Refried Bean Dinner -Taco Salads

We like this meal because it is very versatile. It includes the frozen refried bean/meat mix (fully cooked) and 1 bag of chips. I gave you our very mild version so if you like it hotter, you may want to throw in a can of medium or hot chili peppers. There's serveral ways to serve this:
1. Thaw overnight; reheat in the microwave or on the stove, stirring every few minutes (and add a little water if you like it thinner). For the last couple of minutes we like to add a cup or two of shredded cheddar cheese and melt it on top. Serve the mixture on top of a bed of chips, and add lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, sliced olives, or whatever other toppings you like, and there you have a taco salad. OR ...
2. For kids that don't like all the extra toppings, just serve it like nachos and sprinkle more cheese on top.
3. Serve like a burrito, wrapped in a tortilla with salsa, sour cream, and lots of cheese (Dave's preference)
4. Serve on top of cooked white rice, and then add lettuce, tomatoes, olives and cheese on top (This is how my parents serve this meal).

Chicken and Brocolli Fettucini Alfredo

So many apologies... so little time...Well, I am still really embarassed that I did not have my meals done on Friday to give to everyone. I had a really busy week and several things came up that were unexpected. I am so sorry because this is twice now that this has happened! So, please forgive me. My food is done now though, and has been frozen for a couple days, so I will be dropping them off to everyone today.
The second thing I feel bad about is something I realized after my meals were already in the bags and partially frozen... I forgot to put garlic in the alfredo sauce. So, you'll have to add a little bit of garlic when you are heating it, or it won't taste very good. You can used fresh minced garlic, garlic powder, or garlic salt whichever you prefer. And, the sauce has a lot of cheese in it, so it will probably be really thick when it thaws out. Just add milk to thin it if you would like. I hope you enjoy it! This is one of our family's favorite meals... I usually serve it with garlic bread, green beans, and ceasar salad.

I want recipes!!!

Really, I want to put together a little collection of our recipes. I could do it every month after we exchange our meals. What ever we decide, if you could e-mail me your recipes at shaunaab@gmail.com then I will put them into one word document. Then I can e-mail the whole thing out to all of you monthly after we do our exchange. What do you think?

Just FYI

Tomorrow I will also be giving you tortillas. These are not frozen yet. So just make sure if you don't eat my meal soon that you put those in the freezer. I think it says by July 4th. So just to let you know. I had leftover from making my meals so I am bringing it to Ladies who lunch tomorrow. Just a little before hand taste test I guess! ;0) And Aften I'm sorry you can't do it this month! That's a bummer...did anybody else go to that class at the church and have actually tried to say "that's a bummer" to your kids. Gracie thought I was calling her a bad name and got so mad at me! Then I started laughing trying to explain it and she go even more mad because I was laughing. So "That's a bummer' doesn't work at the Gooch house yet-but Casey and I say it to each other. It makes us stop and laugh.

Meatloaf and Make-ahead mashed potatoes

Hey Girls, I will be making my grandmothers meatloaf and some mashed potatoes that are really yummy. Just don't ask what's in them if you are watching your calorie intake. I usually add brocolli or zuchinni to this meal or a salad always goes nice. Just bake both at 350 for 1 hour. I will be there on Friday to do the exchange. Can't wait to try more or everyones yummy meals.

Sorry

Sorry ladies about dogging out on ya'll...next month count me in...

Meeting time?

A few of us have been communicating by e-mail about our meeting time. In case you haven't checked your e-mail yet, we were talking about exchanging at 12:30 on Friday at Marianne's house since she is hosting Ladies Who Lunch. (Ladies Who Lunch is from 11-1.) We were thinking of bringing coolers with our food, put them in the garage, exchange our food and then sneak it into our cars. We are hoping to not make anyone feel left out by publicizing this too much. If they do find out, I don't think it's a bad idea to encourage them to start another group because we have all loved this so much. Does this work for everyone? I know Aften said she is out of this exchange due to going out of town.