Do Not Underestimate the Power of the Taco

Warning: this post may cause or increase hunger pains.

I know we are not the only Utahn's eating at the Taco Carts because if we were, there would only be one. Has anyone else noticed them popping up on every corner? It kind of makes me laugh. I had a good friend years ago (name has been left out to protect the innocent) that went to Mexico City on his mission. I remember him writing home about the street tacos. If you know this friend of mine, you remember his passion for certain things (skiing, clothes, shoes, food). Every time I got a letter that was about nothing but tacos, I figured it was just his latest passion. Now it's years later and the street tacos have started to make it big in Utah. He wasn't kidding. I think he wasn't actually supposed to eat the "street" food due to the unknown ingredients. But, given the County Health Dept. has cracked down on our Taco Carts, we should be safe to assume the meat is what they say it is. I think the first taco stand we tried was the one in the Osborne Apparel parking lot: Taqeria El Primo. After trying several carts throughout the valley, it has remained our favorite.

This is a picture I took of the tacos from Taqeria El Primo just last weekend. Jer's favorite's at this particular place are chorizo (sausage and potato) and lengua (cow tongue). I like to stick with the traditional asada (steak) and carnitas (pork). Josh loves them all. You can request grilled onions here and of course they have all the fresh fixin's in the coolers outside the cart. So yummy. They have lots of other menu items that I have yet to try (tacos are always the fave) but it's so fun to see what others order.

The other place we love is Chunga's (180 South 900 West). It's not a cart but it is one of those hole in the wall kind of places so don't go expecting a nice sit down restaurant. But, the Tacos al Pastor are five star tacos! The saying below is a picture of the wall inside the dining area. The picture on the bottom right is how Tacos al Pastor are made. Tacos al Pastor are made from pork shaved from a spit much like a Gyro. After marinating the meat, it is cooked on a rotisserie with a pineapple on top. The pineapple makes for a sweet flavor and is usually served on the taco with cilantro or salsa. It is like nothing you have ever tasted before. There is a fun review of Chunga's on one of our favorite blogs here.

So, next time you are craving a good taco, skip Del Taco, Taco Time and Taco Bell. Keep driving until you find the next taco cart and give it a try. Or, if you think we are crazy, that's okay too. Leave me a comment. I can take it. If you are a taco cart lover, tell me which one's are your favorites. We are always open to suggestions. I would love to hear if anyone has tried the tacos featured on Diner's Drive-In's and Dive's at Red Iguana. And, I LOVE the taco's at El Ferol (7200 S. State Street). They are deep fried and oh so bad for you but your mouth will appreciate it. If you are looking for a completely Americanized fast food taco, take a drive to Spanish Fork and order a taco at Glade's Drive In. While the burrito is my favorite menu item there, the taco makes a good ketchuppy kind of mess.

I thought maybe we could make ginger bread houses, and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating, and maybe even hold hands.

I used to stress for a week or two before the kids "went off track" for the holidays. Now, having a "trenditional" schedule (that's what Emma called traditional when she was in Kindergarten and the concept of never going off track was foreign for us) I don't have to worry about how I'm going to entertain the kids for 2 or 3 weeks in the middle of winter. I love having the kids get out of school on December 18th and go back the first Monday after the new year. Stick two holiday's in there and a couple o' holiday eve's and there's not a lot of "free time" left.


The last two years Josh has gone to St. George with my parents for a few days during Winter Break. It's fun for him (since he gets along with adults so well) to spend hours in the car with just him and the grandparents. This year he got to help my mom clean out the fridge in Grandma Helen's garage. So fun! He is a good sport. He never complains about stuff like that. He doesn't much care about having to work when he's away from the girls. And, when it's just him and three grandparent's, he gets his way most the time (like when he talked them all into going to In-n-Out Burger and getting him a Double Double). He also appreciates a good sleep and there's no where better to do that than the Indian room at Grandma Helen's.


So with Josh out of town and Dad gone back to work, the two girls and I were left to entertain each other. The first day or two we did a lot of cleaning up after Christmas. But, when we woke up on the third day and it had been snowing all night, we bundled up and headed for the hills. While it wasn't the hills in the mountains (you know - the kind with "lifts" and people going down the mountain in an upright position) it was a pretty good hill for a couple of little girls and a sled. They had so much fun! It actually worked out to go with just the three of us 'cause there was no fighting and when they were nice and frozen it wasn't hard to talk them into going home. It was hilarious to watch them fly down the hill and hike back up. Erin is such a tiny thing, but man is her attitude big. I can't wait to put skis on her itty bitty feet. She's afraid of nothing and the cold doesn't bother her.

You wouldn't know that the girls are almost 4 years apart.

They started out so bundled up, but after getting the blood flowing, they quickly lost hats and gloves. Too bad for the mean mom that won't let them take coats off.

For those that believe Erin is mute - she's not quiet when she's sledding! Her giggles are so contagious.

"Now what can we do?" How many times did I hear that during the Winter break? A lot. That's why, as a mom, I do things like make helping with Sunday dinner an event. You tell them your "plan" and then have them pull up a chair, pour the sugar in, stir a little, take some pictures... and suddenly it was a game.


Actually, the kids request Homemade Chicken 'n' noodles a lot during the winter. And, since my mom taught me how to make the noodles from scratch and she learned from her mom (who probably learned from her mom), I have taught my girls how to make them. I make the dough, roll it out flat and then into a log. Then, Emma cuts the noodles with the thread. She always has to make one big fat 6 inch noodle for herself. Then, she passes the "rolls" to Erin and she undoes them and lays them out on the counter in the flour. Yummy fun. They are quite the experts in noodle making.

Notice how Josh helps - he stands in the kitchen, tosses the ball in the air and talks non-stop. We've all pretty much learned to tune out the sound of the ball until he knocks something off the wall with it. He either has a ball in his hands or at his feet. Now if I could tune out the non-stop talking. :)

This was probably the best batch of noodles we've made... and we've made a lot of noodles.


On New Years Day, we usually go bowling with the B's. There was just a few of us this year and Emma took her camera, so I only ended up with a couple of pictures. I love bowling. It reminds me of my growing up years. My parents always bowled on a league and it used to be cheap to take the family bowling (especially when you're on Military Base with your Military dad). So what happened? Who decided it should be $2 for shoes and $5 per game? That makes it a rather expensive night out for our little family. Most alley's do have a deal on New Years Day, but I sure wish we could bowl more than a couple of times a year.

Erin's little itty bitty feet are in those size 9 shoes and the shoes are too big. Little kid bowling shoes are so dang cute.


So what do we do at the end of a fun Christmas break? This...

A few of my favorites...

Each year during the Christmas Season, Jer is referred to as a "Humbug" by at least one person. The truth is: he LOVES Christmas. He especially loves all of the time we are able to spend together as a family. We find ourselves talking about this every year. What is Christmas really about? Is it about traditions, family, friends, food, gifts, the Nativity, parties, ward dinners and time off from school and work? It's about all of that and so much more. His frustration lies with one particular part of "all of that." The gifts. The point of gift giving at Christmas is to let those in our lives know that we love and appreciate them. Unfortunately, gift giving becomes 90% of the "celebration" rather than being equal to every other aspect and is highly commercialized. So, while Jer protests certain traditions (like white elephant gifts and $5 limits), I find complete satisfaction in handmade gifts. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have my own tradition with my sisters. I guess it's unfair to my hubby, my dad and my brothers, but they survive.

I love that each gift from all my sisters took time, energy, and real thought. Sometimes they are handmade and sometimes they are not. But, the bottom line is that they are personal and always meaningful. I also love the things the kids make at school. I love watching their faces as I open the wrapped gift. And, I always love my mom and mom-in-laws gifts. From the first Christmas Jer and I spent together as a married couple, his mom has impressed me with her thoughtfulness. Most years she brings tears to my eyes (like when she gave me a framed poem with Josh's hand prints). My moms gifts are usually based on some kind of "inside" joke. And if you know me, I appreciate a good giggle.

So, with that said, know that this post is not to celebrate gift giving, but to say thank you to everyone that put so much into each of these "favorites."

Santa (made by Josh) This little guy took almost a week to make in class. Mrs. Selman is such a great teacher. The kids brought cans to school and by Christmas break they transformed them into these darling things.

Poinsettia (crafted by Alisha) If you have ever checked Alisha's etsy shop, you know she has serious talent. This is one of the many things she created for the holidays. The funnest thing was that we all received a different one. I hate that I have to put it in a box until next year.

Antique Monogram (created by Jamie) So I knew for a couple of months that Jame had something amazing up her sleeve for the "sister gifts" this year. She found these old windows at an antique shop in American Fork and with her creative little head - it became this beautiful design. Everything she does is amazing so after much anticipation, there was nothing but excitement from me when I saw this! I love how it turned out!!

Watch Bracelet (designed by Cari) You all know I'm a succor for great jewelry. I was so excited when I opened this. The watch is a charm so it can be worn on the bracelet or on a chain as a necklace. The only thing that frustrates me about this gift is that I didn't think of it. :)

Slippers (made by Gap, given by Lynsee) This year Lynsee did something different for everyone. Some got handmade scarves - which I covet. I wish I had a picture of those. She made a darling scarf for Erin that I should have taken a picture of. Anyway, back to the slippers, I LOVE THESE THINGS! Every year Lyns has given Cari and I slippers. I usually wear them out so it's perfect timing to get a new pair from her for Christmas. I've pretty much been living in these since she gave them to me for two reasons: 1. They are so very cozy and my feet are always cold and 2. If I don't keep them on my feet, Emma will run off with them.

Menu Planner (made by Jenn) Another thing I wish I had thought of. Jenn created this in Photoshop and then made it into a white board. LOVE IT! So I can plan each week and then at the bottom it has a place for a shopping list. It's magnetic so it's on my fridge (convenient) and since it's a white board it can be used forever!

Magic Bullet (given by Mom and Dad) I seriously cringe at the idea of posting this mouth of a picture, but it's no secret that I have a big mouth. Yes, this is one of those "inside jokes" kind of gifts. Though, I think just about everyone I know has heard the story. My parents had me open this first (they gave one to all the kids) so that they could capture my reaction. That face is a true reaction - I swear it's not posed. I really was that excited to get a Magic Bullet.

Photo by Emilie Workshop (from Jer) Nothing new - Jer spoiled me for Christmas. But this was my favorite thing he gave me. Since I decided to be a Photographer when I grow up, I decided to take a class to catch me up with the digital world. I'm so excited - I can't wait! The class isn't until the end of February, but with my registration there were several tutorials. So, I've been reading and practicing already! I will be saving my pennies for a new camera and then I will need "subjects" to practice on. Keep me in mind for your photo needs!

Thanks to everyone for all the thoughtful gifts! Hopefully you all enjoy this tradition as much as I do. Are you as amazed as I am with all the talent?

Trouble With Tribbles

Meet Lilly (look at that guilty little face):

10:00 a.m. Jer and I listed the baby gerbils on KSL. We were being a little sneaky about the whole thing because the kids have been whining about keeping them since Thanksgiving. But, they are officially off the boob and ready to move out on their own.

2:30 p.m. We received an email from a lady in West Jordan asking for just two of the four. I will definitely be contacting her. I love these little things and it is easy to get attached. But, this little family can't have 7 gerbils in one cage. Something has to change.

10:30 p.m. Josh is laying in his bed reading a book and hears some serious squeaking in the cage. This is pretty normal having that many little animals in the room with you. But, as he listened, he realized these little squeaks were not 6 week old squeaks. So, he decides to check on them to find out what all the ruckus is about. Hmmm... could it be another litter?

10:45 p.m. I ran to WinCo to buy bedding, a water bottle and food. Fortunately, we have our old cage (a smaller one) that we kept out in the garage.

11:00 pm. We moved the four boys (from the first litter) to the small cage. Molly (the one female from litter A) gets to stay with mom and dad because the boys have been bullying her. We did a head count and it looks like there are four new little additions. Between Josh and Jer and I, we figure they were born last night. They are smaller than litter A when we found them. And, when I went downstairs this morning at 7:30 to get Josh up, I heard the newborn squeaks but couldn't find them.

So here's the deal - gerbils have got to go. The kids are really fighting Jer and I on this one. They are great pets to have - super clean, super easy, super entertaining. . . and apparently super fertile. If you are interested in taking a couple off our hands, please let me know. We have the four boys from litter A that are ready to go. Litter B won't be off the boob for about six weeks. Zac and Lilly will be separated. Can you have your gerbils spayed or neutered? I still can't figure out why we had them for a year before they figured out the birds and the bees.

I think we will be moving on to this:

Emma got this from Santa this year. My favorite part: "Watch 'em grow then let 'em GO!" Now if we can just convince the kids to go by this with the gerbils.

The Best Part

As mentioned in the previous post, the kids probably could have slept till noon had we not gotten them up. That has to be one of my favorite things about Christmas morning - watching the kids stumble into the living room like little drunks 'cause they don't take the time to wake up before starting the day. It's so funny to observe. Then, due to the sleepy eyes, they get all excited over the unwrapped gifts (underwear, socks and other necessities). Christmas is different every year in our house. This year there was absolutely no tags on any gifts (due to a certain someone planning to check the handwriting to match it to someone other than the "real" Santa). Some years we let the kids open gifts with no order and at the same time. This year we went youngest to oldest taking turns. Again, hilarious when they open something like a Nintendo DSi game before opening the DSi and are all excited. Sometimes I think they seem excited before they even see what the gift is. Anyway.... it must be late, I'm rambling. I obviously find Christmas morning rather entertaining for more than one reason.

Look at that sleepy smile - love it! (yes, that honey was in her stocking) Erin got the DSi she's been wanting since last Christmas. Actually, I think she started out wanting a DS Lite because the older two kids got those last year. But, when Grandma got a DSi there was no doubt that is what she was asking for. So she waits a full year... pictochatting any time someone will share their DS... learning every game... and Christmas comes... and she gets one!!! And, what does she do with it? Puts in right in the case and moves on to the next thing (much less expensive "thing" mind you). Little stink. Not that I'm questioning Santa. I don't doubt that when the other two kids are playing games, she will get hers out. But, it kills me that the "next thing" that hasn't' left her side is this:

"This" is Natalie. Grandma J. gave Natalie (and the matching outfit) to Erin for Christmas. So my first thought is "why is Natalie any more fun than the other four hundred babies she has?" Then the light comes on. Natalie is a Madame Alexander doll. Every year for Christmas, the Johnson girls get a Madame Alexander doll from Grandma J. And, every year, I let them open the box, look at her, admire her, maybe touch her.. and then she goes on the shelf in the box to be admired again next year. So, when Erin opened her box and I let her take her out and love her and play with her... she became much much more than just another baby doll. Now if Erin could just remember her name.

This was the first thing Josh went for. And, to be honest, Santa couldn't be happier about that. This is not just a shirt. This could quite possibly be more amazing than Natalie. This is a Manchester United away jersey - straight from England. Santa is pretty amazing. Not only did he set this ditty out, he stuffed an IPod Nano inside Josh's stocking. Right off the bat - badabing badaboom. Happy Josh.

This is Emma wondering what the heck she just opened. She got a tripped out blinged up camcorder. She hadn't really said much in her letter to Santa this year. Nothing too specific. Luckily, Santa knows her best and once she figured out what it was, she hasn't put it down. She is on her 3rd set of triple A's (the only downfall to this gift - we will be getting some rechargeables asap).

If you know Emma, you know that she is in love with FurReals and has been for about four years. She has most, if not all, of them. However, this year she moved on. She still loves the little things and still got two of them, but suddenly fashion is more than stuffed animals. She has been so into looking good lately. I'm told she has several beau's at school, but she denies it completely. I took this picture of her shortly after she opened all her gifts (didn't take her long to start trying on) and almost deleted it! I know - sounds crazy - but look at her! She looks like she's sixteen! Hello! Not even 9, thank you.

Sticking with tradition, we went to Johnson's for breakfast. This is most definitely something the kids look forward to. Breakfast casserole, pancakes, O.J., bacon, sausage and the lovely grapefruit with a cherry in the middle. We do Christmas with the J's after breakfast and then head home for a brief clean up of the disaster from Santa gifts.

(above: Erin and sixteen pound six month old Livvy {LOVE HER!} below: me, Erin, Great Grandma Johnson)

In the afternoon, we have Grandma and Grandpa B. and Cari come over to see what the kids got. This year, Jer made a yummy Asian lunch for them: spring rolls and bahn mi. To our surprise, they loved it. The best part of the day: the whole family was asleep by 8pm. Josh fought it (not wanting the "perfect Christmas" to end) but still crashed early. Another amazing year!

Still to come: I can't wait to show and tell all the "sister gifts" from this year! It's become tradition to give "handmade" gifts on both sides (not sure how that came about but I LOVE it). They were all so amazing this year that I have to show everything. So much talent and it helps that I love my sisters to pieces (and in-laws - though I hate that term - can't I just call them sisters and leave it at that?).

Christmas Eve

I have yet to figure out how to squish all of Christmas into one post. So, I will start with Christmas Eve and go from there.


Traditionally, we spend Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa B's. This year Paul and Joel and their families weren't able to be there in the evening, so we met with them earlier in the day. For the kids gift exchange this year we decided to do homemade gifts. It provided an interesting twist on things. We have two boys and seven girls. Josh struggled a little with the idea of mod podging a jewelry box, but pretended to participate just because he is a good kid.
Kailee, Erin, Emma, Alexa, Grandpa, Atley, Gauge, Josh, Cambree

Jamie's girls drew both boys and I will award them brownie points for coming up with a homemade gift for them. They made slime. It was pretty funny that Josh knew right away what it was and stuck his finger right in but Gauge wasn't about to get close to it. It was fun to see what each of the kids created for each other.
Later, we played with everyone else. Josh, Emma, Erin and Brynlee were the only kids there since the other families couldn't come. My kids had a good time with Bryn. She is at such a fun stage- into everything. We had a prime rib dinner, played games and exchanged gifts and that was about all this 9 month old could handle. Dev and Lyns took her home to go to sleepy and we stayed a little longer and let the kids make gingerbread houses (one of my favorite Christmas activities - as long as it's at Grandma's).

Grandma B. always gives the grandkids Christmas Eve jammies. The pictures with all the grandkids in matching pj's is always so stinking cute. The picture below is the kids in front of Grandma's tree and the bottom picture is in front of our tree. Usually we get home late on Christmas Eve and the kids crash before I get a picture. This year they were so hyper. I think they ate all the candy rather than decorating those darn gingerbread houses!

It didn't take long for all three of them to crash. And, we must've really worn them out because Jer and I had to wake them up for Christmas morning. Sleepy heads!

It was a fun Christmas Eve (as always)! I will save the Christmas Day pictures for the next post so that this one doesn't go for days. .

Erin Chef America

So I'm not any more awake now than I was yesterday when I posted, but this seems to be the time of day that I can sit down and blog.

On Thursday last week, Erin got to have a VIP day at school. That is about when the celebrating started. Friday was spent making aprons, cleaning the house and stringing the Happy Birthday banner. Saturday was her "friend party." This was the first time Erin has been able to have a "friend party." She has spent a month planning. Who will come? Everyone. What will we do? We will have an "Iron Chef" Party. Initially, she was explaining to me that she would be sitting at her own table and her friends would cook for her and serve her. Who is this child? Instead, I talked her into having everyone do everything. As the kids arrived, she had them pick out an apron. From there, they decorated it with fabric markers and then colored a chef's hat. Once everyone was done with the getup, we played games, opened gifts and then frosted cupcakes.

The kids were so fun. I was super nervous about having that many little 4 and 5 year old kids here, but they were all so good. Erin was in heaven. She thought the idea of having all her friends over at once was like one huge play date. And, I tell you what, we will be good on play dates for the next couple of months. She's ready to have everyone over again. I had to make it very clear that they can definitely come over - one at a time.

Sunday was her actual Birthday (or her "real Birthday" as she would call it). She started out the day by telling me that since she can do whatever she wants on her Birthday, she wouldn't be going to church. Oh, Erin. Every Sunday morning we spend discussing Primary. I'm not sure what she has against it, but she was not going on her birthday. Little stink. She did go, but she didn't go to Primary so when they all sang to her and got out the "treat bucket" she wasn't there. She was mad at Josh and Emma for not getting her treat for her until I told her that she has to go to Primary to get the treat. Every December I find myself hoping that when they move to a new class she will actually go. Anyway, back to her Birthday. Sunday evening, we had her "family party." What's funny is that her friends are her cousins so there was a lot of overlapping, but oh well. She opted to have hot chocolate in the place of ice cream since it was supposed to snow on her Birthday. It was SO yummy. Jer made homemade hot chocolate with real milk and Andes mints with whip cream on top. She wasn't too interested in it when all the cousins were here, but as soon as they were gone and the family was settling in, she sat and dipped her peppermint sticks in it. She was in heaven!!

It was a great weekend (all except for the part that my baby is five). I survived it. Now hopefully when school starts next year and she goes to kindergarten, I will survive that. It feels like she was born yesterday and here we are celebrating her fifth Birthday. I do love her to pieces. I love having the one on one time with her. She is my entertainment. I need to make the most of it before she decides to leave me next year and be a big girl.

Happy Birthday, Erin! Thanks for being my little buddy every day when the kids and dad aren't home. You are my bestest friend. I hope that you will stay my best friend forever.