Category Archives: Uncategorized

My back tooth (the last one on my top right side) has been killing me since yesterday. It hurts like a mofo and I can not get it to stop. It chipped a few months back and of course I didn’t get it taken care of then cause why deal with it at the time when I can wait a few months, have it get a cavity (my first and only one so far) and put me threw all kinds of hell. Yeah, I’m smart like that. So now I am popping pain relievers like they are m&ms with a total count so far of 8 Aleve and 4 Tylenol hoping to dull the pain. Of course I know that taking that many is not a good thing but when you are in pain you really don’t think about anything other then making that pain go away. I know I am heading for an overdose of some sorts but hey maybe then my tooth will stop hurting.

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas (8 inch)
3/4 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 cup Salsa
1 cup drained canned kidney beans, rinsed
4 cups torn spring or mixed salad greens
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. Ranch Dressing

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Crumple four large sheets of foil to make four 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on top of each ball; spray tortilla with cooking spray. Bake 6 to 8 min. or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake.)

2. Meanwhile, brown meat with chili powder in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add salsa and beans; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

3. Place 1 tortilla shell on each of four serving plates. Fill evenly with salad greens, meat mixture, cheese and tomatoes. Top with dressing.

Ok . . . this is it . . . I need to buckle down and stop dragging my feet. I need to get serious about my photography. I have always had a love for it and have been told by more then a few people that my shots are really good. I just doubt myself. When I look at my photos I see all the flaws, get more then a little frustrated, and then just hit the delete button. Well, I need to stop doing that. I have always wanted to be a professional photographer, I just don’t have the confidence in myself to do it. I know all about F stop, shutter and aperture speeds, ISO, drugging the shutter, depth of field and all that jazz. I mean, I must take decent shots if people want me to do their wedding, right? Why o’ why can I not just have a little bit of confidence in myself?

My Nan loves lemons, everything from cookies to pies. So awhile back I was trying out different lemon recipes, trying to find one that she would love. And through many trials, this was the recipe that made her swoon.

Ingredients:
20 Vanilla Wafers, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. grated lemon peel, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

2. Meanwhile, beat Neufchatel cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.
3. Bake 25 to 28 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel just before cutting into squares to serve.

I ran across this video of this too cute for words fat kitty living in Japan so I just had to share it with all of you. Also, it could be because I have nothing to write about at this moment.

Salsa is the number one condiment and do you know why? Cause people like to say salsa! I watch why too much Seinfeld!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cups Old El Paso Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can (15 to 16 oz) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Sliced green onions

Directions:
1. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

2. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef mixture and remaining ingredients except beans.

3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

4. Stir in beans. Cover; cook on Low heat setting about 5 minutes longer or until beans are hot. Top with cheese and onions.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup candied cherries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

3. Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff.

4. In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Holy Catfish! I just got slapped with a wet salmon – really – I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died. You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Apologies to my regular readers! Even the little blue ones!

I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english with finding Jesus (after someone told me he was lost), learning to speak Japanese and just generally being a Darling to every Lost Boy that crosses my path. My day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the second I am woken by murderous Teletubbies till I feel like going to bed. I am not being a whinging Pom or anything cause it will be fun fun fun till my daddy takes my TBird away.

I swear on the bones of my ancestors I will make more of an effort to blog more often until the nice men in the white coats come back. Go with God, good friends. Don’t hold your breath though, you’re likely to turn blue.

Why does life have to be this hard? Why is mine filled with heartache and pain? I must of done something to diserve this right? But what did I do? Did I piss the big guy upstairs off that much? Hey, God! You turned your back on me a long time ago so why should I continue to put all my faith in you? Why should I get down on my knees and pray when you never seem to be there?