Hello October

IT'S HERE! GET YOURS NOW!
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    We finally made it to cooler weather. It may only be temporary, but at least it’s here now. My two Maltese are happy, and Ebby, my black cat, is happy. I don’t know, Ebby might be happy because it’s almost Halloween. All I know is we all love this weather.

    I took Nicky to Wal-Mart after his piano lessons this past Friday. He saw a costume he really wanted, so I told him to call his mom and ask if it was ok. She said yes, and we got it. Later, Hubby got a call saying there was a bear at my grandson’s house that he needed to come and see.

    Now for news on the books. After 2 months of major publishing issues with Abducted and Taken, I am happy to say things are finally looking up. All the problems that kept me from releasing them are getting resolved. I can’t tell you how relieved I am about this. I have had many sleepless nights, but now I can breathe easy. Abducted is out now, so make sure you use the link above or on the BOOKS page to get your copy. Taken will be out next week, and I’m working on Hidden Secrets and hope to have it finished and out by January. That makes 3 different series I have; The Garrett Series, The Weber, Texas Series, and The Davis Series.
    And now for this month’s recipe. I cooked a large pork roast and divided it into 4 packages. I froze 3 then started searching for casseroles with pork in them. Anything but pulled pork sandwiches. I found this one, and the only thing I did differently is add mushrooms. It is so good and makes a large casserole.

​Pulled Pork King Ranch Casserole

Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients
6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 cup Chopped Red Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups Beef Broth, or mushroom, veggie, or chicken broth
1 10 ounce can Chunky Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, drained
1 1/2 cups Sour Cream, plus more for topping
2 pounds Pulled Pork
4 cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
18 Corn Tortillas, white or yellow
1/4 cup Canola Oil
Fresh Cilantro, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add the red onion, and bell peppers. Allow to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned.
3. Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the veggies in the seasonings.
4. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet. Stir to coat the veggies in the flour; you will end up with a thick paste.
5. Pour in the beef broth and stir. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring and let simmer while stirring for about 2-3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 2 minutes and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles and the sour cream. Stir to combine. Add the shredded pork and stir until mixed. Set aside.
6. Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Brush the tortillas with the canola oil on both side and heat on the griddle until crisp and browned on each side.
7. Once all tortillas are browned, layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the tortillas to cover as much of the dish as possible. Top with half of the pork mixture then one third of the cheese. Repeat by layering 6 more tortillas, the remaining half of the pork mixture, and .one third of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas and the rest of the cheese.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.