Pool Birthday Party – recipes & labels

Computer Boy turned 10 in January. When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday this year he said “can i just have a regular party, not with a theme?” GAH! He decided to have his party at the local recreation center pool and water playground. My kids love to swim, so with 2 feet of snow on the ground we headed off to the pool.

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I kept it simple so it didn’t feel like a huge party theme. I used blue ombre waves in the decorating with beach ball colors for the rest.
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parmesan risotto rice cooker recipe

I LOVE risotto. I’ve been working on this recipe for a few years. But cooking it “correctly” on the stove is time comsuming and labor intensive! Totally worth it, but I have 5 kids, and dinner needs to be easy most days.

rice-cooker-parmesan-risotto-recipe

So I started using the rice cooker, I like how easy it is. I used to use short grain Japanese rice, thinking it would work oka… BUT I’ve learned that it’s best with risotto specific rice, my favorite is the arborio.
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Corn Bread

As much as we love soups we love cornbread too. When we were first married my husband was in charge of making it, so this is actually the recipe HE came up with after making it so many times for me.

sweet-cornbread-recipe

I like cornbread with all cream based soups and chowders! What do YOU like cornbread with? You can also stir in canned corn kernels if you like that, but our kids aren’t fans so we don’t.
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Cafe Rio Smothered Burrito Recipes

I have lived in Utah many times in my 33 moves. We lived in Provo for 2 years from 2005-2007 and have been here in Salt Lake for over 3 years this time. And I just, THIS YEAR tried Cafe Rio for the first time. It is AMAZING! Seriously I love it. And they have been expanding a ton, so a lot more of you will be able to experience it. But I like being able to make my own food, I like saving money… So I started searching for some copy cat recipes.

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I’ve made it a few times now, I’ve tried a few different recipes of each part of the burrito.  I’m still looking for the perfect Black Beans, this isn’t juicy enough, but my husband loved it!

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Cafe-Rio-recipe-knock-off-sweet-pork

Cafe-Rio-recipe-knock-off-black-beans

Cafe-Rio-recipe-knock-off-green-tamatillo-sauce

Cafe-Rio-recipe-knock-off-pico-de-gallo

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We place a large flour tortilla on the plate, and spread out a scoop of rice in the top third of the tortilla!

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Top with some pork

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beans…

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sauce…

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and Monterrey Jack Cheese.

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Fold down over the top, then fold in the sides and roll the burrito up!

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Then top with more green sauce and cheese. I like to serve it with chopped romaine topped with the Pico De Gallo and a side of rice! And there you have it- the Cafe Rio Smothered Burrito!