Taste of Home Tuesday: Stacked Enchilada

Ingredients
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1/2 cup picante sauce
4 corn tortillas (6 inches)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream and shredded lettuce, optional

Directions
In a large skillet, saute pepper in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer or until pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in the chicken, beans and onions; heat through. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
In the same skillet, combine enchilada and picante sauces. Coat both sides of one tortilla with sauce mixture; place in a greased 9-in. pie plate. Top with a third of the chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla, sauce and cheese.
Cover and bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until heated through. Remove to a serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and lettuce if desired. Yield: 4 servings.
 
This was very quick and easy to make.  Justin and I both thought it was on the bland side.  I think I will add some cumin next time for a little more of the Mexican flavor and maybe some corn. 

I Was Blessed

I was one lucky girl this year!  My wonderful husband and family went in together and bought me a Silhouette Cameo!  It is AWESOME!!

I started out just cutting out words and shapes and made some thank you cards.  I don't have a picture of those.  They are in my "craft room" in the basement and the carpet man is downstairs right now working...that's right, the carpet man!!:)  (Pictures coming soon, hopefully)

I found these owls and had to cut them out!

They just make me smile! 

I thought these cards were pretty cute as well. 

I can either draw or find a picture I want and upload it to my Silhouette program or use the designs they already have.  I put my paper in and press "cut page" and away it goes.  I have had a TON of fun coming up with designs and cutting things!

Thank You Family!

Finally!

For about a month now I've been wanting a place to hang our car keys.  There have been one to many days where it's time for me to head to work and I cannot find the keys anywhere.  When Dad, Mom, Justin and I were in Kansas City I looked and looked, but nothing was quite right.  About a week later I remembered a shelf I had bought at a garage sale before Justin and I were married.  I had used it for a short time and then stored it away.  It was wooden and I wanted black so I (meaning Justin) spray painted it.  We bought some screw in hooks at Lowe's and put those in the bottom.  I put the little birdie frame I made a month or so on it as well as an old jar.  (I found the jar in the basement before we dug it out and poured the new one.)  I was thrilled with the outcome and how little it ended up costing me!  (My shelf really is straight, I just didn't take a straight picture:))   

I saw a print on facebook yesterday and fell in love with it immediately.  It quoted part of Laura Story's song "Blessings".  I used my photo shopping skills and came up with something similar that I am pleased with.  

Some days I need a reminder of God's faithfulness.  No matter what I walk though, big or small, Jesus is right there providing the grace I need to endure.

Taste of Home Tuesday: Sausage Broccoli Calzone

Ingredients
12 ounces bulk pork sausage
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated crusty French loaf
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
In a small skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in sage.

On an ungreased baking sheet, unroll dough starting at the seam; pat into a 14-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Spoon sausage lengthwise across center of dough. Sprinkle with broccoli and cheeses. Bring long sides of dough to the center over filling; pinch seams to seal. Turn calzone seam side down.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 6 servings.

Like I said earlier, this sounds very different, but is very good!  We did everything the directions said and they turned out great.  Justin is already planning what he's going to put in next time.  He was thinking hamburger, jalapenos and cheese.  We'll see how it turns out! 

Taste of Home Tuesday: Coming Soon

Last night Justin and I made Sausage Broccoli Calzones.  I know they sound kind of different, I had reservations myself, but we gave them a try and found they were really very good!  I had every intention of posting right after dinner and then got sidetracked playing with a present I received recently.  More to come on that later.:)  Anyhow, this morning when I tried at school it wanted information on the back of my magazine which of course was at home!!  I will get the recipe up tonight.   

Valentines Day

Today was parent teacher conferences.  I was rather bummed that it was Valentine's Day and I was stuck at school instead of home with my hubby.  We had a good day at school and conferences went well.  I had thought that Justin went out to eat with his sister and brother-in-law and another couple.  When I got home I noticed there was a corn dog on the stove with some cheesecake brownies.  I knew that something was up.  I walked into the dining room to find flowers on the table and two bowls. 

The flowers were some of my favorites, Gerber Daisies.

We enjoyed cheesecake brownies and ice cream for our Valentine's dessert.

It was the perfect ending to a long day and made this Valentine's Day one to remember!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Taste of Home Tuesday: Best-Ever Chicken Fajita Chowder

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 each medium green, sweet red and yellow peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups water
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup canned chopped green chilies
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
Tortilla chips and minced fresh chives, optional

Directions
In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook and stir the chicken, peppers and onion in oil until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the water, corn, rice, enchilada sauce, chilies and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender.

Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese and sour cream until cheese is melted. Serve with chips and chives if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

This soup is our new favorite chicken soup.  I used white rice instead of brown rice and I didn't have much time to make it, so instead of simmering the rice in the soup, I made it in my rice cooker and just mixed it in.  It was very very good!

Another Productive Saturday

Another productive Saturday!  Justin and I are enjoying another Saturday at home.  We had a yummy breakfast in town with some family.  After that Justin headed to a gun show that was being held in town and I headed home.  I had started my cleaning last night so I quickly finished that up and have had the rest of the day to enjoy! 

Crafting was high on the list so I headed downstairs immediately to  finish up a gift for one of the gals I teach with.  We started teaching together six year ago.  We had rooms side by side that were connected with a go between door.  We went back and forth through that door many times forming a fast friendship.  Her birthday is also in February so we have always enjoyed buying each other something.  This year I decided to make her and her family a wall hanging.  I had started it earlier in the week and was able to finish it up today.

The next project was soap dispensers.  I had made several for Erin at Christmas.  After I made them I decided one would work well in our kitchen so I made one for myself today.

State testing is coming up at school.  Thankfully the kindergartners do not take state assessments so this does not directly affect me.  However, last year, Michele (my good teacher friend)  had a great idea to make the teachers that do have to give the assessment a care package.  This year we got our inspiration from this idea that had been pinned on pinterest.  We didn't have enough paint cans so we came up with brown bags.  Hopefully it will relieve a little bit of the stress during testing. 

I love colored pencils!

I actually had them out because I was working on my inductive Bible study in James.  I love that I had time to sit down and read without being exhausted from all the weekly "stuff".

The next three pictures are actually from Christmas.  I know I'm a little late, but I still wanted to post them.  I couldn't do it before Christmas because they were all presents.  Last year while looking for something to make with my kids at school I ran across this amazingly cute idea.  You put a picture inside a glass ornament bulb for a personalized ornament.  It just so happened that both of my brothers were married recently so I put one of their wedding pictures in a bulb for them.  

I had family pictures of most of Justin's family so I shrunk them down and put those in bulbs.  For Josh and Allison (Justin's younger brother and his wife) I put their wedding invitation in.  I was please with how they turned out and plan on making one for Justin and I each year to remember things by.

I also made some cards for my teacher friends and Justin's sisters.  This is where the Silhouette would have come in handy...it would have done all the cutting.:)

Taste of Home Tuesday: Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 pound bulk hot Johnsonville® Ground Sausage
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
1 jar (24 ounces) garlic and herb spaghetti sauce
3 cups water

Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 16-20 minutes or until flavors are blended. Yield: 6 servings (2 quarts).
 
When Justin first showed me this soup I thought he was kind of crazy...but I will admit the man has good taste!  Usually we have the rule that we make the recipe as it is written and then change it the second time.  However, Justin was cooking tonight and felt that the beans were just not a good fit; pasta would be better.  I'm glad he changed it up because the pasta was delicious.  We both really enjoyed this soup and loved that it was super quick and easy!

Dreaming...

This is what I'm dreaming about!  The Silhouette Cameo!  It's an electronic cutting tool that can cut paper, card stock, vinyl, heat transfer material, and almost anything else you can think of.  It also does glass etching and cuts fabric.  Any project that I've ever wanted to do I can do with this machine.  I LOVE to craft, but get frustrated when something doesn't look as good as I would like.  (I can only cut so good:))  It is expensive so I'll have to save my pennies...but some day, I hope to have one!

Saturday

Justin and I were able to sleep in this morning which felt amazing!  I made omelets when we woke up with Orange Julius'.  (Thanks Erin!:))

I got started on laundry as soon as we were done eating. 

There's nothing better then clean sheets!

Did a little dusting

Emma took a little nap

Vacuuming was next

More laundry.  I do not know how 2 people can make so many clothes dirty in one week!

One of Pop's cows calved yesterday and the little calf was not drinking from his mama.  Justin and I gave him a bottle last night and again this morning. 

We tried mid afternoon to give him another and he wasn't too interested.  I took the leftovers out to the coral and fed Lucky.  She was more then happy to finish it off!

I made cookies for the Super Bowl tomorrow

I organized all my crafting supplies on shelves in the basement.

I also went through all my fabric and sewing supplies.

I love these cute little birds that I keep seeing everywhere and finally had some time to make some of my own.

Justin and I finished the evening taking in a movie and just relaxing. 

All in all it was a very productive day!

A New Year.......A Little Late!

I started this post in January but then stopped to continue to think about it.  We've been busy as well, but I wanted to post it so here it is...better late then never!

Last year at the beginning of the year I was challenged by K-love to choose one word to focus on for the year instead of making New Year Resolutions. The word I chose was surrender. I was excited to see what God was going to do and ashamedly admit I was surprised to see all that He did do. I wasn't sure if my word would get me to the end of the year, but it got me there and then some. I could probably spend this whole year focusing on surrender too, but I feel a tug in a new direction.

As I look back on the past year, I cannot believe the work that God has done, in my heart and in my husband's heart. I think we both grew more in our relationships with Jesus then we ever have before. He pushed us beyond ourselves further then we thought possible. Our desire to start our family was beginning to define us. It was all we thought about, our focus. At the beginning of last year God slowly began to change that. At the end of April when we lost the last baby we were given the peace of God like we'd never experienced before and I new beyond a shadow of a doubt that life was going to continue to change.

As I prayed and thought about the word for this new year the word intentional kept coming to mind. I wanted whatever came after surrender, the next step to keep moving forward. I was afraid it may be a little broad, but then we were sitting in church the next Sunday and Pastor David started talking about being intentional. Justin elbowed me and grinned. I had my word!

Justin and I both read many books last year and some more this year that are challenging us in our walk with Jesus. Challenging us to be doers of the word and not just hearers only. I want to be intentional with everything I have learned, to apply it, to use it, and to make a difference with it. I want to be intentional in my marriage to cultivate it and grow even closer to Justin. And most importantly I want to be intentional in my relationship with Jesus. I don't want to go back to where I was before. I want to continue pushing ahead no matter how hard it gets or how "bad" things seem. I have found that my "bad" is one of God's special blessings in my life that draws me to Him and propels me forward in my relationship with Him.

Because I started this post in January and am finishing it in February, I am already seeing God's hand at work. A friend and I have some ministry ideas and opportunities in the works to get out and serve, to put into practice what we are studying. Justin and I also started an awesome study on marriage together. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us this year! He is so faithful and we are just so excited to serve Him!

Taste of Home Tuesday: Chive & Onion Hash Brown Potatoes

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 packages (20 ounces each) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, divided
2 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until blended; transfer to a large bowl. Add potatoes; mix well.
In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish, layer a third of the hash brown mixture and a third of the cheese; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chives. Repeat layers. Top with remaining hash brown mixture and cheese; dot with butter.
Cover and bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-20 minutes longer or until edges begin to brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with remaining chives. Yield: 12 servings.

Justin and my parents were the guinea pigs for this recipe.  I halved it because 4 of us did not need a 9x13 pan of potatoes.  They were very good (or so they said:)).  The Swiss cheese was different for us in cheesy potatoes, but I thought it was a "good different".  I will definitely be making these again!