Easy Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles of your choice

Brown ground beef with chopped onion; drain. Mix in soup (and 1/2 can of water), garlic, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 15 mins. Add sour cream; heat through and serve over noodles.

~ My Friendship is Not Optional ~

A very good friend of mine shared this on facebook today and I just get it out of my head.  I started to post a comment on the shared post, but soon realized it was turning into a blog post.  I keep thinking about the people that have been walking in and out of my life lately.  As if my friendship is optional.  Those people don't get it.  I feel sorry for them.  It's unfortunate that they don't know what being a true friend to someone really is.  That tells me they'll never have that themselves and that's just sad.

True friends stick by one another.  They don't take offense to constructive criticism and they understand when you screw up and say the wrong thing.  They don't let anyone else treat you like shit.  They stick up for you.  They stick up for your kids.  They don't kick you when you're down, they offer their hand to help you get back up.  They are there at 2 o'clock in the morning when you need them no matter what.  And they'll give you the shirt off their back.  Sometimes literally.

Everybody screws up.  I screw up a lot.  A LOT.  But I stand behind the fact that deep down, I am a good person and I mean well.  I don't have a malicious bone in my body.  Sure, there's people I'd love to punch square in the dick.  Just a couple.  But you know why?  Because they've hurt someone I love.  Not because they've hurt me.  Hurt me all you want, but f*ck with my kids, my friends, or my family and you're screwed. 

I don't need people in my life that don't plan on staying in it for the ride.  So if you're in it for the long haul, buckle up baby.  It's gonna be a rough ride, but trust me.  It'll be so worth it.

Mexican Lasagna

 

Here's one that's pretty quick and easy and always has the kids going back for seconds.  It's like lasagna only with Mexican ingredients!  

It also does pretty well as a left over (that's assuming you have any left).

Here's whatcha need:

1-2 lbs ground beef (I like the 80/20 myself)

1-2 packages of taco seasoning (depending on how much meat you use)

1 jar of your favorite salsa

6-12 inch flour tortillas

1-16 oz bag of your preferred shredded cheese

1 white or yellow onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 glass casserole dish with cooking spray.  Brown the ground beef in a skillet and then drain the fat.  Add taco mix and water according to the directions on the packet.  I actually mix my own taco seasoning out of my spice cabinet which you might find elsewhere on this blog...can't recall if I've posted that or not.  Either way you prefer will work.  

 Next mix half of your jar of salsa with the ground beef.  Set the rest aside.

In your casserole, lay three tortillas in the bottom to cover, overlapping them.  Spread half of the meat mixture over the tortillas, then half the bag of cheese, and then half of the sliced onions.  Place three more tortillas for the next layer, then the rest of the meat mixture, and then the rest of the cheese, salsa, and onion.

Bake for for 30 minutes and then garnish with shredded lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.

And of course, as with any Mexican dish, you gotta have the hot sauce!

Buen Provecho!!   

Mona's Baked Potato Soup

Mona's Baked Potato Soup

This is a recipe Frank's mom made for us once and I HAD to have the recipe.  Perfect for a chilly fall night when you need to start packing on that extra "insulation" for winter.  Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need to gather and prep beforehand:

 

4 large baking potatoes, bake or microwave ahead

2/3 c butter or margarine

2/3 c all purpose flower

6 c milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 green onions, chopped and divided

1 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese

8 oz sour cream  

 12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided

(I like to cook the bacon in the oven on a broiler pan.  No greasy mess to clean up!)

Cool the potatoes in ice water and then chop into small pieces and set aside.

  

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan or dutch oven, add the flour, and stir until smooth.  

Cook the rue mixture for one minute.  Stir constantly and whisk in the milk slowly.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.  VERY IMPORTANT...KEEP STIRRING!!!  The first time I made this I burnt six cups of milk.  SIX CUPS!! 

Next, add the potatoes, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp onion, and 1 cup of the cheese.  Cook until heated through and then stir in the sour cream.  Add some extra milk if it's too thick for your liking.

Garnish with remaining onion, cheese, and of course...BACON!!!

Ooooh...baaaaccccooooon...

A little involved and high maintenance but SOOO worth it in the end!!

ENJOY!!!

Full Circle Thought

FORGIVENESS.  Not a very simple concept.  There are many questions for me.  How?  When?  Under what circumstances?  I'm all about forgiving someone if I think they are truly sorry for what they have done.  If they can actually look at a situation and admit they had/have some flaw.  But what happens when you know that person isn't sorry at all and thinks they have no fault whatsoever? And on another level, the problem gets swept under the rug with all parties involved knowing full well it's going to rear it's ugly head again at any given time.  You can see it coming but short of completely sacrificing who you are as a person, there's nothing you can do about it.

SACRIFICE.  Also not very simple concept.  How far do you go?  You can't change your personality.  You can't and SHOULDN'T change WHO. YOU. ARE.  Have respect?  Yes.  Become someone else?  No way.  And no one that loves you and respects YOU should expect you to either.

RESPECT.  There's another one.  This is one that has to be earned.  I have my bad days, but I try very hard to be a good person.  I'd give the shirt off my back to someone in need, and that's not just a metaphor.  I have actually given the shirt off my back to a very close friend in his time of need.  Even though I wasn't able to do much more, I did something.  On the other hand, I'm not perfect.  No one is perfect.  We were made in His image but not without sin.  We all screw up, but that should not be condemning.  What matters is that we confess our sins, not just to God but to those we have wronged, and ask for FORGIVENESS.

Potholes

Potholes 

As I was driving down my pothole filled gravel road this evening, headed home from the gym, not even hearing what was blaring on the radio because I was too lost in my own worries, I had a small epiphany.  Something I wish I would have realized a long time ago.  You see, lately I've been worried about what other people are doing.  What other people think about me and what I'm doing.   I've realized I haven't been concentrating on the road ahead of me.  I lost sight of what's important.  Who is important.  My whole world seemed like it fell apart recently when I hit a massive "pothole" in my "road" which happened to cost me thousands of dollars in damage to my psyche.  For a minute, I thought it was a total loss.  Both front tires were blown, tie rods busted...the whole sha-bang.  Shit, it was so bad I think the struts might have gone through the hood.  I really didn't know how I was going to repair the damage.  Slowly but surely...here and there, with the help of those close around me, I was able to focus just a bit and get a good look at the carnage.  It was only then that I realized that "carnage" wasn't really the bloody, twisted metal scene I thought it was.  Hell, I needed new tires anyway.  Those old ones were cheap and bald.  And the new tie rods didn't turn out to be so expensive either.  Those struts?  Yeah, they were fine after all.  So wherever it is that you're driving, just make sure you pay attention to the road ahead of you.  Sure, you still need to keep your defense up in case someone swerves into your lane or slams on their brakes in front of you.  But you...YOU are in control of your own vehicle.  Only you can apply the brakes when you're going too fast, hit the gas to avoid a near miss, or swerve to miss that pothole.  Just make sure you don't stare at the rear view mirror too long.  Just long enough to see the potholes you're leaving behind. ;)

Love.

Real.  Endless.  Maternal.  Paternal.  Spiritual.  Platonic.  Brotherly.  Sisterly.  Tough.  Self.

Love.

There are many different kinds of love.  To me, they all fit in the same category.  Unconditional.  

Love doesn't discriminate.  Love doesn't judge.  Love is patient.  Love is kind.  Love is forever.  

February, the month of love.  Marriages rekindle, little boys and girls give secret Valentines to their crushes, couples celebrate by sending each other gifts of chocolate and flowers and sweet surprises.

Some say Valentines Day is merely a holiday created for capitalist gain.  Maybe.  Probably.  That doesn't mean we can't reap it's benefits as well.  I think we all need time to reflect on our relationships.  To think about how we feel about one another.  Maybe get a little mushy where the other 364 days of the year you may not.  Take time away from the kids and have fun together.  Send your mother a card.  Give your sister a phone call.  Give the kids a little treat and a note to say 'I love you'.  Get a pedicure or a massage (or give one).  Have a glass of wine, because, after all, if you don't love yourself, who can you love?  It's about connecting with the ones you love and may not tell them enough.

The Bible teaches us about love.

How to love our children.

Proverbs 13:24
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. 

 How to love our friends.

Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. 

How to love our spouses..

 Ephesians 5:33
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

How to love our God.

 Matthew 22:37
Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'.

 

And last but not least, how to love unconditionally.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...

You Spin Me Right 'Round Baby, Right 'Round

My mind is all jumbled and spinning.  I'm trying to get my thoughts together right now so this will most likely be just a rambling mess, but here goes...

Over the past couple of months I have watched some of my facebook friends, co-workers, and very close friends become some of the most inspiring men and women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  Something in the air in 2013 has given people some mad motivation.  Whether it's striving to become a better person through fitness and weight loss, weeding out the negative in their lives and getting with the positive, simply inspiring others, or sometimes all of the above these people are impressing the hell outta me!  I'm a pretty stubborn person, so I don't normally just give in and conform, even if it is to a good thing.  I don't like to be judged by anyone, especially myself.  They say we are our own worst critics.  I fear failure.  I feel people seeing me fail.  I don't want to be one of those people, as I have been in the past, posting about how I just got a fabulous work-out at the gym and then a couple months down the road all of a sudden those posts stop.  And so do the gym sessions...and bring on the ice cream, baby!  I also don't want to be left in the dust either.  Believe it or not, somewhere in this warped, crazy brain of mine I am somewhat of a fierce competitor.  I'm just really quiet about it.  

So you're not going to see me posting about how many reps I did or this amazing vegan diet I've adapted to.  I'm going to continue to post crabby, screw-the-world statuses when I'm pissed off about something.  I'm going to keep up with the stupid, BFF-crazy-nonsense-drunk posts on Friday nights.  I'm not giving up my lazy-laying-on-the-couch-drinking-a-Natty nights.  If I did, then I just wouldn't be "me".  But just know...I'm watching you people.  And you're inspiring the hell out of me.  :)

Another Day In Paradise

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a diagnosis described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as an ongoing pattern of anger guided disobedience, hostilely defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior. Children suffering from this disorder may appear very stubborn and often angry. 

<sup>site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppositional_defiant_disorder 

Synonyms: Pain in the ass, Argues with Wolves, Nikki

I love my daughter with all my heart.  I'd never give her up for the world, nor would I ever give up on her.  However, there are days like today where I just have to look up and say, "Really, God?  REALLY?."  Just a sample of how my morning went:

Me: Nik, did you take your medicine? 
Nikki: yes.  
Me: Do you have your lunch? 
Nikki: Yes.  
Me:  Do you have your key?  
Nikki: YES!!!  Uuuuuuggghhhh!!!!  
Me: Hey!  Don't be like that.  I'm just trying to help you.  Excuse me for not wanting you to be locked outside in the middle of winter!
Nikki: It's not even WINTER!!!  
Me: Really...so I suppose the next thing you're going to tell me is that the sky isn't blue.
Nikki:  Not today, it isn't.
 
Really.....  REALLY????

God love her.</sup> 
 

 

Quest for the Perfect Chili

It's just a silly chili cook-off contest at work....or IS it? 

THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.  

Yeah, they probably don't care either way.  I just always wanted to say that.

Anywho.  I'm done being silly (you don't believe me, do you?).  No, seriously.  Let's get serious about some chili here. *serious face*  People are serious about chili these days.  Seriously.  So I figure I should be serious too (ok, fine...I'll stop).  After all, it was one of the first things I ever learned to cook.  It's also one of the first recipes I ever added to my little homemade cook book - made from a used three-ring binder they were going to throw out at work (SNAG!).  So I got an email about a Chili Cook-off from the Employee Committee (said in a deep, important sounding voice) at work a couple weeks ago.  I thought, "Hmmm....should I enter?  Can they handle my insane chili-making skills?  Are they even aware of the type of commitment they're about to make?"  Kidding.  It was actually a bit more like, "Meh...sure I'll make some chili.  Whatevs."

Let's go back to that first-thing-I-ever-learned-to-cook thing.  I was ehh...17, I think.  Yeah pretty sure I was 17 because I recall my (now ex) boyfriend's mom wouldn't let me smoke in the house because I wasn't old enough.  I had to smoke on the back porch.  <insert eye roll>  She was a pretty good cook though.  Cooking for a husband and two growing teenage boys on her husbands income alone is cause for some frugal creativity I presume.  I just remember she'd make the best chili.  Stuff I never got at mom's growing up because everyone was so picky in our house (sorry Mom-it's not your fault).  I was picky too but I'd try it anyway - so as not to be rude - and end up liking it (it's a wonder what guilt will do).  It was different every time she'd make it.  She'd throw in whatever she could find in the pantry at the time and somehow she would make it work.  She taught me something as simple as a can of corn can stretch the batch to feed two more people.  I remember asking her for the recipe.  She gave me the basics, showed me how to do it and then said, "Add whatever else you like.  It's your chili."  So that's what I did.  And I've been experimenting with it since then.  As a side-note, I hear she's not doing too well with her health right now.  Send up a thought and a prayer if you get the chance. 

Really, my chili isn't anything special...to me at least.  It's not "white" or "green".  It's not fancy.  It's just mine.  I have learned to tone down the heat since I've had kids, though.  I once won "Hottest Chili" at a work chili cook-off.  I might have killed someone with that batch, but it was damn good.  Every once in a while I'll peruse the internets for tips.  There's TONS of forums and recipes (like I said, people are seriously serious about chili).  Always looking for that extra little kick I can add to my chili, or soup, or rub, or marinade...you get the point.  So, thanks to those three little words:  It's. Your. Chili.  They made me the cook I am today.

Hopefully I have an ecstatic "YEAH BUDDY!!  I WON!!  TAKE THAT B*TCHES!!" update for you all later.  Judging starts in an hour!  Wish me luck!!!

You Must Be This Patient to Ride

Approximately half of all marriages today end in divorce.  Along with that, many of my same-age friends have preteens or teenagers living in their households.  Therefore, I suspect there are a lot of people going through what a close friend of mine has been with her son.  She recently asked me for advice and I thought I'd share with everyone what I told her.  You see, this friend of mine has raised her boys by herself for the most part.  Dad is a deadbeat.  He's fairly often unemployed, has legal issues, consistently behind on child support, and just an all-around bad influence for his boys.  Now, her oldest boy has told her he wants to go and live with his dad.  He hasn't been doing very good in school and she has threatened to hold him back if his grades don't improve.  There are quite a few major changes going on in her household right now as well.  I can understand how he may be feeling, having once been a teenager myself.

I have thought about what I would say to my own children in this situation, so I already had the words in my head.  As many of you may know, I have a daughter that's about to become a teenager.  As headstrong as she is (she is my "Mini-Me' after all), I imagine I would be going through the same situation with her if my husband and I were to separate, God forbid.  

If you're ever faced with a disgruntled teenager who thinks he or she would be better off with the other parent, take a deep breath and start with this (without sarcasm or contempt, of course):

“I understand it’s tough being a teenager.  Everyone is telling you to act like a grown up but not giving you the freedom to make your own choices.  You’re right, though.  You could choose to live with your [other parent] at your age.  However, I want you to understand what that means and how things will likely go.  You will either A) have to convince me to agree to let you do that (which is not going to happen because I don’t believe that is in your best interest as your parent) or B) ask your [other parent] to petition the court on your behalf for a change of custody.  A court date will be set, you will have to talk to a judge and convince him or her that there is sufficient reason to remove you from my home and allow you to live with your [other parent].  Unless your life is at risk or there are drugs or illegal activity in my house, it is highly unlikely that a judge will make a decision in your favor.  That, in turn will likely cause more stress on everyone involved and make the situation that you think is so bad here, significantly worse.  So I want you to think about which path you would like to take.  Either you can abide by the rules in my house, and work hard in school, and understand that I am only doing my job as a parent: to raise you to be a self-sufficient upstanding member of society, or you can continue in thinking that your life will somehow be better if you go and live with your [other parent].”

I sincerely hope that my words can help someone else, as it has her, on this emotional roller coaster of raising a teenager.  Hang in there.  It's worth the ride.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Easy and Made From Scratch?  No Way!!

1 lb chicken breast
1-15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 med onion, chopped
1-4 oz can green chiles
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1-14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf (remove when done cooking)
1 can corn (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 mins.  Remove chicken breasts from the soup and let cool for about 5 mins.  Shred chicken with a fork and add back to soup.  Return to boil, reduce heat and simmer for an additional 10 mins..

Garnish soup with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream.

Dr Peppered Ribs

What's for dinner?

4 lbs country style pork ribs
3 c ketchup
3 c Dr Pepper (or Mr Pibb)
1 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tsp chili powder
4 tsp black pepper, ground
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Place ribs in a non-reactive glass baking pan.  Pour 2/3 of the Dr Pepper on the ribs.  Cover with foil or plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  In a blender, combine remaining Dr Pepper, ketchup, brown sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, black pepper, and dry mustard.  Blend until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps.  Pour this mixture into a glass bowl and set aside.

Now here's where we're winging it because we don't have time to smoke these for a long time tonight.  We're using our Traeger grill (which is awesome btw...expensive, but awesome), but you could very easily cook these in your oven or on a charcoal or gas grill.

The directions say "Start your grill, switch to medium.  Cook for approx 2 hrs.  Switch to smoke and begin to mop the ribs with the sauce mixture.  Mop ribs every 1/2  hr for 3 hrs or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.

We are doing the following: 350 degrees for roughly 45 mins.  Then 80 degrees for another 45 mins or so until they are up to temp (mopping with sauce every 10 or so mins at this stage).

Enjoy!