Thursday, February 3, 2011

Let it Snow

Lots happening around here. Well, it seems like a lot but it really isn't.

Monday evening, we had a cold front move into our little Patch of Heaven. We had a temperature swing of about 60 degrees. Chilly I must say! The cold front brought with it winds -- high winds. High winds lifted some of our shingles and even blew some of them off our wonderful house. Now I don't know about you guys but we often say in our prayers we are thankful for the shelter our home provides us - and yes, we are still thankful but a little bummed. We had Mr. K's (Diva's boyfriend) dad - isn't it great to have connections - come and do the temporary fix on the roof. He is thinking the whole roof will need replacing. Yikes! So, the insurance adjuster is coming today to give us his opinion. Please pray for us!!!! Having the insurance cover the necessary fixes will be a huge blessing.

And the praying continues. . . all my girls are praying for snow. The weather man hinted at it about a week ago and since then, that's all we hear about. Miss Priss informed us she needs snow boots! Yep, for the freak once every 5 years snow storm. I told her we would get her some new rain boots and that would have to work. The weather man is still predicting snow for later today. Cowgirl said she would build the biggest snowman our family has ever built. I hate to be the one to inform her we will likely only see a dusting. I hope for her we get enough to create at least a mini snowman.

There have already been some alterations to the menu for this week. We didn't do beef stroganoff last night because of the rolling black-outs. I wasn't sure if we would have power and sure enough during the time we were gone for supper, we had another outage. I'm hoping we don't have those outages all day again today. We ended up getting burgers from a super yummy burger joint up in the big city. Yes, a little bit of a drive but SO worth it last night. Oh, and tonights supper plans have changed too - it still needs to be somewhat soft since the three older girls are all getting there braces tightened this afternoon - so, we will be having beef stew and some homemade yummy bread. With the temps outside not planning on getting very warm today, I figured the stew would be super yummy.

Oh, and in exciting news, we are planning our summer vacation! Guess where we are going! No matter what happens with the roof we are going - we haven't gone on a vacay for over a year and I'm going stir crazy!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Easy Corn Chowder

Gather your ingredients:
  • 4 medium sized potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • water
  • 2 cans creamed corn
  • 1 can mexicorn, drained
  • 2 cans evaporated milk
    Dice potatoes and onion and place in pot. Cover with water, just enough to fully cover. Bring to a boil and boil about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Add drained mexicorn, creamed corn and evaporated milk. Turn down the heat because the sugars in the creamed corn with burn on the bottom. Heat through & serve.
Enjoy in a yummy bread bowl and serve with some fresh veggies.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Bread Bowls


1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (or 1 packet)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten

Dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. Let rest until creamy - about 10 minutes. Measure dry ingredients into kitchenaid mixer bowl. Add creamy yeast mixture and set on 2. Once all the dough comes together, allow to continue mixing (kneading) for about 5 minutes. You can add up to 1/2 cup more flour if needed. Form dough into a large circle. Cut into 6 wedges and form each wedge into a ball. Place on greased baking sheet. Let rise 30 minutes (I do this in my dryer). Bake at 425*F for 20-25 minutes. You can use a basic egg wash or spritz the bread bowls with water several times during the baking process for a crispier crust.

Ravioli Chicken Not-sagna

The ingredients (there's only 4):

  • Your Favorite Pasta Sauce
  • Your Favorite Frozen Ravioli
  • Frozen Chicken Strips
  • 8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella
Grab a 9x13 baking dish. Start with the sauce put about 1/2 into the bottom. Place a layer of chicken strips and then a layer of ravioli. Top with the remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 400*F for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese. I always broil mine for the last few minutes. As you can see, I got distracted and my cheese got a little too browned. :o)
See, super simple quick fix! Yum and kid friendly to boot!

Monday, January 31, 2011

1/31 - 2/6

Monday 1/31 - Ravioli Chicken Not-sangna

Tuesday 2/1 - Corn Chowder in Bread Bowls

Wednesday 2/2 - Beef Stroganoff

Thursday 2/3 - Peanut Butter Pancakes & Eggs

Friday 2/4 - Meatball Pizza

Saturday 2/5 - Concert & Fair Food

Sunday 2/6 - Chicken & Dumplings

I'm gonna start posting more of my recipes. I'll link them up once I enter them in.

This week is a little busy but not too bad. All the girls have dental appointments today. So far, Miss Priss had a perfect check up! Yay for her! We were told by the dentist to plan on braces for her in about 2 years. Yep, I knew that would happen.

Wednesday night for Activity Days we are going to be learning how to make bread. We will supply the bread for our next sacrament meeting which will be the 13th of February since we have stake conference this next weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope the girls learn something new and fun.

I'll be posting more later. . . I've gotten pretty bad at not blogging. . . guess that's what happens when life is busy. . .

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What's Missing?

Yesterday, the family took a full inventory of what treasures were in the freezer. I set my mind this morning that I wanted broccoli cheese soup. So, before I pulled out the broccoli to allow it to thaw, I referenced my list so I could cross it off. Here is what I read on my list:
  • 2 creamed corn
  • 6 bags corn on the cob
  • 1/2 bag corn niblets
  • 3 bags baby lima beans
  • 2 bags fordhook lima beans
  • 2 bags purple hull peas
  • 1 bag field peas with snap beans
  • 2 bags butter beans
  • 1 1/2 bags peas and carrots
  • 3 bags asperagas
  • 1 bag peas
  • 2 bags speckled butter beans
  • 1 bag tater tots
  • 1/2 bag hash browns
  • green chili (lots)
  • 1 1/2 bags baby california blend
  • 1 bag cut green beans
  • 2 1/2 sams club bags whole green beans
  • 1 1/2 sams club bags normandy blend mixed vegetables
  • 2 boxes chopped spinach

NO BROCCOLI!!!!!! Seriously!

(Picture credit)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Yep, That Smile

Remember when your kids were little and you could get that super special smile. Yes, the one that would melt your heart. You knew it was for you because of the great bond and love you have for one another. The day has come where "that smile" isn't just for us anymore. Diva is giving her smile to another someone special. Her first boyfriend, Mr. K, is stealing our smiles.