I don’t have a lot of notes on this dish, because I followed the directions exactly. And it came out delicious!
So instead, I’ll share a story… Continue reading
Chicken Tamale Casserole
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Author Archives: Rachel
My 2009 Reads
Happy New Year! I hope your Christmas and other holidays were great.
I managed to catch a nasty cold just in time for New Years Eve, and it was one of those that forces you to rest all day, even though you don’t really want to. But ironically, I think the rest helped me over all, because I woke up on fire this morning! I’m NEVER “on fire” at 6:00 on a Monday morning (OK, at 6:00 on any morning). Especially this particular morning since it was only 18 degrees outside!
New Years is a time to reflect, and in that spirit I’m reviewing the books I read in 2009. Not all of these were stellar choices, but I stopped feeling guilty about unfinished books a long time ago. If I’m not hooked by page 100, I’m done! Actually, I start getting skeptical around page 50. I’m too busy to waste time on a boring book, even if it is a “classic.”
Here’s a quick run down for my 2009 reads:
- Favorite book: Water for Elephants
- Least favorite: The Shack (don’t get me started)
- The movie didn’t live up to the book: The Time Traveler’s Wife
- The movie was better! Confessions of a Shopaholic
You can also click each book cover to see my rating and a quick review of it.
The Great Experiment
Update: Thanks to everyone for reading my post and voting in the contest! I didn’t win, but I’ll probably try again soon. If I don’t see you before the holidays, Merry Christmas!
I’m participating in a contest called The Great Experiment. It was started and is hosted by The Girl Who.
Each month, a topic is posted and readers are asked to submit a blog post about the topic. Then all the readers vote on the topic they like best. It’s $10 to enter, and the winner takes home all the money.
I thought this was such a neat idea. So simple and fun. This month’s topic was open, so I entered my post on cooking pulled pork sandwiches. Check it out, and if you like it, be sure to vote for my entry.
To vote (ends Saturday night at 10:00pm Mountain Time):
Voting is only open for one day, and only one person can vote from each computer. She tracks IP addresses to keep it fair.
- Go to The Girl Who blog.
- Enter a comment saying that you are voting for my post.
Wish me luck!
I cheated on Thanksgiving
I have a rule – I don’t listen to Christmas music or put up decorations until after Thanksgiving. But that Friday it’s on. I listen to the 24/7 Christmas music station with total glee. And if I’m lucky I’ll talk Roger into getting the Christmas tree.
Normally this rule is easy to follow (despite my love for Christmas music), because I’m in the church choir. Around September we start practicing music for the Christmas cantata, and by November we are having extra rehearsals devoted to only the cantata music. It’s Heaven!
However, this morning I don’t know what happened. I cranked my car and 104.7 The Fish greeted me as usual. I can always count on them, because they wait until the Friday after Thanksgiving to start playing Christmas music. So I was confused when I heard the DJ say, “It’s The Fish Holiday season…” and proceeded to play “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”
Well that was all it took. I’m like a junkie – a Christmas music junkie – and I needed a fix. But I was maintaining. I was OK. I was going to make it to Thanksgiving dang it! Mind over matter!
But here’s the thing. I love Christmas music. No I mean, I LOVE it. I have Christmas music on my iPhone all the time. I never know when I’ll need to hear “O Come, O Come Emanuel” or “O Holy Night.” Usually in the sweltering sauna we call August around here, I can listen to one song and I’m good.
But in November? With the leaves falling and the wind blowing? With my excitement that my parents will be here in less than 24 hours? With pumpkin pie waiting for me? How could I resist? It was the perfect storm. So I gave in. I sang along with the radio and then switched to my own music. It was a holiday hoedown in my car all the way to work this morning!
I’ve managed to regain control of myself, so I won’t be singing “Frosty the Snowman” while I cook the ham. Baby steps. I can do this.
Tomato and sausage risotto
Why should you make this dish? Sure, it’s delicious and somewhat healthy. But let’s get serious. Here are the real reasons to make it:
- watching 1 cup of Arborio rice soak up 3 cups of liquid is better than watching old reruns of Mr. Wizard’s World
- all the stirring and chopping builds up your arm muscles
- your mom never let you throw a pile of leaves into a pot and cook them
- it’s meat, veggies, and carbs in one dish (who needs sides?)
- saying “risotto” makes you feel like a real chef
- nothing fills you up quicker than rice so this meal can go a long ways
This is yet another great recipe from Martha Stewart. It was really easy to make, and I found all the ingredients at my local Publix. Click the link to view the recipe. Enjoy!