Gunlock fun

Cuban-style black beans

I promised my Cuban black bean recipe to a few people, so here it is...


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (can put more if you like it really spicy)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped (I rarely have scallions in my house so I just put in extra onion)
3-4 strips of bacon, minced (or Canadian ham)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock/broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add pepper, onions, scallions, bacon, garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the beans. Cook for another couple minutes over high heat. Stir in the sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the stock or broth. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Puree one-quarter of the bean mixture in a blender (or mash it with a fork). Stir the puree into the simmering beans. Simmer for 2 minutes more, or until thick but still soupy. If the bean mixture is too thick, add more stock or broth. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve it over rice and enjoy!!! We like ours with some fried plantains.

*** this recipe is very forgiving. I substitute and add stuff to it all the time. I don't measure anything anymore, just eye ball it. I often add some sort of meat to it as well. In the picture above I happened to have some little smokeys, so I added those in. It tastes great every time.

Catching up

It’s getting really hot here in Vegas. Pretty much the only outdoor activity that is somewhat tolerable is going to the pool. Which we have been doing a lot of lately.

We did make it to the lake this last Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, we got together with some of our friends and their kiddos and had a fun time tubing, wakeboarding, and swimming around. Ben was a little intimidated by the lake at first but, after a little while, he didn’t want to get out of the water. He just kept jumping off the back of the boat while yelling “cannon ball”. We had a great time. We left Andrew at home with grandma. Thank you, grandma, for all your sacrifices.

Does Ben look a little scared to you? Hmm, maybe it's cause the boat is going 40 mph and Ben is driving it. I think we all had that facial expression. But, no worries, grandpi was right there to take over at any moment.

Scott showing off on the wakeboard Me showing off...hardlyScott skiing. He puts on quite a show.
Ben ready to go tubing
And last, but not least, it was grandpi's birthday yesterday. We had a little Brazilian party for him (he served his mission in Brazil). Parabens a voce, grandpi!!! We love you.

Two Months

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I might have to have a little marathon of posts here. Firstly, and most importantly, my little Andrew turned two months today. Has it been that long already? Unbelievable... He's been so much fun. He just takes my breath away. There are no words sufficient enough to describe the love I feel for my boys. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Andrew at 2 months...

This is my all time favorite. Talk about an action shot. Gross??? Maybe...but I love it.