MY HUSBAND'S FAVORITE MEXICAN CASSEROLE - THEN AND NOW

My husband loves casseroles and Mexican food and anything covered in cheese, probably even cheese covered in cheese. His favorite dish growing up his Mom called "Oklahoma casserole". My mother in law told me how to make it early in our marriage and it was a staple in our home for over 20 years. My boys loved it as well. Since we eat less processed food these days, I had to find a way to keep an old family favorite, but make it a little healthier.

ORIGINAL RECIPE

2 pounds ground beef 

1 can Spanish rice

1 can Ranch Style beans

Shredded cheddar cheese
FYI - I usually added a can of Rotel tomatoes

Brown the ground beef, add the rice & beans & mix well. Pour into casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake in 350 degree oven about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot and bubbly. 

HEALTHIER VERSION

2 pounds lean ground beef
onion, diced

1 cup brown rice

1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 or 2 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese

1 can Ranch Style beans

Garlic, minced or garlic salt

Cumin

Chili powder

Place ground beef and onion in skillet (if it's too lean add a little coconut oil to the skillet) and cook until meat is brown and onions are tender. I season my ground beef with garlic salt or add minced garlic and salt, just whatever I have on hand. 

SPANISH RICE - While beef is cooking, cook rice according to directions. When rice is done, add tomatoes (juice & all), Laughing Cow cheese and mix together thoroughly. Then add garlic salt (or just salt and pepper, whatever your taste buds prefer), cumin and chili powder to taste. I don't measure much. I just put a few dashes of cumin and chili powder then mix it all together and taste. If it taste like it needs more, I add a little more. But be careful a little bit of cumin goes a long way. You could also add cilantro if your family likes it. We do not like cilantro.

NOTE: Adjust it to your taste. You don't have to add the Laughing Cow cheese to the rice if you don't want to. And I know that it is more processed than all natural cheese, but I love it and I love the flavor that it gives to the rice. My family LOVES garlic, but maybe your family doesn't. You can also add more beans or more tomatoes, just whatever you want.

Add spanish rice and beans to the skillet and mix together with the beef. Pour it all in a 13 x 9 casserole dish, cover with shredded cheese (our favorite is cheddar and monterey jack) and bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot and bubbly.

Grant likes this casserole with "hoe cakes" or "griddle cakes". My Dad loved "hoe cakes" as well. My Dad fried them in about 2 inches of vegetable oil so they were very greasy. Then he buttered them! LOL. I don't use vegetable oil anymore and we really don't like greasy food so I just spray my pancake griddle with coconut oil spray. For "hoe cakes", I use the recipe on the back of the Quaker yellow cornmeal box, but I make these changes:

1 use more cornmeal and less flour (I ALWAYS use ORGANIC UNBLEACHED flour). On the box - I use the measurement for flour for the cornmeal and the cornmeal measurement for the flour. And instead of vegetable oil, I use coconut oil. I just melt the coconut oil in a glass measuring cup in the microwave about 15-20 seconds. I also use organic raw honey instead of the refined white sugar.

Get your griddle hot, spray with cooking spray (I prefer coconut oil spray - it is a LOT healthier) and cook them like you would pancakes.

I know that these are not the healthiest dishes, but we do live in the South and these types of dishes are what Southern people like to eat. We don't eat this very often anymore. I used to make it at least every 2 weeks, now I only make it a couple of times a year. But at least it has a little more nutrition in it than the original version. I hope you try it. If you do, let me know what you think.

Blessings to you & yours,
Lori 

FIRST FRUITS FAST DAY 19 - WHAT KIND OF LEGACY WILL YOU LEAVE?

We went to Kevin's Grandpa's 85th birthday yesterday. He has been a Pastor for more than 60 years and is still pastoring at 85 years old. He doesn't just talk the talk, but he walks the walk. He is a man of integrity. He is a very Godly man. He fasted, nothing but water, every Tuesday for most of his adult life. He tells the story that once he took the kids for an ice cream cone and got one for himself forgetting for a few minutes that it was Tuesday. He felt terrible. There is absolutely no doubt that one day he will hear God say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." All of his brothers are Pastors, most of his nephews are Pastors and 2 out of 3 of his sons were Pastors (Kevin's Dad is not a Pastor anymore, but his uncle still is). His youngest son and his family had a Southern Gospel singing group for years. My oldest son who loves going on mission trips, teaches Sunday School, leads a discipleship group and preaches whenever he gets a chance, really enjoyed talking with his Great Grandpa about his life in ministry. When Grandpa is gone, his legacy will live on.

4 Generations

One of my favorite songs is "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman. It says "I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering."  I think about that a lot. I want to leave a legacy my children and family will be proud of. When I get to heaven I want to hear God say "Well done my good and faithful servant". I want to love like Jesus loved. Boy, that's hard isn't it? People can be so mean, rude and hurtful. Our flesh says we should hate them or seek revenge or be bitter. But God's Word says we should love them, pray for them and BLESS them. What? BLESS someone that has hurt you? Be nice to someone that goes around purposely being mean to others? Yes. If we truly want to live a Godly life, that is what we have to do. I struggle with this and I know some of you do as well. We are not perfect, but we can strive for perfection and with God's help, we can leave a legacy our family and friends will be proud of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3GxmLaaAwg

Have a blessed day,
Lori

FIRST FRUITS/DANIEL FAST DAY 14 -PERSISTANCE

We are in day 14 of our Fast. Woo hoo! We had a MAJOR prayer answered yesterday. I can't stop praising God! We found out a few months ago that our health insurance was going up over $500 in 2014. We have been very concerned and praying hard. There's no way we could afford $500 a month on top of all of our other bills. Our prayers were answered yesterday. God provided a way that most of it is going to be covered. Praise God! I feel like I got one elephant off my chest.

Don't give up! Persistence pays off.

From the Fasting Edge - "When you pray and fast, your persistence breaks resistance. It brings you to a place where you can feel God move powerfully in your life - but it also causes Him to feel your need. Whatever forces have been resisting what God had coming in your life, your persistence will break resistance. Fasting not only positions you to feel God - but it also positions God to hear your heart's cry as well.

You may have heard of the PUSH prayer model:  Pray Until Something Happens. It's a good reminder to be persistent in prayer. You may have other areas that need persistent prayer in your life, but today, if there is sickness in your body or mind, or in the body or mind of a loved one, begin to speak forth health and healing in Jesus' name. Begin to declare what His word says about healing. Your persistence will break resistance, just like the woman with the issue of blood. Her healing came about because she persisted and positioned herself where she could touch the Master. By your prayers today, position yourself to touch the Master. Speak words that release health and healing for your body, your family, your church, and others."

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2

FOOD - My family's favorite way to eat veggies is to take potatoes, onions, zuchini, yellow squash, carrots, bell peppers & whatever other veggies we've got handy. Slice them or dice them where they are even in size so they cook evenly. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Spread veggies out on parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and I use my hands and make sure all the veggies are coated in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and whatever your favorite herbs are (we love basil). Place in 400 degree oven and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Roasting the veggies this way really makes them tastes delicious. We love it. You can also do this with sweet potatoes. YUMMY!

Have a blessed day!
Lori

FIRST FRUITS/DANIEL FAST DAY 8 - "BROKENNESS"

I'm going to be very transparent today which is extremely difficult for me, but God has put it on my heart so maybe someone else needs to hear it. The most difficult part of being a Christian for me has been to let go of EVERYTHING and let God have control. I am a control freak. I have always been strong... physically, mentally & emotionally. When my body started breaking down and I was becoming weaker and weaker, I was embarrassed and disgusted with myself for allowing that to happen. I am now getting physically stronger everyday. It's slow, but I'm getting there. It's funny how it takes so little time for our body to fall apart when we don't take care of it, but it takes an enormous amount of time and dedication to get it strong and healthy again.

My mother was very weak... physically, emotionally, she was just never a strong person. Both of my grandmothers were incredibly strong ladies and very Godly women. My grandmothers were my heroes. I loved learning from them. I would listen intently to everything they said and try to soak it all in. I always wanted to be strong like them. I promised myself at a very young age that I would never be weak, never depend on someone else to take care of me and always take care of myself. Being independent is a good character trait. Right? But, I also kept God at a distance. I didn't want God or anyone else to think I was needy. So, I would pray everyday, but for YEARS I would never ask for anything for myself. I could take care of myself, there were weaker people that needed God more than I did. He has a way of getting our attention. When my husband's kidneys failed in February 2010 and our lives changed forever, our church family came to our rescue. I love helping others, but I have a very hard time allowing others to help me. I had to learn to put my pride aside and allow others to help us. It was so difficult for me to admit that I needed help. We are so blessed to have some dear friends that saw through my facade and basically just stepped in and started helping. I was broken and finally let go and let God send the cavalry in to my rescue.

From The Fasting Edge "Brokenness is so precious in the eyes of the Lord. Brokenness makes room for Him to release His strength through our weakness in order to accomplish His plans. That is a crucial difference that we need to understand. Most of us struggle with the concept that is is our own strength that draws God's attention, when our strength is the very last thing God notices.

The brokenness that comes through fasting starts with throwing everything we identify as our strength down at the feet of Jesus to say, "Lord, I know I am limited.  I'm coming to You in brokenness, not in my strength, but in my weakness.  i acknowledge that You can do more through me, broken, than I can ever attempt to do on my own."  That is the type of fasting that connects with God."

2 Corinthians 12:29 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 

I'm praying for and I hope that you are also praying for me. Have a blessed day!

Lori

FIRST FRUITS/DANIEL FAST DAY 7

How is your fast going? Kevin & I are doing ok. It gets pretty comical because our son is not fasting so I cook meat for him & Kevin & I stand over the skillet and smell that aroma of beef or chicken. LOL. We have fasted at least once a year since 2007 or 2008, so we know it's worth it and we would never give up. However, we will have a big juicy steak on January 22 and savor every bite. :) 

That reminds me of something I want to share with you. When we started fasting in 2008 Kevin decided to give up chewing tobacco. He had dipped tobacco for over 25 years. He had tried numerous times to quit and would always pick it back up. But in 2008, he set his mind to it, prayed about it and quit. What started as a fast ended up with him being set free from over 25 years of tobacco use. I believe that fasting and prayer tears down strongholds.  

"Jesus was waiting on God for forty days and nights as He fasted in the wilderness. God was working on Him. There is a work going on in your life right now that you may not be fully aware of, but without fasting, prayer, and wilderness experiences, you will never be qualified to handle what God has for you in the future.  Fasting prepares you for what is yet to come. 

Fifteen times in the New Testament the Lord says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says."  You were born into God's family with spiritual ears. Having spiritual ears to hear from God is not enough. You must learn to use them. Hearing from God must become the highest priority of your life. Fasting is slowing down to speed up.  It's taking time to listen for your next set of instructions from the throne." 

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Jentezen Franklin says "one thing I believe all Christians must come to realize is if we are going to walk with God, at some point we need to get out of our comfort zone.  Life brings extremes. I trust the Spirit of God has led you into this season of fasting. Continue to follow Him. You will return in the power of the Spirit. with a fresh rhema word from God for your life. We want everything with a shortcut, but remember there is work to be done. His timing is perfect, and your time will come." 

Here's a chile rellenos casserole that looks pretty good and would be ok on Daniel Fast. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chili-Rellenos-Casserole/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

I am praying blessings and favor for each one reading this post. 

Lori 

SCALLOPED POTATOES

My husband's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. All he wanted for his birthday was scalloped potatoes, pork chops and red velvet cake (I make Non-Red Velvet Cake because I don't use red food coloring, but it doesn't change the taste of the cake). He LOVES potatoes and he loves cheese, so scalloped potatoes are his favorite. Through the years I have tried several different recipes and they were all okay, but a few years ago I used Pioneer Woman's recipe and now that is the ONLY recipe I use. I don't even like potatoes very much, but these are amazing! WARNING - THEY ARE NOT CALORIE FREE! But they are so worth splurging on for special occasions. I don't know what the difference is between scalloped and au gratin, but we just call them scalloped.

Here is a link to Pioneer Woman's recipe

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/perfect-potatoes-au-gratin/

Of course, I change it up a little to add the flavors that my family likes so here's how I do it:

SCALLOPED POTATOES

2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 large russet OR 8 red potatoes
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons McCormick Hot Shot or pepper
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded monterey jack
Option - cooked & chopped ham or bacon are great additions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice potatoes into circles or diced cubes. I use red potatoes because they are less starchy and have lots of iron, so since they are smaller, I just slice them in circles.

Combine milk and cream in bowl.

Add the flour, garlic, salt, pepper (Hot Shot), basil and onion.  Whisk together well so that the flour is incorporated into the mixture.

Grease square baking dish with the softened butter.  Pour potatoes into dish. Pour mixture over potatoes.

Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more.  Sprinkle the cheese all over the top and bake 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly.

TIPS FOR A BUSY WEEKNIGHT - I got these all ready in the morning before I left for work, covered with foil and put in refrigerator.  Kevin gets home an hour before I do, so he took the dish and set it on the counter to get to room temperature and turned the oven on.  Then all I had to do when I got home from work was pop the dish in the oven and let them bake while I cooked the pork chops. I think these could be cooked in a rectangular slow cooker also. I haven't tried it yet.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Lori

THE INCREDIBLE GIFT OF LIFE

It has been a wild 2 months, but we have seen God move mountains and have felt His presence in a very special way. So, here's our transplant story:

We received our first transplant call on Memorial Day weekend. Most transplants happen on holiday weekends, especially during summer holidays because of drinking and driving, boating accidents, etc. The hospital actually called us a few days before July 4th and told us to not go too far and keep close to the phone in case a kidney became available. Kevin even told his family that he couldn't go on their annual fishing/camping trip this year because he was expecting a kidney. July 4th came and went and no phone call. So we went on with dialysis as usual. Then on Sunday morning, July 14, 2013 we had our Bibles in our hands and getting ready to walk out the door for church when the phone rang. We looked at each other and smiled. We knew this was it. So I called the church and my dear friend, Teri, answered the phone. I told her we weren't going to make it today because we were going to get a new kidney. 

Kevin, Grant & I packed our bags quickly and took off for Oklahoma City. When we got to OU Medical they were waiting for us. They got Kevin in a room quickly and started working on all of the testing they have to do to make sure he is healthy enough for a transplant and if he is a good enough match for this particular kidney. The surgery happened on Monday, July 15 around 7:00 pm. Dr. Sebastian came and talked to Kevin's Mom, Dad & I around 1:00 a.m. or so and told us that the surgery went well. They moved him into ICU a little after 3:00 a.m. I could not believe how good he looked already! The nurse told us that Kevin was making jokes the whole time. She said he sure is funny. Yep, that's my hubby. He was in ICU 2 days where he was blessed to have some of the most amazing nurses. We got so attached to everyone there. Almost ALL of the staff, nurses, assistants, doctors, housekeeping, etc. at OU Medical are professional & knowledgeable, but also very compassionate. I'm not much on doctors or hospitals, but they really go above and beyond at OU Medical. Dr. Sebastian is the transplant surgeon. We LOVE this man! It was obvious the first time we met him that God called him to perform transplant operations. What a gift this precious man is to the State of Oklahoma.

His Dad stayed all week

Dr wrote Kevin speaks Redneck

Every nurse, doctor and medical staff member kept telling us all that day that this was a "beautiful very healthy" kidney. We felt so blessed to receive such an amazing gift, but at the same time, so sad that another family was dealing with losing a loved one. All that we know is that the donor was a young mother and that it was very unexpected. My heart breaks for her children, family and friends. I just have a feeling that she was a wonderful loving person. We thank God every day for this incredible gift and ask God to comfort her family and friends and to bless them and to let them know somehow how thankful we are. I pray that we never take this beautiful kidney for granted and always remember the price that was paid in order for Kevin to be healthy again. 

READY to go home

Leaving hospital

Kevin is doing fantastic! He went back to work 6 weeks after the surgery. His appetite is back and so is his sweet tooth. While on dialysis his phosphorus was always very high so he could not have much ice cream. HE LOVES ICE CREAM! That was probably one of the hardest things for him to do without. After the transplant, his phosphorus was low so the doctor told him to eat more dairy. So he started eating ice cream every day. Some days he was eating 3 bowls a day! He is on a lot of prescriptions and has to do bloodwork every week to monitor all of his levels. But, they have already cut way back on his medicine. We are praying and believing that he will be the healthiest transplant patient there has ever been.

We got all of the dialysis and medical equipment out of our house. Our house is no longer a dialysis clinic. Praise God! For 3 years medical equipment has taken over our home. It filled one bedroom (Cole's old bedroom), part of the dining room and living room. Plus Kevin kept some supplies at his work. We do not miss that at all!

Dialysis water, filters, etc.

Dialysis machine

                                                   

God has truly blessed us with some of the most amazing friends, church family and co-workers. We could not have made it the last 3 1/2 years without the Willinghams, Beanes, Twyfords, our entire church family, Kevin's co-workers and my co-workers. We are incredibly blessed to have all of these people in our lives.

Love & blessings to all,

Lori 

BAKED BEANS WITH COCONUT SUGAR

I fully intended to post this before Christmas, but failed to do so. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. Ours was different this year. My oldest son didn't make it home due to ice and snow. He offered to brave the storm, but it is not worth the risk. So, hopefully we will see him next weekend. There a lot of pros and cons to having grown children. The worst thing for me is that I don't get to spend enough time with him. We have always been very close and so this is very hard on me.

When I was growing up, my Dad's family would all gather at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. Grandma always made ham, potato salad and baked beans. This is one of my favorite meals. At Thanksgiving, the only thing I would eat was sweet potatoes and a roll until I was in my twenties. I didn't like turkey or dressing or mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce or pecan pie or pumpkin pie, etc. Yes, I was a picky eater. But, I always looked forward to Christmas Eve dinner. My dad always liked ham, potato salad and baked beans as well. So, after Grandma passed away, we carried on the tradition. The last Christmas Eve that my Dad was with us, he ate 3 helpings of my baked beans. He said they got better every year and now they were perfect. I cherish that memory. He died 2 weeks later. So now every time I make baked beans, I think of my Dad and my Grandma and wish they were sitting there eating them with me. 

I always used pork and beans to make baked beans. However, pork and beans have high fructose corn syrup in them! I know, CRAZY! Isn't it! So, I've been trying to come up with a recipe for baked beans that is healthier and lower in sugar. 

Of course, everyone knows that beans are good for you. They are high in fiber and protein and also have significant amounts of folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc and Vitamin B6. 

I've been doing research on coconut sugar and using it in place of brown sugar in recipes with great results. I live in a small town of 25,000 and the only place in my town that carries it is our small health food store. However, all of the larger health food stores carry it and you can buy it online at Amazon or Vitacost. 

Coconut sugar is much better for you than refined sugar for many reasons. Here are a few: 

*   It does not spike your blood sugar and is safe for diabetics; 

*   It is unrefined so it retains all of its natural minerals and vitamins; 

*   Contains Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc.

Coconut sugar is a great substitute for white sugar or brown sugar. Because it is unrefined, it has a grainy texture. If you want it "finer" just pulse it in a food processor a few times. 

   

So, here is a recipe for healthier baked beans. No HFCS, low glycemic, high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. And since we've upped the nutrition factor in so many ways, a little bit of bacon isn't going to hurt you, but it sure does make these beans YUMMY. FYI - bacon doesn't scare me near as much as HFCS, aspartame, and all those other chemicals that are labeled as "food". 

BAKED BEANS

1 large onion, diced

5-7 strips of bacon, chopped

2 - 16 ounce cans pinto beans, navy beans or 1 of each 

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/4 cup ketchup (NO HFCS)

1 tsp Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce (NO HFCS)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar, but coconut is healthier)

Saute bacon and onion in a skillet until onion is tender and bacon is crisp. 

Drain the liquid from one can of beans, but use the liquid in the other can. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together including bacon and onion. 

Place in square casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

NOTE: Before putting in the casserole dish, taste to see if any of the ingredients need to be adjusted. If you like them sweeter add a little more sugar or honey. If you like them spicier, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a shot of hot sauce. The great thing about cooking is that you can adjust ingredients to your liking. In my opinion, recipes are only suggestions and ideas. I very rarely go by a recipe as it is written. 

I pray that 2013 brings you many blessings including love, good health and prosperity. 

Lori 

THANKSGIVING AND WASSAIL IN A CROCKPOT

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was different this year, but wonderful. It was a day full of family, friends that are like family, food and laughter. My brother had go to work that evening. He is a truck driver so he is gone a few days at a time. His beautiful wife went to Louisiana to have Thanksgiving with her sister, so my brother came and ate with us before he left for work. I am 15 years older than him, so I have always treated him more like a son than a brother. I am so thankful that God has blessed him with such a sweet wife that takes such good care of him. And I am so proud of him for being such a hard worker and taking care of her.

My new daughter in love is from Colombia, South America, and of course, since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, her family does not celebrate Thanksgiving. We invited them over to teach them about Thanksgiving. They enjoyed the food and even though they do not speak much English and we speak no Spanish, we are learning to communicate well. I think their favorite foods were turkey, dressing and broccoli & rice casserole.

That afternoon Kevin's Mom and Grandma came by to visit. Grandma will be 90 years old this month! She is moving a lot slower, but she still gets around.

Later that evening my dear friend, Jaree and her sweet girls came by to eat and visit. My heart was overflowing with thankfulness for all the wonderful people that God has placed in my life.

I started cooking on Sunday in order for everything to be ready to eat by 2:00 on Thursday. So, here is how the week went down:

Sunday - baked pecan pie (without corn syrup) and placed in freezer.

Monday - Made cranberry chutney.

Tuesday - placed turkey in brine (apple juice, orange juice, garlic, salt, pepper & thyme); cooked cornbread for dressing; baked brownies for trifle & made Cole's favorite chocolate crackle cookies.

Wednesday - Made lemon meringue pie, key lime pie, chocolate pudding for trifle and pumpkin roll. Boiled eggs. Took pecan pie out of freezer to thaw.

Thursday - Up early to get turkey out of brine & wash off excess salt. Baked turkey (stuffed orange, apple, garlic in cavity, rubbed olive oil, salt & pepper all over before roasting - juiciest turkey ever!).  Made broccoli & rice casserole in crockpot. Prepared cornbread dressing with sausage & apples; candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows; deviled eggs; Rhodes frozen Texas rolls (my guys' favorite rolls); put Grant's butterfinger brownie trifle together and made Wassail in another crockpot.












My neck decided to get stuck again on Sunday. Great timing! I have herniated discs, damaged nerves & all kinds of nice & painful things in my neck & back. It hasn't hurt that bad in several months, but my neck locked up on me and had a pinched nerve that shot through my right shoulder & caused my right hand to go numb. I am EXTREMELY right handed and had a whole lot of cooking to get done, so this was not good! I would get as much done as I could while Kevin was on the machine and when he got off dialysis, he would stir and mix for me. I hate taking pain medicine, but didn't have time to slow down, so I was popping Aleve and Advil just to keep going. I was in so much pain. I absolutely could not have gotten it all done without Kevin's help.

I didn't try to "healthy" everything up too much. I had way too much to do and not a lot of time to do it in and I wanted Tiffany's family to have a traditional Oklahoma Thanksgiving.  I did, however, use Truvia baking blend in all my baked goods. It is a blend of Truvia & sugar, so it's not sugar free, but it's low sugar. Everything baked up beautifully, except the meringue. As far as taste goes, you can't tell a difference in the taste or texture at all. But the meringue didn't get big & fluffy like it does with real sugar.

Hot apple cider or Wassail is one of Cole's favorite things. It also makes your house smell sooooo good! I make it in a slow cooker.  Tiffany's family loved it and so did Jaree's girls. Here is how we do wassail:

WASSAIL IN A CROCKPOT

2 - 64 ounce bottles of apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1 can sliced pineapples
1 or 2 oranges, sliced
5-6 cinnamon sticks
handful of red hots (optional)

Place all ingredients (including the pineapple juice) in a crockpot on low setting, or you can put on high, then turn it down once it gets hot.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season full of love, peace, laughter and happiness.

Lori

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

I've been playing around with different cranberry recipes the last few years and the one I made last year was the biggest hit with my family. I was shocked that it became my teenage son's favorite Thanksgiving food, except for chocolate pie. Nothing will ever replace chocolate as his favorite food.

I'm not sure what to call it. It's not really a salad, maybe more of a chutney or relish. Adding a little jalapeno and serving it over a block of cream cheese really put it over the top. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the sweetness of the orange and pineapple plus the little kick from the jalapeno is delicious.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 - 12 ounce pkg of fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup Stevia or Ideal
1/2 cup orange juice (or zest & juice of one orange)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

OPTIONAL - chopped pecans or walnuts

                       1 jalapeno (seeded & chopped)

Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. The cranberries will burst open and will spit at you, so be careful and keep little ones away.

Once it thickens, stir in crushed pineapple, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts or jalapeno, if using. Stir for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

It will be chunky. If you want to leave it chunky, that is fine. Or, ONCE IT HAS COOLED, you can take an immersion blender and blend it up a little. You could also put it in a blender. This does help break up the tiny seeds that you get from the fresh cranberries.

Let it chill for a few hours or overnight. Can serve alone or over a block of cream cheese with crackers. If you love cream cheese as much I do, you are definitely going to want to try this.

NOTE: If you want to thicken it up a little more, add a little Wondra or cornstarch mixed with water. I found a great thickener online at King Arthur Flour Company. It thickens without clumping.

P.S. I just looked up chutney in the dictionary and it says chutney is a mixture of sweet and sour flavors, such as fruits, combined with spices. So, Cranberry Chutney it is!

Wishing you all a very blessed Thanksgiving,

Lori

STOCKING UP HEALTHY & ON A BUDGET

With all of the natural disasters that have been happening lately, we decided that it was time to stock up and prepare in case of a disaster or emergency. Preparing for an emergency or disaster was part of our home dialysis training. Since Kevin's life literally depends on having electricity and medical supplies, we have to be prepared. About 10 years ago we had a horrible ice storm and were without electricity for 7 days. Since then I try to always have flashlights and extra batteries handy as well as candles and lighters. Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast this week and stopped New York City, New Jersey and others in its tracks. Some people may be weeks without power. Please keep all of these people and the workers in your prayers as they try to clean up and get back to normal. Trying to stock up on non perishable foods while maintaining a healthy diet can be a challenge, but I've been doing some research and want to share with you what I've come up with.

MEDICAL - In home dialysis training they gave us a red folder with a list of Kevin's prescriptions; all of his doctor's contact information; emergency contact information; letters from his doctor stating that he is on life support and needs immediate medical attention in case of disaster or emergency.  They told us to keep that folder somewhere other than our home in case we lost our home, so I keep that red folder in my office at work.

MISC SUPPLIES - Hand held can opener; utility tool; flashlights & extra batteries; wet wipes; hand sanitizer; band aids; plastic forks & spoons; lighters; alcohol pads; dust masks, etc. You get the picture.

FOODS - Canned beans (great source of complex carbs, protein & fiber)
                 Canned veggies
                 Canned soups
                 Tuna (great source of protein)
                 Salmon (great source of protein)
                 Granola bars
                 Canned nuts
                 Crackers
                 Peanut butter
                 Juice boxes
                 Bottled water
                 Cans of V8 juice
                 Ensure, Slim Fast or other protein drinks
               
My local Homeland grocer has Libbys canned vegetables on sale for $0.69 a can this week and Big Lots has Green Giant canned veggies on sale for $0.65 a can. While they are that cheap is a great time to stock up. I also found Kashi and Nature Valley granola bars at Big Lots for $2.00 a box. They are great sources of energy and don't have a lot of junk in them. Big Lots also had canned and jars of nuts on sale. Nuts are a nutritional powerhouse.

Most canned soups are loaded with HFCS, MSG, preservatives, sodium, etc. But Progresso has some without all of that and Campbells now has a new line of "Natural" soups without all the junk in them. Big Lots has the Campbells Natural Soups for $1.25 a can, plus I had a coupon for $1.00 off when you buy 3 cans.

Big Lots also had wet wipes, bottled water, flashlights and jumbo packs of batteries very cheap.

Anyone that knows me knows that I do not go to my local Walmart. Our town has the worst Walmart in the world! I don't have the time or patience to go there. You can't get in and out in under an hour and always have to stand in line to checkout for 30 minutes. The only time I have to shop is my lunch hour, right after work (but I have to be home by 6 to get Kevin hooked up to the machine), and on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons. You couldn't pay me enough money to go to our Walmart on a Saturday. I watch the sale papers, use coupons and shop at Homeland, Walgreens, Dollar General and Big Lots. I can shop in any of those stores and be in and out in 30 minutes.

Eating healthy, stocking up and being prepared for an emergency can be done on a budget. It never hurts to be prepared just in case. If you have any other tips that I left out, please share.

God bless each of you and keep you and your families safe and healthy always.

Lori

FALL CAMPING 2012

I LOVE FALL!! We go camping every Fall with our friends, The Beanes. Teri enjoys the gorgeous Fall weather as much as I do, so it works out well. We take a stack of books... now she takes her Kindle, I am still in the stone age and still take my stack of books. We relax, read, sit by the campfire & just enjoy the beauty of the season. This year, my cousin, Larissa, and her husband, Eric, borrowed his parents' RV & came with us. Larissa is related to both of us. Larissa's Mom is Teri's cousin. Larissa's Dad was my Dad's brother. The more we spend time together, the more we realize how much alike we are. I am so thankful to have her and her "Hottie" in our lives.

We had so much fun. Our wonderful hubbies cooked an awesome breakfast for us each morning.


We have always taken our dachshund, Slick, camping with us. She is almost 20 years old & not getting around very good, so she stayed home with Grant. As we were loading the RV to get ready to go, she sat at the bottom of the steps & cried. It was so sad.  I think it really hurt her feelings when we took Hank & Lucy instead. Hank & Lucy had a great time. They were very well behaved especially considering they are only 9 months old. They didn't stay the whole time. We were concerned about having them in the RV while doing dialysis, so I took them back home.

We take the dialysis machine & equipment with us & do it in the RV. We were getting ready to hook him up and realized that we forgot to bring needles. My son and his wife had come down to visit since we were so close to Durant and Tiffany remembered that she had seen a dialysis clinic in Durant. She quickly found the phone number and after calling Kevin's dialysis nurse, Tiff & I made a trip into Durant and "borrowed" needles from the Durant Dialysis Clinic. We are so thankful that we have an RV and that we can take the equipment with us, but we are sure hoping that this is the last time we have to do that. Hopefully he will have a new kidney and feeling great the next time we go camping.

One of the easiest meals to make while camping or anytime, is a "boil".  Everyone calls it something different. Some call it Frogmore Stew, others Shrimp Boil, Crawfish Boil, etc. We use a turkey fryer. Fill the pot with water (I think it would taste even better if you used chicken broth), add 2 packages of Old Bay or Zatarains seasoning. When the water starts to boil add an onion (cut into chunks), small potatoes or chunks of potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender, probably 10-15 minutes. Then add frozen small corn of the cob. Cook another 5-8 minutes. Then add smoked sausage and/or brats. Cook another 5 minutes. Add fresh or frozen shrimp and cook another 5 minutes. Serve on newspapers, platters or large bowls. You can add as much or little of each of these items as you want or need, depending on how many are eating and what your favorites are. You can use crawfish or frog legs or crab legs, etc. There's really no set way to do it. Just throw in whatever you like. Just remember to put the item that has to cook the longest in first, then the rest according to how much cooking time they require. Shrimp only requires a few minutes of cooking time. If cooked too long, it gets tough & rubbery. Easy one pot meal and very little mess.

Happy Fall!

Blessings to you all,
Lori

FABULOUS FRIENDS & FAJITAS

Since 1995, our family has camped for a week at Lake Texoma with my husband's dad, stepmom, siblings and their families. Grant was only 3 weeks old the first time he went camping. Luckily we all have RV's, so it's not roughing it too bad. It has been wonderful for our sons to spend an entire week with their cousins every year. They have made great memories. I don't like the heat, but I went every year while the boys were little. However, the last few years, the boys were old enough to take care of themselves and I only have 10 days of vacation at my current job, so I have stayed home and worked while the guys go play.

Kevin takes the dialysis machine and LOTS of bags of dialysis water and needles and gloves and all the other medical supplies with him to do dialysis in the RV. Since I was not going, his little brother, Brad, came over every weekend for a month so that I could train him to be Kevin's nurse. They would fish early in the mornings, then do dialysis in the afternoon when it was too hot to go outside anyway. I'm so thankful for Brad and glad that Kevin still got to spend time with his family.

I stayed busy every evening after work doing things that I don't have time to do because I usually have to run home as soon as I get off work and get him hooked up. I got a massage, got my hair done, spent one evening with my lovely BCF (best cousin forever) and her wonderful hubby, and spent a glorious evening with two of  my best friends celebrating a big birthday for one of them. I didn't get much rest, but I had so much fun all week long.

My friend, Fran, loves Mexican food. My other friend, Jaree, is trying to watch what she eats just like I am, so I made healthy Mexican food. We had chicken fajitas with whole grain tortillas, avocados and corn & cabbage salad. Fran's favorite dessert is coconut cream pie. I am not ashamed to admit that meringue intimidates me. I have made it and it turned out okay, but it stresses me out! However, my friend, Kathy, is one of the best pie makers in the universe!! Here is a picture of one of Kathy's incredible pies. She was nice enough to make a coconut cream pie for Fran. God has truly blessed me with the most incredible friends.

Now that you've read my ramblings, here is my recipe for fajitas. Bottled marinades can have HFCS or other sugars & lots of artificial & unnecessary ingredients. This marinade is very simple & uses ingredients that most people keep on hand. It works great with chicken, steak or shrimp. Making your own fajitas is easy, plus much healthier and less expensive than a restaurant.

FAJITA MARINADE

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup Lea & Perrin's worcestershire sauce        

1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over chicken, steak or shrimp. My favorite is a combination of all three. Place marinating meat in refrigerator and let set overnight or at least a few hours.

I make this up the night before (or in the morning before work) and when I get home from work it’s fast & easy to throw it in a skillet with a little hot oil, sliced onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Serve with your favorite tortillas & toppings. Add a side salad or veggies and you’ve got a delicious healthy meal. 

NOTE:  Lea & Perrin's is the most natural worcestershire sauce I have found. All of the other brands have HFCS & artificial junk in them. I actually wrote to Lea & Perrin's thanking them for making such a great product with great ingredients and they sent me several coupons. Woo hoo!

COCONUT OIL - If you are trying to use more coconut oil for the great health benefits, fajitas is a great way to get your coconut oil. Cook your fajitas in a little coconut oil. And put a little coconut oil in a skillet, when it gets hot, put your tortillas in the hot oil for 2-4 minutes on each side. It makes the tortillas absolutely delicious!

PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS

THESE ARE NOT HEALTHY.  However, they are very tasty and a great crowd pleaser for a party. 

My sons LOVE sausage balls. When they were younger, I would make double or triple batches on the weekends, put them in ziplock bags & put in the freezer. It was so easy to grab a few out of the freezer, wrap them in a paper towel & microwave for them to eat in the car on the way to school or babysitter. During their teenage years, our house seemed to be overflowing with teenage boys all the time. And teenage boys are always hungry! I came up with the idea of combining sausage balls and pepperoni pizza together.  These quickly became a favorite of my sons and their friends. 

PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS

2 lbs ground beef OR 1 lb ground beef & 1 lb sausage

4 cups Bisquick

1 pkg Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic Soup mix

1 cup marinara sauce

1/2 pkg Hormel pepperoni (chopped)

12 oz shredded Italian cheese

a few sprinkles of grated parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly using your hands. Roll into golf ball size balls and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. The bigger the balls, the longer they need to cook. If your balls are smaller, they won't need to cook as long. 

NOTE:  For a healthier alternative - ground beef and sausage can be replaced with ground turkey and turkey sausage. However, if you are using all turkey, you probably should add 1/4 more marinara sauce to keep them from being too dry. 

You can also omit the pepperoni or use Tofu pepperoni. 

I hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day. God bless America and keep all of our soldiers safe. 

Lori  

TURKEY SAUSAGE & POTATO CASSEROLE

It's almost Father's Day! My Dad passed away in 2002 and I still miss him everyday. I am so thankful that God blessed with me with a husband that I can be proud of. He is a country boy & a junk collector, but he is honest, dependable, hard working, loyal, trustworthy, hard working,.... did I say hard working? And a Godly man. He is a great example to our sons. A few of my husband's favorite things are potatoes, Ro Tel tomatoes, eggs & cheese.  So anytime I cook all of those things together in one dish, he is a happy man.

A friend that I used to work with shared her breakfast enchilada recipe with me several years ago and I make it regularly. It is delicious. I will share that recipe in the next post. There are possibly millions of breakfast casserole recipes. Everybody does it just a little bit different. Food Network Magazine had a "Potato Crusted Quiche" that looked like something my husband would like, so I made that a few weeks ago. He liked it, but it didn't have enough kick for him. It was meatless & basically just eggs, potatoes & cheese. But the potatoes made such a pretty presentation that I wanted to play with it some more.

Of course, I wanted to increase the nutritional value, so I added tomatoes, onions, spinach & zucchini. Then I added turkey sausage for extra flavor without the bad fat, and added one of the best fats that everyone should be eating, coconut oil.

This recipe is a little more time consuming because of lining your pan with the potatoes to make a crust, but it's Father's Day. They deserve something a little extra special. And FYI - this dish is husband, teenager and co-workers approved. I hope you enjoy!

NOTE: This can be prepared and served immediately or assembled the night before and baked the next day.

TURKEY SAUSAGE & POTATO CASSEROLE

6-8 red potatoes or 3-4 russet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper (I use McCormick Hot Shot)

1 pound turkey sausage

few tbsps coconut oil or olive oil

potatoes (I added parsley & Basil)

1 small zucchini, chopped

Handful fresh spinach, chopped

½ lg or 1 small onion, chopped

1 can Ro Tel tomatoes, drained

6 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tbsp flour

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel & slice potatoes into circles.  Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Spread potatoes on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Bake in 400 degree oven for 12 minutes.  Potatoes should be soft, but still firm. You need to be able to pick them up with your hands & place them in your pan.

sausage & veggies

TURN OVEN DOWN TO 350 degrees.

Get oil hot in skillet then add turkey sausage, zucchini, onion, & spinach. Cook until sausage is done and veggies are tender. Add Ro Tel tomatoes and stir into sausage mixture.

Beat eggs, milk & flour together.

Place potatoes on bottom and sides of greased or buttered 13x9 pan. Remember the potatoes are your crust.

Spread sausage mixture over potatoes. Then pour egg mixture over sausage. Top with cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese).

Ready to eat

Fresh from oven

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until eggs are set.

TIFFANY'S GRADUATION & SCRUMPTIOUS SPINACH DIP

I am an introvert. I really don't like parties or being around a lot of people. But, God has blessed me with an abundance of wonderful friends and the best church family that anyone could ever dream of. So, I go to lots of parties, dinners & fellowships. Party food is my favorite kind of food. Little bite size nibbles of deliciousness. One of my favorite go-to recipes for any get-together is Spinach Dip. I always keep the ingredients on hand in case something comes up at the last minute.

Last Saturday, my daughter in love graduated from college. She is not only beautiful, but she is incredibly smart. She made straight A's in college which is a great accomplishment, but an even greater accomplishment since English is not her native language & she has only lived in the United States for a few years. I am so proud of her and so blessed to have her in our lives & as part of our family.

Tiffany's brother, Kevin, is graduating from High School this year also. So, their parents threw a party for the both of them after Tiffany's graduation. I made my Spinach Dip, but instead of serving it with crackers decided to serve it in wonton cups. I took wonton wrappers, put them in mini muffin tins & baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They made cute crunchy little bowls to put the spinach dip in. I did not put the spinach dip in the bowls until right before serving so the bowls would not get soggy.

The only "bad" ingredient in this recipe is the sour cream and you can use light sour cream to make it less fat. Spinach is loaded with good nutrition. Did you know that spinach has protein? I didn't until I was looking up the nutritional data for this post. It is really low in calories, high in fiber, iron and Vitamins A, C & K. Also has Vitamin E, B6, folate, beta carotene, calcium & magnesium. And is very beneficial for colon & liver health, as well as being anti inflammatory. No wonder Popeye got super powers when he ate spinach!

Most people make spinach dip with vegetable soup mix, which is good, but not quite flavorful enough for me. I LOVE garlic! Using the Savory Herb & Garlic Soup Mix makes this spinach dip so much tastier. 
 

SPINACH DIP

1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained)

1 – 16oz container of sour cream
1 small can of water chestnuts (chopped)

1 package Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic soup mix

 

When spinach has thawed, squeeze out excess water.  Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate for several hours before serving.  Letting it sit in the refrigerator for awhile allows all of the flavors to blend together better.

Serve with your favorite crackers. Delicious served in a bread bowl. The round Hawaiian bread is our favorite. Or you can skip the crackers & bread & just serve in wonton bowls.

For the wonton bowls - I used a package of 60 wonton wrappers and doubled the spinach dip recipe. It was exactly enough dip for 60 little bowls.

Eat your spinach. You will be glad you did.

Lori

Sinus congestion & Gumbo

Cole & Tiffany are married! We got so much rain that they had to move the wedding indoors, but it was beautiful, she was gorgeous, the ceremony was priceless and I am a Mother in Law. I decided a long time ago that I would call her my daughter in love and never daughter in law. She is a wonderful addition to our family. They are so happy and that is what every Mom dreams of for her children. 

Spring has sprung in Oklahoma which means allergies and respiratory problems are plentiful. Several years ago I came up with my version of Gumbo. It is basically a jacked up chicken and rice soup. You can make it as spicy as you like. But, the spicier it is, the better it works at knocking out that sinus & chest congestion.

These days I make it a little healthier by using turkey smoked sausage instead of Kielbalsa and brown rice instead of white. Enjoy!

GUMBO   

 

1 pkg. Kielbalsa smoked sausage (cut in 1/4 in. pieces)

chopped onion

1 pkg. frozen okra

1 can of stewed tomatoes (Cajun recipe)

1 can RoTel tomatoes

chopped jalapeno or a couple dashes of hot sauce 

2 cups Minute rice

chicken broth (about 4 small cans)

shredded cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (2-4 pieces depending on how much chicken you want) OR use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store

Cayenne Pepper or Cajun Seasoning (a few dashes)

Minced garlic (to your taste)

2 handfuls of large thawed frozen shrimp (if desired)

 Place sausage & onion in soup pot with a little oil and stir fry a few minutes until sausage is browned & onions are tender. Add chicken broth & rice & bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.  Add tomatoes, okra, chicken and Cayenne Pepper and garlic to taste. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Add more chicken broth if needed.

Add a couple of handfuls of large shrimp to the pot the last 5 minutes.  I use thawed frozen shrimp. FYI – if you cook the shrimp too long, it will be rubbery. The frozen shrimp is already cooked, so you just need to incorporate it into your soup.

TASTES EVEN BETTER THE SECOND DAY!!  Yummy with cornbread!!!

CRAZY BLOOD SUGAR & YUMMY PIZZA

NOTE: I wrote this on 2/1/2012, but apparently forgot to "publish" it.

The wedding is getting close! I am at a standstill with my weightloss and wanted to lose more before the wedding, so the last 2 weeks I have ate NO bread, rice, pasta, etc, even whole grain. I have just been eating meat, veggies, fruit & eggs. I dropped 3.5 pounds, but was feeling pretty shaky & light headed. I took my blood sugar and it was 54. I drank a big glass of 100% Blueberry Pomegranate juice & ate a piece of whole grain toast with All Fruit Jelly, then checked it again & it was 116. So this week, I have been eating whole grain toast for breakfast with my eggs and about every other day I eat tuna on pita bread or whole grain bread. It seems like the only way I can drop pounds is to cut out ALL carbs, but then my blood sugar bottoms out & I know that our bodies need some carbs. It looks like I am not going to be the size I wanted to be for the wedding, but at least I can walk without limping and hopefully won't be passing out.

So, the day my blood sugar bottomed out was last Saturday. We had a wedding that evening & had to get dialysis done early. I can't get very far from Kevin while he is hooked up to the machine. So, I took a shower while he was getting the machine ready because there would not be time for me to shower & get ready after dialysis. I had not had time to go to the grocery store, so the pickings were slim for lunch. I made cheese pizza out of pita bread. It was absolutely YUMMY! 

PITA PIZZA

Organic whole grain pita bread

olive oil

marinara sauce

garlic powder

Italian seasonings

Basil

Provolone cheese

Shredded Italian cheese

Place the pita bread on a cookie sheet. Drizzle pita with olive oil. Spread marinara sauce on pita. Sprinkle garlic powder, Italian seasonings, basil, etc. whatever your favorite herbs are. I tend to go heavy on the garlic & basil. I placed Provolone (oh how I love Provolone) circle slices in the middle of the pita. Sprinkle with shredded Italian cheese. Bake in oven at 450 degrees about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted & gooey. 

You can add any veggies you like or meats, etc.

Beef enchiladas

Today is my 24th wedding anniversary. Where has the time gone? We were so young... and thin back then. It hasn't been perfect, but we have survived. We have gone through job layoffs, his & mine, health crises, bankruptcy, etc. but we have come out stronger, wiser, closer to God and closer to each other. We went to Norman on Saturday and celebrated with friends. Tonight our dear friend, Ricky, will be Kevin's nurse while I cook his anniversary dinner. He has requested beef enchiladas and butterscotch pudding.

So, I thought I would share my beef enchilada recipe with you. It is easy, delicious and filling. I make it all the time for church potlucks, funeral dinners, etc. and everyone always ask for the recipe. I started with the recipe that my Mom used to make, but changed it up to how my family likes it.

BEEF ENCHILADAS

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
1 pkg taco seasoning (we prefer Taco Bell)
1 can refried beans
2 pkgs tortillas (any kind you like)
1 large can Wolf brand chili
2 cans Old El Paso red enchilada sauce
1 can Ro Tel tomatoes
2-3 cups shredded cheese

1)  Add ground beef and onion to skillet, sprinkle liberally with Garlic Salt. Brown beef.
2)  When beef is done, add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Mix thoroughly.
3)  Add refried beans to meat and mix together, you may need to add a little more water.
4)  In a large saucepan over low heat, mix together chili, Ro Tel tomatoes and enchilada sauce.
5)  Take tortilla and dip in chili mixture. Add beef mixture in middle of tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in pan.
6)  Repeat until all of beef mixture is gone.
7)  Pour chili sauce over the top of enchiladas.
8)  Sprinkle cheese over all.
9)  Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until cheese is melted and all is hot & bubbly.

Enjoy! Please let me know how you like them and if you make any changes. I always enjoy changing things up.

Lori

Life is crazy - so adopt some puppies

Did anybody get the number of that bus? Wow! What a busy few days. Friday night watched our niece & some kids from church play basketball. Great kids & very talented. Saturday attended another niece's bridal shower, then took Tiffany to set up her bridal registry. That morning, before the shower, we adopted two 5 week old puppies. We haven't had a puppy in 9 years, so had to get the house set up for the new babies. We only get one day a week off from dialysis, so everything that we do revolves around "will we have time to still do dialysis?" or "is that the day we want to take off this week?".  Dialysis takes a total of about 4 hours. Actual treatment time is between 2 hrs 40 mins to 3 hrs 15 mins, but the set up & take down time is about another hour. We hadn't gone to a basketball game all season, so we decided to take our day off on Friday to go to the game. So, that means we had to still had to do 4 hrs of dialysis Saturday & Sunday no matter what.

Hank & Lucy

Sunday we drove to Durant to help Cole get moved into his & Tiffany's new apartment. Most weeks we only make it to the Sunday morning church service because of dialysis, but since we had to do dialysis that evening, we decided to not go to church Sunday morning, so we could get Cole moved & get back home & get Kevin hooked up. Their apartment is absoutely adorable! I am so happy for them. They got a loft apartment in downtown Durant over one of the businesses. How they got that apartment is a story in itself. Basically, God gave them favor in a big way. We are still in awe of how it all came about. God is faithful. The only thing is that the stairs are extremely steep, but I managed. This time last year, I would not have been able to climb those stairs. Praise God! I made it up & down them twice. I mainly worked on his laundry & getting things set up while Cole & Kevin moved in the furniture & boxes.



Hank



Lucy



We took the puppies, Hank & Lucy, to Durant with us. They did great! They whimpered a little, but not too bad. They are 1/2 Australian Shepard and 1/2 Heeler. They are a lot of work right now, but it will be worth it. Having puppies is like having a baby. Some people don't take being a pet owner seriously, which really upsets me. A pet, especially dogs, will be a loyal loving companion if you just take care of it & spend time with it.



Slick



Our 19 year old dachsund, Slick, does NOT like Hank & Lucy at all. She is a dog snob anyway, but she definitely wants no part of these puppies. They laid on her favorite blanket and now she refuses to have anything to do with the blanket and I think she is mad at us for letting the puppies lay on her blanket.

Life is crazy. Life is hectic. Life is stressful. But, my family, my wonderful friends and my dogs make it all worthwhile.