Beef Ole

Okay, so, I made dinner tonight for Ramiro and my family-in-law [Ramiro Sr. (father-in-law), Martha (mother-in-law), and Sarahe (sister-in-law)] and it turned out really well! I know! I'm shocked too. haha. But, anyway, I thought I'd post up the recipe in case there's anyone else out there that needs a very easy recipe that makes a good amount of food in a short amount of time. :)

This is a recipe that my dad (Robert Tharp) came up with when he first started living on his own. It's cheap and easy. It's called "Beef Ole" (or, as he calls it, "Beast Ole"...he's weird like that):

Ingredients

1.5 pounds hamburger
1 onion (chopped)
15 oz. tomato sauce
15 oz. kidney beans
1 can sliced black olives (optional!)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1.5 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
0.5 pounds jack cheese (shredded)
About 10 corn tortillas (cut in strips)

Instructions

1. Cook burger & onions; then drain
2. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, olives (optional), and seasonings.
3. Simmer for 10-15 minutes
4. Blend cottage cheese & egg in a bowl
5. In a dish/pan (like for lasagna), layer: tortillas, then the meat sauce, then the cottage cheese mixture on top.
6. Top the whole thing in jack cheese
7. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees

And that's it!

Hope that was helpful to someone out there.

Also, many thanks to all the cards, letters, e-mails, phone calls, texts, and money(!) you guys have been sending me to help ease Ramiro & me into our new life. It's all been VERY appreciated. You're the best! <3

--Lauren*

Not Feeling Well

First of all, many thanks to those of you who have written and/or called me to wish me well. It's true: I haven't been feeling well lately. I've been in and out of the hospital with a string of "illnesses."

Early last month, I had a bit of a cold, but continued to go to work anyway. I was getting more hours and needed the money and I forced myself to keep going even though I kept getting progressively worse. The day before Thanksgiving, Ramiro ended up taking me to the hospital. My cold had turned into Pneumonia. I was forced to take some time off from work. (I haven't been back to work since November 23rd).

And, just as I was starting to feel all the way better (except for a lingering cough--which I've been told could stick around for another two weeks!), poor Ramiro ended up having to take me to the hospital again. With my zero immunity from the Pneumonia, I ended up catching a very bad flu virus that mainly affected the "violently throwing up" and "non-stop diarrhea" parts of my anatomy. NOT PLEASANT AT ALL! Ugh.

I'm out of the hospital now and on the road to recovery from all my various troubles. Except my wallet is a bit worse for wear. I've ended up having to spend much MUCH more than I made when I forced myself to go to work with a cold. And my dream of having a Saving's Account? Well... Maybe next year. I was only a few dollars away, but now I'm pretty much down to the "lucky" two-dollar bill I started out with. I'm trying very, very hard not to be extremely bummed about this and remain optimistic that 2010 will be better money-wise. *smiles*

On the bright side, my Thanksgiving went pretty well... I had Pneumonia and couldn't taste anything (and my diet restrictions meant I couldn't eat a lot of the "good stuff"--it was basically just an ordinary meal for me), but Ramiro came over and my mom's brother and his ex-wife. So that was nice.

And I'm very thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. Especially Ramiro. And my parents. And Ramiro's parents & sister. There are many many AWESOME people in my life, but those are the ones that I'm the most grateful for at this moment. You know that people really REALLY love you when they'll still sit with you when you're horrifically throwing up. Thanks, guys. I love you all so much. <3

Anyway, that's pretty much what I've been up to lately. Just...being sick. You haven't missed much! haha.

Hopefully my next entry will be something more fun!

Later.

--Lauren*

A Part of You

I posted a new painting on my Deviant Art account last night. My first new painting since May...


A Part of You by ~littlezotz on deviantART

It's fan art of Ramiro Roman, Jr's stuff.

I know it's normally kind of lame to do "fan art" of your significant other's work... But his stuff is just so dang cool!!

--Lauren*