Some good things

We tried a new recipe and it was pretty good. What makes it even better is that it was fast & easy. I am sharing the recipe with you here:





Mexican rice and beef





1 lb lean ground beef


1 envelope low-sodium taco seasoning mix


1 1/2 cups water


1 cup chunky, thick salsa


1 cup frozen corn


1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice (i used brown rice)


black pepper


1 cup grated pepper jack cheese


shredded lettuce


chopped tomato





In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the chunks. Drain off any fat. Add taco seasoning mix, water, salsa, and corn; cook, uncovered, stirring until mixture boils.





Stir in rice and pepper; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 6 minutes.


(I would recommend letting the rice cook just a bit longer, more like 5 minutes before removing from heat. Ours wasn't quite done yet.)





Fluff rice-and-beef mixture with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and let stand for 2 minutes, or until cheese melts. Uncover and serve with lettuce and tomato.





For those of you who don't like spicy, you could tone this down by using a mild salsa and substituting cheddar cheese for the pepper jack. We love spicy @ our house and it was perfect for us. The lettuce and tomato also help cool the heat! Enjoy :)





Another good thing I have for you is a birthday treat for Jace. They are celebrating his birthday this weekend in Iowa, unfortunately we won't be able to make it, but I wanted to share with you what I made for him. I think it turned out really cute. Janelle said she wanted a book to help him learn his colors. Instantly I knew I wanted to make one for him, but it wasn't until last night that I got the inspiration for it. See for yourself...


You can see the rest of the book here. Let me know what you think!