Easter Weekend

As many of you know, Josh has been accepted to Lewis and Clark School of Law in Portland Oregon. This past weekend they had an open house and gave Josh $500 to travel out to the school to attend the open house. Josh has a brother, Andy, who lives about 25 minutes outside of Portland, so we rented a car and drove out to Vancouver Washington to see him and his wife. Josh's younger brother Alex had his spring break so he joined us along with Josh's mom, Sue. Josh and I went to the open house Friday during the day, and left after being fed a vegan meal for lunch. Josh was pretty sure before going out to Portland that it wouldn't be the school for him, but the meal kind of made it more evident that he wouldn't fit in. We went shooting in the afternoon on Friday and on Saturday. We got up early on Sunday and headed back to Utah. We wish we could have stayed longer, but at least it was a free trip!Andy, Alex and Josh, shooting the .22 rifles.
Me, shooting a .22 rifle.
Josh shooting Andy's lever action .22 rifle.
Andy, Alex, and Josh with the shotguns and Danielle with the clay pigeon thrower.
Danielle, Andy and Sue.
Josh loading the double barrel shotgun.

Accepted

So Josh has been accepted to a few more schools. The University of Utah, which has offered him a partial scholarship, University of Colorado in Boulder, and University of Seattle with a partial scholarship. At this point in time it is pretty much down to William and Mary in Williamsburg Virginia, Baylor in Waco Texas, University of Colorado in Boulder and BYU. As soon as we know where Josh will be going to school, we will let you all know.

Chili's Southwest Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls
1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced canned jalapeño peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
5 - 6" flour tortillas

Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup smashed fresh avocados (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped onions


Preheat barbecue grill to high heat. Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks. Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle. Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best. While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce. Garnish the dipping sauce with the chopped tomato and onion.

Sweet Corn Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup masa
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the masa and water and beat until well mixed. Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

Shooting

I took today off from work so Josh and I could go shooting at the gun range. We were joined by my fabulous and most amazing friend Mindy, who happens to be my favorite coworker, and one of the officers we work with, Josh. We shot several guns, including a .22 rifle, Josh's 9mm Sig, Mindy's .38 revolver, and Officer Josh's fully automatic M4 (he is on the SWAT team). Josh is convinced we need to get one.

Josh shooting his 9mm

Shooting Mindy's .38 Revolver

Officer Josh

Mindy

Shooting the .22 rifle

Shooting the M4