EASY Taco Casserole

This one is really easy and really quick!  Try it some night, if you do, please tell me what you think!!!

HAPPY COOKING!!

Taco Casserole

1 lb of lean ground beef or turkey

1 pack of taco seasoning

1/2-1 cup of chopped onion (to your liking)

1 can drained diced tomatoes

1 package of shredded cheese  (i use sharp)

6 small flour tortillas  (or four large

salt, pepper to taste

garlic powder--just a pinch

EITHER: 1 large can of re fried beans and 1 reg size can of black beans or

               1 large can of black beans and 1 reg size can of re fried beans 

Preheat oven to 375*. Cook meat, onions, drained tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder and taco seasoning all together.  Cook on a medium to medium high heat stirring often.  (do not use package instructions on the taco seasoning mix).  While the meat is cooking, spray a 13 x 9 glass dish with non stick spray and layer 3 small or 2 large flour tortillas in the bottom of the dish and up the sides.  When meat is completely cooked spoon all of the meat mixture onto the flour tortillas.  Using the same pan you cooked the meat in; *add re fried beans and black beans, lower heat slightly and cook until warm.  Don't forget to stir....

*(there should be very little grease since we are using lean meat, if not drain some of the grease off, leaving about 1 tablespoon of grease--nobody said this dish was healthy, it's EASY)  

While the beans are cooking (getting warm really) sprinkle a little less than half the bag of shredded cheese over the meat mixture and layer the remaining flour tortillas like you did on the bottom.  When the beans are warm enough they should become much easier to stir, approximately 5 minutes or so depending on the heat.  Take the bean mixture and spoon it randomly over the layer of flour tortillas then spread it out, making a thin layer.  You're almost done!!  Cover with foil and cook until bubbling around the outside, 375* for about 15-20 minutes, remove cover and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cook for another 5 minutes or so, until cheese is melted.  Serve with chips and salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, that yucky green stuff  (LOL), or whatever your taste buds desire!!  Yum Yum!!

Creamy Italian Chicken (crock-pot)

Creamy Italian Chicken

(For the crock-pot.)

4 chicken breasts (frozen will require 1 extra step)*

1 Cup of Italian Dressing  (any brand will do)**

¼ Cup of chopped onions  (fresh or frozen)

1-8 oz pack of cream cheese (softened)

¼ - ½ cup of Parmesan Cheese

1 can Cream of Mushroom

Mushrooms (optional)

Italian Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

Pepper

Water

Salt 

1. Gather all ingredients, open cans, chop, measure…..and get ready!  J

2. If the chicken is frozen, place in a boiler, cover chicken with water, and start boiling on high heat.  (About 5-8 minutes)  if you’re chicken is thawed, move to step 3.

3. In a saucepan, pour 2-3 tbsp of Olive Oil and chopped onion.  Add ¼ - ½ tsp salt, pepper to taste. Cook on medium-high heat, and keep stirring.

4. Once onions are caramelized and slightly brown, remove one breast at a time and sear the chicken on both sides. Repeat for the remaining breasts, laying them into the crock-pot after being seared.  Be sure to use a non-stick cooking spray. Turn the crock-pot on high for now.  (Just long enough to get the crock-pot good and hot.)

5. Using the same sauce pan you used for the onions and chicken, mix Italian Dressing, softened Cream Cheese, Cream of Mushroom Soup, ½ tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (alter these ingredients to suit your taste buds), mushrooms, ¼ - ½ cup of parmesan cheese, and 1/2 - 1 cup of water. Stir and cook on low heat until the mixture becomes creamy, thou it may still have a few small lumps.  Pour over the chicken, making sure it gets in between each piece and the bottom of the dish.  Turn crock-pot to Low heat and cook for 3-4 hours. The best way to tell when it’s ready is poking the chicken with a fork and turning it, if the chicken is almost falling apart, it’s ready! 

This dish goes best with Angel or Thin Spaghetti, but can also be served with rice or mashed potatoes, and goes great with asparagus.

*Chicken strips or deli chicken will substitute, should be about 12-14 oz of chicken (whole breasts are recommended thou)

**Dry Italian dressing mix and 1 cup water can be substituted for Italian Dressing

YOU WANT A BUNCH?? ….. OKAY!!

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There are some funny stories from our childhood that seem to stick with us through the years, while others seem as elusive as those last 10 lbs.  Whether you have a several or many, they hold their weight in gold and seem to increase in size as the years unfold.  Here’s one I’d like to share with you.  At times I still laugh about this one…..

So, is the English language the easiest to learn, or the hardest??  I’ve looked at several web sites, some claiming it is the hardest, while other claim it is the easiest.  I was never a ‘good student’ of anything even related to English.  Math was my ‘thing’ and I held my head high, but English was a different story.  God Bless Mrs. Barnett for putting up with my antics in class, but that’s an entirely different story (don’t know if she ever figured out why the breakers kept blowing and lights would go out during ‘our’ class)! 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand….  After getting my permit on my 15^th birthday, then full license thereafter, I used every excuse to drive.  I’d even do the laundry, small grocery errands; whatever I could do to drive I was there!  It was holiday time and my mother had been shopping for ‘everything’, but had forgotten a couple of items.  I normally used my super power selective hearing when my name was called from a far, but in the back of my mind I was hoping that during her cooking process she would recall an item she’d forgotten, I wanted to drive!  BTW, at that time I was in an 81’ 4 speed Trans AM……mmmmmm…. life was good!!  hahaahaa 

Those of you who know my mother know that she is very….ummmm…”meticulous” when it comes to EVERYTHING!  If you go shopping for her, not only will she make out a list but she will also go over the list, while making sure you not only know what to get but what brand to purchase as well.  At the same time making sure you have “no further questions”.  We went over her very detailed list.  I made it to the grocery store in record time (thank God my driving has improved since my teenage years), and I proceeded to shop. I was told to hurry so I did just that.  I’d missed one item on the list and at the last minute noticed my horrid mistake and ran to the produce section.  The list stated, and I remember it vividly to this day, “A bunch of broccoli”…. DON”T GET AHEAD OF ME!!   I finished my shopping, paid, and drove home.  I was so proud of my quest to the grocery store and record time!  I’d gotten everything on the list, exactly like she stated! 

When I came in with the bags she looked at me and with a gasp said, “what is all this?”  Of course I had no idea what she was talking about because I’d done the task perfectly!!!  So when I asked, “what? I did it right, didn’t I?”  Her first and only response was, “ why did you get all this broccoli?”  I responded by pointing at her list and showing her that she’d asked for a “Bunch” of broccoli.  At that point you could hear laughter throughout our neighborhood I’m sure.  When she contained herself she explained to me that though a “bunch” can mean A LOT of something, a “BUNCH of BROCCOLI is actually only 1 stem….” Needless to say, we ate broccoli every meal for days, and I think some of it still went bad!!

I GOT A BUNCH, just like she said!!

Laugh at me or with me, “laughter is good for the soul”!! 

Until next time, may God bless you as abundantly as He has blessed my family and me!!

These Shoes Just Don't Seem to Fit

The title will eventually take shape…you’ll see. 

This has been a long time pet peeve of mine, but after my recent experience, I felt moved to make this my first blog subject.  I hope you enjoy, and more than that, I hope it makes you think.

I’m sure you have either heard or said a phrase similar to one of these, 

“If I were him/her, I would _______, if that happened to me!”  

“Look at that person, can you believe they _________.”

“Why is he/she wearing that?”  Etc…  

(Mrs. A, this does not include shoulder pads!!  J)

I think each and every one of us has made a comment like this in our lifetime, at least once.  <<Some more than others<<  

How quick are ‘we’ to make assessments of other peoples lives.  Each and every time we make these types of comments we are automatically assuming the role of judge and jury.  And we assume we know enough about that person, from whatever small glimpse we may have into their lives, to pass judgment on them.  Which, by the way, isn't in our job title.  That official duty belongs to God. 

You may already know, but 2 of my children have disabilities.   My 3yo has DBD-NOS and severe ADHD, while my 5yo has Asperger’s Syndrome and severe ADHD.   A couple of the issues they both have are tantrums and screaming outbursts.  I often wondered if they were “waking the dead”, as my grandmother used to say, when we were too loud.  I’ve been told you can hear them for miles!! 

You could only imagine the stares, glares, and even comments that are made to me about my children’s behavior in public, by total strangers.  It can make a very calm person feel like they want to explode.   I try to take each one in stride, though some times I just feel like crying after returning home.  In a matter of seconds, I was automatically deemed a “bad” parent with unruly “wild” children.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.   

The same goes for the instances I mentioned in the beginning.  We may never know why someone made the choices they made, took the path they choose, ended up in the situation they are currently in, or why they wore that ‘hideous’ outfit.  It just might have been because they lost everything they had in a house fire and didn’t have insurance.  Maybe they lost their job, then their home, and now they get their clothes from a local shelter. You NEVER know what tragedies someone may be dealing with personally.  So, the next time you find yourself in a position of passing judgment, it might be a good idea to pick up a mirror and take a deep look into your own life. 

John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

And for the shoes, you can take them off now and give them back to the person who owns them…. Prayer only requires your knees, besides wearing other people shoes will make your feet hurt! 

Until next time, may God bless you as abundantly as He has blessed my family and me…

Introduction

Yeah, yeah…  I’m another one of the many who have started a Blogspot.

As an introduction to my blog, I’d like to start of by giving you an insight as to my intentions. There have been times when I’ve experienced a specific circumstance in my life where a profound ‘light bulb’ went off inside, as if I’d been Benjamin Franklin flying the kite that day. I hope to share those thoughts with you! I would like this blog to be helpful and encouraging to everyone who reads it, and a little laughter along the way. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Make note, the link  associated with this blog is www.stillchewingmyself.blogspot.com.  The things you read here are things I’ve dealt with or are dealing with in life.  With God being my saving Grace through it all!!