I madeGreen beef enchiladas last night.DS is re heating a couple right now for lunch.They sure smell good! Easy to make too. Green Beef Enchiladas 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef (Boneless,skinless chicken breast can also be used,cooked and shredded) 10 medium size flour tortillas or 12-15 corn tortillas.I used flour last night and they were delish! About 4 cups shredded Jack or cheddar cheese or a mixture of both. 1 large can green enchilada sauce.(The kind made with tomatillos and green chilies). Cook the ground meat in a pot with a little water if needed.Season with salt,pepper,garlic powder and about a tsp.cumin.Drain off any liquid. Heat the flour tortillas in the microwave just to soften them a bit to make them easier to handle.I just open the bag and throw bag and all in for 60 seconds or so until they are warm through.If using corn tortillas heat them in hot oil for a few seconds and drain on paper towels. Place the meat on the tortilla with a little shredded cheese and roll up tightly.Place rolled tortillas close together in a casserole sprayed with non stick spray.Pour the can of sauce over the top and sprinkle with desired amount of shredded cheese.Cover with foil and bake in a 350* oven for about 20 minutes.Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is bubbly. Another easy one that I just made a few days ago. Ritzy Chicken Casserole About 6 cups cooked and cubed boneless,skinless chicken breast.I season the chicken with salt,pepper,garlic powder and poultry seasoning,place in a baking dishsprayed with non stick spray and bake at 375 uncovered for about 30 minutes or so until done.Pour off the liquid and set the dish aside to use later for the casserole.Let the chicken cool,then cut into small cubes and spread evenly into the baking dish. Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup and a cup of sour cream together and spread evenly on top of the chicken.My original recipe calls for 1 cup of mayonaise.I substituted sour cream once when I didn't have mayo and everyone here likes it better.It is good either way so it's your preference. Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers finely in a plastic zipper bag or you can use a food processor.I use my little food chopper for this and it works great. Melt 1 stick of butter(Has to be butter,not margerine.Too much water content in margarine) and add to the cracker crumbs,mixing well.Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the soup mixture.Bake uncovered in a 350* oven for 30-40 min. or until until the topping is lightly browned.

meatloaf...mashed potato's and gravy...corn...green beans...noodles...baked beans and rolls...now who wants to clean up...I made lots for leftovers since I wont be here the next three nights and we still have some Veggie Soup and a Pasta Dish I made last night in the frig...no one is going hungry around here unless their blind and can't see what's in the frig!! My son got a nook in his crawl last week and cleaned my refrigerator...I swear he even alphabetized the stuff in the door...LOL...It is soo clean...I wish he'd get these bursts of energy more often around here!!

Went all out last night... I've never done Chinese, except for an occasional stir fry, and I had a new cookbook :-) I made: Orange Chicken Shrimp in Lobster Sauce Kung Po Pork Served with Rice and some sort of oriental rice noodles, along with (purchased) eggrolls and fortune cookies. Emi and her boyfriend joined Gary and I for dinner and I received soooo many compliments. It took about 2 1/2 hours (of solid kitchen work by ME) to prepare the meal and another hour to clean up the huge amount of dishes and pans I used, so I won't be doing this often, despite the compliments. Mostly the recipes were simple, it was just co-ordinating timing and so on that was tough. The food was good, although a bit salty. The Orange Chicken was a bit of a disappointment (only to me) because I didn't like it nearly as well as I do restaurant Orange Chicken. I might have to look for a different recipe and try again. Anyway, a fun cooking and eating evening!

My mother had a very rough life too...given away when she was 4 years old. She was very good to me when I was a child. I never considered her an animal lover....she could chop the head off of a chicken, but only later did I realize how much she knew about animals and the common sense she had about them. I know she wasn't allowed pets when she was growing up....although they had a barn cat named Bob. I had every kind of pet you can think of. I had to go to church and I hated it, until I was a teenager and met my husband to be and he had to go to church too, and then I even went to Thursday night business meetings. I have been to church 3 times since I got married almost 52 years ago. As my mother got older, she was very difficult...even mean. She was rude to some people and then wondered why they didn't want anything to do with her. However, she was very funny, when she wanted to be, and a lot of people used to like to go have coffee with her. Myself, I am more of a loner...mainly because I have very little free time and I would rather spend it doing something I want to do, and that seldom includes being around other people. Sometimes. But not always. I look like my mother and I am like her in that I am very healthy and I feel sort of inept around anyone who is sick. Now, a sick animal....I am better with those. I never remember my mother being sick, and she didn't think anyone else ever got sick either. She would tell you to "get up and move around....you will feel better." I think sometimes that is the case....but, not always. She loved to go to thrift shops and yard sales, and I used to take her but waited in the car, or shrink down in the backseat, when I was a kid....but now I love them and almost everything I own belonged to someone before me....pets included. She knew a lot about nature....the names of all the birds, flowers, plants...even weeds, trees. It surprised me when I got old enough to notice that most peope have no idea the names of the most common wildflowers and birds and trees. So I am like her, in that way. Now my daughter....polar opposite of me. Neat freak. One cat. Loves to read....I can't get interested in fiction at all. I try every year...make a New Year's Resolution to read more...I fail. I will read non fiction...autobiographies, books on how to do things....but fiction? No. I also don't watch tv. I quit when I was in jr high....only watch some news...less now than before, cooking shows, stuff like that. I like documentaries and watch them on youtube. I am proud of my daughter....she is very smart. Also has been a very good daughter and is a very kind, caring person. She is a city girl....loves the theater and activities available in Houston. I go when I have to. My mother never learned to drive. I practically live in my vehicle. I don't drive as much as I used to....I used to put 50,000 miles a year on my cars. I have driven all over the USA, often alone....sometimes just my daughter and me, and sometimes my husband and me.