STEP 4:
Finely chop a jalapeno...unless you like big chunks of jalapeno in your salsa.  In that case, roughly chop a jalapeno.  The jalapeno I bought was rather large.  I used all of it, but the amount of jalapeno is completely up to you, depending on how spicy you want your salsa to be.  I like a little lot of spice in my life!

STEP 5:

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into your bowl.

STEP 6:

Gently stir everything together.  This salsa is great on tortilla chips, crackers, or in lettuce wraps!

***The next time I make this, I think I might try it with peaches instead of mangoes...YUM!

***Let me know if you make this delicious salsa and how it turns out for you!

The Stratosphere. The Wild Blue Yonder. Our Lid.

Psalm 8:3-6 (Good News Translation) "I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places; what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them?  Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor.  You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation."

Yesterday, I was quite enamored with the sky here in Albuquerque.  I couldn't help but take a few pictures. 

Look at those big, fluffy clouds!  I found myself wishing I could take a rest up on one of those cottony poof balls.

The following picture I edited in black and white and used the little "sunshine-y" button on Instragram (what IS that button called, anyways?).  I thought it made it look more dramatic.  :)  

In the busy-ness of life, I need to stop more often to observe my surroundings, because when I do, I am constantly amazed at God's artistry!

One Of My All-Time FAVORITE Books:

I am a reader.  I wish I could say that I am an avid reader, but the truth is, I don't have enough time to be an "avid" reader.  One of my favorite things about road trips (like the 2 I'm looking forward to this summer) is having some time in the car to read. 

I have MANY favorite books.

But one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES is The Count of Monte Cristo.  (And co-incidentally, I was just talking about this book at a wedding today, even though this draft has been in my blog posts for about a week.)  I adore this book! Believe you me when I say that I have probably read it more than 10 times.  Actually, I'm reading it again now.  See!  I can't stop reading it!

There are many things I like about this book: the characters, the wording (I find myself wanting to call people Monsieur and Mademoiselle), the intrigue, the different types of love displayed throughout the book (father/son, lovers, friends, character/job, character/money, mother/son, grandfather/granddaughter, on and on...), the villainy, the repentance. 

However, there is 1 thing in particular that I love about this book:  the theme.  In a nutshell, it is this: Revenge isn't always what it's cracked up to be.  It's a good reminder in this day and age.

Read this book if you haven't.  You won't be sorry.

P.S. No, I have not seen the movie.  I'm always afraid that books-turned-into-movies will ruin the story I have created and logged in my imagination.  If you've seen the movie and read the book, what do you think???

Waffles or Spaghetti?

Waffles.  Golden and crispy, soft on the inside.  Little compartments for just the right amount of syrup in each bite. 

Spaghetti.  Tangly and fun to eat.  Reminds me of Lady and the Tramp. Can't tell where one noodle begins and another one ends.

I once saw a book titled, Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti. I didn't read it.  I got the gist of the book from the title. 

According to this train of thought, men have all these little "compartments" in their brain.  Like if I'm talking to my husband about what we're having for dinner tonight, but then I start talking about what movie we should see on Friday, he's lost, and I don't get why.  It all made perfect sense to me.  But, of course, according to the title of the book, it's because like spaghetti noodles on a plate have no orderly beginning and end, neither do my thoughts. 

I kind-of resent that.

Ok.  Not kind-of.  I do resent that.  There is a perfectly logical flow to my thoughts.

Just because you don't see the beginnings and endings of my thoughts doesn't mean they aren't logical to me.  Give us women some credit.  Sometimes I can totally relate to Anne of Green Gables who said,  "But if you only knew how many things I want to say and don't, you'd give me some credit."  This quote sort-of defines my life.

Example:  It's very possible that the whole "what-we're-having-for-dinner" conversation segue into the "what-movie-should-we-see-on-Friday" thought process went something like this in my head:

dinner tonight --> do I need to stop at the grocery store on the way home? --> hmm...grilled chicken sounds good -->  I wonder if we have enough lettuce for a salad? --> dinner Friday night --> date night...yay! --> If we go to Chili's, I need to remember to print the coupon they just emailed me --> free chips and queso = SCORE! --> I wonder if the babysitter ever confirmed for Friday night? --> I better call or text her to double check --> I need to remind her that Kinley wanted her to paint her nails -->  I also need to order pizza for the kids and babysitter Friday night --> I think we were going to see a movie after dinner --> I wonder what movies are playing? --> I should ask husband what movie he wants to see.

See how much I DIDN'T say so I wouldn't confuse you?  And you wonder why we get frustrated when you can't follow the "simple" things we say...  :)

Of course, according to the theory that men are like waffles, "what we're having for dinner tonight" is in it's own seperate compartment from "what movie we should see on Friday night".

I think I'm a good mixture of both--a little bit waffle and a little bit spaghetti...I can compartmentalize pretty well, but I'm also a fast multi-tasking thinker.  (Maybe another blog entry to come on that...?)

I see SOME truth in the analogy.  What do you think?  Do you have any examples for or against this?  I'd be happy to hear YOUR thoughts on this!

Recipe for OMGoodness Brookies

The recipe I am about to share is amazingly rich, chocolatey, buttery, and peanuty goodness!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it was called "Ultimate Pretzel Crusted Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Brownie Bars".  Whew!  I thought that was quite a mouthful (no pun intended), so I just call them "OMGoodness Brookies".

What's that you say?  You've never heard the word "brookie" before?  Well that would be because I just made it up.  It's a mix between a brownie and a cookie.  Brownie + Cookie = Brookie...get it?  I know, I know...not incredibly creative, but hey, it works!

Ok, so here's the recipe.  Now, this is my first time blogging a recipe, so please bear with me!  And I didn't use my really nice camera because, well...because I was too tired.  So I just used my phone.  It'll have to do!

THE STUFF YOU'LL NEED:

Butter Flavored Pretzels, Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix, Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, 2 Bags of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, 1 Cup of Melted Butter, 5 Tbs. Sugar, Eggs, Vegetable Oil, Non-Stick Spray

STEP 1: 

Crush 2-3 cups of the Butter Pretzels.  I started with 2 cups, but ended up using closer to 3 cups.  You can use a food processor, but I just put them in a plastic bag and crushed them with my hands.  You don't want to pulverize them, just crush them, then put them in a bowl.  Add 1 cup of melted butter and 5 Tbs. of sugar.  Mix together.

STEP 2:

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with the Non-Stick Spray.  Evenly spread your pretzel-butter-sugar concoction in the bottom of the pan to make a deliciously yummy crust!

STEP 3:

Make the Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix according to package directions.  This is where you'll use the vegetable oil and eggs mentioned in the ingredient list.

STEP 4: 

Spread the Peanut Butter Cookie mix evenly over the Pretzel mixture.  

***Note:  This was VERY sticky!!!  I highly suggest having some flour handy to dip your hands in to make the cookie dough easier to handle.***

STEP 5: (Take a deep breath and prepare yourself.)

Unwrap 20 of those yummy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and place evenly on top of the Peanut Butter Cookie Mix.  

Oh yes I did...

STEP 6: (Yes, there's more, my friend.  There's more.)

Make the Betty Crocker Brownie Mix according to package directions.  You will need the oil and eggs again here.  Lick the beaters from your mixer.  Yes, this is part of the directions.

Ok, not really.  But you know you want to!

STEP 7:

Oh yes.  Deep down you know what's coming...

That's right.  Pour the Brownie Mix on top of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

***Note:  At this point in time you may hear angels singing.  Don't be alarmed.***

STEP 8:

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  

Dizzying smells of amazingness will flow from your oven...just sayin'...

It may feel like torture, but I assure you the reward is worth it.

The finished product will look something like this:

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST:

Enjoy the little slice of heaven you just made.

Ignore the "I'm-gonna-have-to-work-out-for-2-hours-to-pay-for-this" feeling in the back of your mind. 

Indulge.  

Bask in the fame you will receive for making these Brookies.  (I just had to use my made-up word one more time!)

Mmmmmmm!

***PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE:  

1)  Let me know if my first attempt at recipe blogging came across clearly and made sense.  

2)  Let me know if you make this recipe and how it turns out for you!

Catching Up On My Scrapbooking: Birthdays (8, 6, 3)

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ramblings about forgiveness

Forgiveness. 

It can be simple.
It can be made hard.
It can be freely given.
It can be dangled in front of someone.
It can be kept at a distance.
It can be used as a weapon.
It can bring back life.
It can cause death when absent.
It can change a person.
It can change you.
It can change me.

Without it, you will eventually be left with no one but yourself.