Beef Enchilada Cups

I'm always on the lookout for new dinner recipes that are cheap, quick, and easy, and I came across this one  on Pinterest. It's a recipe for Chicken Enchilada Cups using won ton wrappers, and it looked delicious. I picked up a roasted chicken from the grocery store so all I would have to do is shred it up and I used store bought enchilada sauce. So, this recipe took less than 30 min and it was really tasty.

A few nights later, I made the recipe again with my own twist. I used beef instead of chicken and added a few extra ingredients. This is my version of Beef Enchilada Cups:

Beef Enchilada Cups 

original recipe here

• 24 won ton wrappers
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
• 1 can enchilada sauce (or use about 1/2 cup homemade enchilada sauce)
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 to 2 green onions, sliced thin 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Press won ton wrappers into the cups of a mini muffin pan. Make sure the edges of the won ton wrappers do not fold in or you won't be able to add you filling later. Bake for 7 min. 

While won ton wrappers are baking, mix together ground beef, cilantro, Rotel tomatoes, and enchilada sauce. Remove won ton cups and add beef mixture, evenly dividing filling between all the cups. Add a pinch of shredded Mexican blend cheese to the top of each up and bake another 6 or 7 min. Cups are done when the cheese is melted and the edges of the won ton cups are just beginning to brown. 

Remove cups and top with a few slices of green onions. You can also top with other garnishes like sour cream or salsa. 

Enjoy!

Composting

Composting is something I have wanted to start but haven't yet because I just hadn't found the right system for us. I wanted something easy to assemble, fairly compact, and most of all...... cheap!! So, when I came across a tutorial on building your own compost bin from wood pallets on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I was pretty darn excited. 

All you need to complete this project using this tutorial is 4 or 5 wood pallets and a few smaller things like hinges and 14 gauge wire. The best part about this- you can find pallets for FREE!! Just check your local hardware store or other similar places and see if they have extra pallets they would give you. 

My dad told me today that our local electric company has lots of extra pallets that they give away daily, so that's where I'm planning on getting mine for my compost bin. Yay! 

Once I (and by "I" I mean my sweet hubby ;)) build our new compost bin, I'll post pictures for you all to see! But, for now, let's talk about the do's and don'ts of composting.

What can I put in my compost bin?

- Pretty much anything plant based 

      -fruit and veggies peels and leftovers

      - grass clippings

      - fallen leaves

      - straw

     - shredded newspaper

      - wood shavings or sawdust (in limited amounts)

- Some animal based ingredients 

      - crushed eggshells

      - manure from plant-eating animals like cows, horses, or chickens 

This is a pretty small list. In the All New Square Foot Gardening book, you can find more information on composting.  

What can't I put in my compost bin?

- Material that is diseased or infested with pests

- Meat or animal bones

- Grease

-Whole eggs

-Dairy products

-Seeds or fruit pits

- Manure from animals that eat meat like cats or dogs

-Bakery products

- Supper plate scraps

Do I need to turn my compost pile?

Technically, aerobic compost (exposed to air) doesn't need to be turned. Building a compost bin out of wood pallets, your compost pile will be exposed to air as the pallets have open slats in them.

But, I would turn my pile anyways (and plan to). Turning speeds the decomposition of your compost pile significantly because it increases the oxygen exposure to all parts of the pile and it helps to ensure your compost pile doesn't begin to have a foul odor. 

Turn the pile every 10 days or so with a shovel or garden fork. You can also use a compost aerator to turn your compost pile. This one is reasonably priced and has good reviews on Amazon. 

Keeping the compost pile moist

Your compost pile needs to stay moist, not wet, in order to decompose properly. So, check the consistency of the pile, and add water as needed. I think a great time to do this would be right before you plan on turning your compost pile. This would help to evenly distribute moisture. 

That's composting in a nut shell! We plan on building ours this weekend hopefully, and I'd love to see pictures of yours or here any words of wisdom from those of you who currently compost.

Happy composting!! 

Family trip to the park

So the weather here in Texas is starting to warm up nicely. Well, except for the random day with the high in the 50s but... anyways. My family decided to take advantage of the lovely spring weather, make a picnic lunch, and head to the park.

Our small town has a really nice park that was revamped a few years ago. Its got a great little play area and a covered pavilion with picnic tables. So, I packed up some chicken salad wraps(check back Saturday for my recipe!), some cuties, and apple juice, and we headed out to the park with Grumpy and Nonna (my mom and dad) and Mama Sue (my grandmother).

Mia had a blast playing with me and her daddy and the grandparents got a kick out of watching it all. She's just so cute you can't help but love her :).

Mia and Daddy on the swingset

Mama Sue, Mia, and Grumpy

Our beautiful girl!

Fabric Flower Canvas

I love doing crafts with canvas. It's cheap, readily available, and easy to work with. So, I wanted to share my latest craft I've done with canvas. And it's super adorable!!

DIY Fabric Flower Canvas Art

Materials:

an 11x14 canvas 

1 fat quarter

a staple gun

scissors (not pictured)

hot glue gun (not pictured)

Felt fabric flower (link to tutorial to follow)

iron and ironing board 

First, I made my fabric flower using the tutorial found here. It's a picture tutorial but it's pretty easy to follow. I did find that I needed to cut more pentagons out ("petals") than she indicated, but other than that I just followed the pictures exactly. If you have questions, feel free to leave me a comment below. Oh, and a little tip: use something to press the bottom corners of the petals into the hot glue you place in the middle besides your finger (yup, I learned this the hard way). I used the tip of a mechanical pencil. 

Next, I covered my canvas with my fat quarter which I got from Fresh Modern Fabric on Etsy. It is good quality fabric for a great price. 

First, iron your fabric, being sure to get all the wrinkles and creases out. Lay the canvas on the fat quarter, making sure the fabric will be lying straight on the front of the canvas (especially if your fabric has a print like this fabulous chevron fabric). Next, trim your fabric to the appropriate size to ensure you have plenty of extra to stretch around the back and staple to the canvas. 

Step 2 is to wrap your fabric up around on of the long sides of your canvas and secure it using your staple gun. Repeat this on the other long side of the canvas. Be sure to stretch the fabric tight as you staple you second side so you won't have any wrinkles in the front.

To begin the first shorter side, I staple both corners using a technique similar how you would wrap a gift (see pictures below). Then I do the middle of the side and repeat the process on the last side. 

All 4 sides of the canvas should be completed now.

The last step is to add your fabric flower you made. Cover the back of the felt flower with hot glue and place it on the canvas. I did mine in the upper left corner, but you could place it in the middle or wherever you like. 

Simple, right? Making your flower takes the longest, but the result is totally worth it! So cute!

Take a deep breath.....

*Deeeeep breath*

Man, these last 2 weeks have been tough. Between a sick child, having a paper and exam due for school, clinicals to complete for school, and some unexpected financial stress, I have been stressed out and exhausted quite frankly.

You know the old saying "When it rains, it pours"? Yeah, that's what my life feels like right now. It's super difficult to stay positive during times like these, but my Heavenly Father always seems to have a way of reminding me that He is in control. I listen to Christian radio and 2 songs seem to be on repeat lately, no matter what station I'm listening to.

The first song is called Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin. It is so uplifting and a great reminder that God is in control no matter what. And guess what, He's already won the battle! What an awesome thought! Here are the lyrics (source):

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

The second song is Strangely Dim by Francesca Battistelli. It reminds me that if I stay focused on God and who He is, all the worries and distractions of life become "strangely dim" or seem to fade away from focus. And you know what? That is so true! Here are the lyrics (source):

I've had all these plans piled up sky high 
A thousand dreams on hold
And I don't know why, 
I ?Got a front row seat 
To longest wait
And I just can't see
Past the things I pray
Today

(Chorus) 

?But when I fix my eyes on all that You are
Then every doubt I feel
?Deep in my heart
Grows strangely dim
All my worries fade
And fall to the ground
Cuz when I seek Your face
And don't look around
Any place I'm in
Grows strangely dim 

Sometimes where I stand
On this narrow road?Is in a raging storm
Or a valley low
But oh 

(Repeat Chorus) 

I don't know I don't know
What tomorrow may hold
But I know but I know
That You're holding it all
So no matter what may come

(Chorus) 

I'm gonna fix my eyes on all that You are
Til every doubt I feel
Deep in my heart
Grows strangely dim
Let all my worries fade
?And fall to the ground
I'm gonna seek Your face
And not look around
Til place I'm in
Grows strangely dim

In addition to focusing on God and finding strength and peace through Him, my family and the lovely little things in my life that bring me joy help me deal with the stresses of life. So, I've been focusing on my husband and step daughter, our garden, getting ready for planting summer crops, and planning my step daughter's upcoming birthday party (more to come about her party and planning process later!).

Our vegetable garden is coming along beautifully. Things seem to be growing noticeably from one day to the next. And, I even managed to plant some flowers in a few boxes my talented husband made for me out of some scrap wood.

The vegetable garden as of 3/23/13:

The flowers I planted, which my step daughter Mia helped pick out, were Stock, Verbena, and Alyssum. The colors look so beautiful together. I also planted two purple Hydrangeas.

Mia loves pink and purple so that's what we went with and it turned out great I think.

Look for a post about composting coming soon!

Garden picture update

These are pictures of several plants in our garden as of today, plus a bonus picture at the end :)

Our garden is doing wonderfully and growing more and more every day. We are having an unusually cool March here in east Texas and have had a frost or two over the last few weeks. Our plants are doing great despite not being covered when the frost came (oops!). All the crops we have planted are fairly hardy and frost-resistant so they're doing great.

 

Square Foot Gardening How-To: Part 3

So, now you've got your boxes built in the perfect location, filled them up with Mel's mix, and have the primed for planting.

Step 1: Choosing what to plant

What are you going to plant? First, head to your local county extension office, or their website, to find out the perfect time of year to plant any type of veggie for you specific area. Our local extension office website had a great pdf document that I downloaded that detailed the best planting dates for almost every type of vegetable.

Your local extension office can also tell you what variety of each vegetable grows best in your area. For example, living in east Texas, the "Celebrity" tomato grows well but, if I lived in southern California I might choose the "Pink Ping Pong" variety.

The amount of sunlight your square foot garden receives should also be taken into account, although hopefully you considered this when you were planning your garden's location. Most vegetables need full or almost full sun (at least 6-8 hours of sunlight daily).

Most importantly, choose produce that you love to eat!

Step 2: Planting

Once you have chosen what you would like to plant, get outside and get your hands dirty!

Most vegetables planted in the square foot garden method are planted either 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants per square foot, depending on how far apart they need to be spaced.

Green onions, for example, need only 3 inches between each plant, so you can get 16 of them per square foot. Tomato plants need to be spaced 12 inches apart, so you would only place one of them in each square.

In our single, 4'x4' box in our garden (we will be adding more for summer crops soon), we have 48 regular onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 32 carrots, 4 heads of lettuce, 4 bunches of spinach, 32 green onions, 4 bunches of swiss chard, and 4 pea plants. That's amazing, right?!? I love that soooo much produced can be grown in such a small area! That is the beauty of this gardening method.

Since Spring is on the way, you'll want to choose warmer weather crops to plant. These are some commonly grown summer crops and the number of plants of each variety you can get in each square foot:

Bush beans: 9

Pole beans: 8

Corn: 4

Cucumber: 2

Eggplant: 1 (grow from seedlings)

Melons: 1 plant per 2 sq. ft

Okra: 1

Peppers (sweet and hot): 1 (grow from seedlings)

Strawberry: 4

Summer squash: 1 per 2 sq. ft

Tomato: 1 (grow from seedlings)

Herbs:

Basil: 1

Chive: 16

Cilantro: 1

Oregano: 1


One more thing to keep in mind when planting: you really don't want 2 plants of the same type side-by-side. Spreading your plant varieties around each garden box helps to ensure even consumption of nutrients from your soil.

Once you have your seeds or seedlings planted, water them thoroughly. We water and check for weeds about every other day, which takes about 20 minutes a week max which is another great perk of this gardening method- so little maintenance! Remember that gardens raised up above the ground will dry out faster than traditional, in-ground gardens (though your oil dry in the soil will help with this). So, when you go outside, just pop over to your garden and feel the surface and about and inch or two down into the soil to check how moist it is and water if you need to.

I'd love to hear what you're planting this spring! Leave me a comment to let me know!

I'll have some pictures of our garden tomorrow when the sun is back out :)