Chile Pork Verde

Me, Michael, Becca, Elise, Mallory, Lani, Amanda, Ryan, and Ray
at Guitars and Cadillacs at the FW Kickball End of Season Party for the Winter 2013 season

One night a few years ago, Andy and I went on a double date with our friends, Michael & Becca to Salsa Fuego. It is an old drive-through restaurant (what it use to be escapes me now), and it is a little hole in the wall here in Fort Worth.

Andy, me, Becca, and Michael at the American Aquarium show at Magnolia Motorlounge in May 2013

Andy ordered Chile Pork Verde, and he couldn't stop raving about it. He was bound and determined to figure out a recipe so we could try it out ourselves. So the day came when (shocked face- in awe) Andy went to... wait for it... the grocery store!! Usually I do all of our grocery shopping, but Andy took charge so he could figure out how to make the mysterious pork.

Michael, Becca, and me with Jesse, Will, Chris, and Chelsea on the 4th of July 2013 at Cabana #3

He bought all of the ingredients to make the pork, and started cooking about 5:00. About 7:00, my stomach was a-rumbling, and I asked Andy when he thought dinner would be done. "Well, the recipe says 6 hours." What! Turns out, Andy thought the 6 hours included prep & cook time, but it did not. The pork was suppose to cook for a grand total of 6 hours. Meanwhile, my stomach was eating itself. Alas, we conceded to go grab take out from Pei Wei and have the pork the next time. Good thing, too, because it was done about midnight that night.

Becca and me (and Andy and Me) celebrating my first two runs in kickball

Despite having it the day after we cooked it, the Chile Pork Verde was crazy-good. Another mishap- Andy thought the rice he'd bought was "plain white rice" but it was gumbo rice and pre-seasoned. "Not white like the picture on the box!" Andy disappointedly told me.  Oh well, we now know for next time- start cooking it early! And the rice turned out to be much more tasty than any plain white rice would have been anyway. I saved the leftover ingredients to make my own Verde Salsa the next night, and we scarfed down the long-awaited Chile Pork Verde. And, yes, I think it was much better than Salsa Fuego's!

Chile Pork Verde
Servings: 6; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value:

Chile Pork Verde

1.5-2lb pork shoulder, fat trimmed
1.5-2 tbsp of oil for browning pork (coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil recommended)
2/3 tsp chile powder
2/3 tsp dried oregano
1/3 tbsp salt
1/3 tsp garlic powder
1/3 tsp cumin

1/2 onion, chopped
.75-1lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 1/3 medium garlic cloves
1 Serrano pepper, minced (leave seeds for some spice)
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, squeezed juice
2 cups water

1 small can chopped green chiles (with liquid)
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeded
1 Serrano pepper, chopped and seeded
Rice
Tobasco


1.  In a small bowl, mix chile powder, dried oregano, salt, garlic powder, and cumin.  

2. Rub spice mixture into pork shoulder and let sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes.
3.  Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and Serrano pepper into a pot.  Season with oregano, cilantro, cumin, and salt; squeeze lime and pour in water.  

4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10-15 minutes.  

5. Press tomatillos against the side of the pot to crush and stir often while simmering.
6.  Brown the pork in oil over medium-high heat for approximately 10 minutes.
7.  Using a blender, or immersion blender, carefully puree the tomatillo mix until smooth consistency.
8.  Drain meat and add to pot.  

9. Add chopped green chiles, jalapeño pepper and Serrano pepper.  

10. Continue to simmer for next 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, or until pork shreds easily.
11.  Serve the pork chile verde warm in bowls with steamed rice. 

12.  Season with cilantro, Tabasco, lime wedges, and salt and pepper to taste.  

Keepn on cookin'!

-Katherine and Andy

Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Red Sauce

July 1, 2012: (Weird that this was written a year ago- so much has changed since this!!) It's official- my status at work changed from "PRN" (as needed) to full-time! Considering I was already working an average of 36.6 hours per week anyway, not much has changed scheduling wise.  However, changing into full-time status does mean that I now get to receive benefits such as PTO (paid time off), health insurance, and a retirement plan.  Since I turned 26 on June 10, 2012, my health insurance under my dad's job at the District Attorney's Office terminated on June 30, 2012, so the timing couldn't be any better!

Wendy, me, Melissa, Holly, & Dr. Murphy representing
Cook Children's Psychiatry at the American Heart Association's Heart Walk 2012

Working full-time has been more tough than I planned, since I'm also balancing an over active social life right now with 9 of my girlfriends getting married in the span of 5 months. However, having benefits, paid time off (PTO), and an ensured 36 hours of pay each week are all well-worth it. I've also been taking on a lot of mini-projects at work, as well. For example, I was asked to be the Psychiatry Team Leader for the American Heart Association's 2012 Heart Walk. A few emails later and psychiatry was teamed up with Psychology and the Tarrant County DA's office in our fundraising efforts.  We raised around $2,000, and I am so proud of our fund-raising efforts!  The day of the Heart Walk, it was pretty chilly, even for September in Texas, but we walked and talked for the whole three miles.A huge shout-out and thank you to our team, and especially those who came out to walk that morning!

Jason, Holly, me, & Andy at the American Heart Association's Heart Walk 2012

I've started attending the monthly Mental Health Connection meetings with both our Director and Nurse Educator to learn about other mental health resources available to families in our area. I also have been representing our department both with and without our Nurse Educator at the hospital's monthly Patient Education Council meetings. I have taken on the role of Parent Education Coordinator at our Partial Hospitalization Program and have worked with a team to successfully revamp the parent education program at PHP. We have brought in guest speakers on safety, playing and relaxing with your children, and water safety. Attendance and satisfaction have both appeared to increase!

Our Cook Children's Team for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk 2012

SO, my plate has been very VERY full lately! The day I officially changed status from PRN to full-time, I made Andy and myself a little fiesta celebration dinner of Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce. I order chicken enchiladas a lot at restaurants, usually with green sauce, so I thought it'd be a fun one to try out. They were very spicy but were better than many restaurant enchiladas dishes that I've tried!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Pinterest.com
Servings: 8; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 3

Filling:

• 9 tortillas
• 1 1/2 c chicken breast meat, cooked & shredded
• 1 c onion, chopped
• 1 c bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 c low-fat  4 Cheese Mexican cheese

Sauce:

•  3/4 c salsa
• 1/4 c non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c low or non-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray
3. Sautee onions & bell peppers in a small skillet using cooking spray until onion are lightly brown
4. Mix sauteed veggies with non-fat Greek yogurt, chicken, and cheese
5. Spread 1/4 c chicken mixture in middle of each tortilla & roll into a small burrito
6. Place seam down into baking dish
7. Mix salsa and Greek yogurt in a small bowl & spread evenly onto top of tortillas
8. Sprinkle with cheese
9. Cover with foil, bake at 350 for 15-20 min

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine

Lovers' Chicken

April 1, 2013: Andy and I have gone to the Texas Rangers opening day together since we started dating. The past two years, Opening Day has been a home game in Arlington. We've spent the days grilled out, drinking some beers, and last year jamming out to Josh Abbott Band. This year, however, the season opener was in Houston, Texas, against the Astros.

Andy and me at Rangers Season Opener- Houston, Texas

Andy and I decided to make a weekend out of it. He found us a great hotel within walking distance from Minute Maid Park. We left on Friday, March 29 for Houston. We used Andy's Yelp app, and had a Mexican dinner down the street from our hotel at a fun, hip place called Guadalajara del Centro. They had yummy margaritas, and the walk was nice in the cool weather.

Michael, Becca, me, and Andy at Rangers Opening Day- Houston, Texas

Saturday we met my friend Hayley and her fiance for lunch at Cedar Creek- Cafe, Bar, and Grill. It was very Austin-like, and a beautiful day to be on a patio with my old friend.  We were lazy for the rest of the day, and had a sushi dinner date night at Azuma Sushi & Robata Bar, which happened to be in the same place as where our friend, Emily's, wedding was last year. After dinner, our friends Michael & Becca who were in town met us in Rice Village to go to a few bars.

Andy and me at the Rangers @ Astros game

Sunday was the big day. We had lunch at Barnaby's Cafe- another eclectic restaurant with fun decor and delicious food. We headed over to Minute Maid Park a few hours before the game started. Right when we got there, the sky unleashed absolute insanity. It began pouring rain so hard, blowing in all directions, and drenched us to the bone, even under the covered area where we stood.

We made our own kiss cam :)

When we got inside, we met up with my DG sister, Elaine, and her boyfriend, Brant. I hadn't seen Elaine for three years, and I was ecstatic to catch up with her. We finally met up with Michael and Becca and headed to our seats. Becca is an Astros fan, so she was much happier with the turn out than we Rangers fans were. The Rangers lost 8 to 2, but we had a blast.

Andy and me watching the Rangers home opener at The Pour House- Fort Worth, Texas

After having so much delicious food for the weekend, I wanted to stick with the Houston/Austin vibe we had going. I found a recipe for chicken from Austin's The Salt Lick, and it was some of the best chicken I've ever made. It was super spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. It was juicy and fresh, and a fabulous way to end our fun weekend!

Lovers' Chicken
Adapted from The Salt Lick
Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 8

Lovers' Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 serrano chile
• 1 tsp shallot, finely diced
• 1 tsp roasted garlic
• 8 Tbsp butter, unsalted
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano, fresh finely chopped

1. Season chicken with salt & pepper
2. Preheat your oven or a grill set up for indirect heat to 400
3. Mix all other ingredients together
4. Smother chicken with mixture
5. Bake at 400 for 35-45 mins or until juices run clear

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Chicken Enchilada Tacos

Sloane's baby wreath

Andy's sister, Carly, had his nephew, Greyson, the day after our first date (May 5, 2010). Carly has always wanted more than one kiddo, and when Grey was a little over two, she got her wish. She was pregnant with a baby girl, and was due May 1, 2013- four days before Grey's third birthday.

Her friends in Wichita Falls threw her a baby shower that was pink and girly- all things baby girl.  Carly did not want to reveal Baby Girl's name though until she was born, so part of the shower was spent trying to convince her to spill the beans, but we got nowhere.  This presented a slight hiccup in my baby gift, though. I made her a wreath, but without knowing Baby Girl's name, the wreath was going to have to be incomplete until she arrived. I joked with Carly that I was going to show up to the hospital when Baby Girl was born with a hot glue gun and wooden letter to slap on the wreath.

Sloane's baby gifts from me

The shower was held at the Jennings' church, First Christian, in Wichita Falls. This is the same church where my cousin's grandma, "Nanny," took care of Andy when he was a baby.  There were baby-themed snacks, a delicious punch, and a diaper cake as the centerpiece. It was very prissy and very fun!

A lot of the women who have had children at the shower commented that "Baby girl showers are just so much cuter than baby boy showers!" and "Baby girl clothes are so much cuter than baby boy clothes!" Needless to say, we were all pretty excited about Baby Girl Westbrook.

Sloane's wreath that matches her crib bedding

Well, on April 30th, a little before noon, Carly texted Andy that she was in labor. No less than two hours later, Andy got a message from his brother-in-law, Slate, that said "Sloane Sawyer Westbrook was born at 12:31pm, weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20.75 inches long." Unfortunately I couldn't miss work that afternoon, but we headed up north to Wichita Falls the next day to see sweet Sloane and Andy's family.

We weren't sure if we were going to get to go to Wichita Falls the night Sloane was born, and, like I said it turns out that we weren't able to because of work. However, being the meal-planner I am, I went ahead and planned our dinner for that night. We had Chicken Enchilada Tacos, which are now in our top five favorite meals. The actual dish can be served sans-tacos if you're watching your carbs, and using fat-free cheese keeps it lightened up.  Although I had to work, the Chicken Enchilada Tacos were easy to throw together once I got home, and clean up was quick, too. Perhaps you'll be celebrating good news when you have them, too!

Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Servings: 8; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 3

Chicken Enchilada Tacos

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
• 4 ounces fat-free cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 green onions, chopped

Chicken Enchilada Taco filling

1. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with taco seasoning
2. Grill or sauté the chicken
3. Cut the chicken into cubes
4. Place in a greased 8x8" baking dish
5. Season with salt to taste
6. Add the enchilada sauce and toss to coat the chicken
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken
8. Bake at 350º for 10-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly
9. Scatter the green onions over the top.

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine