Flickr

Love this website, great for many reasons. Here is mine: flickr.com/photos/joel_baker/

Work

I imagine working the ol' nine to five every week would be tiring if I didn't love my job.

Tackling a project tonight

No sleep until it is finished! Photos will be up in a few days

I'm sorry for the lack of blogposts...

After realizing that neither Joel or I have posted on our blog for the last two months, I thought it was about time to update...especially since I just got a new camera and have photos to share!

I'm sad to see my favorite time of year pass so quickly...oh Christmas. I'm just about finished putting away the decorations and unpacking all our presents. No more Amy Grant Christmas Album...well at least until next November :)

Here are a few photos...

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Moores and Wilsons, so Christmas was with the Bakers. It was first Christmas "away" from my family, but fortunately I'm a lucky girl girl and married into an amazing family (and I'm not just saying that knowing my in-laws will read this :) Hi Leuan and Dave). Christmas day was spent at Joel's Aunt Peggy and Uncle Dale's in Colusa. We had the annual Baker/Towzen/Simpson gift exchange, which was quite fun to finally see live (I got to participate the Christmas Joel and I were engaged, but wasn't able to be there in person). We got some really neat gifts and had a very tasty turkey dinner followed by Grandma LaRene's delicious pies. After that we had a little visit with Grandma Ann and then headed back to Auburn. The following day we had the annual Baker/Kellar gift exchange which has now officially been titled "Gift and Shout."

Afterwards, we went over to my parents house on the other side of Auburn to visit my family, including my immobile dad who just had knee replacement surgery. We had a great time visiting with my grandparents on my Dad and Jess' side who we hadn't seen in quite some time. Played lots of games and got to indulge in the leftovers from Christmas day.

All and all a great trip and we were sad to leave...

New photos...

Here's a few family photos as of late.

Joel dressed up as Superman/Clark Kent (all his co-workers refer to him as Clark becuase they think he looks like the actor who plays Superman). We went to Legoland for a Halloween event. They had this giant pumpkin for kids to take their pictures at...thus Joel wanted his picture taken in the pumpkin as well :)

Sam enjoying some sunshine and a cool breeze

Zoe hurt her foot last week playing with Sam. Going to the vet Monday to see if its just a sprain or if she broke something. We made a splint out of lego pieces, cotton balls and rolled guaze. She kept it on for about 2 hours :)

We went to one of the last baseball games of the season. San Francisco Giants vs San Diego Padres. Enjoying some classic cracker jacks.

Our seats were right in line with the left outfielder.

Date Nights

Here are a few photos from our "date nights." Since both are working we thought we should plan a date night once a week to make sure we get good focused time together throughout the week. Here are a few photos of our most recent dates.

We decided to try out Joe's Crab Shack in Oceanside, right on the harbor. We shared a tasty mixture of crab (of course), shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn. I'm glad we ended up wearing the bibs because cracking crab is much messier than I expected.

This weekend we went to a Padres vs Giants (Joel's favorite team) game...our first since we moved to San Diego. We got the classic ballpark hotdogs and shared a bag of cracker jacks (this reminds me my dad and roads trips when we were little). Unfortunately the Giants lost, but it was fun to people watch for me anyway :)

I will also post pictures from my birthday weekend at Disneyland, once I steal some pictures from Jamie and CJ!

A few tasty EASY recipes

Since I have started working again, I've been on the look out for easy, quick and affordable recipes online, so that I can still enjoy cooking when I get home, but not have to make my hungry husband wait an hour for dinner :)

I wanted to share two of our new favorites. They're definitely under 30 minutes and really flavorful.

Let me know what you think!

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, halved
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 to 2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded (I use 1-1/2)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 8 corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (I bake 2 chicken breasts ahead from Costco)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1 Roma tomato

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Slice half of the onion into thin rings and set aside. Place the other onion half, tomatillos and serranos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 7 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese in a bowl. Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and roll up. Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.

Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the onion rings (I ended up using green onions), queso fresco, diced tomatoes, and any remaining cilantro.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 heads baby bok choy, quartered
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the steak to a plate.
Wipe out the skillet. Add the bok choy and 1⁄4 cup water and simmer, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Add to the bok choy in the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the rice.