Beautiful Bountiful Beets

I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with beets.

I want to really love them but I kinda just like them.

I hate them when I peel them after a nice bake in the oven 

and the dark purple shades of color end up on 

my fingers and everywhere else in the kitchen.

But once all the work is done, and I do mean work, 

then I really love them!

If you are smart you will pick out the golden colored beets or 

the slightly pink beautiful beets and plop those babies in your 

buggy instead of the dark purple ones.

I really do not taste the difference and my 

hands and towels are cleaner for it.

Wash them under cold water, pat dry and wrap each individually

in foil and place them on a metal pan and send them

to the oven for about an hour at 375 degrees.

Check for doneness with a fork and let them cool before

handling. Once they are cool then carefully 

peel off the skin and discard.

The fun part is slicing them and discovering 

the beautiful spirals of color inside.

What you do with them next is really your preference.

You can throw them into a salad, add them to a charcuterie board,

eat them right then or toss them in a beet salad pictured below.

However you decide to serve them up you will

surely not be disappointed.

Beet Salad

3 Beets baked, peeled and diced

2 chopped green onions

1/2 cup of mayo

1 Tbs of white wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss and cool covered in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.

Prayer of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus,

I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy

Sacrament.

I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You

into my soul.

Since I cannot at this

moment receive You

sacramentally, come at least

spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You

were already there and unite

myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be 

separated from You.

Amen

Big Momma's Roast

Big Momma's Roast is AMAZING!

It is cooked all day in this crazy good sauce she throws on top

of it and it just soaks it all up!

The sauce is not a barbecue sauce but more of a rich brown sugar 

mixed with tomato sauce creation!

I literally crave it in the winter time.

It has to be served with mashed potatoes and it has to have 

veggies cooked with it.

Big Momma is the BEST!

She has some super talented grandchildren 

from all over the country. She travels around to watch their sporting

events, witness their talented works and support each of them through

their high school and college careers.

Thank you Big Momma for allowing me to share this yummy recipe!

What I Know About Heaven

What I know about heaven. 

I know my soul began there and that I will return there once 

my work is completed here on earth.

I know my loved ones who have already left this earth will be waiting for me.

I know it is beyond beautiful and fulfills every dream we could imagine as

God's prescence, love and light floods far and wide.

I know there is only love in heaven.

There are no negative thoughts, no pain and no suffering.

Everything is renewed and everything is good.

I know I will learn when I go home to heaven.

I will learn by viewing my life on earth.

I will learn by seeing how my actions effected others both negatively and positively.

I know I will continue to do my soul work in heaven.

I will continue to love and pray for those still on earth and I will begin preparing for my loved ones to arrive. I know I will dance with the angels, bask in the light and delight 

in the wonder of the prescence of Jesus. 

It will be amazingly beautiful and spectacular beyond my imagination. 

But until I return, I will do my best to live my life to honor God.

I will continue to be perpetually grateful for all of the coutless blessings 

God has given to me.

This is what I know about heaven.

Fresher Than Fresh Organic Salsa

Pick up some fresh organic tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños and onion from the market.

Cook your tomatoes in a small pot with just enough water to cover them.

Bring to a low boil and cook for about 10 minutes just until the skins start to separate.

Let it cool and then remove the skin. Set aside.

Crush your diced onions and peppers.

Add cilantro and crush into onions and peppers.

In a medium bowl add your cooked tomatoes and using a fork and knife chop them up to your desired texture. I like mine pretty diced up but others may like their salsa chunky. 

Add your mixture of onions, peppers and cilantro to the tomatoes.

Season with seal salt and pepper if desired.

DONE!

Serve it up with some amazing chips and ENJOY!

Chicken Flautas

Who doesn't like a big plate of chicken flautas to munch on

during a football game and or a Saturday night movie date!

These flautas are so easy and really do satisfy the munchies!

Chicken Flautas

Instructions

3 fresh jalapeños

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

1 2c bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 2c bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken

12 flour or corn tortillas

1 small onion chopped and sauted in 1/2 stick of butter, adding cumin to taste.

Canola Oil in Spray Can

Heat your oven to 375. Spray a large metal baking pan.

Take one tortilla at a time, spray both sides and then add chicken, onions, cilantro and cheese.

Slowly roll the tortilla up and place seam side down on the baking pan. Continue until all 12 tortillas are rolled. Give the flautas an extra spray of oil to generously coat the tortilla so the crisp up nicely.

Place in the oven and keep an eye on them until the start to slightly brown and crisp up. Check after 15 minutes and then continue cooking in 5 minute increments until the cheese is melted and the flautas are crisp.  Plate them up and sprinkle more cilantro on the top. Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream and guacamole for dipping!

You will also want to make this Salsa

And this Queso

Wedding Cake

Cherry Cake or Almond Wedding Cake

1 cup sifted flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/3 cups of tap water

1 cup sour cream (whole milk)

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

1 1/4 tsp Almond extract (organic)

1 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (organic)

4 medium egg whites

Dash of Cinnamon

1 box of white cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

(1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and cut in quarters - for Cherry Cake)
No cherries for Almond Wedding Cake
If making a larger cake with multiple layers I double or triple recipe.

Directions

Grease and flour pans to be used.

Preheat oven to 325.

Gently stir the cake mix, flour, salt and sugar in a medium size bowl.

Add to the bowl water, oil, sour cream, extracts, cinnamon, cherries and egg whites. Beat on low for about 3 minutes.

Pour into greased pans and bake until tops are brown about 25 minutes.

Test with a toothpick to see if it is done before bringing out of the oven.

Cool on wire racks.

Ice with your favorite icing recipe and decorate as you wish!

My daughter loves to make a simple butter cream frosting and really loads it up. This is amazing and we love to store it in the refrigerator and bring out about 15 minutes before serving! 

Icing
Pure unsalted butter softened/ room temp  2 sticks
4 Cups of confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon of half and half
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine sugar, butter and extract in a bowl and mix using a paddle attachment on low speed to combine ingredients. Bring to High and beat about 2 minutes until it is fluffy. Add the half and half if needed. 
Store this in the refrigerator until ready to use and then bring back to room temp to frost cooled cake or piping for making flowers. 
Double if needed!

Beet Salad

This is your new and sassy alternative to potato salad!

It is so simple, easy to prepare and pretty darn healthy!

It is at it's peak when it's had a few hours 

to chill in the frig before serving it up to the crowd.

I love it with a great brisket or a nice grilled chicken breast.

Beet Salad

 3 Uncooked Organic Beets (I prefer the golden color)

3/4 C of Mayo

1/2 C Chopped Green Onion

1 Tbls of White Wine Vinegar

Sea Salt to taste

Cracked Pepper to taste

Wash and wrap the beets in foil and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Unwrap from foil and
slice the beets into rounds as if you were slicing a tomato. The skin will pull right off the rounds. Cut into bite size chunks and add to a medium size bowl. Add the onion to the bowl. In a small bowl whisk mayo and vinegar until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold the mayo mixture into the bowl of beets. Refrigerate covered for a few hours and then stir again before serving. Enjoy!

Sometimes I Just NEED To Be Silly

I just can't help myself.

I mean really I can't.

I am silly, really silly.

I have passed this on to my children.

It can really annoy my husband and yet, 

I still can't help myself.

Sometimes I just NEED to be silly.

Prayers For Our Children

If you were to ask a mother what her greatest fear was most likely she will

respond in some manner in regards to the safety and care of her children.

It does not change even when they become adults and even
when they have children of their own.

We mamas are a rare breed indeed. We have an innate sense of protecting our offspring at all costs. We will do whatever it takes to keep our children safe, loved, healthy and happy. 

Sometimes, at no fault of our own, we can not keep them safe from the evils of this complicated world we now live in. Sometimes all we can do is
drop on our knees and pray to God.

We pray, and beg, plead and bargain with God on behalf of our children. 

Do you know that a mother's prayers for her children are the strongest and fastest prayers to reach heavens door? It's true. God hears us and although He may not always answer our pleads and prayers exactly as we asked but we must always try to remember that He alwways has a divine plan and that we must learn to trust His will even when it breaks us and brings us to our knees in the deepest pain imaginable. We must trust that one day, when we go back to Him, we will come to understand His reasonings for our sufferings. In my heart I know that we are here to LOVE and LEARN in this life.

Everything we do can bring love and everything we experience we can learn from. Each lesson only brings us closer to God.  So keep on praying my dear friends and keep on leaning on each other but most importanly lean on God. 

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Here is a beautiful prayer from the Mother’s Manual, by Fr. A. Francis Coomes S.J.

Holy Mother Mary,
Who by virtue of your divine motherhood,
Hast become mother of us all
I place the charge which God has given me,
under your loving protection.
Be a Protecting Mother to my children.
Guard their bodies and keep them
in health and strength.
Guard their minds and keep their thoughts ever holy
in the sight of their Creator and God.
Guard their hearts and keep them pure and strong
and happy in the love of God.
Guard always their souls and ever preserve in them,
faithfully, the glorious image of God
whom they received in Holy Baptism.
Always Mother, protect them and keep them
under your Mothering care.
Supply in your all-wise motherhood,
for my poor human deficiencies
and protect them from all evil.
Amen.

Queen of the Most Holy Family,
Pray for us.

Bolognese Sauce

This is my favorite meat sauce to dump on my favorite pasta!

It is simple but hearty and the cream just makes it, well let's just say it is heavenly!

It is a great sauce to use in lasagna or shells. To make a large amount enough for a lasagna, I would probably double the recipe.  An Italian mama can never have enough red sauce stored up and this will freeze with no issues.

My favorite thing is to cook my sauce the day before as it gives even more time for the flavors to really marry.  I love a great meat sauce and when you serve this baby up you better have some amazing bread to sop it up with! 

Bolognese Sauce

1 pound of ground beef or Italian sausage
2 14oz cans of tomato sauce (Pomi or Cento)
3 large garlic gloves minced
1 cup of red wine
2 Tbls of freshly chopped basil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
3/4 to 1 cup of half and half

Brown meat, drain and set aside in the refrigerator while you are cooking the sauce. Add the remaining ingredients except the half and half into a stock pot and simmer on low covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. Add the cooked meat and half and half into sauce and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

Here are some other Italian Recipes to try!

Organic Tomato, Onion and Mushroom Sauce

Eggplant and Chicken Parmesan

Calzone

Christmas Morning Recipe!

This is an all-time favorite at
Mama Holli's house.

ALL THE TIME
ALL DAY

It is a tradition to serve these
Christmas morning

while we open our gifts but this recipe is not reserved
only for special occasions!

These puppies also make a wonderful

manly appetizer!

The menfolk just love to munch
on these while standing in front
of the TV watching some
kind of sporting event.
I pull them out of the freezer and zap
in the microwave for a quick kiddo breakfast.

The best thing about this recipe is that

it can be made ahead and frozen
until ready to use!

HOLD ON COWGIRLS....

Here we go!

 Easy Ingredients

1 pound of mild pork sausage

(This Texas Mama uses only Jimmy Dean)

2 cans of crescent rolls

(Pillsbury - YUM)

1 block of cream cheese, softened

(Philadelphia - Going for it - No fat free)

Sausage Crescent Rolls

Brown and drain sausage. Add cream cheese to sausage.  Spray baking sheet.  Open rolls but do not separate triangles.  You will make 2 loaves from these rolls.  Place 4 triangles together on a baking sheet.  Press out the perforated holes to seal as one piece. (Now you can buy them in sheets but either will work) Spread half of the sausage mixture on top.  Cover with the remaining 4 triangles pressed together.  With your finger press all around the edges to seal the top and bottom pieces of dough.  Repeat the procedure to make the second loaf. 

Mama Denise in Texas brushes egg whites over the tops of the loaves and  sprinkles poppy seed over the egg whites. I don't do that step but if you feel like being a little fancy then go for it!  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Slice loaves and serve hot.  You may let them cool on a wire rack and place them single layer in a Ziploc bag and freeze.  No need to thaw just reheat on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees. 

I like to spice this up a bit and I add 

1 Tbs. green chilies 

and 1/3 cup of pepper jack cheese 

to the sausage and cream cheese! 

WAIT!

If you have discovered this recipe while looking for 

Superbowl super food then you will want this 

QUESO recipe too! 

It is ridiculously fattening and worth the calories!

Either way it is delicious!
WAIT!
If you like this recipe then
you need this next recipe as well!

Go HERE 
for the 
Drunken Cheese Tray
and 
Go HERE 
for the 
Triple C Rolls

Lana's Mexican Casserole - A Tex-Mex Recipe

When I was a little girl growing up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, 

my mom would whip up this ridiculously yummy Tex Mex meal and we 

were all just so happy to see it come out of the oven! 

Lana and Darin Del Monte lived across the street, 

and this was Lana's recipe! It has such a creamy sauce 

that strangely and perfectly compliments the beef and beans.

I promise you it will be a hit and the cook will be 

sneaking the leftovers on the next day for breakfast! 

Ingredients

2 lbs of ground beef

12 corn tortillas

1 can of evaporated milk

1 can of green chilis

1 can of refried beans

1 can of cream of chicken

1/2 stick of butter or margarine

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

In a skillet, brown the meat with the chopped onions and add salt and pepper.

Drain off the grease and set aside.

To prepare the sauce combine soup, milk, green chilis, and one cup of cheese in a medium bowl, stir together and set aside.

In a small pot heat refried beans and 1/2 stick of butter to soften. 

Take off heat and set aside.

In a skillet or medium pot add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium.

Soften tortillas one at a time in the oil, turning once, and then place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. You want the tortillas to be pliable and not crisp.

Spray a casserole dish with oil to lightly coat.

Create each enchilada by adding meat and then topping it with a few tablespoons 

of the sauce. Continue this until the casserole dish is completely full of enchiladas. If you have extra meat leftover just fill in the spaces between the enchiladas. (see photo below)

Spread the softens beans over all of the enchiladas.

Dump the remaining yummy sauce over the beans and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top!

Bake covered with foil for about 30 minutes at 350℉. Remove the foil and then cook an adittional 10-15 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is gooey! 

I like to serve this with some really great tortilla chips and my homemade salsa and guacamole! If I am trying to be healthy I will add a green salad. 

There ya go! Enjoy!

Making the enchiladas one by one!

Extra meat? No problemo! 

Load it up baby!

Beans on top!

Sauce on top of beans and then comes the cheese!

Ready for the oven!

Need a Tex Mex Dip?

Go HERE!

NEED SALSA?

Click HERE!