Thomas (Aryan) Bootcamp Graduation

 

Lining up on the parade field

Coming onto the parade field for graduation.

Making sure they are lined up straight.

The band

Flags

Friday afternoon.

The run

Starting the run

Lining up to start the run

Thomas is the pale guy near the end.

Thomas's platoon

Same

more of the same

getting ready for the run

here they go

I don't know why it is putting Saturday's pictures first. Anyway, you get the idea. His graduation was moved up a week because of covid. We were lucky that we were able to attend. The previous graduations didn't allow families to attend. He graduated in San Diego, California for those of you who don't know. We didn't get a whole lot of time with him but what time we did get we really enjoyed it. Thomas has changed a lot and for the better. This was the toughest thing he has ever done. he is glad that it is over and does enjoy being a Marine.

Thomas High School Graduation

 I have been terrible at posting to this blog. I am hoping to catch you up with going on of our family. I won't go all the way back just to the most recent. I will start with Thomas's (Aryan)high school graduation. The pictures uploaded wrong, but you will get the general idea of what the day brought.

The day was nice and there was a military plane that flew over during the ceremony. Thomas wanted to go out to Red Robin for dinner, so we ended up driving to Colorado Springs. I am glad that my parents were able to come and celebrate this event with us.

Verde Chicken Mexican Lasagna Recipe

This recipe is one of Aryan's favorite. I received this recipe from a friend. I asked for it because Aryan likes it so much. Thank You Tiffany. This is what you will need for this recipe.

1 pound of chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 16 oz. container of sour cream

1  15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups green salsa ( I use the whole jar)

1 teaspoon  garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro ( I used 1 tablespoon dried)

12 soft taco-size flout tortillas ( if you use the bigger ones you will use less)

1 8 oz. package of Mexican blend cheese ( or what you have on hand)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the chicken, sour cream, black beans, salsa, cilantro, and spices in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Spray your 9x13 pan before you assemble. You will cut the tortillas in half. Place the tortillas in the bottom of pan and spread 1/3 of  chicken mixture on top. Then add some cheese. Repeat.

You will end up with the chicken layer as your last layer before the last cheese.

 Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

The only issue is that the flour tortillas get soggy on the bottom layer which makes it hard to cut but it is still good. You probably good for go the bottom layer of tortillas if you want to.

Let me know what you think of this dish and if you have tried it.

Until next time keep safe.

Apple Crisp Recipe

 This is one of the family's favorite dessert. They actually like to eat it for breakfast also.

This is what you will need for this recipe. Sorry it isn't a very photo. I doubled the recipe because I needed to  use up these apples.

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

5 cups sliced apples

Mix sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spread apples in bottom of buttered 8' or 9' baking pan. 

Sprinkle crumbly mixture over fruit; pat lightly with fingers. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until apples are tender. 

Serve warm with whip cream or ice cream. 

I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Potato Wedge Recipe

 Here is another simple and fast recipe for you to try. These potatoes are so tasty and you can change up the seasoning quite easy. You don't have to use what I did but what ever you feel like.

This recipe if I remember right is from the box off the dry Ranch box or even from Lipton Soup. I have used both seasonings and I have also used my own mixture of what sounded good to me at that time. This time we used the Ranch dry mix. I don't use the whole packet that is too much for us. We use about 1/4 to 1/3 of the packet. This is how we prepare the potatoes. We wash them and we leave the skin on. We then decide how we want the potatoes. Sometimes we cut them like above or we cube them into about 1-2 inch squares. For easy clean-up I always put tin foil on my cookie sheet. I also spray it with non-stick spray. Then we spread out the potatoes and then pour about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over them and mix them around. Then we shake on the seasoning and stir them around. I make sure they are spread out so that they bake and brown well. I then place them into a preheat 400 degree oven. I check them after 20 minutes and turn them and then let them finish baking for another 20 minutes.

They turn out nice and brown and done. You really can't mess up this recipe and so good. I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Until next time keep safe.

Cube Steak Roll-Ups Recipe

This isn't a hard recipe. All you need is enough cube steaks for your family and some vegetables. I use green onions, carrots, asparagus and green peppers but this time we used jalapeno peppers. 

You need to pound out your cube steak to be thin and then put whatever seasonings you like. I use my neighbors special blend because it is great on this. Then I put my vegetables in the middle. As you can see I cut up the vegetable so they are small and workable.

You then roll them up and seal with thin stripes of bacon. You can't forget this step the bacon holds it all together.

Here they are ready to go on the grill. My husband grills them at about 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. He puts them on direct heat for about 20 minutes and then on indirect heat for another 20 minutes.

 Here they are all done. These are huge so don't be surprised if you can't finish one. They are great leftover also. Mike got this recipe off YouTube by watching the BBQ Pit Boys. I don't know the original name of the recipe but this is what we call them. 

I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Until next time keep safe.