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I will admit it. This is my very first pair of overalls. Well, maybe I had a pair when I was four or five, but I have long since forgotten. When I was pregnant with both of my children, I longed to be the pregnant girl in overalls. Alas, I am not one of those girls that is cute whilst pregnant (and, no, I am not pregnant. That would be impossible, just so ya know). And so I skipped over them. Never bought them, but enviously stared at those who did.

I started seeing them pop up again. And I started stewing. Then I saw that picture on the Pottery Barn Teen catalog and my interest grew. The final straw was when Free People offered a distressed corduroy pair in the gold color.

I was sold…Or they were sold…To me. Somethin’ like that.

I have been trying to put together different tops with the overalls. I pretty much want to wear them all of the time. Here is what I created:

This is my favorite look. It is a Free People lace shirt I purchased from Nordstrom Rack in the spring. I like it with H & M’s lace flats. The necklace is care of Simply Livly on Etsy.

I paired it with a denim jacket. I definitely look rustic here.

And a Free People cardigan.

I tried the overalls with Anthropologie’s Daydrifter Tee.

I also paired it with a striped long sleeve layering top from H & M. I believe this was $14.

And went full on country farm girl with a Johnny Was flannel shirt and vintage boots. The turquoise necklace is from Simply Livly on Etsy.

This sweater was purchased last winter at Forever 21. I think it was $15. I have a mad crush on it.

I bought this top with my mother-in-law during my Nordstrom Rack birthday spree. It is made by Free People. I could never find it on their site. And I did look. The color is my favorite paired with mustard. The earrings are from Anthropologie many years ago.

And because I could not help myself. And because he wanted a ride. And maybe because I am more than a tad bit crazy…I put a little gnome in my overalls. My husband refused to go out with me like this. The wee little fellow was sad. ; )

So, what do you think of the overall trend? And would you have gone shopping with me and my little gnome friend (he was made by the lovely Moongoat on Etsy

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Okay. Who doesn’t have tacos in their regular menu rotation? It is a staple, right?

I like my tacos finely ground. I also like to make a casserole with the leftover meat the next day. The casserole recipe is from my lovely friend Bridgette! Thank you Bridgette! You’re the best.

Tacos

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. ground meat (I prefer 93/7 ground beef)
White corn tortillas (I buy the 30 count package and make home made tortilla chips with the rest.)
3 cups shredded cheese (I like the Mexican four cheese. It is approximately 1 cup for tacos and 2 cups for casserole, but feel free to use less.)
Taco seasoning (I use around 1/2 more than they recommend. So, for this batch, 1 and 1/2 packets of taco seasoning. I just buy the large jar at Costco and measure it out.)
Water according to taco packet directions
10 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Garlic powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Optional Extras:

Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Sour cream
Chopped Cilantro

Optional Sides:

Salad
Mexican rice
Refried beans

Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Cook corn tortillas until slightly crispy. Fold over after thirty seconds in hot oil. Let simmer in oil on each side until lightly crisp.

Remove tortilla to paper towel lined plate. Repeat until you have enough taco shells that you need. Make a layer with paper towels every four-five tortillas. For my family of 4, I fry up 9. Turn off heat.

Cover tortillas with paper towel. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown meat over medium high heat. Add Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt and garlic powder at this time.

Mix taco seasoning and water.

Break meat up with spatula until crumbly and brown. Turn heat to low. Add taco seasoning/water mixture. Use a potato masher to get meat more finely crumbled. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes repeating with the potato masher as needed.

Turn off heat. Serve meat in taco shells with cheese and optional toppings. And serve with optional sides. I served these with rice and salad.

Now, save the rest of your taco meat for the next day in the refrigerator. You could also prepare the following recipe the same night and just refrigerate the whole casserole until the next day. I vary what I do based on how tired I am.

Taco Casserole

This is my sweet friend Bridgette’s recipe:

The next day,

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you have a convection oven, 325 degrees.

Take a small casserole dish and pour a small amount of enchilada sauce into the bottom. I prefer green.

Layer tortillas on top of the sauce. I just tear mine to fit into the pan.

Layer half of your leftover taco meat on top of the tortillas. Pour 1/3 of your enchilada sauce on top. Top with 1/3 of your cheese.

Repeat with the next layer, starting with tortillas.

For the final layer. Start with tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top. Pour remaining cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for 25 minutes. Uncover. Bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese on top is completely melted and the edges of the casserole are bubbling.

Remove from oven. Turn off oven.

This is how I served it up. Thank you Bridgette for this recipe! I love it!

Enjoy!

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

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Overalls?

Waste Not, Want Yes: Tacos and Taco Casserole