New Recipe #2

Yum-o!

Last week my mom sent me a recipe that she and my dad had tried the night before and said it was very good. Since I had most of the ingredients already, I decided to give it a go, with a few changes.

First, the recipe: Chicken Tostadas with Sour Cream Dressing

The changes: I didn’t use actual tostadas (the pre-packaged ones). I used corn tortillas and added about 5 minutes to the baking time. I didn’t use the bell pepper or jalepeno because I didn’t have them and because I don’t like them. But feel free to use them if you enjoy! Also, instead of salt, I used a seasoned salt that I like, but that’s just a matter of taste.

It was very good! and very easy. I got home at about 5:45 and by 6:15 they were in the oven. And let’s be honest, I probably checked online and did a few other things in that time period. They were so yummy! The cumin smells like a lot, but it doesn’t taste like a lot. I made more of the dressing than needed, but that’s so I can make some delicious taco salads and have salsa dressing. I didn’t precisely measure, so I think my salsa was a little more than asked, but hey, when is that a bad thing?

All in all, the second new recipe of 2010 is a success.

Blues

Goal #23:  Go to a concert.

Monday night, I got to complete this goal. My friends Scott and John were playing at a local bar and invited a bunch of us to come. So, after Confirmation Class, Amy and I headed over and joined our friends. They guys went on at 10pm (can you tell this is a college town?) and played 2 sets of blues along with Scott’s friends. And by blues I mean Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, White Stripes, John Mayer, and others.

They were so, so, so good.

Oh, did I mention that Scott is the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band???

Quick Takes: January 15, 2010

1. Today is payday! Yay! Is it weird that I enjoy paying bills? It is. I know. I think the joy comes from 1) knowing that my budget is working and I have money, and b) being relieved that I am not in a position of not having money (which I’ve been in before. And how.)

2. The copier/printer woes continue. We’re on Day 10 of no printer. This morning the third and fourth parts arrived. Hopefully, later today, the fourth technician will arrive. Oy vey.

3. It’s the Ides of January and I am still doing well with my Goals. Yessss!

4. Yesterday I got to spend several hours with my friends Wally and Charlene and their adorable newborn son. As in, he was born at 8:18am and I was holding him at 4:18pm! My favorite story so far: One of Wally’s nephews was visiting and when other people would say “He’s so sweet! He’s so precious!” Guerin would say “He’s not sweet! He’s not precious! HE’S A BOY!” Even though they weren’t there when I was, I made a point to say “He’s manly and rugged….and CUTE!” 🙂

5. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the tragedy in Haiti. Thoughts, prayers, and love go out to the people there.

6. I’m working on a very fun project that will mean much happiness for me. I will share when I am done.

7. This weekend is chock-full of activity: core dinner, baptism, birthday party (themed! and costumed!), sleepovers, meetings, mass, life night, mayhem and madness. Can’t wait!

New Recipe #1

Goal 14 of my 2010 Goals is to make 10 new recipes. A few months ago, my friend Nicole shared a recipe that I really wanted to try. With the cold weather and a new slow-cooker, I thought now was the perfect time to try my hand at Slow-Cooked Lasagna.

(sorry, no pics)

It was delicious. Of course, due to meetings and other events, I didn’t even start on this until nearly 7pm, so dinner was at about 10pm, meaning we probably would have eaten anything. But is really is good.

Things I love about it:
1) I am not a fan of Ricotta cheese. The alfredo substitution is wonderful!
2) Like a lot of Italian foods, it is even better the next day!
3) It was fairly simple. The hardest part was browning the ground beef, and that’s not even hard.

A few things I will change for next time:
1) My slow-cooker must be slightly larger than the one this is planned for, so next time I will increase the meat mixture a little and try to stretch the Alfredo sauce a little farther.
2) Carrie and I agreed that it is so gooey/mushy after it had been cooked, next time we will make it a day in advance, refrigerate it overnight, and then reheat the next day. I brought some leftovers today for work and they were amazing.

Thanks for sharing Nicole!

Quick Takes: January 8, 2010

1. Happy 2010! It’s still weird to say that. And write it.

2. We’ve been having cold weather here. Thirty minutes ago when I checked Google weather, it was 19. I don’t know wind chill. The media coverage is ridiculous. Quite honestly, it doesn’t feel that cold to me. Certainly not what they make it out to be. The schools around here closed yesterday. It was sunny, clear, and VERY little ice. So basically, they closed because it is cold. We are such wimps.

3. 2010 goals are going well. You can see progress on the goals page. I was hoping to be able to post about trying a new restaurant this week, but it was not meant to be. When my friend and I got there, it was a 20-30 minute wait and we had a movie to catch. So I’ll have to try it another time. The plus of this was that we went to Texas Roadhouse and they gave me so much meat, I had enough for lunch the next day. And it was delicious!

4. My car issues are officially over! I drove the alloted miles last week and was able to get it inspected Monday morning. Not that my troubles with machines are over — the copier/printer at work decided to act up so much, it needs a new part. Wouldn’t be bad except for that whole need to print 85 bulletins for this weekend. Luckily, the neighborhood print shop was able to print the job.

5. Oh, and our gate is being weird. It’s lovely not knowing how long it will take you to get out of your own driveway. I’m going to call the landlady as soon as I determine if it is my clicker or the gate itself.

6. There are several people in my life who need some prayers for various reasons. Send a shoutout please.

7. I am really looking forward to this weekend. Tonight I will go to my parent’s house and spend some time with my grandmother, and then tomorrow the whole family will go to a wedding of some great family friends. More on that later. It should be a great time and I think I will be able to see a lot of old friends.

Check out conversion diary for more quick takes!

New Directions

Yes, the title of this post was inspired by Glee.

But really, it fits.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my blog recently and what I want to do with it. Most blogs have a function or a purpose. Recipe blogs, family story or family photo blogs, funny pictures, news updates about a certain theme, etc. I have none of that. I have random posts that sometimes have a theme. I have semi-regular weekly “themed” posts. I have ramblings and links and general updates on my life. But was there any way to centralize them?

At the same time, I had run across an idea that I liked a lot. Some blogs, I noticed, had a list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days (or something to that effect). The goals/activities were like small resolutions: some were about trying new things, setting personal goals, etc. I liked the thought, but instead of 101 and 1,001, I decided to make my list as long or short as I wanted it and to do it all within the new year. I began compiling my own list, borrowing from others on some and coming up with my own.

And then I realized what I could do. I would make my blog in 2010 focus on these goals/activities/resolutions. My posts would be about this list and the things I accomplish on it. For instance, I have a goal of making 10 new recipes (#15). I might have a post describing the recipe (with some pictures) and maybe a story about trying it. Or maybe it will be an account of the museum I went to (per #23).

The list will always be posted as a page on my site (Goals in 2010) and I will try to keep it updated with my progress. It’s fairly self-explanatory.

This doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t do 7 Quick Takes (though I’ll try to relate at least one item to the goals). You’ll still get random stories of my life, they will just be connected to each other.

I hope this year will be full of fun and adventure.

Oh, and if anyone wants to join in any of these adventures, let me know!