Sunday, December 12, 2010

He Sees You When You're Sleeping!


Sidney saw Santa!  She didn't cry, but she sure wasn't smiling.  She had her arms rigidly pressed to her sides with her fists clenched.  Her face was priceless.  I love my baby bird!

Souper Sunday- Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup



Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 chopped onion (Have you tried using frozen chopped onion? Life changing easy!)
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup rice (use your favorite!)
  • 1 lb. chicken, cooked and cubed (I like using a rotisserie chicken.)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 can evaporated milk
Cook rice according to package directions. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Next add the flour and stir well. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until it has all been added. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.
Next add the cooked rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, and ground black pepper. Allow to simmer for 1 to 2 hours to blend flavor. Add milk about 15 minutes before serving, just to heat. Do not boil, just keep warm.


 
After adding flour to make a roux, stir in broth.
 
After adding rice, simmer on low heat to allow the yumminess to incorporate!

When we woke up this morning, it was 13 degrees... perfect Souper Sunday weather!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Souper Sunday- Taco Soup

Taco Soup

1 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans with jalapenos {I used Ranch Style}
1 can red kidney beans
1 {8 0z.} can diced green chiles
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can stewed tomatoes, Mexican style
1 can Rotel {I used HOT}
1 can beef broth
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley ranch dressing {dry}

Brown meat & onion together and drain.  Transfer to large pot and add beans, corn, chiles, tomatoes, Rotel, broth, seasoning, & dressing.

Let me tell you, so easy and so good!  We are still enjoying leftovers!  Yum!

Monday, November 22, 2010

I'll Have What She's Having

I wish I could bottle her joy.  I'm pretty sure that we would be monetarily set for life.  Oh, and the joy she brings... well, that is just icing on the cake.

Souper Sunday Slacker

Friends, please forgive me for not posting recipes.  Rest assured that Souper Sunday is in full swing, and is enjoyed weekly by my well fed husband!  I will get back on the blogging horse.  Pinky promise.

Shutterfly Hook Ups!

I already ordered (and let's be honest addressed and stuffed!) my Christmas cards from Shutterfly, but I didn't order enough, so this offer is perfect!  Shutterfly is offering 50 free cutie pie Christmas cards to those who blog about them.  Awesome, right?
All you do is go here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ 

Fill out the form, and the worker bees at Shutterfly will email you with the rest of the instructions!  I love Shutterfly, and have ordered our past Christmas cards and my gal's birth announcement from them.  Dare I even mention their photo books?! So great!

A few other things I love on Shutterfly that would make fantastic Christmas gifts for grandparents:

Calendars! http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars 
I recently looked at the sweet new calendar designs, and plan on making one showcasing my favorite pint sized gal and her pooch pal!

Canvas Wall Art: http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art
Choose a few of your favorite photos, upload them on to Shutterfly, convert them to black and white and have them printed on canvas.  It is an instant way to unify your photos for a snazzy wall hanging!

Christmas Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
Surely I am not the only one who looks forward to checking the mail everyday during the holiday season?! It seems to be the only time during the year that my mailbox is spewing joy instead of bills!

Monday, October 4, 2010

My Best Gal & Our Loyal Steed

Souper Sunday 2- Potato and Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Souper Sunday part deux was a super success!  When my little bird decides to let me, I will type up the recipe.  Until then, just trust me that it was delicious!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sweet as Honey!

Alan's mom came to visit for the weekend. Our gal sure does love her Honey!
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Pumpkin Patch



Having Miss Priss is more fun than I've ever imagined. We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday, and it was a gorgeous day. We picked out six perfect pumpkins, including this very special one that our Fancy Pants chose for herself. LOVE this baby girl!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Diaper Dolphin


My sweetie pie loves the water... so much so that I think we are going to sign up for swim lessons. Her class is called the "Diaper Dolphins". I might sign her up just because I think that is adorable!
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Splish Splash, Big Girl Bath!

We had to remove the infant seat in the whale tub last night.  My baby is on her way to being a big girl... I don't know if I'm ready!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Souper Sunday

Last year, in an effort to celebrate fall, we started Souper Sunday at our house.  Beginning with the first Sunday in fall and lasting until the Sunday before the first official day of spring, we have soup for dinner.  It quickly became a favorite, and something my husband and I would look forward to all week.  Sometimes I cook from a recipe, but more often I end up cooking from an idea and whipping up my own creations!  Last Sunday was the first Souper Sunday of the 2010 fall season, and it did not disappoint!  I got many requests for the recipe for this hearty stew, prompting me to start blogging again.  I saw this being made on the television show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but was sad that they did not post the recipe.  I don't know how mine compares to the little Irish pub that was featuring it, but this one is out of this world!  Creamy in texture with big chunks of tender meat and vegetables, this stew did not disappoint!  So without further adieu, here is my recipe for Guinness Beef Stew! 

Guinness Beef Stew
Shopping List
2 lbs stew meat (You can get it pre-cubed or use chuck or brisket meat.)
4 carrots
1 large yellow onion
6 medium or 4 large russet potatoes
1 can chunky tomato soup (I used Amy's Organic tomato bisque.)
2 Guinness beers (I think any dark beer would work, but I think the Guiness provided an awesome richness!)
2 c beef stock
1 c water
4 tbl flour
garlic powder
2 bay leaves
salt
pepper

1.
Place cubed beef in a gallon sized Zip-Loc bag with 1 beer and a generous sprinkling of garlic powder.  Leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
2.
Drain liquid, and sprinkle flour over meat to coat.  
3.
In a stock pot, over medium high heat, brown beef until you can no longer see the flour.  It isn't necessary to cook it all the way through.  Using flour should have put a nice crust on your meat, and it will help stabilize the chunks during the long simmer.
4.
Pour the stock and remaining beer in the pot with the cooked beef.  Add bay leaves, pepper and soup to the mixture and stir.  Bring the contents up to a simmer, and reduce the heat to low.  Leave your pot uncovered! You want to allow some of the liquid to evaporate and concentrate those yummy flavors!  Let your pot simmer for at least three hours, while stirring occasionally.  If you leave it on the stove longer... great!
5.
About an hour before you want to enjoy your stew, add the water, and bring the stew back up to a boil.  Add your carrots and onions.  I like my veggies chunky, but cut them how you like them! Simmer with the lid on until your veggies are done. 
6.
While the veggies are simmering, in a separate pot, boil cut potatoes.  You don't want to cook them in your stew, because they are very absorbent, and often steal flavor from the rest of the ingredients! (Plus they get mushy!)
7.
Season stew with salt and pepper to your desired taste.  Place a serving of potatoes in a bowl, and pour your stew on top.  

Enjoy!   
    

Monday, September 27, 2010

Back By Popular Demand

We are back with a new blog. My last one went bizerk, and I am not tech savvy enough to figure out how to fix it, so I just started over! Hopefully I will find the time to fancy it up and post!  For now, enjoy a photo of my sweet, bitty gal and her pooch!