Spinning Squares Block

Slow Cooker Taco Casserole

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 large red onion, chopped

2 cups corn

1 can black beans (drained)

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 package taco seasoning

2 cups of cooked bown rice

8 ounces shredded cheddar

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Brown the ground beef over medium heat. Add red onion and reduce heat; cook until onion is tender. Transfer to casserole slow cooker. (If you don’t have one, this recipe will probably work in a traditional slow cooker. The casserole shape just makes it easier to serve.) Add corn, beans, tomatoes, seasoning and rice. Gently toss to combine. Top with cheese and cook on low 4 hours or on high 2 hours. Serve hot with tortilla chips, sour cream, and more shredded cheddar.

Peace and Plenty

Kate McClure was on her way from New Jersey to visit a friend when she ran out of gas. She found herself stranded in the dodgy end of Philadelphia. A homeless man saw her pull over to the side of the road. He told her to lock her doors, and then he disappeared. Johnny Bobbit, a former Marine who’d fallen on hard times, returned with a can of gasoline that he’d just bought with his last $20. Kate didn’t have any cash to repay him, and he didn’t ask for anything. In the following weeks Kate and her boyfriend Mark stopped by his corner several times to bring warm clothing, cereal bars and bottled water, but they wanted to do so much more. Kate set up a GoFundMe account for Johnny, hoping it would raise enough for him to get back on his feet. As of Thanksgiving, the donations came to more than $160,000. 

Four This and That Blocks

When my children were young, I thought I had the picky eater thing sorted. No one in my family was thrilled to see broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts or carrots at the dinner table, but they happily devoured spaghetti sauce, soups and casseroles with those same vegetables minced or grated into them. But there’s a four-year-old at my house now who has me stumped. He’ll eat bread, rolls, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, fries and precious little else. For instance, if I butter his roll, I’ve ruined it and he won’t touch it. So I checked the Mayo Clinic website to see if they had any suggestions. They said offering dessert as a bribe will give kids the idea that dessert is somehow better than broccoli. (News flash: he already knows this.) They recommended removing mealtime distractions, like TV, toys or tablets. Great. His siblings are a bigger distraction than either of these. Should I remove them, too?

Rising Star

“The symbolism of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is beautiful to contemplate. The bread and water represent the flesh and blood of Him who is the Bread of Life and the Living Water, poignantly reminding us of the price He paid to redeem us. As the bread is broken, we remember the Savior’s torn flesh. Elder Dallin H. Oaks once observed that ‘because it is broken and torn, each piece of bread is unique, just as the individuals who partake of it are unique. We all have different needs to be strengthened through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ As we drink the water, we think of the blood He shed and on the cross and its sanctifying power. Knowing no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom, we resolve to be among those who have washed their garments in the Savior’s blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.” - Elder D. Todd Christofferson

This and That

Eliahu Pietruszka was 24 when he fled Warsaw at the beginning of World War II. He left behind his parents and his fifteen-year-old twin brothers, Volf and Zelig. Eliahu’s parents and Zelig were deported from the Warsaw Ghetto and killed in a Nazi death camp, but Volf managed to escape. The brothers briefly corresponded before Volf was sent to a Siberian work camp; then Eliahu lost track of him and assumed he had died. Two weeks ago, Eliahu’s grandson received an email from a cousin in Canada who was working on her family tree. She’s found a form filled out in 2005 by Volf for his brother Eliahu, whom he thought had died. Volf had survived the work camp and passed away in Russia in 2012. Volf’s only child, Alexandre, was able to travel to Israel to visit the 102-year-old uncle he never knew he had. 

Sixteen Pineapple Blossoms

Krystal Tukuafu was running errands in her minivan with her 3-year-old son when she noticed an American Fork police officer running after a suspected shoplifter. Thinking her 1,000 Instagram followers might find this interesting, she whipped out her cell phone and began livestreaming the chase. She followed the running men for a short while, and then pulled up next to the officer. “I was like, ‘Hey, you want a ride?’ He yanked my door open and got in. He was like, ‘Follow this guy,’” She got within 5 feet of the suspect before slamming on her brakes so the officer could jump out and arrest him. "I was excited that I was with my son because he was like, in heaven,” she said. “He kept saying, ‘So cool, so cool!’ Like, seriously, you just can't underestimate us moms with minivans, You never know.”

Four Dutch Tile Blocks

A week ago it snowed here for the first time this season. My grandson saw the flakes falling outside the window and came running to me. “Nana! Your arm is almost all better!” He’d remembered me repeating what they’d told me in the emergency room in September; that my broken wrist could be back to normal by Christmas. Snow = Christmas is coming. Christmas = back to normal. Normal is a relative term, especially when improvement comes so gradually. But I am getting better. I can pick up a pencil, a sock or my car keys with my left hand. I can open a medicine bottle and I can scratch my right arm. (Trust me, this is huge.) Maybe next month I can wring out a washcloth, carry two grocery bags or hold the railing as I go down the stairs. I think it’s more important to remember how close I came to missing this holiday season altogether, and to be very, very grateful.