Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

1.5 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1/4 Taco Seasoning Mix
1 15-16 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 11 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Assorted toppings: Sour cream, sliced green onions, shreeded lettuce, and chopped tomatoes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off the fat.
3. Stir in the seasoning mix, beans, tomato sauce, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
5. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
6. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired. Makes 12 servings.

I found this recipe in a free book that was given to me at Costco yesterday. It turned out to be very tasty, even my picky Caleb enjoyed it! I made it a little healthier by using ground turkey and reduced fat cheese. Enjoy!

10 Most Dangerous Toys

http://toysafety.org/worstToyList_index.shtml

I read this on Jack and Erin's blog (WRBS deejays). Fortunately I haven't purchased any of these items for my children this Christmas. I figured I would share since a lot of you, my friends, have children or will be buying gifts for a child!

Operation Christmas Child

As a service project the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at church decided to participate in Operation Christmas Child. This program sends shoeboxes filled with personal hygiene items, toys, candy, etc. to extremely needy children in third world countries.

This was a great experience for my 3-year old Caleb. At first it was difficult for him to understand why we were buying toys for a little boy that wasn't him! Eventually he began to understand the concept and even picked out a Spiderman watch to send to the "African big boy!" Too cute! This holiday season is the toughest holiday season ever for us financially. I still feel that doing things to help others that aren't as blessed is a must though.

It's not too late to participate (the drive is November 16-23), if you're interested you can head to their website at:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php

I know that area Chick Fil A's are even giving free chicken sandwiches for delivering the shoeboxes!

Pizza Meatloaf

Pizza Meatloaf (Taken from my favorite recipe website cooks.com)

1 1/2-2 lb. ground chuck
1 c. bread or cracker crumbs
1 onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 c. milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese1 green pepper, diced
Mix all together.

TOPPING:
1 can or sm. jar pizza sauce
MushroomsMozzarella cheese

Bake meatloaf at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 20 minutes before done top with pizza sauce, mushrooms and cheese. Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted.