Something easy for dinner

Easy Enchilada Stuff
Here's what we had for dinner the other night and it's so easy that I wanted to share it with you.
Have you ever made enchiladas? I love them, but they are labor intensive. My daughter and I, over the years have pared it down to this easy recipe.
First, brown 2 pounds of ground beef. You could add a chopped onion in here, like I usually do, but we didn't have any onions for this meal and I was too lazy to run to the store for one onion.
Drain it, if necessary. We had extra lean and there was nothing to drain. We've also made this with ground turkey and with cubed chicken breast. Both were yummy, so feel free to be inventive.



Get a bag of 3 dozen corn tortillas and rip them into bite size pieces. I tear up about 4 at a time into a big bread bowl. Rip up all 36 of them.



Get out the 2 pounds of shredded cheese (my favorite style is Monterrey Jack or the Mexican blend, but cheddar or mozzarella will work nicely, too) and a couple of cans of enchilada sauce. For this recipe, I use 2 large (about 30 oz) or one large and one smaller. My favorite is green sauce, but if you like the red, go for it. Open the bag and open the cans and dump it all into the ripped up tortillas.
OK, maybe you might want to save a handful or two of the cheese to sprinkle on top. I forgot to do that step this time. Guess I was in too much of a hurry. :o) Had to get back to quilting, you know.

You've got the corn tortillas, hamburger, cheese and enchilada sauce all together in a big huge bowl, now make sure you stir it up well. It works best if the tortillas get coated well with the sauce. Now, dump it in a pan (or two). Sometimes I cook it in a 4-qt Dutch oven pan, but this time,


I baked it in a 13x9x2 pan and there was still enough to fill a 9x9x2 pan and put it in the freezer for a different meal. Once it's in the pan, you can sprinkle it with cheese, if you'd like. Not necessary, and a bit messy.


Now, cover it with foil and put it in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes. That's it.
Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the baked version, but it looks about the same. It's goes well garnished with sour cream and salsa, and with beans and/or rice as a side dish. Yum! Let me know if you try it and if your family liked it.

***It tastes even better as microwaved leftovers.

I'm a Mustang

To find out what kind of car you are, here's a link to the game:

http://www.tomorrowland.us/sportscar/

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

The grandkids got to play together

I know you want to see some photos of the grandkids. Right? :o) Chloeand Liliana came over to play with Wren and Ben. Wow! It's amazing how fast a 1, 2 and 2 3-year-olds can thrash a bedroom. They played with the toys and played *in* the toybox and Ben even played dress up.
Enjoy!

The Monkey quilt is done

The Monkey quilt, for my niece in Arizona, is all finished. Of course, Wren & Ben want a Monkey quilt, too, so it's a good thing I have leftovers, huh? I do believe that I will have to use the rest of it up soon, so that they have their own Monkey quilt. They love the "5 Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed" song.


Here's the backing.
I had a red twin sheet, but obviously, it wasn't large enough, so I split it and added strips of leftover sheets from previous projects. That way, I could still use her favorite color, red, without buying anything else.

And just so you can see it, here is a close-up of both the quilting and the binding. I love the look of this binding. It's a batik with curvy stripes, that I got off the clearance rack in my LQS. I didn't know what I needed it for when I bought it, but I'm finding a good use for part of it here.

It's Independence Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you celebrate it in a way that makes your heart sing with happiness.

Have you heard of Golden Birthdays?

It's when your age is the same as your birthday date. My niece was 27 on the 27th, so that was her golden birthday, something she's been looking forward to since she was 5. I decided to help her celebrate by making her a Golden Birthday quilt. She had to go on a trip to California, but when she gets back in town, she will get it. She knows I'm making her a gift, and I think she suspects what it might be, but I told her I wasn't telling because it was a surprise. :o) Want to see? (That's my little grandson in the picture.)



And here's the back. I think it's a beautiful match...especially for a thrift store sheet. I love to use those for backings. I think she'll like it.


Did you notice that there are 27 golden hearts at the top? Yup. I just can't decide if I want to tell her, or let her discover it for herself.

Date Day in Portland

Yesterday, we went to the play Avenue Q, a Broadway Across America production. It was irreverant, filled with cultural references and absolutely hilarious! It was a wonderful introduction to Broadway plays. In August, I have tickets to take 2 of my kids to see Phantom ofthe Opera. Hopefully, that will be just as wonderful.
After the show, we hung out and killed a few hours and then went to a CD release party. The Bryan Flannery Band released their new CD, Rushing Back, so we listened to the band and bought the CD. I work with Marcus, the drummer, so it was nice to support a friend. :o)
It was nice to listen to the band, too.


Today should be cooler than yesterday. We broke heat records, 100+. Today is should only get to 92. I think it's a perfect day to try and get some stuff cleaned up around here so that I can do more quilting. I've got a binding to finish and a couple of June blocks to do and they are more fun to do with a clean sewing table............ Hey, it could happen! lol