God brings some great people into our lives.

What a wonderful evening! At the last minute, Kenny asked if a couple of his friends from work could join us for dinner. I said, "of course!" The company that Kenny works for has an international program that allows people to come from another country for 1 year to work. At this time he works with Jens from Germany, Adrien from France, and Gaelle from France. All 3 of them are wonderful people. So, so kind and fun to be around. And, the communication scholar in me loves the intercultural dialogue.


As I mentioned, I did not make it to the store yesterday so I had to make up my recipe for today. I found another roast in the freezer, still had lime juice, salsa, a can of tomatoes, garlic and taco seasoning. I also had some tortillas. So...I decided to slow cook the meat to make shredded beef for tacos. And I liked my Mexican Roasted Potatoes so much yesterday that I made them again! Dinner turned out really good! They kept going back for more, so it had to be good, right? I really enjoyed it too! And when I found out that we were having guest, I decided to run to the store to get stuff to make dessert. Strawberry pie, baby! Gray Brother's Style. Check it out...

Shredded Beef Tacos

3lb Beef Roast
1/2 cup lime juice
1 package of taco seasoning
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 package of tortillas (I use whole wheat)
Toppings of your choice (cheese, lettuce, salsa, onion, cilantro)


Place ingredients into the slow cooker and let cook on low for 7-8 hours. Strain the liquid (but not the tomatoes). Take 2 forks and pull the meat apart until it is completely shredded. Serve inside of tortillas with toppings on top.

Strawberry Pie

1 prerolled pie dough (by the biscuits and cookie dough)
1/4 cup of sugar
1 can of strawberry pie filling
1 regular size carton of fresh strawberries, chopped
Cool Whip


Unroll the dough and place it into the pan. Bake dough according to package instructions, or until golden brown. While the dough is baking, mix the rest of the ingredients. Let the pie crust cool. Put filling into pie, then cover the pie with Cool Whip.




You can make the pie recipe even easier by not adding sugar or fresh strawberries. I wanted it to seem like Gray Brother's though, so I decided to add them. I know the pie isn't the most healthy thing, but the rest of the meal was healthy, so I had to do it. And, they said that they had never had Strawberry Pie before so it made it worth the effort!


I am excited because next week, we are going to their place for dinner. From what I have heard, Adrien is quite the cook. When the guys went camping over the weekend Adrien made a quiche that was "amazing", as Kenny says. I need to try this quiche. Once I get my hands on the recipe I will share it with you guys. I am so thankful that God brings wonderful people into our lives. Jens, Adrien, Gaelle, and even our new friend Mason who just started at Kenny's company are all very enjoyable to be around.


I believe that we meet every single person that crosses our path for a reason. I always try to remember that by my actions I can make a positive difference in everyone's life that I come across. It can be as simple as smiling and maintaining a positive attitude, or as little as telling someone you love them and/or appreciate them, sending a kind card (snail mail is best) to make someone feel special, or as big as leaving a large tip for the waiter who just had a baby to make their day. It is not difficult to make a difference in someone's day and life. I challenge you to think, "Do I brighten up a room when I enter it, or when I leave it?" That is one of my favorite quotes.


God brings some great people into our lives. And we are very thankful for that. Jens, Adrien, Gaelle...Thanks for joining us this evening! It was a pleasure having you over! And thank you for bringing some delicious wine!

Tune in tomorrow for one of my MOST favorite meals of all time, cooked in the slow cooker while I am at work all day. SO excited! Good night, everyone. :-)