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 ...