Mexican-Style Black Beans2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium-size onion (for about 3/4 cup chopped)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can (15 ounces) black beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1) Heat oil in 2-qt or larger sauce pan over medium heat. Peel onion & coarsely chop it, adding it to the pan as you chop. Stir frequently. Add garlic to pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2) Add beans with liquid. Add tomatoes with juice, Worcestershire, chili powder, sugar & cumin (if using). Stir well & bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low & simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans have thickened slightly, about 10-20 minutes.
Chicken Fajitas
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, oregano, cumin each
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, paprika, crushed red pepper each
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 medium red & green pepper, julienned
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1) In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice & seasonings. Add chicken. Seal & turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
2) In a large skillet, saute peppers & onions in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Remove & keep warm.
3) In same skillet, cook chicken & marinade over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return pepper mixture to pan; heat through.
4) Serve with tortillas, cheese, etc.
Pasta Putttanesca
5-6 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded & crushed (or 2-28 ounce cans Italian tomatoes, drained & crushed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained & rinsed
3 tablespoons black olives, pitted & chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, minced
4 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
1 pound penne
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1) In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, oil, spices, capers & olives. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2) Cook penne according to package. Drain well.
3) Toss hot pasta with tomato mixture. Top with cheese. Serve immediately.
Note:
This makes a TON. I cut in 1/2 using only 1 large can of tomatoes. I also add green olives because we typically have them on hand and everyone here likes them.
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 gloves minced garlic
1 package stuffing mix for chicken
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1) Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes with liquid in bowl. Add garlic, stuffing mix & 1/2 cup water; stir just until stuffing is moist. Set aside.
2) Put chicken in bottom of 9x13; sprinkle with basil & cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.
3) Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Note (yes of course there's a note!):
I spray pan with cooking spray. Works well with cooked chicken too - just cut cooking time. Also nice with Italian tomatoes.
After our first time at the pool, we decided these kids need to get used to the water! I set out with them on the 11th in the morning. Tiernan rode his bike. Lincoln went right to "his" chair & relaxed for a little while. Okay... now we're getting a little closer to the water! Wooo-hooo! 
Obviously, Lincoln is our climber... So I've decided to try to capture the places he explores. So far, we have him trying to climb into his crib, onto the computer, onto the kitchen table, every chair & couch... The "naked" picture is when Lincoln actually climbed onto the doctor's desk at his 18-month appointment. The picture is him climbing down - couldn't get the camera out in time.
It's not always war with twins... sometimes there's love. Here they are at lunch helping each other out! However, there are times that Sloan doesn't get her way & decides to scream... Nana taught Tiernan & Lincoln to cover their ears. Here Lincoln puts it to good use over breakfast!
Sunday was a beautiful day so the Bass 5 headed to the pool for our 1st neighborhood pool experience. The neighbors were very aware of our arrival because Lincoln almost immediately started to cry at the sight of the water. He was not happy & preferred to be held. Eventually, he settled down & took to hanging out in the chair. Tiernan was thrilled to splash around in the toddler pool but also went to the big pool to work on swimming with Da. Sloan got right into the water. She even wanted to wear some sunglasses - could be because the beads were left at home?!? 
Eventually, she slipped in the water, & that was it for her for the day. So after about an hour (oh yes, that's all it took) with no kids in the water we headed home. Try try again, right?!
...a spider can... Who said Spider Girl can't join into the fun? What you can't hear is Sloan saying "Cheese" through the mask (which actually comes out sounding like "tease"). She LOVES this mask of Tiernan's. Notice the beads and eventually the lipstick that she figured out she couldn't put on with the mask on. She played in this mask for at least a half hour on Saturday. I really shouldn't be surprised since her first word (outside of Momma, Da, etc) was Batman. Ah, the influence of an older brother.... At least she's adding her own flare with her beads and lipstick.
