Easy Peasy Quesadillas (From Leftovers!)

Looking for something yummy to eat? If you have a couple flour tortillas, some cheese, and leftovers of some type, you can probably make one of my Easy Peasy Quesadillas.

Before we get started, a disclaimer: Certain types of leftovers may not be ideal for adding to quesadillas (soups or casseroles for example), but a cheese quesadilla and a cup of leftover chili sounds pretty good together!

For this recipe, I will be using Flour Tortillas (2 per quesadilla, or 1 per half-quesadilla), Cheese (as much or little as you like), leftover Taco Meat (or sausage, bacon, lunchmeat, chicken, or veggies), Onion, and Diced Jalapenos. You will also need a little oil or butter to grease the skillet.

Step 1: Grease your skillet.

Step 2: Add a flour tortilla and some cheese. You will want to work quickly from this point so that yor tortilla does not get over-browned on the bottom.

Step 3: Add your meat.

Step 4: Add any veggies or additional ingredients.

I have to say...this looks delicious!

Step 5: Add some more cheese on top- this will make the two tortillas stick together when you have so many toppings they want to fall apart. Yum!

Step 6: Add another flour tortilla to the top and press it down with your hand.

Step 7: Flip the whole thing over--you might need to hold that top tortilla on when doing this. I just do it very quickly and it (usually) works.

Step 8: Make another half because it looks so delicious! (Or because you have one odd tortilla).

These can be a little harder to get rolled over and flipped...be careful not to burn yourself! (Even though the bottom is cooked, it is a good idea to flip it to melt that fresh cheese you just put on top--or put cheese over the whole tortilla when you start--I'm known for doing things the hard way.)

Step 9: Cut into slices.

Step 10: Serve with sour cream and salsa (or guacamole and fresh pico de gallo).

(Step 11:) Devour.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Did you try it? Do you ever put "strange" things on your quesadillas like peanut butter and pickles? Share with all of us in the comments.

National Read in a Bathtub Day

Today is National Read in the Bathtub Day. I'll bet you didn't even know there was such a thing!
 (Me neither).

 

In the spirit of fun, I have taken a few pictures of myself and my children reading in the bathtub.

We read If You Give a Pig a Pancake and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?

Baby Boy looks a little sleepy here, but he perked up when we started to read.

Sister read.

Then baby brother tried it too!

They both enjoyed the break from our normal routine!

I am proud to be able to offer my children these (sometimes silly) enrichening experiences.

After all, how many public-schooled kids got to read in a bathtub today?

 

 

Looking at the above pictures, you might get the idea that I am making light of the importance of reading to your children. Believe me, that isn't the case! I am showing how important it is to me to read aloud to my children as they grow...even if it takes reading in some unconventional places.

 

The next time your kids are squirming during reading time, try one of these ideas:

• Take a blanket outside and have a reading picnic
• Go to the park or playground and read sitting on the swings or hiding in the tunnels
• Go to your local library and find a quiet corner to read
• Try out a story hour at your local library
• Go out for ice-cream and take a book to read

Does your family have a special way to break up the read-aloud monotony? What is it? Share in the comments!

 

Want more info about why reading to your kids is so important? Check out this study by Scholastic published in the NY Times: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/us/study-finds-reading-to-children-of-all-ages-grooms-them-to-read-more-on-their-own.html?_r=5&referrer= 

 

(Look for another post about reading to your kids and encouraging them to read for themselves--in the next week or two).

 

Here is a little info about Read in the Bathtub Day: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/602236-196/daily-twip---read-in-the-bathtub.html 

 

Flash Friday Entry "Gampa" 2-6-15

I wrote this piece for Flash Friday. Head over to Flash Friday to read the other entries or enter your own. The prompts this week include the picture below and a fleeting moment.

Rain (Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica). CC2.0 photo by NannyDaddy.

Gampa
By Charity Paschall

I come here often. Every time it rains, in fact, you may find me here. I walk the paths we walked, still holding the umbrella slightly to one side—more to her side than mine—protecting her as I did once, from the raindrops.

I can still feel her tiny hand in mine—still see her smiling up at me—so beautiful, so perfect.

I see her tiny yellow raincoat and cap, tiny black galoshes as she splashes through the puddles. “Hurry up, Gampa,” she says. My beautiful granddaughter, bald beneath her raincap—she enjoys these walks to the bakery for our special treat—rainy day cupcakes.

Now her joy has been stolen—replaced by pain. Her cancer came back, throwing her out of remission and into the hospital. Three months now, she has been there, her body in the grip of the cancer; doctor’s and drugs doing all they can to save my special girl.

I leave her side only when it rains. I’ll bring her back a rainy day cupcake. I know she can’t eat it, but sometimes her eyes flutter open and she smiles a sad smile for me. I smile back at her as my tears echo her pain.

I hope you enjoyed this story. I would love to hear from you in the comment section!

Time Savers: Bakin' yer Bacon

 

 

I can bring home the bacon...I can fry the bacon...I even know how to save my own bacon (usually), but baking bacon? That just sounds unnatural, so of course I had to give it a try. Here is what I learned, and a step by step tutorial on doing it yourself.

 

Step 1: Set oven to 350 degrees 

 

Step 2: Cut entire slab of bacon in half with kitchen shears. I use kitchen shears because I can cut through the whole slab much easier than with a knife.

 

Cutting your bacon in half is not strictly necessary, but I wanted sandwich-sized bacon.

 

Step 3: Lay a sheet of parchment paper (if available) on a cookie sheet with edges (you don't want hot grease rolling off the sides into your oven.) Now lay out your bacon in whatever arrangement works best for your pan and your purposes. You can see I reuse my paper until I have all my bacon baked.

Step 4: Put your bacon in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes depending on how crisp you like it. (Ok, so this is a picture of me taking it out, but doesn't it look yummy?)

Step 5: Use a spatula to move the cooked bacon to a paper-towel covered plate to drain.

Step 6: Yum! Drool a little...and then sneak a piece when no one is looking. From this point, you can devour all the yummy goodness or save some for later.

Step 7: We made a couple of sandwiches and put the rest (I cooked 2 lbs) into a Ziploc bag with another paper towel to catch any extra grease. Store it in the fridge, so it's available for sandwiches, bacon bits, a quick breakfast, or just to sneak a piece now and then.

 

Warning: You may need to hide the bacon or put it in a tub marked {insert something your family hates to eat}--to keep it from disappearing too quickly.

Step 8: Don't throw out that bacon grease! Save it for the next time you make eggs, fried potatoes, cornbread, or whatever else you might want to flavor with bacon grease. My grease jar today used to be a baby food jar, and it just barely holds the grease. Learn more about grease jars here.

 

Step 9: Throw out your parchment paper and put your clean pan back in the cupboard. Or, if you didn't have parchment paper, buy some for next time and then take dish soap and squirt a good amount on your pan. Use your hand to make sure the entire pan is covered, including corners. Let the pan sit for an hour or two and then wash off with a sponge.

 

Step 10: Tell all yer friend's about my "Bakin' yer Bacon" post so they can try it too!

 

Now, wasn't that easy? No more bacon splatters from skillet frying either!

Taking Time Off Mid-Project can CAUSE Writer's Block



In his book, On Writing, Stephen King writes "I'll also suggest that you can take one day a week off, at least to begin with. No more; you'll lose the urgency and immediacy of your story if you do."

Dun Dun Duh... This is what I have allowed myself to do. I have taken too many days off and allowed my story and characters to stagnate. Now...how do I get them back?

Neil Gaiman suggests: "Put it aside for a few days. Then sit down and read it as if you've never seen it before. And often, when you get to the end you'll be both enthusiastic about it and know what the next few words are."

I have already put it aside for (more than) a few days, so this is definitely a good one to try.

Orson Scott Card says: “Writer’s block is my unconscious mind telling me that something I’ve just written is either unbelievable or unimportant to me, and I solve it by going back and reinventing some part of what I’ve already written so that when I write it again, it is believable and interesting to me."

Ok, I can see this point as well. While I think my block has to do with too much time away from the story, I should definitely reread and make sure my scenes are believable and important to the story.

Charlie Jane Anders writes about 10 Types of Writer's Block. "If you've been stuck in the middle for a while, though, then you probably need to do something to get the story moving again. Introduce a new complication, throw the dice, or twist the knife. Mark Twain spent months stuck in the middle of Huckleberry Finn before he came up with the notion of having Huck and Jim take the wrong turn on the river and get lost. If you're stuck for a while, it may be time to drop a safe on someone."

Well, I HAVE been stuck for awhile now...perhaps it is time to throw in a plot twist that even I didn't see coming.

MJ Bush at WritinGeekery says "What causes writer’s block? It can be any number of things, but the most common is reaching a plateau in your learning curve."  She goes on to define my particular problem as: "Burnout: You have no inspiration or motivation." Some of her suggestions for conquering writer's block include "Focus on getting better rather than doing good. Reflect on your progress. Track your improvement. Gauge your real skill level."

My favorite take-away from MJ is to focus on getting better. As long as I am improving my craft, whether by reading, studying the craft, or writing on another project, I will never be a victim of complete Writer's Block.

In her Top 10 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block, Ginny Wiehardt writes: "Implement a Writing Schedule. Carve out a time to write and then ignore the writer's block. Show up to write, even if nothing comes right away. When your body shows up to the page at the same time and place every day, eventually your mind — and your muse — will do the same."

This advice is some I have seen several times in researching how to overcome the dreaded "block." It may well be the first idea I implement. I absolutely think this suggestion will help in my writing. (Now, how to schedule this time around working full time midnight shift, homeschooling and generally being available as wife and mother...but that is fodder for another post.)

I'm No "Niche" Writer

Recently, I have been on hiatus from blogging, and really, from writing of any kind. My muse seems to have gone on an extended vacation and the joy I normally feel when creating has been robbed.

I originally took a break from my blog, planning to do some soul searching. I needed to find my "niche market." I needed to determine who my target audience was, and write the things they need or want to read. It seemed every writing blog was telling me to stop writing about the things I care about and focus on one area.

Well, I have a problem with that...I am not a 2-dimensional being. I am multi-faceted and I cannot channel my writing energy into one subject area.

http://scrappybaglady.blogspot.com/search/label/Life%20Skills

Learning this about myself gave me some pause at first--I wondered if my readers would be put-off by the fact that I cannot stick to one subject. In the end, I decided to attempt to categorize my posts and if a reader isn't interested in a post about homeschool, she can skip through and read a sewing tutorial or a bit of flash fiction.

So far, the categories I have come up with are:

Homeschool

Tutorials

Flash Fiction

Life Skills (Home and Family planning, organization, budgeting, parenting, etc)

Writing Rubbish (Anything I wish to write about writing).


Almost everything I write can be categorized into one of these five areas. This will give me more leniency than trying to write about only one subject, and will serve as a bit of variety to (hopefully) increase my readership.

I understand that some people feel this decision may hurt my chances as a writer, but I have to do what I feel is right for me.

 

And that is what I want to leave you with...follow your own heart instead of trying to fit someone else's mold. Your own mold is waiting for you, and it fits you perfectly.

Flash Friday - Willow's Wrath

Picture Prompt for Flash Friday @ http://flashfriday.wordpress.com/ 

Click the link for rules and to enter your own flash, then read my response below.

 

Bell Tower of Guadalest, Costa Blanca, Spain. CC photo by Anguskirk.

 

 

 

Willow's Wrath

 



 

Willow sprinted through the old forest, flames licking her heels. This was her final race--the bell tower, her goal.

Tears streamed down her face--she cried for the trees, for the animals, and for the spirits.

She stumbled up the stone steps towards the tower. At their summit, she summoned the last of her strength to ring the bell. Its peals echoed through the hills--a warning of approaching danger.

Willow murmured a final prayer for her people and flung herself from the tower. Eyes closed, she welcomed death.

Her eyes opened in the spirit world--but nothing had changed. She rode the wind, untouched by the fire as it consumed the forest.

As her village came into view, she willed the wind to turn south--it hesitated, unaccustomed to following orders. She strengthened her resolve and commanded the wind to change direction.

Seeing her village was unharmed, she searched for the pale faces--they would not escape their carelessness, nor her wrath.

 

 

As a bonus, here are two more bits of flash I wrote recently which I didn't blog.

 

 

Earth goddess. Imaginary Worlds exhibit, Atlanta Botanical Garden. Photo by C. Joey Ivansco.

 

 

 



Fountain of Beauty

In a fit of jealous rage, she trapped me here--turned me into an earthen statue, living but dead. It was not my fault Zeus loved me, I did nothing to entice him--but Hera is a jealous woman.

I do not create the water, but it flows from my hand. I can influence it, poison it, imbue the drinker with special qualities. Now...what would infuriate Hera?

Each maiden who drinks from my pool will be given a double portion of my beauty. The nymphs who make their home in my waters will be second in beauty only to Aphrodite herself.

Zeus will be filled with all-consuming lust for these, my daughters. Hera will have no choice but to release me from my prison. But in case she gets any ideas to partake of my nectar herself, my spell will work in reverse on any immortal who drinks.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.



Chia Goddess

“Earth Goddess” my sign reads but the flowers here have given me another name.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-chia!” they call.

“In a few days you will be nothing but a grass-covered hill,” laughs the Peony.

“You look like an overgrown Chia pet,” chortles the Dahlia.

As the seeds begin to grow, I fear they are right—their taunts weaken me, and even my Chia grass withers. I will be but a barren hilltop—not even fit to grow grass.

Deep inside, something stirs. Their barbed words no longer bind.

I set my mind to my task. I enrich my soil daily. I drink in the water, the sun, and the nutrients available. More plants inhabit my soil—only a little Chia grass remains.

When the botanical garden opens, people hurry past the Roses, Irises and Dahlias. The Lilies are admired but a moment.

At my exhibit, people linger; they gaze on me with wonderment. I am now worthy of the name Earth Goddess.

 

 

 

I welcome your comments. Which story is your favorite? Why?