Cheese/Meat Dip, Arizona Spring Break & House Update
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #86 [vol3, 3.5]
Here’s a dinner or appetizer that comes together in minutes. The cream cheese makes it a real food version of the popular Velveeta dip. When I serve as dinner, we eat it with tortilla chips and zero veggies. My kids are huge fans!
The recipe is super versatile; feel free to mix it up as you like. Add or subtract as your ingredients and family’s taste buds demand.
Ingredients
2lbs ground beef or sausage
onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, diced
1-2 blocks cream cheese
1-2 cans Rotel or substitute with salsa
taco seasonings: 1-2t each cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, 1/2 t oregano
salt - if your chili powder is salt free. Taste and adjust as you go!
optional: chopped bell peppers or a handful of fresh spinach
garnish: cilantro, chopped green onions
** if you have smaller eaters, use half the meat and only one can Rotel and one block cream cheese. This recipe freezes well if you have leftovers.
Saute meat and onion until onions are translucent. Add chopped garlic. Cook until meat is no longer pink then add spices.
Of course you can use a taco seasoning packet. I prefer making my own taco seasonings because I can control the quality and quantity.
Once meat is thoroughly cooked and seasoned, add Rotel. I do not drain. My kids prefer mild. Then melt cream cheese. Stir till combined. Consistency will thicken as mixture cools. Serve with tortilla chips.
Last week was our Spring Break; we went to Arizona. With an 8 year gap between our oldest and youngest, we discovered long ago that time outdoors is great for bonding. We stayed in a guest house of friends in Phoenix (my husband went to graduate school there from 2005-2009). The next morning we drove to Sedona, hiked, then continued north and glamped overnight in an RV just an hour from the Grand Canyon. Maybe the best trip I remember as a family. Super relaxing after my husband has been away most of 2022.
Our oldest will be a freshman at Grand Canyon University this fall, so we toured the campus once back to Phoenix. The timing was perfect for the boys to attend a men’s retreat on a remote ranch with our former church. Caroline and I stayed in the city, went to the zoo and tried new restaurants.
Houses
The week before we left, we listed our house and accepted an offer on the second day. This deemed us homeless April 15 (which is Good Friday; a perfect time for a pastor’s family to move states!)
While in Sedona, I got a text from my dad about a property in Louisville. When I showed it to John he was super excited! Three acres of land just 6 minutes from our church, and 9 minutes from his parents! My parents live 2 hours east of Louisville.
Since the sellers would review offers before we could see it in person, we asked our realtor and John’s parents to give us a tour via FaceTime. The house was built in 1970 and needs updating but we are thrilled that our offer was the winning one! It is a crazy time to buy a house.
So, we move out of our Little Rock house on April 15 (probably a few days before) and put our worldly belongings in storage in Louisville since we can’t get possession of our new house until June 1. Generous retired friends in Little Rock have opened their house to us with 4 extra bedrooms and a living space all upstairs so it will seem like our own apartment. I stand in awe of how the Lord has provided for our wants and needs. The kids get to finish school, John Isaac will graduate then we will depart for the Bluegrass State.
From the Heart
I realized during the selling of our house and looking for a new one that I am prone to protect my heart from joy with fear of disappointment lurking. It was a podcast that pointed out that whether or not I allow myself to experience the joy of anticipating, I can still experience disappointment. Why not allow myself the joy?
Pondering further, I realized some of this attempt at protecting my heart stemmed from years of infertility. Right or not, month after month, I closed myself off from the hope of being pregnant. It was too painful to hope with each cycle I could be pregnant.
With this new insight, I decided to hope. I chose to let myself experience joy anticipating a house with acreage that would be so cup filling! I allowed hope to creep in even if we would eventually live in a neighborhood and no garden space. As you already know, we got the house! And I am so happy.
Our kids are thrilled at the idea of getting a dog now that we will have room for it to roam.
Someone asked this week if I would keep the Instagram handle @realfood.littlerock. I’ll probably change it and am open to ideas.
The next few weeks will be crazy with transition and likely these letters will be few.
I’d love to hear from you when you try something I need make.
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,
Julie
What about @realfood.julie ??