Small Update & More Recipes

For all of you that have emailed me asking....My voice has pretty much returned to normal! It only gets scratchy at night after using it through out the day. My singing voice is another story. It will take a bit longer before it is back.

Sam received his first report card for 2nd grade and I am proud to announce that he has all A's and one B! We are so proud of him.

I have been trying out quite a few new recipes since we moved here and have two more to share with you.

Beef Taco Bake

1 pound ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) Tomato Soup

1 cup Salsa or Picante Sauce (I used the Black Bean and Corn Salsa that Wal-Mart makes)

1/2 cup water

6 Flour Tortillas (8 inch) or 8 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1 inch pieces (I used the flour tortillas)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (since we love cheese I used 2 cups)

Cook beef in a skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half of the cheese. Spoon into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Easy Shrimp Pasta

1/c cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned

2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 medium)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, divided

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

3/4 lb. fettuccine, cooked, drained

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pour dressing over shrimp in small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 20 minutes (or longer if needed) to marinate. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade. Heat large skillet on medium heat; add shrimp. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from skillet, using slotted spoon; cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Add tomatoes and half of the basil to same skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Add shrimp; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Place hot fettuccine on large serving platter; top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped basil and shredded cheese.

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap

Coffee and Yarn....a great combination! The Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap will open up it's registration on October 24th, for those of you that are interested.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Had a great entree for dinner this evening and just had to share it with all of you. I got the recipe from the CDKitchen Yahoo Group which I belong to. It's a wonderful place to get and to share recipes. Everyone here loved it!

SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. catsup
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. instant minced onion
1 tsp. instant beef bouillon or 1 bouillon cube
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
Paprika

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and stir ground beef in 10 inch skillet until brown; drain. Stir in catsup, water, onion, and bouillon. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Mix baking mix and milk until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 20 strokes. Spread half of the dough in ungreased square pan, 8 x 8. Top with beef mixture. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto top, sprinkle with paprika. Bake until light brown, about 25 minutes.

The recipe can be doubled also.

Soccer, Tap, Bells, and Crafting Update

I've missed blogging but have been either busy with Sam, running errands, going to activities for myself, keeping up with the house, unpacking, or getting sick. In fact my allergies (which I still think is what is wrong with me) has stolen my voice. I can talk in a scratchy hard to understand voice and I can't sing at all.
Sam has started up soccer again. He played his second game this morning and as usual is having a lot of fun with it. His team hasn't won a game yet but I know they will soon as they are a great bunch of wonderfully talented kids.

I have started something new. I'm taking tap dancing lessons! I haven't taken tap since I was a little girl so I feel like I am a beginner. I'm having so much fun with this group of ladies. Our ages run from the 30s to 70s! We meet every Wednesday and we are all learning so much. I can't wait for the next lesson.

Since starting at our church I have not only joined our church choir I have also joined 2 handbell choirs and am also in a handbell quartet! I am quite bummed as this Sunday afternoon is auditions for the Women's Ensemble but since I have no voice I won't be able to audition. Oh well...maybe next time.

In the crafting world I have finished my first pair of socks. I haven't taken a picture of them yet but I have already worn them. They have got to be one of the most comfortable pair of socks I have ever worn. I can't wait to get going on my second pair.
I have also started on my nieces scarves for their Halloween costumes. They are Griffindor scarves and I'm about half way through on the first one. I guess you know what I'll be doing this weekend. Sitting on the couch, watching some football, knitting and trying not to use my voice so that I can get it back.

I have been lucky to find a wonderful yarn and cross stitch stores here and have already been welcomed by not only the shop owners but also those that were in there shopping.

I'm going to try to update this blog a bit more often like I used to. Just need to find my balance here. Until then...