Friday, January 20, 2012

Easy, Breezy, Mexi-neasy

So I am half-Hispanic, half-Latino, or half-Mexican...take your pick. I am also French, Native American, English, German, Dutch and supposedly Irish. And I cook like a mother.

Tonight I made Ground Beef & Potato Burritos or Bowls. It goes something like this...

1 Tablespoon Oil
1 lb Ground Beef (I prefer 80/20 since it actually has flavor)
4 Medium-Sized White Potatoes (Diced with skin on)
2 Green Onions Diced
1 Small Can Green Chiles Diced
1 Cup Salsa
Flour Tortillas
Grated Cheddar & Jack Cheese for topping
2 Cups Diced Tomatoes
1 Avocado Cut for Salad
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Heat large fry pan to Medium High. Swirl once with oil. Add ground beef and break up with a spoon. Season with Garlic Salt and Pepper. Heat for about 5 minutes, add green onion. Heat for 5 more minutes.

Add potatoes, green chiles and salsa. Stir until well coated and cover. Reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally for 10 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through.

Meanwhile toss tomatoes and avocado in a small bowl. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Heat tortillas on the stove top.

Once meat and potatoes are done. Place one tortilla on a plate, top with cheese, then with ground beef potato mixture. Serve with avocado and tomato salad on the side. Salsa is always on the table at my house, so put some on your table tonight to eat with this tasty dish.

Enjoy with your favorite Margarita or a Glass of Pinot Noir, like we did tonight.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Girls & Football

Most of the ladies living in Orange County do not look forward to football season and now that we are in the thick of it, instead of loathing it, why not join the party? Coming from a girl who loves the sport, my goal is to encourage women to tolerate it at the very least, maybe even learn to love the game. 

Women appreciate tasty hot wings, cold beer and cute guys, right? I’d say we’re halfway there. My suggestion is this, just try to look at football from a different angle -- the female angle; it’s a great way to meet men, tailgating is encouraged, and the football uniforms look pretty damn good from here.

I’m not asking you to learn what a “false start” is, or what the Tight End does, or even what a 2-point conversion means. I’m just asking you to look at football in a way you’ve never seen it before, through Gucci sunglasses and eyelash extensions.



Here are the top ten reasons the Orange County girl should enjoy football season: 

10. Tom Brady

9. For once, you may know where your boyfriend/husband is every Monday night, Thursday night and Sunday. Include Saturday too, if he’s a college football guy, and what self-respecting football watcher isn’t? 

8. He won’t care if you go shopping as long as you stay out of the way of the TV.

7. Tony Gonzalez, even if he is married.


6. Football season only lasts around five months, six if you include pre-season, and that’s a helluva lot shorter than baseball season.

5. A great reason to start drinking early on a Sunday.

4. You can give your Swedish maid costume a break because your guy is totally involved in another fantasy. 


3. He won’t actually drag you to a game unless you head to San Diego or Northern Cal; we’re still the largest metropolitan area without a football team. Didn’t the Rams leave like 16 years ago?  

2. When a girl wears a football jersey it hides all of the squishy parts and boys think girls in sports outfits are awfully cute.

1. Did I mention Mark Sanchez?


So go forth ladies with your new outlook and celebrate the best tradition since turkey on Thanksgiving, or ham on New Year’s Day. Throw your hair in a ponytail, grab a frosty one and join me and the boys, because it’s going to be another long, magnificent season.www.myocmommy.com

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Raise Your Fist High Little Miss Flower Power


If you know my daughter, you know she loves flowers. Not one flower, not two flowers, but she will wear up to four flowers on her head at one time. And these aren’t itty bitty baby flowers, no way, she’s a big girl, and these are big girl flowers. Didn’t she tell you that already?

My daughter is four and one half years old. She is going on thirty. She wears what she wants to wear and has done so since she was about two. I don’t care if she has rain boots paired with a tutu, leggings under shorts and a purple, zebra poncho on over a dress. As long as we get out the door on time, she is free to wear what she wants.

People referred to my daughter as “Fancy Nancy” before we even knew who that was, and now we get it and we think it’s a compliment. The sunglasses, boa and curly hair never hurt either. I don’t think it’s just the way she dresses though, it’s a kind of presence, an aura about her. I’m proud of this little human and I want her to show the world that she is just as proud of herself.

I also feel like individual style is important, it teaches independence, self esteem, creativity. Who cares if your socks don’t match? When you have the attitude to back it up, anything is possible. You can choose to wear spider socks on Easter, and bunny socks on Halloween, without a word people will know you are an individual.


My daughter is a little someone who goes against the norm, in an artsy, yet courteous way. Of course not everyone is going to appreciate this style, and some will even squawk at her mother for “allowing her child to go out of the house dressed like that”. Who cares really? Not me and not my little fashionista, and that’s just the way we like it.

Besides, I’m sure people thought Betsey Johnson was insane, and look how successful she became. Imagine what people said about Cher, and look how she turned out. Not to mention Lady Gaga or “the lady in the egg” as my daughter refers to her. Creativity is the door to a life filled with color, texture, art and positive self awareness.

On top of everything, couldn’t we all use a little more style? A little more color? Wouldn’t we all feel better about the world and ourselves if we just wore whatever made us feel good? Let’s unleash the beauty, ban the bland, and release our inhibitions. Starting with my daughter, I promise to uphold my part in this fashion revolution by allowing her to wear what she wants, when she wants. Maybe I’ll change my mind when she pulls out her first pair of black noir, fishnet stockings, unless of course she happens to be dancing back-up for the “lady in the egg”. Until then, I’m in, and I’d love to count you in too.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”





jcpenney back-to-school shop jcpenney

Thursday, July 14, 2011

10 Tips for Hip Mamas

We are being pulled in a million different directions. Some of us have a child in our belly, others have a child on our hips, and most of us have at least one yelling at us from the backseat of our mini-vans. How do we make life easier without pulling out our frazzled, humidity-stricken hair? Here is a list to help make your mommy life easier, calmer, cooler, and more efficient, no matter where you are headed this season.

1. A frosty Seattle’s Best Iced Latte in the cup holder of your taxi creates sanity with one sip. And you will never have to share with your littles.

2. Snack size baggies. Life saver for sure. Perfect for kids snacks, tiny fish-shaped crackers, grapes, what have you.

3. Drink cups with lids and straws, pre-assembled in the fridge. I am a beverage Nazi and we typically have milk or water in our cups, at least for the kiddos. I fill up the cups at night and they are ready to head out the door the following morning, straw and all.

4. Shoes and socks by the door. One spot, one stop, tie ‘em up, Velcro those puppies and you are out the door. I don’t care if my kids wear rain boots in the summer as long as they have something on their feet when we leave.

5. One word: Wipes.

6. Sunscreen stick. It’s so much easier to glide on some coverage on those little faces with a stick. Ever try and spray a two-year-old in the face? Not a good way to start your morning.

7. GPS. Let’s face it women have a challenged sense of direction, unless they are heading to buy a blouse. Get a GPS if you fall into this category, and please, put down your phone while you are driving.

8. Lists, lists, and more lists. If I don’t write something down, I forget it. Keep a pad of paper and pen in your car for quick details and dates.

9. Emergency bag in the back. I keep a bag in my trunk with seconds of most everything. Socks, undies, shirts, pants, you get the picture. One bag really will save you a ton of heartache the next time your tween spills mustard on her new tee.

10. Did I mention starting your hectic day with an Iced Latte from Seattle’s Best? Can’t think of a better way to drink myself sane.
Whether you are heading to the beach, the park, or Grandma’s pool, make sure you start your days off right with sunscreen, snacks and mama’s coffee. Everyone deserves at least 5 minutes of heaven per day, give me an iced latte and some peace and quiet…even if I have to drink it in the master bathroom with my door locked.
Cheers to motherhood, embrace the insanity.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seattle’s Best Coffee blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” http://seattlesbestcoffee.socialmoms.com/about



Seattle's Best Coffee Coupon Iced Lattes Coupon

Sunday, November 7, 2010

5 O'clock Somewhere

Do vampires wake up and drink coffee or cocktails, since their morning is during happy hour?

Saturday, November 6, 2010

I guess it starts at Four

My four-year-old daughter asked my husband the other day which dress she should wear to preschool. "This one, or this one?" she asked. My husband picked one, and she said she decided to wear the other one...because Frank would like it. Um, if I didn't know Frank was a kid in her class I would have been a tad bit concerned. And actually I still am. I guess this all starts at four.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Coochie Coochie

Is Charo still alive and if so, how old is that broad?