Black Bean ad Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe

 This recipe came the internet and I don't remember the site where I got it. So if you know it or recognize it please put the website down in the comment section. For this recipe you will need 1/2 pound ground beef (I used a whole pound); 1 small onion (I used dried onions); 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (15oz); 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15oz); 1 can diced green chili peppers (4oz); 1 (16oz) container sour cream; 1/4 salt; 12 corn tortillas (6 inches in diameter each); 1 can enchilada (10oz); 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
1. In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, chopped onion until meat is no longer pink, drain all the fat/liquid from the pan. Add chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the meat mixture and cook, stirring for about a minute, to let the spices mix in and until onion is soft. Add drained and rinsed black beans and pinto beans, and undrained chili peppers into meat mixture  turn off heat. Taste the meat-bean mixture, and add more salt if needed. Add more chili powder or cumin, than indicated in the recipe, if needed. Set aside.
2. Use a 3 quart rectangular baking dish- 11 inches long x 8.5 inches wide x 3 inches deep. Place 4 tortillas on the bottom, overlapping to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread 1/3 of the meat-bean mixture over the tortillas. Top with 1/3 of sour cream, dropping it in small dollops all over, then carefully spreading it over the meat-bean mixture. Top the sour cream with 1/3 of enchilada sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times (3 total layers).
3. NOTE: For the final layer, reverse the order of beef mixture and sour cream , by adding sour cream and enchilada sauce first (over the tortillas), then top the sour cream and enchilada sauce with the remaining beef mixture with cheese on top.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes covered, then remove foil. Top with cheese and bake 10 more minutes uncovered.

I made only 2 layers with this mixture. I didn't have the right size casserole dish. We really enjoyed this dish. I was a little surprised because not everyone likes sour cream.
I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think down below.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Boys lunches

I thought I would show you what I pack in my boys lunches for school. The school lunches at their school are small and not worth the cost. The lanes are also long and they only get about 30 minutes to eat. I pack a lot in them so that they can have snack if they get hungry between classes. David has first lunch and Aryan has third lunch. Every year I buy them two lunch bags each. Why I do this is because nine times out of ten their bags get destroyed or so dirty that it doesn't clean well anymore. This year I had to pay a little more because the bags I normally buy where no longer available. The bags this year are more insulated and a little smaller, but I am still able to fit all the items into them with a little work. Aryan's lunch bag is showing and David's is blue. I put the same thing in both of their bags. At the bottom of the bag I put in an ice pack to help the food stay cold. Then I put in a drink, a sandwich, a gogurt, string cheese,a piece of fruit, cookies, fruit snacks, chips, a pickle, and another dessert/snack item. Showing is a slice of pumpkin bread. It is either this or a muffin. They aren't big breakfast eaters so I want to give them something else to help them through the day. The sandwich is usually ham and cheese. Neither of the boys want mustard or mayo on it because it gets soggy. I use to send left overs but the school took away the microwave.
I hope this helps you with ideas for lunches. Until next time enjoy your day.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I know there are a lot of different recipes for this cookie. This one is so simple a 5 year old can do except the use of the oven. In fact my mom got this recipe from my kindergarten teacher a while back.
For this recipe you will need the following items.
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter

Yes that is all you need for this cookie.

Mix all together. Make cress cross marks with a fork and bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 8-9 minutes. Place on a cooling rack to cool.

I usually triple this recipe. I also spray my cookie sheet with Pam.

I hope you give this simple recipe a try and let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

September 14th 2019

 September 14th was a very busy and fun day for me. After taking the summer Arkansas Valley Chapter NSDAR was back on for the year. (We always take the summer off). September is the month we focus on the Constitution because it was adopted on the 17th in 1787. For the last 3 or 4 years we have had a Fire Chief come and ring a bell for the event.

 Here is the video of him and the bell. Hope you enjoy.

 Also that same day we had a little program which we are working with the library for a grant they have received about Revisiting the Founding Era. We did spend some of summer working on this for those of us who were in involved. This Lady is a member of DAR and she gives two programs. The one she gave this time was one I have heard before but really enjoyed it and was happy to hear it again. The program was on Patriots in Petticoats.

I recorded part of it and hope it comes through so you can hear and see it. I didn't get the whole because one my arm was getting tired and two I was running low on battery.
I hope you enjoy the video's if they come through and if you are interested in joining leave me a comment and I will get you the information and/or get someone to talk with you to help you on your way.
Until next time ejoy your day.

Sunday Chicken Dinner Recipe

 I made this meal a couple of weeks and finally getting it posted. I got this recipe out of the book called Fix-it and Forget-it. This is what you will need for this recipe. 1 large onion, sliced; 4-5 potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4' thick; 3-4 pounds chicken, cut-up; 1 can of cream of mushroom soup; 1 soup can of milk and garlic powder to taste (optional). Here are the changes that I made. I used cream of chicken instead of mushroom soup, I used just chicken drumsticks, I used dried chopped onions instead of fresh sliced ones and I used minced garlic instead of garlic powder.

 1. Line bottom of your slow cooker with onion slices.
2. Spread potatoes over top of onions. Then add chicken.
3. Mix together soup nd milk. Pour over chicken. (Since I used minced garlic I added it to this)
4. If you wish, sprinkle with garlic powder.
5. Cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours, or until potatoes and chicken are tender.
Tip: Add up to a second can of milk if you'd like to have more sauce.

Here is what it looks like when it is done. This was really good and the chicken fell off the bone.
I hope you give this recipe a try and as always if you try it please let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Pork Chops and Potatoes Recipe

Time for another recipe. I don't remember where I got this recipe but I have had it for awhile. For this recipe you will need the following items.
4-6 pork chops
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 medium-sized potatoes (raw)

Preheat over to 350 degrees.Brown the pork chops well on both sides. Remove the pork chops and keep warm. Melt the butter in the pan you browned the pork chops in and then add the flour and blend well. Add the salt, pepper, mustard, paprika, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the milk gradually and stir constantly until thickened. Slice the potatoes and place alternate layers of potatoes, cream sauce and onion in a greased casserole dish. Place the browned pork chops on top. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the cover and bake about 15 minutes longer to recrisp the pork chops.
Serve with a vegetable, Cole slaw or green salad to complete this meal.
This does take some cooking time but it is good and everything comes out tender.
I hope you give this recipe a try and as always let me know what you think after you tried it.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Labor Day Fun

I know I am behind on my posting this. Labor day was over a week ago but I have been busy. On Labor Day we spent the late afternoon and evening over at a friend's house to celebrate. The picture above were the host of this day.We had a great time spending time together and have a great BBQ.

More friends.

Friends and husband.

Friends and husband getting ready to eat.

More friends.

More friends. I knew most of the people but some were new to me and so I decided to not add names and just show the day events

Playing a game. I can't remember the name of the game but it was fun. Maybe one of the host will add a comment with the name of the game.

I'm not sure what happened to this picture but it is more of us playing the game.
It is always fun spending time with friends on a holiday.
Until next time enjoy your day.

Dried Beef Rarebit Recipe

 This is an all time favorite for most of the family. This recipe came from a book my mom has had for a long time. I think it was called Cooking for Two. For this recipe you will need the following.
1 jar (4oz) dried beef, shredded; 1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup flour; 1 teaspoon dry mustard; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 2 cups milk; 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. I always add more cheese because I like it cheesy.

 You will need to melt the butter and then sauté the shredded beef until edges curl. Blend in dry ingredients. Cook over low heat stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; blend in cheese. Serve over toast or toasted English muffins.

I have to be careful because I can make myself sick by eating to much of this. The dried beef is salty so don't add any salt. You can parboil the meat before hand if you want to reduce the salt.
David and Aryan are the only two who don't like this dish. Whenever the rest of my children come home or I go to their place this is one of the meals they ask me to make. I grew up with this and it has always been one of favorites.
I hope you give this recipe a try and as always let me know what you think.
Until next time enjoy your day.