Nacho Chicken Tostadas

I've been trying to eat up the food I have in my pantry before leaving the country.  (It's hard, because I hoard food.)  This month, I made myself look for a recipe that would use at least several things I already had, without having to buy much more.  That's how I found Nacho Chicken Tostadas.  This was a new recipe for me...and, unfortunately, I don't think it was a success.  But, it did use three canned goods from the panty, so I accomplished one goal.

First, the "tostadas" part didn't work.  I bought corn tortillas, but when I opened them to make them "tostada-esque" they were moldy.  Therefore, the recipe became Nacho Chicken Tostadas Burritos/Enchiladas.  I'll include the directions for making the tostada cups below, but I did not make them.  I know that if I had, I would have a lot more dirty dishes - so I guess I can be thankful for that!

Second, this recipe was NOT photogenic.  It was just ugly.  But, the flavor was OK, so it wasn't a total failure.  I think it would be better mixed with some brown rice or something...maybe I'll try that with the leftovers.  Oh well, I guess not every recipe I try will be a success, but I'll share it with you anyway.

The ingredients.

Mix soup, tomatoes, chilies, and chicken.  Kind of ugly looking, huh?

Chop bell pepper and cilantro for garnish.

This is where it should be put in the tostada cup, but you already know that didn't work.  So, I put it in a flour tortilla.

More like a burrito or enchilada.

It worked - but it was very messy!

Nacho Chicken Tostadas Burritos/Enchiladas:

1 can condensed nacho cheese soup (I used cheddar cheese because that's what I had, I think it worked fine)

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can chopped green chilies, drained

10 tostada shells (directions below)

5 cups shredded lettuce

Chopped red/yellow peppers for garnish

Chopped cilantro/parsley for garnish

Directions:

-In 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine soup, chicken, tomatoes, and chilies.  Heat through.

-On each tostada shell, arrange 1/2 cup of the lettuce.  Top with 1/4 cup of the soup mixture.  

-Garnish with peppers and cilantro.

Tostada Cups:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Use 10 (8-inch) corn tortillas.  On baking sheet, place 5 balls of aluminum foil (about 4-inch in diameter).  Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable cooking spray.  Over high heat, heat one corn tortilla 5 seconds on each side until tortilla is softened.  Drain on paper towels.  Immediately drape tortilla over foil ball on baking sheet.  Repeat with 4 additional tortillas.  Bake 5 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and cool on foil balls.  Turn tortilla cups over; remove foil balls.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  (See what I mean about more dirty dishes...I'm almost glad I didn't make the tostada cups!)

Dirty Dishes.  Not bad, mostly because I didn't make the tostada cups!

Nacho Chicken Tostadas Burritos/Enchiladas

Taste: 2 out of 5

Dirty Dishes: 4 out of 5

Time/Effort: 3 out of 5

TOTAL: 9 out of 15

Hebrews 4:12

Week 26 - Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

10 Things I'll Miss

I'm starting to get antsy about leaving Panama.  In fact, I'm very ready to leave.  I'm ready to be in Oregon and start the next chapter in our lives!  Bill is already in Oregon, in our house, with our pets, and I'm still here...alone.  It's been hard to focus on finishing my time here without longing to be there.  The reasons I'm still here are all valid so I can't change anything...I just have to endure!  In an attempt to make that easier, I'm trying to focus on the things I will miss about Panama - the things I like.  There are many things that I will NOT miss, but there are some things that I like.  So, with 10 weeks left in this country here are 10 things I will miss.

10 Things I Will Miss

1. Living in a Jungle.  We live in a jungle and that's pretty cool!  There are a lot of reasons I'm ready to get out of the jungle, but sometimes I stop and look around and appreciate the jungle and all the creatures we've seen here.  It's an awesome part of God's creation.

2. Storms.  Panama has great storms!  I love to watch the sky turn from bright blue to almost black within minutes.  To see the bursts of lightning and hear the amazing thunder.  Watching the weather move across the sky is so much fun.  I love to watch the pounding rain (when I'm inside, of course).  I will miss the storms here...especially since my mom keeps telling me it doesn't rain like that in Oregon!  :)

3. Sunshine and Warmth.  Speaking of weather, I like the fact that Panama doesn't have winter.  After spending 6 winters in Indiana, I know I don't like snow!  Panama is hot and humid (which is annoying when you're all sweaty) but it's never cold and there's never snow!  And even though I love the storms, I also love the sun.  I can't remember a single day here when I didn't see the sun!

4. Driving.  Many people get headaches from driving in Panama and I know I hate it sometimes too...but it can also be really fun!  Traffic rules are more like suggestions here, so you have freedom to drive for fun.  I like weaving in and out of traffic (safely, of course) and I really like honking my horn.  Driving is always an adventure and sometimes I enjoy the challenge!

5. Free Housing.  Because of my job, we have lived in our house rent-free.  And, we've had most of our furniture provided, free.  This house is not something I would pick out, but it has served us well.  And, it's been free!  I will really miss that luxury...having a mortgage payment takes some of the fun out of owning a home.  It will be a big adjustment to go from having everything provided for us and taken care of for us to doing it all ourselves.

6. Crossroads Bible Church.  I have been blessed to be a part of an amazing church.  Even when I didn't know anyone at church, I enjoyed going each week.  It's a really good church!  And it allowed me to meet some really great people!

7. Spanish.  I like that Panama is a Spanish-speaking country (although English is also widely spoken).  And, although Panamanians speak a strange version of Spanish, I usually understand it.  I also like to have conversations with my friends and know that not everyone around me understands (it's so weird in the US when random people chime in on my conversations).  I'm sure I'll still be able to use some Spanish in the US, but it's been fun to surprise the locals when they don't expect the gringa to understand them!

8. The Panama Canal.  We live 5 minutes from the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal!!  How cool is that!?!  I've been to the Visitor's Center numerous times and it never gets old watching the boats go up and down.  I've loved getting to know more about the canal and taking friends and family to visit it.  We've even done a Partial Transit of the Canal twice - so much fun!

9. Beaches.  I will miss being so close to so many awesome beaches.  We might not go to the beach as often as some people, but we've enjoyed our share of beach weekends.  I love the variety and number of options available.  We've enjoyed Bocas del Toro, San Blas, Las Sirenas (Santa Clara), Palmar, Farallon, and Isla Contadora.  My favorite beach in Panama was on Isla Contadora.

10. FRIENDS!  Last, but most definitely not least, I will miss my friends!  I have made some amazing and lasting friendships during my time here.  As much as I want to leave Panama, I can't imagine my daily life without them.  I wish they could all move to Oregon with me!  :)  The nature of my job is to say good-bye every few years (maybe that's one reason I don't like my job anymore!) but I think this time will be the hardest one yet.  I'm so very thankful for all the friends I've made here (including the ones that have left before me)!

Proverbs 10:4

Week 25 - Proverbs 10:4
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Bill's Birthday

Bill turned 30 last week!  I helped him celebrate by giving him "30 Days of Presents".  Starting 30 days before his birthday, I gave him a new gift each day plus another one of the gifts he'd received the previous days, and so on.  Needless to say, he ended up with a LOT of gifts!  It was fun - and then we had a big birthday party with all his cumulative gifts on display.  We also had 30+ postcards from friends around the world wishing him a happy birthday.  He was surprised by everything and I know he loved it all!!

And, since I didn't take any video footage while I was in the US, I'm going to make this month's video out of still pictures.  It's short, but sweet!  It shows a picture of each day of gifts leading up to Bill's 30th birthday

Note: to better enjoy the video you should click on the HD at the bottom and follow the link to go watch it on Vimeo's website.  Otherwise the text is blurry!
 

Romans 8:39

Week 24 - Romans 8:39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

June 7 - A Day In My Life

I had originally intended to take pictures on Tuesday, Bill's birthday, because we had lots of fun things planned.  But, since we had so many plans, I totally forgot to take pictures.  Instead, I took them yesterday, which ended up being really fun too - since we had more good plans!  We went to City Fair in downtown Portland which is a carnival set up during the Rose Festival (Portland is the City of Roses).  It was a fun fair and it was also Fleet Week so we saw some ships.  In the evening, we celebrated our anniversary since we won't be together next week for our actual anniversary.  It was a good day.

I didn't take a picture when I first woke up, so this was after a shower.  It's not as early as some of the days I've taken pictures - but still not late enough to enjoy sleeping in!

  

Feeding Ubi in the rain.  He's still not sure what to do about this Oregon weather.

Looking at pictures while I eat Life cereal.

Driving (in the rain) to pick up our special anniversary cakes.

We had JaCiva cakes at our wedding so whenever we get a chance, we order them again to enjoy the deliciousness.  This time we ordered Chocolate Cappuccino and Luscious Lemon.

We rode the MAX (tram) downtown to the fair.

Getting a tour of a Coast Guard cutter in town for Fleet Week.

A Canadian Navy sailing ship.  It was pretty cool.

We traded our challenge coin (that I randomly had in my purse) with a coin from the ship.  We were very proud of ourselves!

Entering City Fair ready for some good food!

I had a delicious corn dog.

Bill had a Walla Walla Burger (smothered in Walla Walla onions).

 

We splurged and bought wristbands for unlimited rides at the carnival!

Riding the swings high above the fair.

We sampled a smoothie made in a blender powered by a stationary bike.  It was OK, but I was just there for the free Walmart reusable shopping bag!

Riding in the ferris wheel high above the city!

Bill rode this ride without me!  We rode so many rides that spun us around in circles that we both felt a little sick at the end.  But, we definitely got our money's worth out of the wristbands!

Waiting for the MAX on our way home.

This isn't the usual "picture of me in a mirror", but I thought it was creative so it counts!

Our special anniversary dinner - PIZZA!  This is the same pizza we had at our wedding reception so it was the appropriate celebratory dinner.

Oh, so tasty.  It really is GOOD pizza!

Eating our special cake.  We cut the cake using my mom's crazy cake-cutting tool.  It actually worked really well.

My only time-check of the day happened to be right before bed.  It was a long, busy day!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Week 23 - Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.