$3.00

OK, So I have had $3 in my wallet for a few weeks now. Not real sure where it came from. I was cleaning out my wallet and it had just appeared there. I have been wondering what I am going to do with this $3. Well today on the way home from Wal-Mart, I was first in line of a long line of cars. Up ahead there is a person standing with a cardboard sign. Not uncommon to see at the Wal-Mart parking lot. Like most people I just think to myself "get a job". Well today something was urging me to stop and give the man something. I'm racking my brain for something to give this guy trying to think quick before I reach the stop sign where he is standing. I think, "do I just hand him a bag of groceries. I do have a $10 but we need laundry done. What can I give this guy." The feeling of guilt is starting to creap up on me. For some reason I really want to give this guy something. Well I finaly reach him at the stop sign and I reach down for the change from the ashtray and there in the diaper bag is my wallet with the $3 sticking out nice and conveinient for me to quickly give it to this guy. He was extremely grateful and thanked me profusely. As I drive away with a huge silly smile on my face I look in the rear view mirror and most of the line of cars behind me were stopping and giving him something. I said to Christopher "Well look at what mommy started." Whats weird is I didn't use that pocket of my wallet when I was in Wal-Mart. I don't know if Christopher unzipped it or if the zipper was cought on something when I put it down. All I know is I started a line of good deeds today and I feel very good about it. Something inside me just knows that, that man needed that $3 more than I did and who knows how much more he got from the vehicals behind me.

2011 is almost here and Venison Casserole.

Lets start with Venison Casserole.

Here is the original recipe which I found online...

1 1/2 lbs. ground venison (may substitute ground beef)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. sugar
8 oz. pkg. noodles
1 c. cottage cheese
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Brown venison and onions in butter. Stir in tomato sauce and sugar; set aside. Boil noodles according to package directions; drain.
Combine cheeses, sour cream, green onions, green pepper, salt, pepper and garlic powder and set aside. Butter a 3 quart casserole dish; pour in half the mixture, layer half of the noodles, cover with all of the cheese mixture.
Top with remaining noodles; pour melted butter over casserole. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.


OK the only thing I did differently was, I didn't put the cottage cheese and sour cream in. Only because not everyone around here likes those particular items. It still turned out good. Although, it calls for 8 oz of cream cheese and Wes and I both think that it is way to much. It was like every bite had a mouthful of cream cheese. We love cream cheese but not that much. Not really much to say about the casserole.

2010 is coming to an end. Allot has happened this year. I think everything that has happened to me has been good. Especially my move to Ohio. I needed to get away from New Mexico and be around my people. I do still have friends who I need to visit. When the time is right it will happen. So in 2011 all I can hope for is a healthy family and happiness for everyone. Happy New Year Everybody!!!!!!!

Venison Meatloaf

Yes, I am still making my venison casserole, but today I decided to make meatloaf instead.

So the onions I have been buying lately have been making my eyes water and burn so bad. Wes is always calling into the kitchen or popping up behind me asking me if I'm alright. He hears me sniffling and cursing at the onions because they are so strong. The things that we go through to make something taste good. Well I get the onion chopped and everything ready to put into the meatloaf pan. Well, there is no meatloaf pan. Good grief, I know that we had one in New Mexico and that is something I wouldn't have given away. I went through every cupboard in that kitchen and a few other places it might possibly be hiding. It wasn't anywhere. So, I'm standing in the middle of the kitchen thinking what pan I could use then, for some unknown reason I pull out the drawer under the oven and look behind it and there it was. It had fallen out of the back of the drawer and was now under the drawer that is under the oven. So here I am trying to get the stupid meatloaf pan out from under everything. Meanwhile, Wes is taking a nap so I'm trying to stay quiet, oh and I have a 14 month old little boy next to me trying to help. I do eventually get the pan out with the broom. Now I have to wash it cause who takes out the drawer under their oven and cleans. I get the meatloaf in the oven and it turns out pretty good. It could have used some more seasonings I think. My brother Jason had come over. He and Wes both liked it so that makes me happy. I think meatloaf is another one of those dishes that could be different every time. There are some many different things that you can put in meatloaf. So I will be experimenting.
        Well that was my evening. Even though I had a fight with the meatloaf pan it all turned out pretty well in the end. :)

Chili is the topic today.

        My most recent dish that I have cooked was chili. Chili is not a hard dish to make. Like my dear G-G (Grandma) always says, seasonings, seasoning, seasonings. She definitely has a point. If you don't season your food, it will taste bland and just no good. When you make chili it usually will never taste the same twice. At least mine never does. I also don't make my chili from any recipe. I just "wing it" as some would say.  So in this chili that I made I put Kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes and some chili beans. Oh and of course hamburger. I Seasoned the hamburger before I put it in the chili then I seasoned the chili. I put all kinds of seasonings in my chili. I just season it till it tastes good. That is the most important thing when cooking anything, always taste your food. How are you going to know if it tastes good if you don't taste it? Trust me, if it looks good that doesn't mean its going to taste good. Always, always, always taste your food before serving it. Something as simple as chili is so much fun for me to make. I have such joy when I cook. My mind just wonders and I just go off into my own little land. I may have said that before. I just love cooking.
       Well we are getting paid again so I will be getting some more ingredients for a venison casserole. I'm very excited to make it and see how it comes out. I'll be keeping you posted. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!!!

Cooking

        So for those of you who might know, I was in love with cooking a few years ago. I even had plans to go to school and become a big time chef and all that. Life got in the way of my plans and well, I didn't go to school. I also lost the passion I had for cooking. I didn't cook for I think, it was at least 2 1/2 years or more. I am happy to tell you, that I have dug deep and found my passion for cooking again. I love reading my cook books. I read them like people read mystery books. It amazes me how all I can think about is food and what I can do with it. Even my favorite movie is based on cooking. Julie and Julia. I am so very much in love with that movie. I am in the process of setting up a similar project for myself based on the movie. I am not going to go through a whole cook book in a year. I think, I will just pick a few recipes out of a cookbook or even offline. I will then write in my blog and tell you how everything is going.  I am very happy to have found my passion for food again. It is so much fun for me. When I am cooking I am just in my place, in my own little land that only Christopher gets to come into. Lately I have just been doing simple stuff. Vegetables from a can rice from a package. Simple stuff. For Christmas I hope to make a nice big dinner.
        Something else I have gotten into is, baking. I don't know why either. I don't really like pastries, or dessert type of food. I did make banana walnut bread a while back and it turned out pretty good. Then I made cupcakes. I have been wanting to make a cake here recently. I haven't because Wes has been gone for work and it would go to waste. He will be able to be home for a little while so it would be a good time to make one. I also want to get into making cookies. Well at least sugar cookies so I can decorate them. You know, now that I think about it, I may just want to decorate all the baked goods that I want to cook not necessarily eat them, just make them pretty. :)
        Well there you have it. I will keep the blogs coming to keep you informed. I hope this all works out and maybe it will further my cooking career.     

Christmas is coming!!!

        So November is nearly over. There are a few presents for the family hiden away ready to wrap and get put under the tree. Ahhhhhhhh, the Christmas tree, such a wonderful part of the Christmas season. The decorating of the Christmas tree, I think, is one of the best parts of Christmas. I remember the day after Thanksgiving my mom and I would always dig out the Christmas decorations and just make the house look all warm and cheery. It is sad that we cannot have a real tree, but we will get an artificial one and that will just have to do. It is so nice being able to get Christmas presents for Christopher when he is with us. He even plays with them in the cart and once we have them bagged at the checkout counter he forgets all about them. I know this will not last long so I am enjoying his memory loss for the time being. :-) It will also be interesting to see what he will think of the tree and the presents. I'm sure we will have to descipline him on getting into the presents too early. He has learned what no means but, he is a little boy who is determined to get into whatever it is he is not supposed to get into.
        Thanksgiving day will be a good family gathering. I love it when the family gets together and we just talk and have a good time. We are also going to my Dads this weekend for Thanksgiving. Wes is going to go hunting. He is very excited and we both hope he gets a deer. It would be very lovely to have a deer in the freezer. It is always nice to take a family trip to Michigan. Well any trip that we take is alwaysgood. This will be Christopher's 3rd time to Michigan. He does pretty well in the truck. We have tons of stuff to keep him occupied. Being a one year I'm sure a 5 hour drive seems like 5 days.
       Ok so I must not be in the mood to write any more my laundry needs my attention anyway so I hope you have enjoyed my post and hope to hear from you. Love you all. :-)

November

        So its a start to a new month. November, the harvest month. Living in an apartment with a man who is gone allot for work and a 1 year old, means I will be doing most of the hHoliday decorating. I love decorating for the holidays. I am very excited for Christopher to know the meaning of Christmas and be able to enjoy the holiday. This year he will just be wondering what mommy is doing putting all these pretty things around the apartment for him to play with. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to the Christmas Tree. Hopefully he won't try to hard to take the decorations down too early. I think I will decorate in silver and blue this year. Its really too bad that we can't have a real Christmas Tree. The apartment complex won't allow it. Fire hazard I guess. So we will be getting a fake tree. I know its just not right having a fake tree but I can't go without a Christmas Tree. Although I have had a fake Christmas tree before. There was one year that my mom and I made it look pretty good.
        Lets see what else to talk about.....Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving this year will be nice. Just Wes, Christopher and I. Just the family. Carol I'm sure will be inviting us over for dinner too. Depending on whats going on I'm sure we will be going over there as well. Wes and I have decided to go against the traditional turkey and ham and get those little Cornish hens. I think that is what they are called. It will be easier for us to get rid of leftovers if there isn't a huge turkey to eat.
        Well its laundry day and since Christopher doesn't seem to want to take a nap we better get going. I have been procrastinating on doing the laundry so there is quite a few loads to do. Until next time I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!