favorite eats // breakfast burritos

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As I type this, I can hear a cardinal singing outside, which has nothing to do with burritos, except that both things make me SO excited!

Burritos have been a dinner staple for awhile now. I made burritos the first week we were married and we've been hooked ever since. We both like LOVE Chipotle, but we really limit our eating out budget. Usually when we have traditional burritos, I will make cilantro lime rice to give it that true Chipotle flavor. But lately one our faves has been the breakfast burrito, even though we've never had them for breakfast. I guess technically they're called "Egg and Hash Brown Tacos", but "Breakfast Burritos" seems to roll off the tongue a little easier.

Breakfast Burritos
adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa
8 large eggs
1/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
8 flour tortillas, warmed
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
fresh lime juice

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook hash browns until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and salsa, reduce the heat to low and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the skillet with the hash browns and cook, stirring, until the eggs are almost set, about 2 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese and cook until the eggs are just set, about 1 more minute. Divide among the tortillas and top with bean salsa mixture, avocado, cilantro, remaining cheese, and sour cream and lime juice if your prefer...which you should prefer.

contentment

I recently purchased the book "Keep a Quiet Heart" by Elisabeth Elliot and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend. It's insightful, challenging, encouraging, and relevant for any stage of life. I ran across the following passage about complaining and contentment that I haven't been able to get out of my head.

May ours be the spirit of the 17 year-old Lady Jane Grey, who prayed this prayer in her prison cell before she was executed in 1554:

O merciful God, be Thou unto me
A strong Tower of defense
I humbly entreat Thee.
Give me grace to await thy leisure,
And patiently to bear
What Thou doest unto me;
Nothing doubting or mistrusting
Thy goodness towards me;
For Thou knowest what is good for me
Better than I do.
Therefore do with me in all things
What Thou wilt;
Only arm me, I beseech Thee,
With Thine armor,
That I may stand fast;
Above all things taking to me
The shield of faith;
Praying always that I may
Refer myself wholly to Thy will,
Abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting myself
In those troubles which it shall please Thee
To send me, seeing such troubles are
Profitable for me; and I am
Assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest
Cannot but be well, and unto Thee
Be all honor and glory. Amen.

This is so convicting to me and makes me wonder, if I was about to be out-rightly persecuted would I be so strong as to consider "such troubles profitable?" I want to fear my Lord that much.

favorite eats // potpie

In general, I like to have clear goals and directions so I enjoy planning a menu for the upcoming week. Because without a planned-out menu of meals and grocery needs, there's no telling what will end up on the table at 6:00pm. And after nearly 2 1/2 years of meal planning, I'm finding patterns, favorites, and meals that both Tim and I love to make and eat. And usually, these meals are so good (and usually easy) that I think, "Man, I've got to tell someone about this! It's just so good!" Enter: Favorite Eats Series, a series of posts highlighting some of my all-time fave dishes I've made.

First up is potpie. Just the name conjures up images of a chilling night and a steaming helping of comfort food. I've made a few different versions of this wintertime favorite, but this is by far the simplest and most tasty version I've found.

And a quick note about the crust - I use store bought crust. There, now you know all my secrets. This would be just as delicious with a homemade crust, but the last time I tried to make my own pie crust (which was about 5 years ago) I had a pretty embarrassing melt down. So until someone shows me a super duper easy fool-proof way to make pie crust, it's coming from the grocery store, baby.

Potpie
adapted from Real Simple

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, diced (sometimes I do less if I'm adding in a protein such as chicken)
4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
1 cup frozen peas
1 double crust

Heat oven to 400F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the broth and peas; bring to a boil.

Line your pie plate with one of the pie crusts and transfer the bubbly veggie mixture into the pie plate. Lay the other crust on top and cut several vents in the top. Bake until the crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

*I have also added ground chicken to this recipe before...so good.

weekend // pancakes, Swedish furniture, and Garrison Keillor

It may be March, but the snow is flying outside my window. I was of course hoping that would translate into a snow(boarding) day, but no such luck. Oh well. Coming home after a long day of work and relaxing by the fire as I watch Tim shovel is too shabby either.

This past weekend was another weekend to remember. For the past couple of years, I've become a fairly avid MPR/NPR listener, and with that came a love of A Prairie Home Companion. So much so that I added it to my life goal list. And last weekend that goal was lived out. Bob and Mary gave us all tickets to the show as a Christmas gift, and were planning a little family weekend in the Cities. But the Lord had different plans, as Bob was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was scheduled for surgery the Thursday before the show. So while the show was every bit as great as I imagined, it was a little bitter sweet not having Bob and Mary there.

Just like the "olden days"though, they listened to the show on the radio and we would text them pictures throughout the show. My cheeks seriously hurt after the show from pure joy. It was that good. But how can a show be bad when it includes Garrison Keillor, steel guitar, Heather Massey, and Emmylou Harris?

Other weekend highlights include:
+ babysitting little Miss Chatty Cathy aka Evelyn Ray
+ an early morning breakfast of blueberry pancakes and cheesy hashbrowns at perhaps the worlds smallest diner, Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown
+ hunting for deals at Midwest Mountaineering and REI
+ shopping the showrooms and aisles of IKEA
+ sushi at Osaka's
+ hearing Garrison say, "And that's the news from Lake Wobegon. Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."