Freezer Meal: Enchilada Casserole

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mexican food in my house.  It is probably one of the cuisines most often prepared at home.  Today's Freezer meal is Enchilada Casserole.  This is one meal that is devoured almost instantly and my friends and family cannot get enough of it.  The best thing is that it is quicker and easier than rolling out enchiladas individually.

Ingredients

1 large can of  Mild Enchilada Sauce (I use Old El Paso Brand)
1 regular can of  Medium Enchilda Sauce
2 packages of Shredded Cheese (Can be Cheddar, Cheddar Jack, Mexican Style or Taco Seasoned Cheese, I've used all of them before and tend to use whats on sale or what I have on hand).
1 can of diced green chilis
1 pound of ground beef or turkey
14 corn tortillas (May vary depending on the size baking dish you use)
1 package of taco seasoning
4-5 diced green onions
cooking spray

Directions: 

1. Spray a casserole dish, cake pan, or foil pan (depending on what you are using) with the cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet brown the meat and drain.  Once drained add the taco seasoning and cook according to the directions. Set aside when done.
3. While the meat is cooking, pour enchilada sauce into a large bowl that you can dip the tortillas in to coat.
4. Cut 10 of the corn tortillas in half.  These will form the outer edge of the casserole.
5. Dip the tortillas into the enchilada sauce and place into the baking dish lining the outside.  (See photo).
6. Dip 2 of the uncut tortillas in the enchilada sauce and fill in the middle covering the bottom of the entire dish. (See photo). 
7. Cover the tortillas in the dish with the seasoned meat evenly.
8. Next spread the green chilies over the meat evenly.
9. Top the chilies and meat with on package of the shredded cheese.
10. Spread the green onions over the top evenly.
11. Spoon remaining enchilada sauce over the top reserving enough to coat the remaining tortillas
12. Now repeat the steps to cover the top of the layers with the coated tortillas (steps 6 & 7).
13. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas
14. Top the casserole with the other package of cheese.

Line the pan with the half tortillas like so

Fill in bottom with whole tortillas

It is coming together!  It's soooo yummy!

Cover the pan with heavy duty foil and pop in the freezer.  To cook.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 35-45 minutes!  Voila!

The same recipe can be used to prepare them for dinner that night.  Just bake at 425 degrees until the cheese is again melted and bubbly for about 15-20 mins.

Freezer Meal: Scalloped Potatoes with Ham & Broccoli

I have been entertaining the idea of making freezer meals in order to make dinner less of a hassle and to have something on hand always when I am in a bind.  I finally decided to get to work on it today!

I decided to start doubling my recipes and freezing half of it and making the other half for dinner.  This seems more logical to me than attempting to devote a whole day to cooking.  I will be adding my Freezer Meal recipes on here with the DOUBLED recipe.  Remember to divide it up!  You can either make one to serve for dinner that day and freeze the other or freeze both and stock up that freezer.

Today's Freezer Meal

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham & Broccoli

What You Need:

6 large Russet Potatoes cut into 1/4 inch rounds
2 packages of pre-diced or pre-cubed ham OR 2 ham steaks diced up
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans of cream of something soup (I use cream of mushroom, if you don't want to use canned cream of "something" soup check out this link for a homemade substitute: Click Here)
2 cans of water
4 cups of broccoli cut up small
salt and pepper to taste

***NOTE: I DO NOT FREEZE THE POTATOES!  I simply add them to the crock pot the day I make it! There is a risk of them turning black if frozen.  1 Large package of frozen potatoes could be substituted****

Divide all ingredients among two containers (except potatoes, if using fresh)  I use gallon or quart sized freezer bags.  Be sure to write cooking directions on bag.  Cook on Low 8 hours.  Add seasoning to taste once it is done cooking.  Seasoning is whatever you prefer!  (I use Mrs. Dash table blend).

Homemade Cleaners

I personally love to make my own household cleaners.  There is literally a recipe for almost anything.  This helps to cut down on the amount of harmful chemicals in your home and helps you to save lots of money!  Here are the recipes that I use in my own home!   


Laundry Detergent:
Click here for my recipe!

Not my photo but this is what my finished product looks like :)  Photo is from here 

Dishwasher Detergent:

• 2 c borax

• 2 c Arm & Hammer washing soda

• 2 c lemi shine*

• 1 c kosher salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed.
2. The citric acid in the lemi shine will make the mixture get a bit hard.   I suggest letting this mixture sit out in a bowl for a couple of days, stirring often.  You will still get a few little clumps of detergent, but that is ok.  
3. Fill your rinse aid spot with white vinegar.  (This is sooo much cheaper then Jet Dry or other rinse aids and makes a big difference in how your dishes will turn out!)
4. Use 1 tbs of detergent per load of dishes.  

*You can experiment with the lemi shine amount.  The original recipe I found and modified called for only 1 cup but said to add more if you have hard water.  

Dishwasher Rinse Aid

Fill the rinse aid spot on your dishwasher with white vinegar as needed.  Works just as good as Jet Dry at a fraction of the cost.

Glass Cleaner:

Most recipes call for vinegar and water.  However that doesn't really give a streak free shine.  Here is a recipe that gives a streak free shine!

• 1 c. Water

• 2 Tbsp White Vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. Rubbing Alcohol

• 1 1/2 tsp. corn starch

Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle.  Be sure to shake up the contents well before using since the cornstarch will settle!

All Purpose Cleaner:

• 2 tsp Castile Soap

• 5 Tbsp White Vinegar

• 2 tsp Borax

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 4 c. Water

Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle.  Use on everything except glass.  If you wish you can also add a tsp of essential oils in your favorite fragrance to make it smell good!

I hope you enjoy these recipes and Happy Crafting (and cleaning)!

Button Ring

While it has been awhile that I have posted on the blog; I am happy to say it has not been awhile since I was last busy being crafty!  So to make amends for my slacking off I am posting two blogs one today, and the next hopefully tomorrow and with a third and fourth on the way soon!

I love buttons!  I really do.  I have jars of them and I use them for EVERYTHING crafty.  Scrapbooking, jewelry making, home decor, the list goes on.  Now you can find such unique and fun buttons the possibilities are endless!  This tutorial is super easy, and in the end you will have a super cute ring that is made from three buttons and a ring base.  All you need is those two things and some super strong glue and voila you have a funky albeit original ring.  I chose to make mine for my sister who is 15 years old and who loves unique accessories.

What you need:

• Two or three buttons of your choosing (Best if they have a flat bottom)
• Ring base (I found mine at JoAnns for $2.99)
• Gorilla Glue or other strong glue

That's it!  That is all you need!

Step 1:
First you will want to stack and glue your buttons together

Step 2:
If you are using gorilla glue you will have to clamp the buttons and let dry.

Step 3:
Glue buttons to ring base, clamp down (I used masking tape for this bit because it didn't fit in my clamp), and let dry.  Once dry you have yourself a unique and super cute ring.

A word of caution.  I used too much gorilla glue on my ring.  Gorilla glue expands and as you can see it oozed out a bit but not too much to ruin the ring.  Make sure you use a very thin layer if using gorilla glue.

I hope you enjoy!  I had fun with this and I am looking forward to making a lot more!

Happy Crafting

Homemade Laundry Detergent

It seems like the cost of everything is up which can be a bit of a pain especially when it is something you use almost daily if not everyday, like laundry detergent.  A friend of mine turned me onto making my own laundry detergent after my oldest was born.  We were always looking of ways to cut costs.  Both my boys and myself included have super sensitive skin.  We cannot have anything with perfumes, dyes, or harsh chemicals because they are so irritating for us.  Free and clear detergents and baby detergents can run into some real coin.  When my friend showed me how easy and cost effective making my own detergent was I was willing to try.  Of course the first thing that I wondered was does it work though?  I was amazed to find out it does and even more amazed at my savings.

Here is what you will need:

1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $3.99
1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.99
1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Dove® Sensitive Skin Bar Soap = $15.99 or $1.60/bar (This is what I use.  You can use anything though. Other brands of commonly used bar soaps include Pure & Natural®, Ivory®, and did I mention it is really up to you?)

So in total I spent $24.97.  With 10 bars of soap this will make 10 batches of detergent.  Per batch that breaks down to roughtly $4.99 a batch with about 65 loads in each batch.  That ends up being $0.07 a load!!!! 


So how do you make it? 

For dry detergent (powdered)

• 2 bars of shaved bar soap (use a cheese grater or for an easier way use a food processor to shave it)
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes to make sure it is mixed well.  Store in a container.  Use 1 Tbsp per load or 2 for heavily soiled loads.

That's it.

For liquid detergent.

• Same items above
• 2 empty gallon jugs
• water

Fill a large pot with water and place on the stove.  While heating add the shaved soap flakes.  Continually stir the flakes until they are dissolved completely. Once boiling remove from heat and place in the sink (there is a good chance of boil over).  Quickly stir in the borax and baking soda until dissolved.  Using a funnel divide the detergent in the pot between the gallon jugs.  Fill the remainder of the jug with water.  Place the cap on and store.  You will use 1 cup of the homemade detergent per load, 1 1/2 for heavily soiled loads.

It really is that easy and cheap :)

Applique Tie T-Shirt

If you would like an adorable shirt for your little ones that you could customize for any occasion appliques are a wonderful way to accomplish just that. For this project I appliqued a tie cutout onto a plain white t-shirt to create a shirt they could wear for Valentines Day.  I used the $0.99 bandanas from  Hobby Lobby to save money on the fabric.  I created 2 t-shirts for less than $10.  The highest cost was buying the fusible webbing which I have plenty left over for future projects now.

For this project you will need:

• a t-shirt
• fusible webbing (I used Steam-A-Seam 2)
• scissors
• Tie template (best if traced onto cardstock or thin cardboard)
• Iron (be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions.  If using Steam-A-Seam 2 your iron will need to have a steam setting)
• Writing utensil (marker works best)

Step 1:
Create a template for the tie.  You will want to make sure it will fit the shirt you are using.  You dont want it to be too short or too long. Its best if you use cardstock or thin cardboard.  You will want a sturdy edge to make tracing on the fusible webbing easier.



****From here make sure you are following the manufacturer's instructions for the fusible webbing.  The following instructions are for the Steam-A-Seam 2 fusible webbing****

Step 2:
Using the sturdy template trace it onto the backing with the webbing.  You will want to pull back the corner to see which side the webbing sticks to.

Step 3:
Cut around the tracing leaving space around it.  This is so you can easily cut the shape out once the webbing is pressed onto the fabric.

Step 4:
Peel off the backing on the cutout and press it onto the fabric.

Step 5:
Cut out the tie along the lines carefully.  Once cut out peel off the backing leaving the webbing exposed.

  
Step 6:
Position the applique onto the shirt.  It is repositionable so you can peel it off if you place it wrong.  Next iron on the applique using the heat setting for the fabric you are using and be sure your steam is on.  Press for 10-20 seconds.

Now you have a cute t-shirt!  Here is my son modeling his new shirt (and making a silly face).

Again you can use any shape or any design.  A cricut would allow you to create almost anything and you can easily cut fabric using it as well.  Let your imagination run wild.

Pre-K Big Letter Little Letter Match Up Activity

This project is a super easy one.   It is great for Pre-K kiddos and toddlers.  I made it for my 3 year old son and he loves playing with it.  This activity helps teach kids how to match their upper and lower case letters to one another.  Another benefit of it is that it helps develop fine motor skills too.  This craft can also be used to teach lots of other skills like shapes, colors, and numbers skill.  The possibilities are endless.

For this project you will need:

1. 26 Clothes Pins
2. A Sharpie or other marker
3. 2 4x6 note cards (any size will work really)
4. Scissors (not pictured)

Step 1:

Measure about two fingers from the bottom of the card and write the captiol letter 'A' then place your finger next to the letter 'A' to create a space that is about the width of your finger.  Write the letter 'B' next to your finger.  Continue to use your finger as a spacer and write the uppercase letters all the way across the card.

Step 2:

Once you have written all the letters across fold the card in half and cut down the middle. 

Step 3:

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until your cards have all the upper case letters of the alphabet on them.

Steps 4:

Now you will label each clothespin with a lower case letter.  You need to place the letter on the top of the clothespin where it will pinch down on the paper.  (See the first photo above).  Label each clothes pin with a lowercase letter.

That's all there is to it!  You can be as creative as you would like with this by using colored markers, paint, etc.  I do recommend laminating the note cards if you can because they will get beat up by little ones.  This is a very easy and fun learning tool for kids.  Simply instruct them to match the little letter to its big letter.  Below is a picture of my son playing with his new activity :)

Happy Crafting!