Stay Put

Life changes as much as the seasons do in one year. Students are going back to school, the leaves are changing colors, and the breeze is coming in from another direction.   Some changes are inspiring and for the better, other changes are difficult and take a bit of time to over come. Our patience is tested and we tend to take risks.    

The last year and half have been exciting yet challenging. I lost a lot, but gained perspective.  I moved from my favorite city Chicago back to my hometown, Dallas.  I switched jobs twice. Got married. Started driving again.  All great things in the end, but a huge struggle to surpass and overcome.  

Michael and I moved into our apartment in a hurry, yet we could not pass a good rate.  We were so used to being on our own and having our own way of doing things that we dd not want to burden our families.  When we signed our lease, we knew it was temporary.  A place to stay while we got our bearings straight, so that we could take the time to look for our home.  We devised a checklist of everything that we wanted,updated appliance and counters, character, location. After several weekends of searching for the right place, with our lengthy checklist, we found the place.  

We started purging our place for about 15 minutes, then it dawned on us- "why are we doing this?"  Moving is expensive and very time consuming.  Not to mention the apartment that met all or our wants meant twice the cost of living.  We just settled down. 

After careful consideration we decided to Stay Put.  

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Our apartment is nothing special.  Pretty standard in finishes and layout, yet it is our home.  We realized that we can go on vacations without breaking the bank. We can take our time to actually save and look for a house that we can rightfully make ours.  We can actually hang the artwork that has been sitting in our spare bedroom.  And of course one of my favorite parts- updating all of our dormy furniture to our "adult" taste.  I finally purchased a real down comforter!!!

Good luck to those who are moving and going through change.  

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Strawberry Cheesecake Chimichangas

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A delicate yet simple Dessert that is great for gatherings:

What you need:

1 package of cream chease

1 cup of sour cream

1/4 cup of sugar

2 cups of fresh strawberries- hulled and halved

12 small flour tortillas

brown sugar

cinnamon

oil for frying

Step 1

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, 1 cup of strawberries in a standing mixer.  About 2 minutes and until smooth.

In a separate bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Step 2

Place strawberry cream cheese mixture on one side of a tortilla and roll.  As you roll half way, fold in sides as if you were making a burrito.  Try not to over fill otherwise you will have the mixture ooze out of the sides.

Once rolled, to keep in intact- use a toothpicks to hold everything in place

Step 3

Heat oil on medium high heat in a small sauce pan.  Make sure to cover the entire bottom of the saucepan and then some  (about 2 inches). Once hot (and I mean hot and bubbly) begin to fry. I tend to get excited and rush and end up with soggy chimichangas.  I timed its to about 2 minutes on one side and 1 1/2  on the other.  Once browned throughout.

Step 4

Let cool for a couple of minutes.  Carefully roll your fried chimichanga in the sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet to dry and cool off

Step 5

Dress with the remaining strawberries.

Step 6

Remove toothpicks and Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

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