Cover and Pass

One thing you should know about me is I love almost all games. I say almost all because I don't really like the games I am not good at. LOL That's not true, even if I am not very good at a game, as long as it's fun and involves laughter, I will like it. I grew up in a card playing family, but I love a board game and LIVE for game nights with friends! 

I sound competitive, and I can be as long as it's fun competition. Once it gets serious, it's no longer fun. You should see my best friend's husband and I play the game of Sorry. It is cut throat and takes forever to finish a game, but it is FUN!

In my "A Week with Inez" post, I mentioned we played cards. One of the games we played was Cover and Pass. This game is one of my favorites, so I thought I would share the fun and give the directions. 

Players: 3+ or teams

You need three decks of cards with Jokers. (It is much easier to shuffle if all three decks are the same size.)

The game consists of 7 "rounds". Each round has a different goal and one more card than the last.

The rounds are:

1. Deal 6 cards, get 2 sets of 3
2. Deal 7 cards, get 1 set of 3, on set of 4
3. Deal 8 cards, get 2 runs of 4
4. Deal 9 cards, get 3 sets of 3
5. Deal 10 cards, get 2 sets of 3, 1 run of 4
6. Deal 11 cards, get 1 set of 7
7. Deal 12 cards, get 1 run of 8

Once the cards are dealt the dealer turns over the top card from the stock pile and the player to the left of the dealer starts play. If the player wants the card the dealer flips up, they pick up the card and discard a card from their hand. If they do not want that card, they "cover" it with the top card of the stock pile and "pass" it to the player on their left. They then pick up the top card of the stock pile and play as normal, discarding as they see fit. (There should never be more than on card in the discard pile at all times.) This continues until one person has gotten rid of all their cards.

You want to wait to play your cards when you have completed all the runs and sets required for the round, don't play your runs and sets as you get them. Once a player is down on the board, the goal is to then get rid of the remainder of their cards. They do this by playing additional runs and sets of 3 or playing on what other players have laid down. (It is easiest if you just play the cards on what other players have laid down, rather than starting your own additional piles -- Points are not determined by the cards played.)

Wilds: Jokers & 2's are wild. In rounds 1-5 you may play one wild per run or set unless the wild is played as a "natural" - in other words, a two is played as a two, not a wild. In rounds 7 & 8, you may use up to three wilds, unless the 4th wild is played as a natural.

Once a player gets rid of all the cards in their hand, the round is over. The cards left in the other player's hands will count against them.*

Scoring:

Wild (Jokers) = 50
Wild (2's) = 20
Aces = 20 (may be played as high or low)
K-10 = 10
9-2 = 5

*If playing partners/teams, the team members/partner of the player that goes out, does not count the points left in their hand.

The player/team with the least amount of points at the end of Round 7 wins.

I hope you'll play. It's a lot of fun and guarenteed to bring hours of entertainment. K was not a huge fan of this game at first. She said the cards almost went into the campfire, but after playing with my mom and sister this last week, she is now a fan.

Feel free to comment if you have any questions. One of my most favorite people to play cards with, Ronnie Blue, says when there's a rule dispute, "Your house, your rules." You make the call, just remember to stay consistent. Happy playing!

A Week with Inez

Who, you may ask, is Inez? Inez is my wonderful Mom who came out to get out of the cold Indiana weather and visit her daughter in beautiful, sunny California.

Here's how it went:

We took my mom home from the airport via the scenic route down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). One of the most breath taking views is at Crystal Cove where they just so happen to have a Ruby's Diner that over looks the ocean. Of course we stopped there to grab a bite to eat as we oogled at the ocean views!

Ruby's Diner, Newport Beach Coast, Crystal Cove

We spent quite a bit of time at various beaches.

Heisler Park, Laguna Beach

Heisler Park

Two of my most favorite women.

My beautiful Mom, San Clemente Pier

Found cool trees.

Coolest tree ever, Heisler Park, Laguna Beach

Me & K, Heisler Park, Laguna Beach

Second coolest tree, Main Beach, Laguna Beach

Watched some sunsets.

Aliso Beach

Montage, Laguna Beach

Out on the whale watching boat.

 Celebrated my Birthday!

Had a picnic on the beach, San Clemente Pier

Went for a walk on the Pier

Got the most perfect Birthday card

Followed by the most perfect Rockstar Monkey Birthday cake.

And blew out candles, which people missed so I fake blew out candles. LOL

Then my sister Melissa came.

As her son pointed out, if you look closely, her eyes are closed. LOL

We went Whale Watching. (We did see whales and dolphins on the trip, but they're too quick to catch on camera so you get pics of us instead.)

Waiting to board our Whale Watching boat.

She thought we were whale watching in Antarctica.

My mom refused to smile because she said I had hate in my heart. And did I ever, that day! At least until we got on the boat.

Our first whale watching trip together.

Take 1 - Enjoying each other.

Take 2 - Mom?? Hello?

Take 3 - There we go! :o)

 Laughed a LOT.

For some reason my mom would talk during pictures. Yelling "NO TALKING" would result in laughter and a great pic.

I laugh like no other when I am with my mom.

We made fun of her Antarctica coat and later realized we all wished we had an Antarctica coat. Brrr it was COLD on that boat!

I am pretty sure this is another "NO TALKING" shot. LOL

Took silly pictures.

TA-DA

Messing with camera settings.

Showing some sass.

Played lots of cards. (Sorry no pictures.)

And finally, after breakfast at our favorite spot in Laguna, we had one last trip to the beach before everyone went home.

Main Beach, Laguna Beach

It was a wonderful visit with memories that will be forever cherished. So many little side stories I would love to chronicle, but don't want to overwhelm my loyal readers with "you-had-to-be-there" stories. Melissa has gone home, my mom has continued on her journey to Arizona before heading back to Indiana, and we have returned to the daily grind. I definitely went through the vacation blues once everyone left, but when I reflected back on the week we had, I realized my gratitude and decided I will have to make these memories get me through until we have the chance to make some more. Many, many more.

Baked Ziti

There is nothing fancy about this dish. It's just a basic Baked Ziti, but it is my first time cooking it, so I figured I'd share it with all of you... (all four of you that I know read regularly. LOL)

I got this recipe from All Recipes, one of my most favorite recipe websites. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
• 24 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
2. In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving. 

I had about half the amount of mozzarella cheese so I just added a little more ricotta. I pre-cooked and added some Johnsonsville's chicken sausage to it. 

Overall, it was pretty tasty, although it could have been a little more saucy. I'm sure it's a dish I will do again. It was really heavy so smaller servings are better with a small side salad (although, we didn't do the salad). I just served ours with a piece of garlic toast. 

 

 

The 16 Year Old Me

On the radio on my way into work Wednesday, they were discussing what they would tell their 16 year old selves if given the chance to talk to them today and it got me thinking.

Then I saw this pin on Pinterest:

 

And it dawned on me that I would definitely tell the 16 year old me exactly that and to not be in such a hurry to grow up.

When I was 16, I swore I would never be one of those adults that wished I was 16 again because, lets face it, being 16 was hard... but now that I am an adult, man what I wouldn't do to be 16 again. I was care free, no bills, no responsibilities. It was fantastic.

Sadly, when you are 16 you think you know everything and no matter who says it, you wont believe how great those teenage years are.

Even though I am positive my 16 year old self wouldn't listen to my 33 year old self, here are some things I would tell her:

1. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up and enjoy these years. As difficult as they may seem now, these are valuable lessons you are learning.
2. Listen to the adults. They know what they are talking about and are just trying to prepare you for life ahead. 
3. Learn discipline at a young age... It will help later in life with more things than you know. 
4. Go to college right away. Don't take "time off" after high school because it makes it harder to go back.
5. Love and respect your parents. They just want what's best for you and one day, you will look back and realize that they were right.

For the most part, I don't live my life with regrets and I don't regret my youth. It has made me who I am today. I do think that if I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I probably would do some things a little different. Maybe that's the same thing as regret, but for me, I associate regret with resentment or a negative feeling. I don't resent my past decisions... I am at peace with them. That's why I believe I don't live with regret.

It's too bad my 16 year old self was such a know it all. Perhaps if she wasn't, things today would come a little easier.

What would you say to your 16 year old self?

Mexican Casserole

Or Mexican Schlopp. At least that's what it looks like. Or White Person's Mexican Surprise. (You'll understand why in the ingredients.)*

I have also heard it called something like Enchilada Pie (which would probably be the more politically correct name.)

Whatever you want to call it, it is one of my most favorite meals. I don't cook it very often because it's too much for just two people and I am not good about freezing and eating later, so a lot of it tends to go to waste.

Anyway, here's a sneak peak and the recipe:

 

Ingredients

Ground Meat of some sort (I have used ground beef or turkey)

Taco Seasoning (I actually found some Jennie-O already seasoned ground turkey - fancy!)

8-10 Corn Tortillas 

1 can Chili

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup*

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup*

1 small can of Sliced Olives (optional)

1 can of Corn (optional)

1 jar (12 oz.) La Victoria Green Taco Sauce

Desired amount of the shredded cheese of your choice

Sour Cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. 

Brown meat and add taco seasoning according to package.

Cut tortillas into bite size pieces and throw in large mixing bowl. Pour all other ingredients except the cheese and sour cream into the mixing bowl. Stir together.

Put the taco meat on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan and pour the mixture over the meat, spreading evenly.

Sprinkle desired amount of cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden to your liking. 

Serve hot... garnish with sour cream and/or hot sauce if you so desire.

Like I said, this is one of my favorite meals. It's not the healthiest of meals, but it sure is tasty. I have spiced it up quite a bit and have considered adding rice to it, but I'm not sure if it would dry it out too much. I have even made this a vegetarian dish. So far, I haven't served it to anyone that didn't like it. 

* I don't know any true Mexican that cooks an authentic Mexican dish with cream of any kind of soup.

Bon Appetite