Recipes

Mexican Lasagna

- Ingredients:

9 large flour burrito shells
1lb ground meat
1 14.5oz can of black beans
1 small jar of salsa
1 1lb package of pepper / fajita mix
1 can of diced tomatoes
1lb of shredded Mexican cheese
1 package of taco seasoning
Cilantro, Cumin, and Chili Powder to taste

- Instructions:

1) Prepare the rice and veggies per package directions in separate pots. Remove veggies and rice from heat once cooked Ground the meat and drain.
2) Add the meat back into the pot. Drain the beans, and add them, tomatoes, and salsa. Add the taco seasoning, and mix together. Season with Cilantro, Cumin, and Chili powder to taste.
3) Preheat oven to 375F
4) Spray a 9'X13" casserole dish with Pam.
5) Layer as follows:
Burrito Shells, Rice, Veggies, Meat, Cheese. Repeat till all gone, or the tray is full. I end up with two layers, and three shells covering it.
6) Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let it set for 10 minutes.

-Options / Suggestions:

Can use fresh veggies. I used frozen so don't have to worry about the veggies going bad before cooking.
Can serve topped with sour cream, cheese, and salsa.
Can add heat as you see fit: jalapenos, hot sauce, etc. The list makes it mild. I generally used diced tomatoes with chilies for some kick.


Bianco Pollo

- Ingredients:

1 Box of tube pasta - Ziti, penne, etc
1lb of boneless, chicken breasts
1 1lb package of frozen Normandy mix (broccoli/cauliflower/carrot) or broccoli
1 jar of white sauce - I prefer Ragu's Roasted Garlic Parmesan
1lb of shredded Italian mix cheese
Garlic, black pepper, and Italian Seasoning

- Instructions:

1) Cook veggies and pasta. Only cook pasta for 5 minutes max. Tip: I found it best to save time by using a large pot for this. Boil the water, and place veggies over the water with a colander and cover. Once the veggies are done, cook pasta.
2) Dice up chicken into about 1' cubes, and coat with seasonings till taste. Cook till done. Combine with the sauce
3) Preheat oven to 375F
4) Spray a 9'X13" casserole dish with Pam.
5) Layer as follows:
Pasta, Veggies, Meat, Cheese. Repeat till all gone, or the tray is full. I end up with two layers with the top layer being cheese
6) Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let it set for 10 minutes.

08/24/13 Thoughts

The only word I can use to describe my current state is limbo. The plans I hoped would go through are now delayed. Everything is now waiting for others to respond. The good news is the waiting is towards a better future,but man, wish they would hurry up. One is way more critical then the other right now, but  as I once said: "Some days, life reminds me of ordering a Guinness on draft. Being patient has it's rewards, and the wait makes it worth it."

08/19/13 Random Story

Okay, so I was sitting in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. It's been a long day, and all I wanted to do is sleep. Around midnight, the room to my right became filled with grunting noise and loud bangs. As I sat up in bed, I started hearing voices of  a young couple through the thin wall.

"Ouch! Your damn monkey bit me!," screamed the lady.

"Well, you shouldn't have spanked it so hard! It was just wanted to be played with it," replied the man.

"If you wanted me to play with it, you shouldn't have shoved it into my face!"

"It didn't mean to spit on you, dear. Calm down, and quit beginning so rough with my monkey!" the man shouted  back.

"Want me to choke your chicken as well?"

"You keep your hands off my chicken before I shave your pussy!" the man bellowed.

"Don't you dare touch Mrs. Tinkles!" screamed the lady.

At that point, there was more loud banging followed by the man shouting something that got me out of bed.

"HEY! Don't you dare shove that up there!" shouted the man.

I rush out of my hotel room, and knock on their door. The man answers dressed in a clown costume. Behind him, the lady is dressed as a ringmaster. Running around the room was a chicken, monkey, and a cat. It seemed the circus was back in town, and they had no safe place to keep them. I apologized for the interruption, and went back to bed.

            The next morning, I found a new hotel. When asked by the front desk, I told them I can't sleep when the room next to me when there's a clown spanking his monkey while the female ringmaster is threaten to choke his chicken. Needless to say, I didn't sleep too well that night thanks to that clown's monkey getting spanked. It always made me realize that drinking a whole fifth of Jack before bed is never a good idea.

08/17/13 Thought

Stress. It's amazing how this six-letter word can turn an adult's life into the most challenging times. We all suffer from it these days too. The source of it can be from work, life, family, almost anything. Some times, it can be caused by you being hard on yourself, and not feeling like you're a success, but a failure. Whatever the reason or cause, how we deal with it matters the most. We will get angry, but that only spreads the stress to others. Even though it might seem impossible at the time, the best way is to focus the stress on something positive, and change your life so the stress is gone.

08/12/13 Thoughts

            Due to the lack of concentration thanks to the wild ride known as life, I'm back to blogging just to keep my creativity flowing. I guess typing out random thoughts is better then not typing anything at all save stuff for work. At least here, I can gather my thoughts, and post whatever I feel like. In other words, I wish I could go back to finishing another novel,but my mind is so FUBAR that's it's impossible to focus.

            Then again, as I'm sitting here typing this, I don't think life is the problem. I think the problem is the same issue I had with any other novel: The Chapter 3 Syndrome. Once I hit Chapter 3, I lost focus. I started of thinking of new plot ideas, new characters, etc, etc. I finally sat down one day, and knocked out the next three. Once I hit 6, I knew where it was going.

            I think I need to refocus, and just get the plot going. I got some new twists in 3, but 4 has me stuck. I have a rough idea where I'm going, but the first pages are leaving me stumped. What I need to do is start where the story really gets going, and start from there. It's not unusual for me to wipe out a chapter, and start over. Chapter 3 in the new one got restarted two times before I finished it. I already started this novel over once. A novel is never done till you submit it. Oh well, will figure this out.

"What Would You Do?"

I found myself standing in the bottom of an old, forgotten cellar. I shiver for the cold, misty air cut through my thin clothes like a sharp knife. Every nerve inside me was shaking from the horror I've done. My hands still smell like burnt powder, and I can still feel the recoil in my arms. As the tears rolled down my cheek, I regretted my decisions. I kept tasting the bitter, irony taste of blood in my mouth, trying to wash it away in an old sink that still works. The air was thick with the smell of mold, causing me to gag with each breath I took. A shadowy figure appears over the lip of the wall, and shouted, "I hope it was worth this!" They tossed me down something wrapped in a part of a torn, bloody dress. I unwrapped it, and discovered it contained a single Klondike bar.

08/10/13 Update

It's been awhile since I updated this old thing, save the random story earlier. I'm not sure why for it's a great way to post random thoughts, stories, etc. I never do photos,but then again, most are funny ones I find on other websites anyway. All I would be doing is posting random links, which can be quite boring. So, here's another update: Been too busy with life some days to even gather my thoughts. The direction it's going is looking good, but very exhausting. Maybe one day, I'll post more.

Random Story 08/10/13

So, I am sitting on the bed watching "Sideways" when an idea pops into my head. Since the notion involves wine, I dismiss it for thinking about booze before work never leads to anything good. As I go back to watching the movie, a red grape appears on my stomach. It starts walking up my torso till it reaches my chin.

            It looks me dead in the eyes and asks, "Why you don't drink us anymore? We're too good for your beer numbed palette?"                      

Trying to come to grips with a talking grape on my chin, I stutter out, "Because I have to work tonight."

            The grape gets an evil grin and replies, "Not my problem!"   

Before I can move, I'm pinned to the bed by grape vines, which are covering my entire body save my mouth. As I try to break free, two pink elephants grab my head, and force my mouth wide open. One of them shoves a funnel in my mouth, while another one uncorks a huge bottle of wine. I close my eyes as they keep forcing it down my throat. A few minutes later, I pass out.

            When I finally wake up, I find myself in the wine aisle of a local grocery store holding an empty fifth of Jack Daniels wearing only a green tutu. I let out a huge sigh for the wine incident was all a dream, but find myself wondering why I'm inside a grocery store drunk off my ass dreaming about wine.

            I try to leave, but end up slipping on some water. I bump my head on a display of marshmallows, and pass out.

            I wake up some time later, and find myself inside a padded room. I spend the night playing chess with The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man The moral of this story is always staying in a padded room where it's safe.