If only...

I have often heard grandparents say they wish they had skipped parenthood and gone straight to the grandkids, and I must agree with them save on the adoption front.  We should have adopted a second time before we adopted a first time; having done all the gruesome interviews, background checks, biographies, psychological tests... already and only needing to update things since our last attempt has made this time around much much easier.  And now we wait...

Italian Enchiladas?

Yes, this is a weird recipe, but very tasty.  I was in the mood for spaghetti but wanted tortillas instead of noodles.  Two worlds collide for one great taste?  Or maybe I'm just desperate!

Brown 1/2 pound ground beef with onions and sweet peppers, seasoned to taste (garlic, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, basil).  Add 8oz frozen corn and a 14oz can of petite diced tomatoes (drained) to the mix and heat through.  Fill 10 6-8 inch flour tortillas with the mixture and place seam side down in a cake pan.  Cover tortillas with a 24oz can of spaghetti sauce and top with shredded and parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 until hot and bubbly.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Modern Chivalry?

My son took me out to lunch for my birthday (yes, he's 2 and we went to McDonald's, no, that is not what this post is about).  Strangely, when you live in the hinterlands, eating fast food is actually kind of exciting (we live 80 miles from the nearest 'city' with a population of more than 2000).  Anywho, my birthday is coming up and we both like chicken nuggets and french fries and were in town running errands, so why not?  Lunch passed nicely enough, but then it was time to go home (the plot thickens). I was balancing a 40 pound toddler on one hip and juggling purse, keys, french fries (something to keep him busy on the road home!), and sippy cup with my free hand while somehow pushing the door open (and obviously not exactly speedy in exiting) when a young guy in his twenties comes up behind me, walks out the precariously open door, and says, 'thank you,' as apparently my sole purpose in this phenomenal act of door opening was to hold the door for this carefree individual!

It is a rather interesting commentary on modern social customs when the lady with her hands full holds the door for the guy with his hands free.  Didn't it used to be the other way around?  I don't expect anyone to hold the door for me in this day and age (feminism sadly killed that gallant custom) and gladly do it for others (the elderly, the infirm, those with their hands full, moms with infant car seats…) but this seemed downright odd, not to mention vastly amusing!

"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?" 

 Mr. Bennett, Pride and Prejudice.

In Jane Austen's day, men actually had to stand every time a lady left the table, let alone hold doors, etc.  I am not sure we have evolved socially as much as we think we have, in many instances we are probably worse off than we were a hundred years ago.  I wonder what sort of a novel Miss Austen would write today?

An inane question but a great book idea

"So what do you do with all your time?" came the mystified question.

I wanted to either throw something at him or reply in a satisfyingly snarky tone, "between my soap operas and my trashy novels, I barely have time to get to the kitchen for more bonbons!"  But the more sensible side of me just said something benign like, "I keep busy," before moving off and doing whatever this senseless question had interrupted.

If he had been asking what I do with the mysterious extra 3 hours per day with which I have been gifted and the rest of the world does not have, it might have been a good question, but as I only have 24 hours in day, like any other mortal under the sun, it was nothing near so interesting (though that sounds like a great book idea).  He was assuming that since I have a professional degree and only work part time, I must have lots of 'free' time, which means he has never had children, run a household, or spent any time volunteering or in a ministry position.  If he has a wife, I pity the poor woman, and I certainly wonder what his mother would think!  Much of the work that gets done in this world is of the unpaid sort, and it is probably some of the most important, for the world, and our individual lives, would be a far worse place without it.

World Famous Hot Ham and Cheese Bake

Okay, so the world famous part is made up, but you see it at nearly every non-franchise restaurant, 'world famous something!'  How can there be so many world famous hamburgers?  Did someone from Canada once compliment the chef on his burger and now it is 'world famous?'  So why not this random casserole I just sort of threw together?  If someone, somewhere likes it, it must be 'world famous,' right?  Anywho, enough on semantics, let's eat:

16 oz box Pasta (rotini, elbows, shells, etc) cooked per package directions

1 jar cheese sauce (I used something out of the pasta sauce section, you could make your own or use a can of cheese soup or whatever)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1-2 tsp yellow mustard

8 oz frozen corn (I threw mine in with the boiling pasta the last few minutes to heat it through)

6-8 oz ham (leftovers or shredded lunch meat work great)

Mix everything together and place in a 9x13 cake pan, top with:

2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Bake until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.

A twist on a Twist

Tired of spherical confections, I went in search of a recipe for cinnamon twists.  You can use any sweet roll dough or even a white bread recipe, I used my sourdough sweet roll recipe, and it worked great.  You can also modify the recipe and make garlic Parmesan twists instead, I actually split it in half, using 1/2 with our spaghetti last night and the other half for breakfast this morning.

1 recipe sweet roll dough (about 4 cups of flour)

Roll out the dough into a 16x12 inch square and spread with 1/4 cup melted butter.  Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and one tbsp cinnamon (or 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder, and a 1/8 tsp salt) and spread over buttered dough; let sit for 15 minutes.

Cut dough into 3: 4 inch by 16 inch strips with a pizza cutter and then cut each strip into 16: 1x4 inch strips.  Twist each strip and place on a cookie sheet, let rise until double, bake at 425 degrees just until done, do not over bake, it will only be a few minutes.  Keep warm by wrapping in a towel and serve immediately.  They reheat well in the microwave.

Sympathizing with the Grinch and a new business model!

I am starting to sympathize with the Grinch about Christmas, between the sheer volume of new playthings and the noise they make, I begin to understand why he might take it their advent amiss.  I even threatened to leave someone behind on our return from visiting family as the car was overcrowded with junk.  What happens when we have 2 kids?  I'll need to rent a moving van!  I know grandparents, aunts, etc. love spoiling their juvenile relations but it must be remembered that a little goes a very long way, especially when visiting both sides of the family.  Worse, are the three days of grandma withdrawal that must be endured by both parents and kids alike as the latter learn that this is only a break from reality not the new status quo.  The only rule at grandma's house is that there are no rules and it takes some time to readjust to the world of rules, discipline, and schedule that is the norm; some long and painful time for all involved.

This being said, I propose a new business idea: Grandparent Re-education Retreats.  Instead of spending huge amounts on unnecessary toys at Christmas, desperate parents will send their own parents (or other relatives) on a weekend retreat to a trendy spa where the topic of choice will be remedial lessons in parenting, discipline, and how not to totally upset your grandkid's sense of normal.  Of course this will only work if grandparents are erring out of ignorance, having forgotten how to parent in the long interval between kids and grandkids, but if it is some form of revenge, they'll just have a good time while laughing at out naiveté.  I fear it is the latter and there is no hope.