Comfort Food...

Today we took the boat out to Gilmer Lake for a test run to see how the motor would be. We had a not-so-great day fishing(we didn't catch anything, sunburn, lost lures, fought winds, and had so-so luck with the motor-but it could have been worse). Plus Mark has come down with the nasty sore throat I had a few weeks ago and tomorrow is his birthday. When we came home I was scrounging for some dinner that wasn't a frozen burrito or eggroll or leftover spaghetti. I spied the half-eaten bag of Doritos we took on the boat and had an instant craving for Dorito Casserole.

My mom's sister Donna introduced us to this awesome, tasty dish when I was a little girl. It had Rotel tomatoes, cream of mushroom and chicken soups, ground beef, and lots of cheese. My mom made it very occasionally and I've made it a few times now and then(like every 2-3 years). It is sooooo good and sooooo bad for you at the same time, the perfect comfort food! Once you get a craving for something like this, nothing else will do though so I was disappointed to think I couldn't make this tonight... or so I thought.

There was a new block of extra sharp cheddar in the fridge along with a couple leftover chicken leg quarters I'd baked on Thursday, some sour cream, and a jar of green chili salsa. In the pantry was a jar of roasted red pepper alfredo sauce. Oh my gooosh this was good!!!! It didn't make much but it was just enough for the four of us to have one serving(Ryan is camping with friends and missed out- bummer).

Southern Comfort Chicken Dorito Casserole

(all measurements very approximate)

3/4 cup sour cream
1 jar roasted red pepper alfredo sauce(use 3/4 of it)
3 cups Doritos(not crushed), I used spicy salsa flavor
3 cups cut up chicken(cooked)
2/3 cup green chili salsa, I used Herdez brand
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder(or cook up an onion if you have time)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a greased 8x8 casserole dish or 9x5x3 loaf pan(I used my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan). Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Serve hot with cut up veggies such as baby carrots and cucumbers. This will serve 2 very hungry people or 4 very tired people who need something to eat.

What a Weekend!!!....

(click to biggify any pictures you want to see better)



What a wonderful way to celebrate the Summer Solstice(aka First Day of Summer)* and Father's Day!! We had a wild and crazy time of it which included laughing to the point of nearly being sick numerous times, including when Mark jumped overboard to rescue his favorite lure! The depth finder said the water was 2-feet deep. He hopped out, never felt the bottom and came up sputtering! Amy had just put her feet over the front of the boat and we saw the ripples in the sandy bottom. Apparently there was a huge abrupt drop-off just a few feet out. At least he got cooled off.

It was a terrific 30 hours!! Everything worked, we didn't forget anything, our meals were simple and delicious, and everyone got to go in the boat at least twice. Nobody got hurt, well not anything major. I jammed a toe at the swimming area and Sarah scraped her foot on a rock but the pain was soon forgotten. Other than still feeling like I'm on the boat and being exhausted from lack of sleep(it was 93 freaking degrees at 10pm!!!) we are recovered. Mark even unloaded the gear and started laundry within an hour of being home.



We almost didn't go. Friday I had to go buy some camping groceries and when I got in the Jeep the a/c wasn't working. At all. Neither was the radio. Or the power locks and windows. We were sure we'd put the Jeep in the shop Saturday morning. Thankfully, something clicked in it and everything worked Saturday morning so we hurriedly loaded all the gear and headed out. I'm oh so glad we did, and so are these folks...











Luck was on our side and we managed to get the same exact campsite as we had last year. It is important that we settle near the bathrooms. The girls walk to them alone(together) and I would rather be within earshot. This site is one of the bigger and flatter sites they have. Some of the others we checked out on our loop walks were configured in such a way that the tents were in a weird location or the concrete table pad was a foot step-off all the way around. Everyone can't wait to go again, though we'll likely find a different state park.





Creature comforts in the form of air mattresses, lots of ice, junk foods, craft supplies and electronic devices(ipods and cell phones) kept us sane in the heat. I had big plans to locate driftwood and lake stones for an art project but remembered too late that those things weren't easily found at Lake Bob Sandlin but at Atlanta State Park so I had to crochet instead. I made two babushkas(kerchiefs) making up the pattern as I went. The yarn is I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby and its true, I LOVE it!





Dinner Saturday night was super easy. I had boiled a box of elbow noodles(the kind with extra fiber-yum), grilled 9 bone/skinless chicken breasts on Friday afternoon, chopped them, and put it all in the fridge. When we got ready to eat, I warmed up some bottled alfredo sauce on the camp stove with a can of drained diced tomatoes, spices and some of the chicken. I added the noodles and about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and we had a feast!! Mark mistakenly grabbed a container of greens leftover from our Wednesday night's meal when he filled the coolers so we had salad as a bonus! I brought two packages of sandwich buns so I split them and toasted over the flame. Camp cooking is SO fun if you prepare well. Because the menfolk wanted to fish early Sunday morning I didn't bring breakfast stuff. Instead we had chocolate covered donuts, Doritos, and Zone bars.





We had glow stick bracelets for our Solstice Celebration. The kids hung them from cracks in the bark on the trees all around our campsite, even made a face. I thought they were pretty creative. We left them up all night.











*Now, before anyone has a freak out about the Solstice. Every person in the world experiences the the Solstices even if they don't know it. We all experience the lengthening days of Spring and the short days of Winter and the shortest and longest days of the year because that is the science of our world which I happen to believe was put into place by our Creator. Celebrating is not the same as Worship and reveling in the summer is not the same as revering my Lord God. Not that I have to defend myself but I'd rather not go through another round of rumors about my religious beliefs.

a kitty video and in other news...

Here's Tallulah trying to groom Jasper. Tibert shows up to see what's going on outside.



In other news...

I made Susan's(Blackberry Creek in my blogroll) pumpkin pound cake yesterday afternoon, complete with the caramel sauce! It is oooooh soooo good!!

The boys went fishing early this morning and had a good time. We're strictly catch and release here. Our area lakes are known for high levels of mercury and pcbs so and Mark doesn't like killing/cleaning them.



We took the piggies out again for more grass munching. Sarah discovered a lump on Rainbow's belly and another one on Meadow. We are hoping it isn't what killed our Shimmer. Its in a different place and could be mastitis or a mammary cyst maybe.

Then there is this:

Mountain Lion sighting. Yay. (hint, watch the video, the guy looks like Brad Pitt but more rugged)

We're going to take a mega-load of stuff to the women's shelter thrift store after lunch, hope they are open! I'm looking for wooden corner shelves to use in the girls room and in my bathroom. Mark might have to break down and make some though.

Fishing trip...

(the girls waded)


(the boys tried to repair the motor)


(the girls were bored)


(the mom was bored)


(then things picked up)


(Sarah caught a perch!)


(then Mark caught a crappie)


(and Ryan caught one too)


(the sun went down)


(and we enjoyed the evening)

And now for something completely educational...

Last week Ryan found one of THESE in the swimming pool!!! Isn't it creepy? He is very lucky it didn't bite the peewaddle out of him!! We assume it was in the pool because of the tadpoles. They are fast becoming pickerel frogs and so far Sarah has managed to capture 26 of them to be released at a local park. I wish they weren't so stupid to get in our pool. Neighbors beside and behind us have water gardens so I guess they just view the pool as one more habitat. We also have tree frogs and some kind of ugly black one with tiny legs(looks kind of like an olive). Anyway... here's the Giant Water Bug.





I went looking for some food fun to do with the kids this summer. We watch Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern and LOVE it! However, I don't think I'll be frying up any grasshoppers or squid hearts anytime soon. Instead, we'll be trying breakfast foods from around the world. Its an interesting jumping off point, now I have to research the recipes! But really, how fun does that sound to learn how different cultures do the morning meal? This page has them divided into 19 different categories but we'll probably tweak it to fit us better. I'm thinking this will be something to do on Saturday mornings rather than a weekday. That way I'll have an adult helper and he won't have to miss out on the good cooking.

In other news...

We're going fishing this afternoon when Mark gets off work. Not so much to fish as to allow Mark to fix the boat motor. It quit working last time they went out and he tinkered with it enough that he thought it would need professional help. He worked on it Sunday and got it running again but it needs some fine tuning in the water.

I wish I could find my camera cord!!! We had a super time in Ft. Worth at the zoo and botanical gardens, I highly recommend this trip! I can't show you any pictures yet though, darn it! Hopefully soon.

a new blogger in town...

My Mom has a NEW BLOG!!! Check it out!! Not much content yet but she'll get there. I hope she finds as much goodness in blogging as I do!

In other news...

Mark and Ryan went fishing with friends today while the girls and I stayed home and did NOTHING. Oh it was nice. They are still an hour from home with a flat tire on the trailer so I don't imagine we'll see them before dark. Luckily Mark thought to take his trailer jack(can't remember what he called it) so he can change it easily, he just has to find one! Hopefully the rain will hold off til they're home.