Try It Tuesday

I found this on Pinterest. It was voted the #1 Casserole for the year at Taste Of Home. I fixed this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint!

CHEESY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
  

• 1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion

• 2 1/2 cups salsa

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 6 flour tortillas (8 inches)

• 1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)

• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream *Note: I used 1/2 cup

• 2 cups (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

• 1 cup shredded lettuce

• 1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
• Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
• The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.
  
  

Fat Friday

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Ingredients

¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 12 oz. package white chocolate chips

3 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Almond Extract

Rainbow Sprinkles

Directions:

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.

Immediately add vanilla and almond and combine thoroughly. Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly, because they will melt (and if they are stirred for too long they’ll turn the fudge an ugly muddy color).

Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined 8×8 inch baking pan. Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Once set, cut into cubes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place.

Ten Things Thursday

10. My favorite fall candy is currently sitting on my desk... I am proud to admit I have maintained will power and only eaten a couple... every hour. Kidding. I think in the past I've consumed so many they almost make me sick so one or 2 every once in awhile is sufficient. Hey that's not a bad idea... there's your cure for consuming too much of anything... eat a lot until it makes you sick and then you won't want it anymore. That's the kind of relationship me and puffy cheetos have. This is actually a terrible idea...forget I said it.

9. On another candy corn note... peanuts and candy corn are an excellent combination. It tastes like a payday.

8. I found this is my garage one Saturday. Of course D wasn't home... so what do I do? I took a picture... I did zoom in so he could get a better look. It was still huge though! Big enough that I wasn't about to step on it for fear it would jump on my foot... yes, spiders do jump... at least thats what I told myself.

I found a shoe nearby.... I threw the shoe at it. Thankfully my dad taught me how to throw so we had success in the killing department... no thanks to D. Wasn't that one of the things he vowed to me on our wedding day... to always be there to kill the bugs?!!!

7. My sister and I are playing softball twice a week. I convinced her to play with me in our church's Somerville league and she convinced me to play with her at Bellevue. Its ironic b/c I never thought I'd play again after all my shoulder stuff. I know I'm a weenie. I just never thought my arm would be the same. I still can't (or don't rather... throw as hard or as far as I use to), but I'm out there none the less having a ball. So glad she (and d) pushed me back into a game I love.

6. Yesterday at school was my class' Parent Day. I've talked about this before on my blog. Its an opportunity for my parents to come into my classroom and we give them a condensed version of our day covering all of our topics in an hour. We had such a great time. Many of my parents I rarely see so it was refreshing to get to see them interact with their children as well as give me and opportunity to talk with them even if it was just briefly.

5. I have the fever. Running that is. I can't get enough. Thats a lie... b/c I'm a weenie I obviously have my limit (where I feel like I'm going to fall over and die or throw up... ) It has become something I look so forward to... so much so I'm willing to get up and go at 5:45 with friends several mornings a week. Crazy I know! It is such a great stress reliever and I sleep better at night. With that said... I'm considering running in a half marathon. Obvioulsy I won't make the St. Jude one, but I want one that I feel confident supporting as well as one that is fairly easy since it will be my first. Thoughts?

4. One of my favorite household items has to be our DVR. It is the only way we watch TV these days. I find it exciting knowing I have new shows to watch. Weirdly enough I find deleting shows just as exciting. The tiny bit of me that's a neat freak likes cleaning it out in this way. Does that make me weird?

3. Like so many of you Pinterest has taken over my life. Ok, thats a lie and def. was dramatic... d was right. However, I am so fascinated with it. I have found so many wonderful ideas and recipes. Thank you to whoever created this wonderful waste of time.

2. Our youth room is coming along. Its been a little slow going, but we are almost there. So excited to have this opportunity to offer a bigger and better place for our students to come, bring their friends, worship, hear the gospel presented and grow. I'll post pictures as soon as we make the big reveal.

1. It's no secret I love Lecrae. He is my running partner, who I jam to in the car, and who is coming to Minglewood Hall Friday night! I am more than excited!

Try It Tuesday

Its no secret I have an obsession with Gigi's cupcakes. While on our quest to try every single one, out came the new fall/winter menu. While reading over the menu, we saw Canadian Maple. Are you kidding?! Gross. Or so we thought...

Now before you get all grossed out about bacon being on a cupcake... b/c we were repulsed too until we read this...

Canadian Maple... (as described by the Gigi's site)

Maple bacon cake topped with maple buttercream frosting and sprinkled with bacon crumbles.

Available:

"Do you remember waking up to the smell of bacon frying and Mom’s pancakes and maple syrup? Surprise! It’s now disguised as a cupcake." - Gigi

So my ever doubting friends... if you love pancakes, bacon and syrup then you are sure to love this cupcake. It is a must try. It is now topping my favorites list. So before you call me crazy... go try it. You won't be disappointed.

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Fall Break

Thursday and Friday was fall break for me. It was glorious. I loved the option of doing whatever I wanted for 2 days.

In no particular order I was able to...
-sleep late
-organize my closet
-lay out
-eat some Gigi's
-hang out with a student
-go on a date with hubs to see Courageous
-take a nap
-wash clothes and put them away in the same day
-mend a shirt
-workout
-read
-shop with mom


I clearly did nothing spectacular for fall break, but its wonderful to simply have the option of doing whatever I wanted when I wanted to. Though its no week long fall break... no, I'm not at all bitter/jealous of my teacher friends who get a week off!

... regardless it was a break and I greatly enjoyed it.