Surprise

Mason absolutely loves surprises. Steve and I really enjoy getting surprises for him. Tonight (when Steve was at a meeting) I started getting Mason ready for his bath. Steve had planted a surprise.

BUBBLE BATH & his own SCRUNCHY

Needless to say Mason LOVED it! I am so blessed with a great husband. Steve is such an amazing father. Thanks Steve for all you do for us!

These pictures are not the best because I used the camera on my phone.

I have always wanted to try Once A Month Cooking. That is the method where you shop and cook once a month, hence the name. I feel way too overwhelmed to take that on in my first attempt. We decided to start with 6 meals. I picked the meals and recipes, created a shopping list, went shopping, then headed home to cook. We started at 11am and finished around 3pm. We did have one break for lunch. We have yet to eat the meals. We had some extra food left so we actually created 7 meals. I will blog again once I have eaten the meals just so you know how it goes.

Here is what we will be eating:

Beef Noodle Supreme

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 8 oz. Cans tomato sauce
2 8oz. pkg light cream cheese
2 cups light sour cream
12 green onions, including green part, chopped
2 8 oz pkg. Noodles
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
In a skillet, brown meat. Add garlic, salt, sugar and tomato sauce; simmer about 10 minutes. Soften and blend thoroughly cream cheese and sour cream. Add onions and set aside. Boil noodles until tender; drain. In baking dishes, layer noodles, cream cheese mixture, and meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pork Chop Casserole

Ingredients

8 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4-inch thick

1/2teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2teaspoon pepper

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 medium onion, chopped

1 chopped green pepper

Directions

Sprinkle pork chops with Italian seasoning and pepper. Arrange in the center of a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine potatoes and onions; place around chops. Sprinkle with green pepper. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and meat juices run clear.

Chicken and Corn Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (about 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts)

1 1/2 cups chopped red onions

1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn

1 cup nonfat sour cream

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cups shredded reduced fat Jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups mild salsa

3 cups canned enchilada sauce

16 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat two 13x2x9-inch baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, red onions, corn, 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream, cumin, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. In another large bowl, mix together the salsa and enchilada sauce.

In a medium skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray, and set over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla to the skillet and heat for about 10 seconds per side to soften. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup chicken filling into the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon the salsa enchilada sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Cover with baking dishes with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until heated through. Uncover, sprinkle with the green onions, and serve immediately.

Makes 16 tortillas

Southwestern Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound 95% lean ground sirloin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 (16-ounce) jar salsa

1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce

Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 large egg white, beaten

6 (6-inch) flour tortillas, cut into thirds

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Jack cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. In large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown beef and garlic over medium heat about 8 minutes or until meat is done. Drain any excess fat. Add salsa, enchilada sauce, and salt and pepper (if using). Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

3. In small bowl, combine the cottage cheese and egg white. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread thin layer of meat sauce in the dish. Layer with half the tortillas, all of the cottage cheese mixture, half the remaining meat mixture, and half the cheese. Repeat layers, omitting the cottage cheese layer and ending with the meat sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for 25–30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Aunt Liz's Chicken Pasta Casserole

Yield: 2 casseroles

Ingredients

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups uncooked pasta (about 7 ounces)

1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices celery

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed 30% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Cooking spray

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine broth, salt, pepper, and soup in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add soup mixture to chicken mixture; toss. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (8-inch) square or (2-quart) baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over each casserole. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup egg substitute

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

Cooking spray

1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

I am willing to share my grocery list and everything that you would need to get started. I cannot find an easy way to make this work. If you e-mail me I will e-mail you everything that I used to start with.

Christmas

We had an amazing Christmas. We started the festivities at Shoal Creek Christian Church (http://www.shoalcreek.org/). I would love to attend this church if I lived up north. Then we spent time with my Mom's side of the family.

When we got home we left Santa a birthday cake for Jesus and fed the reindeer.

Bob and Gail joined us for our "Santa Claus" part of Christmas. Here are just a few snap shots from our morning:

Please notice the Thomas sheets that my FANTASTIC Mother-In-Law made for Mason.

After a very big breakfast we headed to Topeka. This is where Gail's side of the family lives. We did a coffee mug exchange and we came away with the tackiest mugs. It was a lot of fun. We truly missed the Lozano's and the Bonnell's. :( After spending the entire day there we headed home just in time for bed.

Next year we are going to do a hat exchange.