Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

This is one of my favorite recipes. It's a great summer bbq vegetarian recipe. Enjoy!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs light mayonnaise
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tbsp plain dried bread crumbs
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup loosely packed sliced lettuce
hamburger buns
1/2 cup mild salsa
Ranch Dressing

1- In a large bowl, with potato masher or fork, mash beans with mayo until almost smooth with some lumps. Stir in Cilantro, bread crumbs, cumin, and pepper sauce until combined. With Lightly floured hands, shape bean mixture into 3-inch round patties. Spray both sides of each patty lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2- Heat 10 inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Add patties and cook until lightly browned, about 3 min. With pancake turner, turn patties over, and cook until heated through, about 3 min.
3- Eat like a hamburger with ketchup and mayo on a bun or add salsa and ranch instead. Either way these are delicious.

An Adorable Alarm Clock

Just because I have an adorable alarm clock doesn't make it any easier to get up. When I was growing up my theory was that the cuter the alarm clock the easier it was to get up. Which led to things like hello kitty alarm clocks, disney princess alarm clocks and when I matured a little and when to college, the giant fluffy purple alarm clock. Well, now I have the cutest alarm clock:

Oliver has moved into his toddler bed and my alarm has been set for an early 7:45 wake up call ever since. I know that isn't very early but for my little boy who stayed in his crib until mom came rolling out of bed and finally retrieved him at 9, and hour and 15 min is a little hard to swallow.
In fact at this point it would be easier if he weren't cute. He's like a modern vampire, all cute then you let him into your house and just watch in horror as he turns into a monster. It's starts out cute, he crawls in bed, snuggles up, gives you a kiss. Then the tossing and turning begins, followed by the kicking, then the talking, then the actual requests and before you know it, I'm a monster too. Though usually just a grouchy tickle monster.