Decembers, Recently.

For the record, seasonal mood disorder is a real thing and I may or may not be afflicted.  I swear I’ve been a zombie since the cold weather settled in – and I usually love this time of year!  In an effort to boost my moods, I was trolling through my own archives this afternoon.

2 years ago: December 2011

Dec. 2011

Based on my postings, December was a bit of a whirlwind.  We both finished up school that month: Christina graduated and I spent my final semester doing research. We were welcoming our very first litter of puppies into the world! 4 little yellow boys who crash landed into our living room DURING finals week in our last semester of college.  Then, we high-tailed it back to Pittsburgh and tucked ourselves right back into our home WITH our little litter of pups.

1 year ago:  December 2012

Dec. 2012

Another busy month!  We were saying goodbye to Liberty’s second and final litter of puppies as we were settling into the newly renovated home of Changin’ Time in West Homestead.  I was experimenting with some of my favorite recipes: think Avocado Chicken Parmesan, Broccoli Bites, and Chili Colorado Burritos!  And we were taking part in some great holiday festivities: like Spanish Christmas dinner and Christmas cookie exchanges with friends.

Dec. 2012

A lot has changed since I started this blog!  I can’t wait to look back in a few more years and smile at what’s going on lately.  Isn’t blogging the best??

What will this month bring?  Probably much of the same but without puppies. 😦  I am reminded, though, of how blessed I am to have good fortune, health, and a wealth of friends and family in my life.  I love that on days when I’m feeling a bit disconnected from the present, I have this space where I can peek back into daily happenings, funny stories, and events.  Sometimes being reminded of how lucky you are can turn your whole mood around. 🙂

Albuquerque In Our ♥

One of the benefits of having Spanish in-laws:  the food!

For Christmas Eve, the MIL came over and I attempted a little heritage-themed dinner.

She brought over her famous Spanish tortilla, which is primarily made from eggs & potatoes:

My dish, however, ended up more Tex-Mex than Spanish.  So we had an Albuquerque themed Christmas Eve dinner. ♥

I’m thinking that they name this recipe “Smother Chili Colorado” because its got a cowboy feel to it.  Heavy, smoky flavors and not a lot of spice.

I started by throwing a pound and a half of dry-rubbed (ancho chili powder, salt, & garlic) beef tips into a crockpot.

Then, I added a full can of red enchilada sauce and let them cook on low for 7 hours.

They literally fell apart.

About an hour before the meat timer was scheduled to go off, I made some cilantro-lime rice (recipe below):

And black beans cooked in cumin, coriander, salt and pepper:

Once everything was finished, I just had to assemble the burritos,

smother them with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.

Then, I set them to broil for around 7 minutes.

We served them with a side of our favorite red beans and rice.

¡Feliz navidad!