By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! We have had some beautiful weather here in the River Valley. Curtis Feimster calls Northwest Arkansas God’s Country. I beg to differ. We live in God’s Country here in the River Valley.
Most of ya’ll know I am a widow woman raising my three grands. We have a great life unless someone is in trouble. You know how that goes. We like it just the four of us and Jr the chihuahua. I had a precious lady at church tell me one day, “I just want you to know I have been praying for you a good husband.” I said, “Oh no, don’t do that.” She said, “You’re young, you need a husband.” Now, she has Justin Weaver and Ronnie Black on the band wagon with her. They are always looking for me a man. They get a big kick out of it.
I told ya’ll about the time I put on Facebook that me and Jr had gone to McDonalds for a hamburger, and someone asked me who this Jr person I was going out with was. Not sure I could date someone named Jr. Ha, ha! What about the time the older gentlemen told me not to look at him with hungry eyes? Oh, and then the time someone asked me to go dancing with them. I said, “I’m too fat to go dancing!” He informed me that I was not too fat to dance. I declined anyway.
Today I was walking in Ms. Belle’s Restaurant and some man whistled at me and I thought…I bet it’s a senior citizen. I turn around and it’s a man in his late forties. Grant you I knew him, and he was just playing, but it counts. Just so ya’ll know, I have had some prize offers. I just choose to stay single. Who knows, one day the right man may come along and sweep me off my feet. Well, he would have to be a body builder to do that, but you never know.
This week’s recipe is Mexican lasagna. You can throw it together the night before and just pop it in the oven when you get off work and you will have dinner ready.
MEXICAN LASAGNA
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 packets taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
14.5 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes (I use Rotel)
4 oz. green chiles
15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
18 corn tortillas
6 cups shredded cheese – jack and cheddar (I just use however much I want)
1 medium diced tomato (optional garnish)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
Sour cream for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish. Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until the meat is browned. Drain off the fat and add minced garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Add the taco seasoning and water, stir over medium heat until combined. Stir in the tomatoes (plus juices), green chiles, black beans and heat through. Line the prepared pan with six corn tortillas, overlapping each other slightly to cover the bottom of the pan, spread 1/3 of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas, sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over the meat. Continue laying to make three layers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Garish with tomatoes and green onions. Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes and serve with sour cream. Enjoy, and hope everyone has a wonderful week.
