July is almost over...

And I've managed to skip almost two months on my blog. *sigh* Such is life, though.

Today's blog is going to have a recipe, both the original and my tweaks. The original came from a recipe booklet my mom gave me - "Fast & Fresh Pasta."

Mexican Manicotti

Ingredients:

12 uncooked manicotti shells

1 lb lean ground beef

1 (6oz) can tomato paste (the original recipe calls for
     specific brands, but since I didn't pay attention to
     that, I'm omitting the brands here)

1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix

1 package (3 oz) softened cream cheese

1 egg

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can (8 oz) diced green chiles

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out)

1.) Heat oven to 350.  Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.  Rinse WELL with cold water and drain WELL.  In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked; drain.  Stir in tomato paste, taco seasoning mix, and 1 1/2 cups water.  Cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly.
2.) Mix together cream cheese, egg, sour cream, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, chiles, and 2 TBSP of cilantro. Spoon about 1 cup beef mixture into bottom of baking dish. Spoon about 3 1/2  TBSP mixture into each pasta shell, and place in baking dish.  Top with remaining beef mixture.
3.) Cover and bake 40-45 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle remaining cheese over top and bake 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro before serving.

We tried this recipe pretty much as written.  I left out the egg as it always makes me uneasy mixing raw egg with soft cheeses (I always wonder if the egg got cooked enough - ick!), and I didn't use the cilantro.  It was pretty bland, and the filling left something to be desired, both in flavor and consistency. So...  the changes I've made...

14 uncooked manicotti shells (because that's the size off all the packages of manicotti
           shells I've found, plus it gives you a few extras if you get broken ones)
1 lb fajita chicken pieces (I get this in the quick meals area of the cold case)
1 8oz container cream cheese (I like the garden vegetable flavor, or to make it TS, I'm
           going to try using a Tempting Taco Cheese Ball)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 8oz can diced green chiles
1 package Taco Blend shredded cheese (about 2 cups in a package)
1 15-16oz can enchilada sauce (I use mild, but use the heat you like.  I'm feeding
           four picky children!)


1.) Heat oven to 350.  Spray a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook the manicotti shells as directed, rinse and drain well.
2.) In a large bowl, chop chicken pieces.  Smaller pieces are easier to fit into the shells.  Once chopped, add cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, green chiles, and about 1 cup (half the package) of shredded cheese.
3.) Pour in enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of baking dish.  Spoon chicken mixture into shells and place in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
4.) Cover and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining cheese, and bake 5 minutes more.


Let me know how your manicotti turns out, should you decide to make it!

So, last week went well.  I did my audition, didn't get cast, but that's ok.  My first audition in about 15 years, so just doing it was a bit of a WIN for me.  There are a few shows on the next season schedule that I plan to audition for, so having this one under my belt is good, too.

I tried a new recipe from a cookbook my mom gave me - Fast & Fresh Pasta.  I made the Mexican Manicotti.  It was alright, but nothing that blew my mind or anything...  So, I bought the stuff to make it again with a few changes in the recipe, hoping I can improve it.  Of course, there will also be the addition of some TS products, because why wouldn't there be?

Got the kids signed up for summer reading at the public library, and signed myself up, too.  They're off to a great start with their reading minutes or pages, depending which age group they are in.  I've already finished one book, too, so that's great.

And in other exciting news, Sarah and Cris are coming to see me!  If I have any readers, I'm sure most of them don't really care whether Sarah and Cris come to see me or not, but I'm excited.  We haven't seen each other in way too long!

Needless to say, I'll be busy this week and next weekend.  I have to do some baking, finish a gift, work on some stuff for the craft show, read a book, take the kids to the library, work at the theatre 2 nights this week, watch my nephews three days this week...  Then I get to hang out with my friends, probably drink too much, and have a great relaxing time.  I am SO looking forward to that!

Wish Me Luck

So, today is a day of note for me.  Although it has nothing to do with Tastefully Simple, or even the kids or my other job...

Tonight, I audition for the Lincoln Community Playhouse.

I know, not really that exciting for most of you.  However, as someone with a BA in Vocal Music with emphasis in performance, I'm rather excited to finally be using my degree for something!  Plus, it would just be AWESOME to get cast.  I would complete freak out!

So, as the title says...  Wish me luck!

The end of school approaches...

And I'm torn between being excited because all this stuff we've had to do to finish up the school year will be done...  And being very unexcited, as that means I'll have 4-6 kids running around my house every day.

Not that I don't want my kids (or my nephews) here.  They just get so used to the school year routine, and by the time we have a summer routine that doesn't drive everyone nuts, it's time to go back to school!  It's kind of a vicious cycle.

Anyway...  Aside from the end of school, things are going well.  I consulted for two Tastefully Simple parties last week.  Both were a lot of fun, and were friends of mine, so that always makes it even more enjoyable.  Lots of great ideas thrown out, lots of new things to try in my own kitchen, and some new people I got to meet that were a lot of fun.  One of the ladies I met is from my hometown area of Nebraska, and worked with my uncle for 19 years.  So, she knew all kinds of things about me and my family.  Kind of fun to talk about Haigler and Benkelman.

That's about all I have to report.  No great new recipes, although I have one brewing in my head right now.  I'll let you know if I make it, and how it turns out.  It starts with TS Nana's Apple Cake Mix.  That's all you get for now.  :)

Yet again, why I don't make resolutions...

As you can see, there is a reason I don't make resolutions.  I really don't keep them.  I kind of forget to try.  It's crazy.

Anyway, life, life, life, more life going on here.  January was a good TS month for me, February was an awful TS month me, March was my best month to date, April I took off from TS (without really intending to, but hey...), and May is going pretty well.  I had an open house for Cinco de Mayo with 8 of my own recipes made with TS products, an assortment of TS frozen drinks, and just a good time.  I had my second party of the month tonight, and it went VERY well.  Shaina and her family are wonderful hosts, and I always have a great time.

I have one more party this week, and I think it will be GREAT!

My next question - have you had a Tastefully Simple Party?  Would you like to try some great food that's easy to make and spend a few hours hanging out with friends?  June is a FANTASTIC month for hosts! Comment or email me to find out the details.  You can earn some AMAZING extras, plus there is a random drawing that could get you $116 in FREE Tastefully Simple Spring-Summer products.  All you have to do is host a party in June, and answer your phone during your party!  Really, it could be that easy!

Ok...  In other news, I've been working on some various crochet projects, including two sweaters for my 2 year old, two new purses for myself, several smaller purses for my daughters and their friends, a lacy looking vest for my mom, and I don't remember what else...  The vest for Mom is a pattern we found online.  One of the sweaters is an adaptation of the vest pattern, sort of...  The rest are all my own patterns.  Yeah, I'm crafty.

I also created three different versions of catalog envelopes/folders that I use to hold a Tastefully Simple catalog, order form, my business card, and any flyers with specials.  This keeps each packet together in my purse while keeping any "extras" out (like McDonald's receipts).  Then, after showing these creations to the rest of my TS Sponsor's team, I was asked to help host a "Craft Night" to teach them how to make them.  Awesome!

Another new happening - my husband is starting grad school on June 1.  Good for him.  He's been looking into it for a while, and has found a program he likes, a school that has a schedule that works with our life, and he qualifies for a variety of assistance programs since he is a disabled veteran.  Should be fun!  He and the kids can do homework together.

Well, I think that will do it for now.  I really am going to try to post more on here.  My goal is once a week to start with...  Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy New Year

Ok, so it's official.  I'm REALLY bad at this blog thing.  My last post was nearly two months ago.  Sadness.  But, new year means new resolutions and all that.  I'm not big on resolutions any more, as I've found that I don't keep them...  But, I will try to post on my blog more often!

Things that have happened in the last two months - Christmas, New Year's Eve, my son's birthday, Girl Scout Cookie sales, work, and a whole lot of other stuff!

Christmas was good.  We got an XBox360, the Halo Reach version, and lots of games and stuff for it.  Again, another huge THANKS to my friends Jarrod N and Ryan C for all their help with that.  Jarrod basically was Santa this year, in that he gave me a bunch of the games he had that he doesn't play anymore, and Ryan loaned us his Kinect for an extended amount of time while his xbox is being fixed.  Both just made my kids' holiday break, I must say!

New Year's Eve was a fantastically fun time!  We had a few people over, had some TASTY food (yes, a large amount of it was TS related! I'll get to that later.), and played on the Kinect.  Yep, the grown-ups played on it.  It was great fun, especially watching Amy & Rob box!  I really need to find the pictures from that!
Also, NYE is my son's birthday, so that was nice to have a few people over that he knows.  All the kids stayed up until midnight except the littlest one, which they love doing.  We forgot to get confetti this year, though, so they missed doing that, but I certainly didn't miss the clean up!

We had a sleepover for my son's birthday about a week after NYE.  He invited 4 boys from his class over for it.  Man!  Apparently, if 10 & 11 year-old boys are not sleeping, they are STARVING!  I swear, every couple hours from 5 until about 3am, they kept coming into the kitchen, asking for snacks, drinks, food of any kind...  Insanity!
While all those boys were playing video games, I took my daughters and one of their friends to see Tangled.  That is a cute movie!  We'll probably have to buy it when it comes out.  A nice twist on the traditional Rapunzel story, but nothing unexpected.  The girls all loved it!

And lastly, Girl Scout Cookies!  Both my older daughters are in Scouts this year, one a Daisy, and one a Brownie, and they just finished up cookie sales.  Both set goals of 50 boxes this year, since this is the first year we've done Scouts, and they are in the younger age range so GS discourages them from going door-to-door around the neighborhood since they are young.  So, mostly asking friends and family and Mom & Dad's coworkers.  But, on a completely awesome note, they both not only made their goals, but passed them by quite a bit!  77 & 78 boxes!  Next year, we'll have to shoot for 100!  But huge THANK YOUs to everyone that bought from us!  If we missed you this year, you can expect to hear from us next year, I'm sure.

Ok, now back to the NYE food...  There were a variety of usual snacks - chips, crackers, cookies, etc.  Our main course was homemade chili with some TS Onion Onion and Garlic Garlic in it and TS Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup.  We had a variety of "mix-ins" available for the soups, including ham chunks, bacon, cheese, crackers, and sour cream.  I also made some pizza bites, I guess we'll call them.  I took a can of croissants and separated them into rectangles, which I patted/rolled to make sure they were stuck together.  I cut each rectangle in half lengthwise and in thirds the other direction to get 6 smaller squares.  Pat those squares even flatter and larger, the place each into a greased cup on a mini muffin pan.  Press one pepperoni (or small Canadian bacon round) into each, top witht a small spoonful of the TS Italian-like cheeseball of your choice (I had a Bruschetta one still on hand, but I think the Cheesy Chive Warm Dip would also be a tasty choice!), a little shredded cheese, and another pepperoni on top.  Then pull the four corners up to meet on top, bake for about double the time on the croissant package, and serve warm.  They were a big hit!

I also made a really tasty dessert for Christmas Eve that I will be making again with a different filling.  Mix about 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 2 TBSP TS Warm Up! Mulling Spice into about 4 oz of softened cream cheese until well blended.  Separate one can of croissants and place them wide ends overlapping around a pie plate.  Do not roll them yet!  You should now have a kind of star shape.  Spread the cream cheese mixture around the wide ends of the croissants, but not into the center of the pie plate.  Top with sliced strawberries and kiwi (I chose these for the red and green, since I made it as a Christmas dessert), then roll the end points under the wide edge.  You should now have a wreath-looking shape, open in the middle.  Sprinkle the top with about 1 TBSP each sugar and TS Warm Up! Mulling Spice and bake as directed on croissant package, although you will need to bake a bit longer to get the croissants nice and golden brown.  Serve warm or cooled.  Tasty & pretty!

Ok, I think this one is long enough.  Enjoy!

Recap of Thanksgiving and what's for supper at my house...

Thanksgiving was fun.  We went to visit the extended family, saw my aunt's new house (very nice!), got to see lots of cousins I hadn't seen in a while, ate too much, watched football, did an early Christmas gift exchange, and hung out with my brother and his wife.  Oh, and all that was in three days!

My two contributions to Thanksgiving this year: with the help of the kiddos and Grandma, we made the place markers for the table, and I created my own recipe for a Tastefully Simple dessert!

The place markers were absolutely adorable - Oreo Turkeys!  In an after school craft class, one of my daughters made one, and we opted to make 30 for Thanksgiving.  I've found a pattern/recipe online here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamakimi/2056437398/ that also has a great picture.  We added a toothpick with a paper name tag taped to it stuck in with the "feathers", and viola!  Place cards!

My Tastefully Simple dessert turned out AMAZING!  I'm calling it Nana's Apple Cake Extraordinare.
          Ingredients: (I doubled this, as I made mine for a large family gathering)
            TS Nana's Apple Cake Mix
            2 Eggs
            1 cup chopped apples
            1 cup halved fresh cranberries
            1/2 cup cinnamon chips
            1-2 Tbsp TS Warm Up Mulling Spice
            1/4 cup powdered sugar
            1 Tbsp milk

Combine first 5 ingredients.  Place in WELL greased 8x8 pan, sprinkle with Warm Up Mulling Spice.  Bake as directed Cake Mix package.
In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk to make icing.  When cake is done and cooled some, drizzle icing over top.  Serve warm or cold, as a dessert or a wonderful brunch coffee cake!

That brings us to supper at my house tonight.  I think I'm going to make chicken with TS Asian Honey Mustard Dressing in my crock pot this afternoon, make some rice later, add a few frozen veggies, and have a tasty Asian inspired dish that the kids will (hopefully!) eat.  I think it sounds great, but then, I am one of the adults in the house.  :)

Another few more happenings in the last couple weeks. My baby turned 2 the day before Thanksgiving.  She's getting so big!  I've consulted for a few more Tastefully Simple parties (I'm up to 7 now, with 2 more in Jan!), so that is going well.  Harry Potter 7 came out, so work at my real job has been crazy, and it's only going to get worse...

Did you know that Christmas Day is the busiest day of the year for movie theatres?  It's true, and I'll be working that day!  Maybe I'll see you there.