Bumper stickers

I have bumper stickers on my car. I have never considered myself a bumper sticker person; it was a side effect of being practical.

When my little Toyota Yaris was totaled, I was rather freaked out, so I decided we needed a BIG car. I couldn't do an SUV or truck, however, as I wanted something at least slightly fuel-efficient. I also figured that with super tall kids, it made sense to have something with room. So we decided on a minivan. Nice and practical.

(I have never considered myself a minivan person either. Am I in denial or in disguise?)

Except that every third person around here owns a gray minvan. Every time I went to pick up the kids from school, I'd watch them walking slowly down the line of minivans, peering in each window to see which one had me in it.

Thus, the bumper stickers. I got four and put them on the car just below the window, which makes for great line of sight. They are:

- Be the change you wish to see in the world
- Live simply so others can simply live
- There is not a blue America and a red America, there is the United States of America
- Well-behaved women seldom make history

I chose these particular bumper stickers because I liked them but also because they are fairly innocuous. They might identify me as left of center, but none of them are particulary super-political.

A few weeks ago, I was at school, and when I got back to my car, there was a note on my windshield.

It says, "COMRADE - You rock. love from the owner of the gray Odyssey you parked in front of."

Only in the midwest would such innocuous bumper stickers earn one the socialist appellation "Comrade." (Not that I mind. My views on food availability alone probably make me a socialist.)

Toilet paper

For many years now, I have had a paranoia about running out of toilet paper. We get down to about 5 rolls, and I panic and immediately run to the nearest store to buy a 24 pack of Quilted Northern. (They're double rolls, so that's actually 48.) Then I feel good.

It is ironic, then, that I somehow lost track of how much toilet paper was in the house when the blizzard came. I thought we had several rolls in the kids' bathroom. We didn't. So here we have been stuck in the house for 3 days ... and we have 1 roll of toilet paper. Just 1.

I decided to ration water and food. If we don't consume anything, there will be nothing to come out, so that 1 lone roll of toilet paper will last much longer. It seemed a perfectly resonable solution to me.

Aaron decided to go dig his car out.

Mexican Taco Casserole

I am so proud of myself when I concoct a new recipe all by myself that I have to share it! Here's a not-spicy Taco Casserole.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
minced garlic (I use lots)
1 package frozen Boca burger crumbles
1 package taco seasoning
8 oz can tomato sauce
14.5 oz can diced tomato, drained
4 oz can diced green chiles
14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cheese (I used almost vegan cheese)
1/2 cup cheese
Fritos (couple  handfuls)

Toppings:
Sour cream
Avocado
Whatever else sounds good. :-)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Saute onion for couple minutes over med heat. Add Boca crumbles and cook till mostly thawed. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.

Mix in taco seasoning. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and diced green chiles. Let cook while you're opening, draining, and rinsing black beans.

Add black beans, stir, and heat through (just a couple minutes -- skip if you're in a hurry). Add 1 cup cheese and mix till blended but not too melty. (You could probably serve the casserole at this point if you want to skip the oven time.)

Place layer of Fritos in bottom of large casserole dish. Pour taco mix over chips. Top with another handful of chips, then top with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with all sorts of yummy toppings.

Variations: I considered making this with diced potato, sweet potato, or macaroni instead of the chips.Could also probably layer it between tortillas in the casserole. Could also substitute enchilada sauce for the tomato sauce.