A Whole Bunch Of Nothing

Sorry, I just don't have much to write about these days. I'm usually pretty quiet around this time anyway.  It was 7 degrees on the way to work this morning. It was 22 degrees at lunch. It will be colder on the way home. I think that about sums it up.  You know how you hide out after work or on the weekends when it's 108 degrees outside?  This is our 108 degrees. Yuck. You know how the  heat just kind of drains you? I'm drained. You know how after all July and August 90 degrees feels cool? I'm dreaming of that balmy 40-45 degree weather! I think you understand.

 

Football is coming to a close and there will be a month or two of complete depression until signs of Spring start to pop up. (Speaking of Spring popping up, I can't wait to see if the miniature daffodils we planted last year come up! Photos to follow hopefully.) But on the up side Downton Abbey, American Idol and Top Chef Seattle are on. We have lots of shows that we like, so we hunker down and watch.  

 

I have been going into work on Saturday mornings to learn some new skills. I am taking classes on-line to learn the Adobe Creative Suite a little better. I want to be able to create images, maps, etc. in a professional way. Not sure how I will use it ultimately. Trying to get some of the people at work to give me some challenges. Hopefully I can create a little more this coming year. Maybe sometime I can go back to a blog that I can fully create like I had before. Who knows. But I am really enjoying learning some new software and getting more ideas.  I think you'll see my work start to show up more on the blog.  That's the goal anyway.

 

We had our pastor and his family over on Sunday to watch the game and we made a giant Mexican feast. Most of it was "build your own" since I wasn't sure of everyone's  tastes. But there was plenty left over. We ate leftovers Monday but now it's Wednesday and I have all these half-eaten containers of different items. So I decided to try a casserole.  Makes sense, right?  Throw it all in a pan, sprinkle cheese on top and bake.

 

I have no real recipe or measurements. I just took what I had and dumped it into a pan. I chopped and sauteed a little red onion, green onion, white onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic in a pan. When it was softened I added some taco meat, salsa, drained pinto beans, cilantro, salt & pepper, cumin and chili powder until it heated through. 

 

In a separate pan I made a roux with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. I added a cup of milk to make a thickened sauce. (Didn't want to use canned cream of soup.) When it was almost ready I added some Monterrey jack cheese and mixed the sauce into the meat and vegetable mixture.

 

Because I LOVE spinach, I bought a bag of baby spinach at the store.  Kale would work good too I imagine. 

 

I layered corn tortillas, fresh baby spinach and the meat mixture like a lasagna in a 9"x9" pan. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes until warm and bubbly. I garnished it with fresh tomato, cilantro, avocado slices and a little chopped lettuce (just thinking of Grandmommy).

 

I'll try to be better at blogging. Just that time of year. Not much happening around here. Everyone is hunkered down waiting for Spring or at least 40 degrees.