Fast & Easy!!!!

I just tried this recipe today and I have to tell ya.....my family LOVED IT!  The good thing for me was that it was super easy to whip up and a penny saving recipe to boot.  You'll have to try it.  I promise your family is gonna love it.  Those of you that have larger families may want to double the recipe :)  Enjoy!

CHEDDAR MACARONI BEEF CASSEROLE

1 pkg. (71/4 oz) Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner - cooked according to pkg directions but omit the butter
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese

*Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare the macaroni & cheese dinner as directed on the pacage, omitting the butter.  Meanwhile, brown meat in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.  Add tomatoes and oregano; mix well.  Bring to a boil.

*Add meat mixture to macaroni & cheese; spoon into a 9-inch square baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

*Bake 10 minutes or until cheese has melted and casserole is heated through.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2 cups cooked brown rice

3 cups cooked chopped broccoli

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise (Do Not Use Miracle Whip)

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1  10 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup

10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish.  Make a second layer with the broccoli.

In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, soup, half of the grated cheese, and the salt, pepper, and chicken.  Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining grated cheese.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

The Lovely Bones

Hello everyone!  I know it's been a while since my last post and I apologize for that.  Life has been busy, busy, busy with the holidays and the getting back to normal afterward. 

We had a wonderful holiday season.  We made our usual trip home to Georgia for Christmas.  As always, we had a great time.  I was so nice to be at home with all of my family but most of all, it was nice to walk around without a bulky parka on!!!!  We had temps from the mid 60's to the low 50's.  It was great.  I did't wear a coat the whole time I was home.  But of course, that came to a screeching hault as soon as we came back to the frozen tundra also known as Illinois. 

Well, I have to tell you about an amazing book that I literally just finished.  I'd heard that this book was really good and that a movie was being made based on it.  The name of the book is The Lovely Bones.  If you haven't read it.......run out and grab yourself a copy.  It was really good.  The movie comes out tomorrow, so I'm gonna try to see it this weekend.  For those of you who haven't heard about the book or the movie....here is a synopis.

When a book has attracted as much attention as The Lovely Bones, there's a lot of pressure for it to live up to the hype. Fortunately, Alice Sebold's gripping tale of a young girl's death is equal to the task.

The book's narrator is 14-year-old murder victim Susie Salmon. Raped and killed by her neighbor, Susie ascends to heaven, where she observes how her death has affected those around her.

Her father, who suspects the killer's identity, goes crazy with grief over the loss of his first-born, and his inability to do anything about it.

Her mother, who never wanted children, withdraws from her family and into an affair.

Susie's sister, Lindsey, fears the kids at school will forever define her by Susie's death, and their little brother, Buckley, struggles to understand the meaning of death.

The book is strongest in its first half, when it is part mystery and part ghost story. Susie's dad knows that their strange neighbor Mr. Harvey killed Susie, but has no proof. His obsession causes his wife to drift away, but draws him closer to his surviving daughter, who becomes similarly preoccupied. Meanwhile, Susie lives in her version of heaven, with cool swingsets and a duplex that she shares with another little girl, named Holly.

In its second half, the book becomes pure ghost story - a less moralizing version of Our Town, as Susie watches her loved ones grow older and observes the turns their lives take. Though still absorbing, this section doesn't measure up to the creepy, unsettling beauty of the first half, with Susie replaying her own murder in her mind, trying to puzzle out why it happened.

Without sounding cold, it seems that the dead's interest in the living would wane after a time. After all, Susie would have all of heaven at her disposal -- how concerned could she really be about her sister's graduation from college and engagement? Still, there's poignancy in Susie's reluctance to let her family go, which Sebold's delicately beautiful writing makes the most of. This is her first published novel. Her only other published book is the memoir Lucky, about her own rape as a college student.

That book received relatively little fanfare, but Bones is a breakout success, topping bestseller lists and garnering glowing reviews. It's not just hype. Sebold and her lovely, disturbing book are the real deal.

Ok, well, that in a nutshell is what I've been up too.  Mostly just trying to catch up from over the holidays.  I've got some new yummy recipes that I'll be posting soon, so y'all stay tuned!!!  I promise not to disappoint :)

Until next time..........

A NEW YEAR PRAYER

A New Year Prayer

Father,

God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.
We praise You for Your unequaled greatness!
Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them.
Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for us.
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chriping of sparrows in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what's ahead, depending on You to help us do exactly what You want..
I say it again, we rejoice!
In Jesus name,
Amen.