Oven Baked Frito Pie

Good things are meant to share.  That's why I have to tell you about the yummy supper we had tonight!  Another Pinterest inspired recipe that turned out DEELISH!  A family favorite that will make it's way back onto our monthly meal plans.  It's mmm, mmm, good and super easy!

Ingredients

1 - lb. hamburger or turkey burger
1 - 16 oz. can of chili beans
1 - 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 - 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 - envelope taco seasoning (I only use have an envelope)
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 bag of Fritos Corn Chips
1 1/4 cup Sour Cream

1.  Cook hamburger/turkey burger until brown then drain.
2.  Stir chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the pan with your browned burger.  Simmer on low for a few minutes until hot.
3.  Sprinkle about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chips into the bottom of an 8x8 or a 9x13 pan.  (I used an 8x8)
4.  Cover chips with entire chili mixture.
5.  Bate at 350 for 20 minutes.
6.  Remove from oven and spread sour cream over chili, top with the rest of the corn chips and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
7.  Bake an additional 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

I think this would also be a great thing to make if you had left over chili!!

A Season for Tending - A Book Review

Cindy Woodsmall has done it again.  She has captivated me with another amazing book.  The sad thing is...A Season for Tending is book one of Amish Vines and Orchards series.  Boo!  Now I have to wait several months for the next book in the series.  :(

Rhoda Byler is a young Amish girl that has a special gift.  Not only does she have the ability to grow herbs and berries, she also has premonitions.  It doesn't take long for her Amish community to feel uncomfortable about her "gift" and rumor's began to fly about witchcraft and incantations.  Rhoda prefers solitude and she spends her time in her gardens and canning for her small business.

Several miles away in another Amish community is the King family.  Samuel King struggles to keep his family's apple orchard in business and after a devastating discovery he realizes that the best chance his family has is to join forces with Rhoda.

I admit that when I first started reading this book I really struggled.  I just couldn't seem to get into it.  Once I got past the first few chapters and became better acquainted with the characters that all changed.  By the end of the book I didn't want to put it down and I didn't want it to end because I knew I'd have to wait for the sequel to come out.  I've read other books by Cindy Woodsmall and I always love her writings and this one was no different!  Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

***This book was provided to be by  Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

Holiday Punch

I was going through some of my pictures the other day and ran across these of the punch I made last year for Christmas.  Since the holidays are right around the corner I thought I'd go ahead and share now.  

It is super, SUPER easy!  All you need is a jug of Apple Cider, a bottle of Ginger Ale, Cranberries, Oranges and a couple sprigs of Rosemary.

Mix the Apple Cider and Ginger Ale in your punch bowl and add cranberries, sliced oranges and rosemary as garnishment and to enhance flavor.  So yummy and so simple!  

Fish Taco's

You may be thinking EWW GROSS at the sound of fish taco's and I wouldn't blame you one bit.  A matter of fact that is what I thought when I first heard of them. We know several people that raved about them being so good so I thought "Hey!  Why not?"  To my surprise they were DEEELISH!  They are a new family favorite.  Everyone (even the hesitant one's) loved them.  So be brave!  Be courageous!  Make Fish Taco's. :):)

Ingredients:

Yellow Corn Tortilla's
Fish Fillets (I use fish sticks)
Cabbage
Salsa
1 TBS. Lime Juice
1/4 C.  Chipolte Sauce
1 C.  Plain Yogurt
1 1/2 C. Mayonaise

The first thing you want to do is put your fish sticks in the oven.  Cook them per the directions on the box.

While they are cooking you can chop/dice your cabbage  and put it in a serving bowl.

Now, let's work on the sauce.   Mix together Lime Juice, Chipotle Sauce, Plain Yogurt, and Mayonaise.  Make sure you are using PLAIN yogurt and REAL mayonaise (not Miracle Whip).

You can set that aside and get a pan out and start warming your tortilla's on top of the stove.  Don't forget to flip and get the other side warm. :)  

Once your fish sticks are brown and ready you can call the family to supper!  I let mine fix their own taco's.  Start with a tortilla, add fish sticks-the brand I use are small so we use two per taco, add some sauce, cabbage, salsa (optional) and an extra squeeze of lime juice (also optional) and enjoy!

The secret is in the sauce!  I'm pretty sure that's what makes them so deelish!  Oh and if anyone asks, don't tell Dakota it's cabbage.  He thinks it's lettuce. hehe!

If you do better with a video here is a little youtube clip on how to make them.  This is basically the recipe we use, just some different brands.  Click HERE for the video.

His Love Endures Forever - A Book Review

 His Love Endures Forever by Beth Wiseman is unlike the typical Amish fiction books that you will read, but don't let that discourage you from picking up this book.  It is a beautifully written story about following God's will, acceptance and love.

This is the 3'rd book in The Land of Canaan  Series.  You will read about many of the same character's that have been introduced in the previous books, but this story focuses on Danielle.

Danielle is far from being Amish, but an Amish boy steals her heart and she finds herself in love with Matthew.  He wants to leave the Amish, but has yet to tell his parents.  Danielle thinks that Matthew loves her and after a wrong choice she finds herself pregnant at the age of 18.  When she tells Matthew about the baby, she is heartbroken to find out he wants nothing to do with it, or with her for that matter.

Danielle doesn't know what she is going to do.  She turns to her best friend, an Amish boy named Levi.  God has big plans in store for Danielle and Levi's lives.  Despite all the opposition they face, God begins to do big things in their lives.  Will Danielle see that the things that are happening are a part of God's plan?  Will she ever trust God?

This is such a great story.  I love the way Beth Wiseman writes.  She describes the character's and writes the stories in a way that you feel like you are standing on the sidelines watching a beautiful tale unfold.  This story was such a reminder to me that sometimes things don't turn out the way we planned.  They turn out even better!

***This book was provided to me through booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great For God - A Book Review

Great for God - Missionaries Who Changed the World by David Shibley is a  book that will encourage and inspire Christians of all ages.

 You CAN be great for God.  You SHOULD be great for God.  Our times BEG for you to be great for God.  This books will take you through the lives of 23 missionaries that did great things for God and by reading about their lives and their deaths you will be encouraged to do great things as well.

The missionaries you will read about are:  Rowland Victor Bingham,  William R. Bright, William Carey, Amy Carmichael, Jim Elliot, Charles E. Fuller, H.B. Garlock, Adoniram Judson, Eric Liddell, Paul E. Little, David Livingstone, Lottie Moon, John R. Mott, Bob Pierce, Warren Shibley, Mary Slessor, Oswald J. Smith, C.T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, William Cameron Townsend, Dawson Trotman, Nikolaus Ludwic von Zinzendorf and Samuel Zwemer.

I liked reading about both men and women and I also liked that the time periods of the lives of the missionaries varied.   The set up of the book was great as well.  Each chapter features a new missionary and at the beginning it tells the name of the missionary, the birth and death date, their legacy and a quote.  I am someone that love's quotes and this feature was probably my favorite part!

David Shibley has done a remarkable job with this book!  As a homeschool mom I think it would be a great resource for devotions and Bible study.

***This book was given to me as an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

An Autumn Herb Harvest

The days are getting shorter and the air is getting cooler.  I know it won't be long before we get a frost so I am harvesting lots of herbs to put up for winter while I still can.  

We had such a long, hot and dry summer, but now that we are getting rain and cooler temperatures my herbs are thriving.   They are growing like crazy which makes it good for harvesting.  

This harvest consisted of catnip, lavender, lemon thyme, 

rosemary, oregano, comfrey, lemon verbena, orange mint and peppermint.

I hope to find time to share with you what I do with the herbs in the next few weeks.  So stay tuned!!

October Menu Plan

One thing I do every month is make a menu plan.  This helps me prepare a grocery list, plus I always have a plan.  No last minute foraging through the pantry and freezer trying to figure out what I'm going to fix.   I frequently juggle the meals around depending on our schedule.  For me, it is easiest to grocery shop once a month and get all the food for the meal plans at one time.  Of course, I still have to make runs to the store through out the month for items such as milk, bread, etc. etc.,  Here's my meal plan for October.  I don't have side dishes listed for the meals that will need them.  Oh and Sunday's are always left over day.  Mamma's day off!!

 1.  Herb Roasted chicken  (click here for recipe)
 2.  Bean Burritos
 3.  Crock Pot BBQ Ribs (click here for recipe)
 4.  French Dip Sandwiches in Crock Pot  (click here for recipe)
 5.  Best Ever Hamburgers (click here for recipe)
 6.  Chicken Kabobs
 7.  Leftovers
 8.  Penne Noodles
 9.  Panninis
10.  Fish Taco's (blog post coming soon)
11.  Taco Bake  (click here for recipe)
12.  Chicken Kiev (click here for recipe)
13.  Crock Pot Pork Chops and Parmesan Potatoes (click here for recipe)
14.  Leftovers
15.  Oven Baked Frito Pie (click here for recipe)
16.  Chicken Fajitas
17.  Chicken Tetrazzini
18.  Pizza Bread
19.  Spaghetti Bread  (click here for recipe)
20.  Chicken Fettuccine
21.  Leftovers
22.  Chicken Nuggets and Fries
23.  Homemade Pizza
24.  Tilapia
25.  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
26.  Chicken Lasagna
28.  Leftovers
29.  Homemade Vegetable Soup
30.  Hot Dogs roasted over the fire pit!
31.  Must-go Soup

Taco Bake

If you love taco's you are going to LOVE this recipe.  It's a new family favorite for us!  You can view the original recipe here.  If you know me at all you know I rarely follow a recipe exactly .  As always I made a few little tweaks. ;)  Here's the recipe the way I did it. :):):)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lb. hamburger
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
8 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. crescent rolls (8)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (optional)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

1 can refried beans
1 bag Doritos chips (I use off brand) crumbled

1.  Brown and drain your hamburger.

2.  Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes

3.  Separate crescent rolls and spread them out into a 9x13 pan.  Press/roll forming a nice crust in the bottom.

4.  Spread refried beans over the crescent rolls.

5.  Add meat/tomato mixture on top of beans.

6.  Next layer sour cream and then cheddar cheese.

7.  Add 3/4 of the bag of crumpled dorritos on top.

9.  Bake on 350 for 25 minutes.

ENJOY!!  You can eat it as is or you can serve with extra tomatoes and lettuce!  SO YUMMY!

Decorated Clip Board

All you need to make a super cute decorated clip board is a clip board, scrapbook paper, ribbon, cork board and any other embellishments to make it cute!  I used Modge Podge to secure my paper onto the board.  I tied the ribbon around the clippy part and secured the cork board and small box with double sided self adhesive.  I added a few decorative clips for holding messages and voila!  Super quick, cheap and easy project!  I think this would make a great gift as well. 

I have it hanging on a door and we use it as our family message center!  

Bethany made one too!  Hers is simple but cute and she uses it for her schoolwork.