Tortilla-less Fajitas on Rice

I have been eating a lot of mexican food this week...like every meal except breakfast. Please help me if you see me eating mexican food for breakfast. Seriously, don't let me get that obsessed.

So I thought I would share one of my recipes with you.

Chicken Fajitas

 8 Chicken strips

1 Green Bell Pepper

1/2 Onion

1 cup of water

4 tsp. Fajita Seasoning (recipe below)

Cook chicken in a Tbs. of olive oil. Remove chicken and slice. Add sliced onion and green peppper. Cook until just soft. Add chicken back to pan. Add water and Fajita Seasoning. Mix together. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Top Salsa Rice (recipe below) with Fajitas.

Fajita Seasoning

1 Tbs. Cornstarch

2 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tps. Salt

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Cumin

2 tps. Chicken seasoning (generic)

Mix together and store for cooking.

Salsa Rice

1 cup rice

2 cups water

1 can Rotel

Shredded Cheese (to taste)

Bring water to a boil. Add rice and drained can of rotel. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Watch closely in the last five minutes to make sure the rice does not burn. Uncover rice and stir. Top with cheese when ready to serve.

Ninja

I found a new favorite game...to play with students that is. We used to sit around and play cards. Then we played hand slaps and somewhere in between we would play big booty (no worries this is not anything bad- I'll explain it to you if you do not know what I am talking about). Needless to say I have loved all of them. I am such a game person. This past week I was introduced to a new game named Ninja, and I LOVE it! It involves focus, quickness, and some planning. I wouldn't say that I am a ninja master, but I might aspire to be such.  

Musings from the Edge

1. I was really exhausted.

2. I actually slept more than I did last year.

3. This was my 11th year and that makes me feel old.

4. the Wedgie(8th grade recognition) awards have continued.

5. I got really sunburnt and shouldn't have seeing as this is the 3rd time I have gotten it bad just this summer.

6. I heard the story of Jonah in a new light.

7. Two of our students became Christians.

8. I find that I have an awkward face in more than half of the pictures taken at the Edge.

9. Maybe I should smile more (regular) more often.

10. Some great memories were made.

11. Some tough conversations had to be had.

12. It was a good week.

13. I prayed a lot.

14. It's Monday night and I am still tired.

The Group

Leaders with the 8th graders

Multitude Monday, Week 10

110. Jr highers
111. the story of Jonah
112. my bed
113. rest on Saturday
114. watching soccer with friends
115. home cooking
116. safe travels
117. worshipping with your hands raised
118. fellow leaders who encourage
119. God working in students lives
120. knowing that God works even when we may not see it
121. the saving of 2 students
122. my work which will let me take a week off whenever
123. family who will travel to Columbia
124. friends who text to encourage you
125. sleep
126. summer storms
127. catching up with an old friend
128. a sweet and understanding husband

Week 9

Kickball

Our Sunday School group has been doing a lot more activities this summer in attempts to get to know each other better, to reach out, and to include college students (although no college students made it to our most recent outing).

On Saturday we headed out to Earlewood Park to play some kickball. It was so nice for Glen and I to do something only 2 minutes from our house. Since we attend church in Lexington and live in downtown Columbia, it's to be expected, but this weekend was a good change of pace! After one inning our kickball bit the dust. It got kicked into the fence and stayed there...deflated. Luckily, Justin and Raluca brought some back-up. We finished with wiffle ball. I can't wait till we can do it again!

The Edge

I had a great time at the Edge last week. A fun time, but an exhausting time. Here are some pics from the week.

 

Check out those awesome T-shirts in the last picture. Thanks Steph for designing them! The girls loved them.

Welcome Home

To: Miriam

From: Glen

Pictures from last weekend

A few pictures from K, H, & C's visit last weekend...

  

M.I.A.

Just an FYI. I will not be posting this week because I will be at the Edge with 800 Jr. High students and some leaders. However, Glen will be here...alone. So if you live in Columbia feel free to give him a call. 

In the meantime, here was our weekend...

Friday

-K, H, & C come to stay

-Cookout

-Apples to Apples with K, H, and our friend David

-Watched last episode of 24 season 5

Saturday

-Lunch with Grandmother Myrt, Ms. Carol, H, K, C

-Look for running shoes for Glen

-Pack/wash clothes for the Edge

-Rest?

Sunday

-Cook lunch for Miriam's parents

-Hang out with Rachel, Carrie, Caleb, Titus, Alexis

-Photo shoot for sisters and kids with Sara Parker

-Watched 1st episode 24 Season 6

-Fall into bed and get ready for a sleepless week!

p.s. a few pictures are to come!

Friday Confessions: Spiders

When I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of spiders. If there was one in my room, I would either run out at the speed of lightening (if I had a clear getaway path) or I would get up on my bed and scream till someone came and killed it. I would be afraid to go back in my room even after it was gone. I had nightmares of giant spiders living in our house. It was bad.

Also, when I was a kid, we helped do the yard work. This meant raking and picking up gumballs. One day before we would have to get out in the yard my sisters told me that if I touched a gumball the spiders that lived inside them would come out and get me. I was a kid. I was innocent. I was gullible, and I believed them. There was no getting out of yard work, and so I spent that next day in tears, picking up gumballs. No worries. I was okay. No spiders came out to get me.

My fear of spiders has since diminished. I will not volunteer to have any contact with spiders, but if need be I will step on one. I don't need to scream for someone to come to my rescue anymore.

For your viewing pleasure and a tribute to my sisters...

Olive Overload

This week I have been trying to make extra special homemade meals because I will be out of town all next week, and Glen will be here fending for himself. Tuesday night I decided to try two new recipes which both involved olives. I think I ate a record number of olives between the two dishes and snacking on them while cooking. They were both very good (minus the whole battle with the chicken which I conceded to lose). I had bought chicken quarters a while back because they were super cheap. The first of that chicken we grilled and it was great. Then last night I thawed a new batch and we got the quarter with the vertebrae and some leftover organs. It was gross. I am not sure why I thought it would be all nice and clean. It wasn't. I ended up cutting of the legs and salvaging what meat I could from the other half which wasn't much. I really butchered them (no pun intended)! Despite my lost battle with the chicken, dinner was successful, and I have since decided not to buy any more chicken quarters.

So without further adieu.... Chicken with Olives and Olive Focaccia....recipes found here and here.

Camera Hog

Greenville

Sunday, we headed up to Greenville to see our nephew C get baptized! After that we (along with a large group of family who also went to Greenville) headed over to K & H's new house. We had a delicious meal and good time with family. Thanks for having us!

Thrifting

This past weekend I went to a Jr. High girls sleepover. I have to admit. I no longer feel like a teenager...at all. I was totally wiped after that night. I need more than 4 hours of sleep. We got up Saturday morning (me at 6:30 because I am now an adult and get up every other day at that time and can't seem to sleep in), ate pancakes, and headed out to the thrift stores. We were on a search for some crazy dresses for an event at the jr high camp (the Edge) coming up soon. We hit three stores and I am proud to say that I not only found a crazy dress but also had some really good finds too! 6 shirts and 1 pair of athletic pants for $5. This is due to the goodwill clearance center where the clothes are not individually priced, you weigh them. $1.19/lb!

Here is my dress. Normally I wouldn't post this picture because it really makes me look 4 ft wide, but trust me its the dress. I mean, who would think this was flattering???

Cosmo is trying to steal my thunder...

Multitude Monday, Week 9

98. Screaming jr. high girls
99. Thrift stores
100. Naps
101. Individuals who will "take care of it" when you can't find someone to sub for nursery
102. Trip to Greenville
103. Time with family
104. C's baptism
105. A husband who will listen to you talk for 2 hrs in the car
106. True realization that you are powerless (not just a head knowledge)
107. Knowing that God will sustain you
108. Learning prayer is an action against axiety
109. Excitement about the upcoming Edge

Week 8

Friday Confessions: Glen

This weeks edition of Friday Confessions focuses on Glen. I figured if you were learning about me and my past, you might want to learn a little about Glen too!

Glen has a very funny side.

I am not sure why this moment sticks out to me in our long 5 years of dating, but it does. Maybe its the first time that I realized Glen's true humor. We were standing outside at school in between the lunchroom and the administration building, talking. Out of nowhere Glen stretched his head upward and grabs onto a leaf with his mouth. The only thing he said after that was "I'm a giraffe". I laughed.

Those who know Glen best will see this side of him and it is a true delight.

I only bake with Crisco

Last week Glen wanted some chocolate chip cookies so I said, "sure I have all the stuff to make them, but you have to clean up." Well I had almost all the stuff. I usually use Butter Flavored Crisco (sidenote: this is shortening/Tub O' Fat which is not healthy but makes the BEST cookies ever), and we were out. I decided that we could just use butter. That's what the recipe calls for, right? Wrong. The cookies were flat and gross looking. Sure they didn't tasted so aweful I wanted to throw up, but I didn't try to save any of them at the end of the night either. After the first batch, of which glen ate 2 cookies and threw away the rest, we decided to make a cookie cake type thing. It was fine. It did not have that cookie crisp though.

So on my last grocery store trip I definitely bought some more crisco and decided to make some more cookies, and they were delightful and all things are back to the way they should be...

Passport

I went to the post office today to apply for a new Passport! Why, you might ask. Because in T-minus 4 months we will be headed to the Dominican Republic to this All-Inclusive resort! I cannot wait. This also means that we will not be taking any vacation other than maybe a day or weekend trip. So I will be counting the days until Oct. 9....

Multitude Monday, Week 8

88. Donuts
89. Chicken sandwhiches
90. Women's ministry at church
91. message about encouragement
92. reminder that God rejoices over us
93. sunny weekends
94. cooking dinner with my husband
95. summertime
96. fellowship with friends
97. volleyball


Week 7

Weekend Freebies

Friday night after a long walk on the riverwalk, we headed to krispy kreme to celebrate Free Donut Day!

Abby came along for the ride.

Saturday we got our Free Spicy Chicken Sandwhiches. Yum!

Neighborly

neigh·bor·ly
Pronunciation: \-lē\
Function: adjective
Date: 1558
: of, relating to, or characteristic of congenial neighbors; especially : friendly
synonyms see amicable
— neigh·bor·li·ness noun

In attempts to find a clever title for this post I started googling. Googling? Is that a word. Maybe I need to google googling, but I won't. Anyways, back to the point. I came up with Neighborly, especially friendly, amicable, congenial.

Last night we went to a party that our neighbors were hosting. They had invited us the night before. They invited a lot of our neighbors too! I admit that we said we were going to get to know our neighbors. We said we wanted to make that effort. Time passed by and we never did. I regret that, but I am so glad that our neighbors made the effort. I am looking forward to getting to know them better and meet more people in our neighborhood. Why is it so hard to reach out to people in the very place that you live? Why do we have a tendency to keep to ourselves and not make an effort?

In the end our neighbors are very neighborly, and I hope we will be too.





P.S. I admit I did google Googling and it is also in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Who'da thunk it?

Friday Confessions: B is for Black

This week's segment of Friday Confessions is short and sweet. In 2nd grade I made straight B's, and my favorite color was black. I bought some black nail polish, but my mom threw it away.

And of course, for your viewing pleasure-

Friday is Free Donut Day!

What?

Free donut.

Oh yeah.

I'm there.

Details:

Krispy Kreme- Free donut no strings attached.

Dunkin' Donuts- Free donut with purchase of a drink.

Publix Loot

I haven't posted any of my shopping trips to the grocery store, but this one felt especially good. So here you go.

Should have cost $73.92. I paid $38.09! A savings of $35.83.

Memorial Day

I had to work. Glen had the entire day off, and I am very thankful for that. We celebrated by grilling chicken and trying out my homemade bbq sauce. Check out the recipe here. It was very good and I will know be making it instead of buying from now on, but be warned it takes 2 hrs. to make!