Food Porn ~ Enchilada Casserole

Since I never write here anymore, and I really do want to, a friend of mine suggested I post a recipe or a photo-blog, just to get myself here to the blog.  So, I bestow upon you something that a lot of people ask me about, something that is a favorite of my family...

Enchilada Casserole

First, I will start you off with ingredients!

You will need: 

• 2 large cans of red enchilada sauce (we use mild because even it tends to be spicy, and I have Miss Picky to contend with) ☺
• 1½ pounds of ground beef
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 28 corn tortillas
• 4 or 5 good sized potatoes
• a decent amount of your favorite cheese (sorry for the inaccurate measurements, I just use handfuls lol)

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Peel and cube potatoes and put on to boil (they need to cook 15-20 minutes or until softening, once they boil.)
• Brown ground beef, add taco seasoning according to directions on package
• Heat enchilada sauce

Once potatoes, meat and enchilada sauce are done...

• Spread some sauce into two cake pans/rectangular casserole dishes
• Dip tortillas into enchilada sauce, covering both sides of tortilla, and lay in pan.
• Spread meat, potatoes (a little extra sauce!) and cheese on top of tortillas 
• Repeat the tortilla process on top of the meat, potatoes and cheese 

The pan on the left is just sauce and tortillas, I started to put meat and then figured I'd do the left pan a step behind the right pan, for clarification purposes lol.  Meat, potatoes and sauce on the right!

Once again, the pan on the left is a step behind.  Meat, potatoes, sauce and cheese on the left.  The right already has the top layer of tortillas!

• Once you have the (sauced dipped) tortillas on top, cover with cheese and then cover with tinfoil! 

The pan on the left is everything but cheese!  The pan on the right just needs to be covered with tinfoil and tossed in the oven!! 

• Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes!! 

*INSERT JEOPARDY THEME!*

• While they are baking, you can make a side dish.  We usually like beans and tortilla chips or beans and rice.  

*DING!*

The finished product!! 

Miss Picky's Plate!! ☺

I hope you have enjoyed one of my family's favorite (easy, yet a little messy!) meals!!  

I have recently learned to love cooking, so maybe I will bring you more food porn soon!! 

Love and Moonbeams, 

Kim ☽♥☾

The Only Words I Could Find...

Now I lay me
down to sleep

Instead I just
lay and weep

Too many thoughts
too much to feel

Sometimes life
seems so unreal

Just like a dream
good or bad

But real enough
to make me sad

Cannot explain
cannot describe

Cannot make you
feel my vibe

Misunderstood
used to it

Doesn't mean
I like this shit

Trapped in my head
screaming loud

Sorry I couldn't
make you proud

I am me
and you are you

I cannot figure out
what to do

So lost and lonely
hurt and scared

Especially when
my soul is bared...

What the hell man
what's going on?

My comprehension
is all gone

How to pick
which path to travel

The wind smoothed sand
or the rock hard gravel

No idea which one
is best

I cannot believe
I'm taking this test

I didn't want it
ever
never

I already took one
to be together

Hard, it was
but still I did it

Now I feel
like I can't
win it

No matter what
no matter the choice

Oh shit, I just
screamed out my voice...

It's gone, I have nothing
left to say

I guess I'll find
some other way...

To explain, express
and yes, to scream...

Please tell me this
is just a dream...

I Wish I Could Paint

So, I came to my blog to write a new post, and instead, ended up going to read a few of my friends' blogs instead. 

I ♥ my friends. :)

I got so many smiles and feelings out of what my friends had to say.  I need to remind myself to do that more often. 
I forgot what I was going to post here, but it was worth it. :)

Since I forgot, I will tell you this instead.

Springtime has come to California.
It is lovely.
We had some rain, and then a few days of baking sunshine.

It made all of the Springy things poke their heads out.

Now, today, it's chilly and breezy and gray outside.
All of the Spring colors are really popping against my favorite dreary sky. :)
I wish I could paint. 
The trees and flowers look so lovely against the dark sky.
So many colors against such a lovely background.

Ahh, the little things. :)
Be well, my friends. ♥

(P. S. If you click on the word "gray" above, it will lead you to a lovely blog written in 2004 that is still getting comments today!  I've always wondered about the spelling of the word "gray" and now, I will never wonder again!!)

Love and Moonbeams
☽♥☾

A Few Things...

Today, a few things are bothering me.

And, a few have made me smile.


My husband's job comes with $25.00 a week on the company gas card.  That makes me smile.  Today, Lance went to use said $25.00 and was able to purchase SIX gallons of gas with this twenty-five bucks.  Six!  When I started driving, gas was 99¢ a gallon.  $25.00 would've filled up my van!!  Now, we get six gallons.  But, at least we didn't have to pay for it lol.
Be comforted in knowing that Starbucks is still more expensive, at five bucks for 20 ounces, instead of the $4.11 per gallon that hubster paid for gas.

Speaking of coffee...we used to get the large container of Folgers at the grocery store for $9.99.  And, even as recent as a few weeks ago, it was $10.99.  Yesterday, we paid fourteen bucks for the same coffee. 
I'm very sad.  We go through a lot of coffee around my house. :)
Might be it's finally time to give in to my hatred of Costco.
I doubt it though :)

Today, a sweet email from an old friend made me smile.  I love the Internet.
And, also because of other sweet old friends and the Internet, I'm able to share with you something else which made me smile.

A friend of mine in Vancouver, Washington shared this rainbow on Facebook.  As you can see, I've stolen it lol.  The rainbow, and my stealing of it, both make me smile.

And, it's a little reminder that, even though we have to pay too much for our everyday stuff, the best things in life are free.

Love and snuggles from me to you, on this chilly California evening. ♥

 

A Blog While Smiling ☺

Lately, I have felt more settled in my soul. 
I don't know what it is.
I'm not complaining.

I still have conflicts.

I still think I could look better,
which nobody but me can make happen.
Big dose of getoffamyass haha. 
My mind is getting my body ready for this,
I think lol...
Time for an overhaul. ☺

But, inside...it's been a little nicer. ☺☻


Recently at my house:

*My kids learned how to play poker.
They've been playing on and off all weekend.
With pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters.
My husband wrote a little piece of paper for my niece, a list of the hands, what's what and what beats what.  It was cute.  I've not sat down to play with them, yet...but I hear my oldest son is pretty good.  He just told me, "Come on, Mom...I want to see what kind of player you are!"  I can tell at least one thing that the rest of my evening has in store for me.  :)  ♥

*My husband lost his wedding ring at work.  I wasn't as devestated as I thought I'd be.  He was.  Picking out a new one was fun (expensive!!!!), and it was a beautiful feeling inside of me to know that I love having him wear a wedding ring that matches mine, even more than I did when I first put it on his finger almost nine years ago.  Eleven years of togetherness, and I still feel so lucky. ♥  And, no, it never ever crossed my mind that he lost it, having sex with some random chick in a motel room lol.  Yeah, people suggested that.  They can kiss my ass.  I wish them trust in their future relationships.   
 
*A conversation that I smilingly overheard earlier:

Setting: My dining room table
Cast: Tyler-21; Ashley-16; Adam-10; Aidan-6; Erin-4
Props: One giant bag of some pretty ghetto ass animal crackers from Wal-Mart, which the kids (and the dogs) really like for some reason.  I think they taste like cardboard, and, upon biting into one, promptly spit it out. :)

The conversation:
"What the heck kind of animal IS this?"
"I think that one is some kind of Mountain Goat."
"This one looks like Raikou!!" (Raikou is a Pokemon, if you're unaware.)
"I think this one is a Tapir."
"No, this one's a Tapir..."
"You said that one was a Mountain Goat!!"
"Somebody ate the Mountain Goat, I said THIS one was a Tapir"
"I think this one's a Camel, but this one looks like a kitty."
"No, that one's Raikou."
"Nope, that's the Mountain Goat"
om nom nom nom

Me, missing the circus animal ones that came in a circus train box.  But smiling my face off.  It's the simple things. :) ♥

Now, it's pseudo-Spring Break for me, starting tomorrow.  It's only kinda Spring Break because my daughter still has school for one week, and then I get one week of REAL Spring Break. :)  She doesn't go to school until the afternoon though, so I still get to sleep in a little lol. ♥

Also, I love the moon.  Last night's Supermoon was fanstastically beautiful and made me shed a few tears, which hubby laughed at, but he's used to it.  We happened to be driving right at moonrise and I had him pull over for a minute when we reached a clear spot...and just absorbed the beauty.  It was so lovely and I cannot even begin to explain how I felt.  Some of you reading this may understand, some of you...it's ok if you shake your head lol.  I'M used to that. ;) ☽♥☾
 And finally, I'd like to wish anyone reading this a Blessed and Happy Spring!!  New beginnings, love in the air.  Take a minute to watch your trees bloom, smell the season in the air.  I wish I could post scent in a blog, for I would give you all orange blossoms and wet dirt, my favorite Springtime scents.  I'll try to figure out how to put it into words for you, the next time I'm sniffing a Springtime sunset. ☼

Off to make the most out of getting to sleep in a little tomorrow!!

A friend of mine suggested Captain Morgan and Dr. Pepper...lol.  And, maybe a few hands of poker with the kiddos lol. ♥♣♦♠

Many blessings to each of you.

Love and Moonbeams :)
☽♥☾

Fake It Til Ya Make It...

Disclaimer:
My dear friends...the title only applies to certain areas of life lol. 
There is one area where you should absolutely never ever apply the title.  But that's another blog :)  I know some of the people who read here would hate if I wrote a blog on why you're only cheating yourself if you fake it in certain areas of your life lol. ;)  So, I won't. 

My meaning for the title today is that sometimes there isn't room in your life to walk around crying.  Even though it's what you really wish you could do.  Even though you feel like it's all you're going to be able to do.  Sometimes you just have to knock it off and do what needs to be done.  And sometimes, by plastering that smile on your face for everyone else around you, it can actually improve your mood. 

Until the wrong song comes on the radio. ;)

Some other things that might help you through this kind of situation are...
Waterproof mascara, for those moments you can steal in the bathroom or the car to shed a few tears.  Men, you're so lucky lol.
Tissues.  You probably have some anyway, all of the freakin' flu!!
Talk radio!  Or, if you are lucky enough to have Sirius or smart enough to download the right stuff...COMEDY.  Just stay the hell away from the country channel because even if you're not a fan...if you're on the verge of tears, you're going to cry. 
Busywork!  Like writing a blog lol.  Something that keeps the brain busy for sure...you're going to space out if you're folding towels or mopping the floor.

When you can finally steal a moment to get it all out...do it right!!  You'll feel so much better.  This should help:

♥Love him♥

Until then...some of us in the world recognize your plastered on smile.  Some of you might recognize mine when it's there.  Everybuddy has days like this.  Yes, even adorable comedian guys who have lots of money.  Even that person who seems like the strongest person in the world to you, sometimes needs to just let it all out.  Some people don't know how...they turn to drugs or violence to release their pain instead...when in all truth, it just makes the pain greater...but that's another blog as well. ;)

I challenge you all to cry.  You're not a baby.  Or a psycho.  You're a human being.  Don't be afraid of your emotions.  If violence is your way, please at least get a punching bag.  I have one hanging in my back yard and I won't say I've never taken my frustrations out there.  But I always end up crying when I'm mad anyway lol.  Nothing like being in the middle of an argument and just breaking the hell down because you're so mad...when you're me, all the emotions end in tears.  Good, bad or ugly.  I'm ok with that.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm this way.  I cry over movies, songs, commercials, the news, books, my kids making me proud...etc, etc, etc!!  I don't usually hide it, and oftentimes, I can't.  I'm not ashamed of my emotions though.  Any of them.  When I love you, I love you and that's it.  When I don't...well, that's it too.  I won't make excuses for that any more than I'll make excuses for my tears.  But there are still some times when tears are not appropriate, especially when you're about to have a Weep-a-thon.  And it is to those times which I dedicate this blog. 
If you're afraid to cry, I suggest the shower.  Then, even you don't know that those are tears on your face...it's just the shower, after all.  :)  If you can't cry...get at me, I have movies and songs to suggest lol.  If you want to cry, but need a shoulder, I'm here for you!  You can reach me at kimberlylobley@gmail.com and we'll go from there.  Guess what?  That's another thing that can help you in the faking it 'til ya make it thing...helping someone else.  So, if you think you'd be burdening me by crying on my shoulder, you're dead wrong. 

Rest assured, I'll get my Dane Cook moment. 
Until then...
*Plasters smile back on*
I have stuff to do.

Hugs n things,
Kim

P. S. if this made no sense to you, I apologize.  It makes sense to me and it was something I needed to do. ;) ♥ Thanks for reading. ♥♥

Mingling Flavors

Yeah, I don't know what's up with the title either lol. 

I have spaghetti sauce simmering, and that's what it's doing right now, mingling flavors.
You can taste it right after you put it all together and it just tastes like tomato sauce...but after several hours of flavor mingling...it tastes amazing. :)

Yeah, dinner is making itself...my favorite.  I just have to cook pasta and toast up some garlic bread later, and it's all said and done.  I love easy.  The "domestic" thing doesn't come naturally to me.  Different people are good at different things.  Plus, on top of not really being "good" at being a housewife, I'm kind of lazy. ;)  I blame facebook lol!  In all seriousness though, this is something that has been bothering me lately, and I'm going to work on it.  I'm a housewife.  I need to act like it a little more.  Nothing is ever going to be perfect around my house, it's a full house!!  But it could be better.

Does anyone know where I can get a big stick?  LOL!  Get your mind out of the gutter.  Ok, don't...but there's another blog for that. ;)  Anyway, big stick.  I want to take the dogs for a walk!!  But, I know me and I would freak out if I'm walking Snoop (beautiful lady Pit Bull) and Tillie (adorable little girl American Eskimo) and here comes some big ass dog trying to fight with my babies...I'm going to freak out!!  I don't think a big stick would make me freak out any less because I just can't see myself hitting any dog with a stick, even if he or she were trying to hurt one of my dogs lol.  So, no go on the dog walking I guess.  *Sad*  Don't look at me like that, they have a big yard. :)

I think it's a little odd that I never blog and then just show up with randomness.  I miss it when I don't though.  My head is full and I need to get rid of some of the words in there to make room for more.  Dinner and dogs.  I have no idea why it helps, but it does. 

Now I need to turn on music, hope I don't wake the graveyard sleepers (my husband and nephew, not dead people) and clean up my living room.  I'll wait to vacuum, but the rest has to be done.  And it can't be done without music. ♥♪♫♥♪♫♥

Love to all who read my insanity. ♥
~♥~*Kim*~♥~