Baked Potato Soup/ Recent Events

In celebration of the fall I thought I would post one of my favorite soups. I'm sorry I don't have a picture this time. I will post one soon though. I'm actually making this for dinner tonight. I got this recipe from my mom and it's fantastic. I think the bacon adds an awesome flavor.

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4 large baked potatoes with skin

1 lb bacon, cooked crisp

1 stick butter

½ c flour

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

4 c milk

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

4 chopped green onions

1 ¼ c shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz sour cream

Bake potatoes and set aside to cool. Peel and dice. Crumble bacon. In a 3 ½ quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add broth, slowly add milk and cook until thick- DO NOT BOIL- about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, pepper, salt, onion, bacon and cheese. Simmer until heated. Add sour cream.

To make this lower fat you can use turkey bacon (it looks gross and sounds gross but the taste difference is only slight), non fat sour cream, light butter, and reduced fat cheddar cheese (don't use fat free... it doesn't melt).

This tastes really good with just a plain salad or if you like lots of flavor (and some more calories) a Caesar Salad would be good as well. I also like to make rolls to go with my soups. Here is my FAVORITE roll recipe:

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Kris’ Basic Rolls

4 c hot milk

1 c sugar

1 c shortening

1 T salt

4 eggs

3 T yeast dissolved in 1 c warm water

Flour

Mix ingredients in a large bowl or bread mixer. Add flour until it forms dough, not sticky, but softer then bread. Raise once. Shape and bake. Bake at 350 degrees, until golden brown. Makes 64 rolls.

I got this recipe from my mom who got it from Kris Riddle for those of you who know her. They are wonderful. I usually halve the recipe. I use powdered milk for the hot milk and just mix it up with the hottest tap water I can get. If your milk is too hot it will cook your eggs. I use the better n' eggs egg substitute as well to cut out some of the fat.

This week I started walking with my friends Lora, Stacey, and Karen. It's really nice to get outside and exercise. We end up walking for about an hour which feels so good after wards. Among us we have 5 kids under the age of 2 and Lora and I are both pregnant again so there will be lots of kids next year!

Emma counted to 10 all by herself on Sunday! It was pretty exciting. Usually she stops at three but she kept on going this time! Now is just have to get her to count objects to ten so she will understand what it means to count. She is so much fun and I love playing with her. She also played outside yesterday for 3 hours!! I kept asking her if she wanted to come inside and she told me no so I said great I can get more stuff done! I remember when she was smaller just waiting for the day that she would go play on her own and now it's FINALLY here!!

Jacob is working in the office for heaven knows how long. Hanford just had a switch in who the major contractors are. Fluor was the major contractor which is who contracts out Jacob's company but CH2M Hill offered a better price I guess so now they are the major contractor. Anyway, the Fluor people are trying to figure out how many contractor jobs they are going to miss out on so everyone is kinda in limbo right now. It's nice that Jacob is able to still work in the office though. A much better change from living in Grand Junction!

Funny Memory/ Memory

I want to know what some memories are that you have of me. Funny, serious, or just a plain old memory. I thought it might be fun to see what you say and consider yourself tagged.

The 3rd post in as many days

I just made this peach smoothie that I decided couldn't wait for next Tuesday. You have to make this RIGHT NOW!!! I even took a picture of it before I downed it! Okay here is the recipe:

1 large Peach (don't peel it)
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup crushed ice (I just threw in 5 ice cubes)
1/4 c sugar

Mix in blander. Serve immediately. Makes 1 generous serving.

I got this out of my Essential Mormon Cookbook and MAN is it good! Totally refreshing and my new favorite drink. TRY IT!

Presidential Candidates

I was reading my friend, Terri's blog and she made an awesome point that I feel is worth repeating. This year we have the responsibility and right of electing the next president of the United States. This is a very serious matter and decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. We all need to educate ourselves on both candidates whether we are for or against them. I think it is ignorant to vote for someone just because they are a democrat or republican. (Usually your party preference will share the same values as you but it's always a good idea to make sure). There are a ton of people who don't do their research. I would encourage all of you to make sure you are taking a close look at BOTH of the candidates. I had been worried about both and after doing my research I know that the person who I am going to vote for will be the best decision for me. Here are the addresses for both candidates:

www.johnmccain.com

www.barackobama.com

I have a smart group of friends so I'm sure you've done your research but if you haven't... get on the stick!! And encourage others to do the same. This is a very important issue that calls for some education.

Southwestern Chicken Bake/ Our Week/Good News

This weeks recipe I got from my mom. It's a great recipe that has ingredients that you can store in the cupboard for food storage. Everyone loves this recipe even my picky neighbor asked for the recipe.

Southwestern Chicken Bake
2 c cooked rice
1 ½ c diced cooked chicken
15 oz can Black beans, rinsed and drained
11-15 oz can Mexi style corn
14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried cilantro leaves
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp oregano
1 T chili powder
¼ - ½ tsp ground red pepper

Mix together in a bowl. In a sauce pan melt 4 T butter. Add 4 T flour. Add ½ c chicken broth and 1 c milk. Add ¼ tsp pepper and ½ tsp salt. Stir until thickened. Pour over mixture in bowl and stir. Spread into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

You could eat this with some re-fried beans and a salad. If you don't like spicy food then only use the 1/4 tsp ground red pepper. I use the canned chicken from Costco to make this recipe.

Our week was pretty fun. We went to Leavenworth for the Salmon Festival with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and Grandpa. It was pretty cool... more fun for the kids I think. Emma loved looking at the fish in the hatchery. They had a Native American tell a story in a big tent shaped like a salmon. Jacob took Emma to that while I looked at the sidewalk art. My Aunt and Uncle's friend Doug was one of the artists drawing on the sidewalk. Everyone used chalk and the art work was pretty impressive.

They also had wild raptors that have problems with their wings or eye sight or whatever so they can't go back into the wild. I thought they were stuffed and had the poo scared out of me when the Falcon turned his head. We all had a good laugh about that. We did some walking around down town Leavenworth which is always fun. Emma had fun with my family and didn't want them to leave.

I emailed my brother Tyler who is on his mission in Switzerland/Germany and asked him if Leavenworth looked anything like where he was (I sent him some pictures). He emailed back and said that it was very much like where he was. That made my trip even cooler to be able to walk down the sidewalks and see pretty much what he sees everyday on his mission. He said the Cascades even reminded him of the Swiss Alps so that was really cool. He comes home in March and I can't wait to see him again. We are really close so it's been hard to have him gone.

Also this week we found out that we are pregnant!!!! We were trying so it wasn't a surprise. I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. I'm happy to be having another baby but I already know how everything is going to go. There are days when I'm really excited and others where I'm asking myself why I am going to put myself through this again. I had a Cesarean with Emma and really want to do a VBAC so hopefully that can happen for me. My first appointment is on the 20th of October. My sister in law Rachel has one of those wheels so she calculated my due date which is May 30th. Let's hope all goes well and that I stay healthy. I was really sick with Emma and I'm not this time around so that's a plus. I don't feel pregnant... I have to fight the urge to take a test everyday!

Another Good Recipe/Random thoughts

Yeah!! It's Tuesday! I've realized that my pictures make the food look really greasy/not good. I'll continue to put up pictures but just know that I'm not that great at taking pictures. This weeks recipe is:

Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing

1 T oil

4 boneless pork chops

2 apples, chopped

1 c apple juice

2 c chicken stuffing

Heat oil in skillet. Add pork chops and apples. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until light brown. Remove pork chops. Add juice and stir in stiffing. Mix just until moistened. Top with pork chops. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.

This would taste really good with broccoli and some corn on the cob. The stuffing that this dish makes is soooooooo good! I would maybe double the stuffing just because you will wish you did when you get done eating it. Again, it isn't as greasy as it looks, the flash does bad things to food. With out the flash it is all blurry so you get the greasy looking picture.

This last week was pretty fun. I was able to go to the temple twice which was amazing. Emma and I walked to story time down at the Library which is just over a mile one way. It's such a nice walk and Emma really loves to watch the cars as they go by. I wore the wrong shoes though... I wore my Dr. Martins which I was given when I went away to college 5 years ago. Needless to say I got a big blister on my big toe. It was totally worth the exercise however.

I played a piano solo at church on Sunday. The piece was "I Heard Him Come". I was so nervous about it because it's such a powerful song and I've struggled with the arrangement for quite some time (ok I'll confess... since my senior year of high school... I have never had my own piano until just recently so it was a little hard to practice). I was finally able to figure it out. When I play I tend to just rush through it and not really play the notes that are actually there. You will be proud of me though... I played it the way it was supposed to be played and it went pretty good. My arms started getting really shakey towards the end as I was playing louder and trying to keep the same tempo at the same time but it went pretty painless. I was happy with my preformance.

Emma has started counting. She counts anything up to three. She also loves to play dress up. Her favorite thing to do is put on her butterfly wings and tutu and then go out side and play in the dirt. She is also showing some interest in the piano... mostly banging on the keys but it is starting to turn into some organized and deliberate music.

One problem I'm having with her is she bangs her head against the couch, chair, table, pretty much anything hard and then is always shocked when it hurts. I don't know how to address it. Any suggestions? It hurts me watching it. She is also constantly dumping out or playing in the dogs water. We've told her many times to stop and have flicked her hands when we catch her doing it but nothing is working. Maybe it's just something that will never stop? Any help in these matters would be greatly appreciated.

Well that's all for us this week. This coming weekend we are headed up to Leavenworth for the Salmon Festival. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin go up every year and this year Grandpa is tagging along. It will be fun to go up and see them. I have no clue what you do at a salmon festival but I'll let you know. I also don't get why it's in Leavenworth but hey, Leavenworth is a beautiful place.

Heaven On Earth

Last night I went to Enrichment for my ward. It was a really good activity and my faith was strengthened. There were 3 speakers that talked about different aspects of the gospel. The first speaker talked about Living by the Spirit. She talked about how doing service for someone else fills us with the Holy Ghost. Another thing she said is we hear Heavenly Father's voice through the scriptures. A couple scripture verses she gave were 2 Nephi 32:5 and Moroni 7:13.

The next speaker was our Bishop's wife. She talked about finding Heaven on Earth. She read Alma 18:30 . She asked why don't we feel Heaven on Earth? The answer she came up with for herself is that #1 We don't create it and #2 We don't take the time to recognize it. She talked about how Heavenly Father has put things on the Earth for us to enjoy. She challenged us to write something down everyday for a week that was a feeling of Heaven on Earth for us.

The third speaker talked about Trials and why we have them. We talked about how sometimes all you can do when you get a trial is to hold on tight and just ride it out. She also talked about how much women need other women because we connect with each other better than men connect with us.

It was just a really good meeting that inspired me to do more service and to keep an eye out for those that might need a helping hand. We are all going through life together. No one should feel that they are doing it alone.

New Recipe of the Week

This week the recipe is Turkey and Pasta with Peanut Sauce. This recipe when I first saw it thought it sounded a little strange. It has pineapple, peas and turkey or chicken. (I use the canned chicken from costco). I didn't have any whole pea pods since the dog dug up our garden so I used frozen peas. Jacob and I couldn't figure out what would go well with this dish. We decided something bland since this dish has some flavor would even out the tastes. I have used lemon and lime juice in the recipe and like it both ways. I usually add more red pepper flakes and also sprinkle some ginger in it to give it a little more kick. When making the sauce I usually double it and then add cornstarch to it to thicken it up. If you don't put the cornstarch in, then the sauce just sinks to the bottom of the bowl. This recipe came from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I've also added a picture of last weeks recipe as well. Another recipe follows as well!

6 oz linguine

2 c fresh pea pods or 6 oz frozen pea pods
1 c cooked turkey or chicken strips

1 (8oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
¼ c reduced sodium chicken broth

2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. reduced sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs. lemon or lime juice
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, halve the pea pods diagonally. Place pea pods and turkey in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and turkey in colander; drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods and turkey to hot pan. Add the pineapple.
Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lemon juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through. Add sauce to pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.

Frozen Fruit Pops

3 (6oz) cartons raspberry yogurt

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 medium ripe bananas, cut into chunks

12 Popsicle molds or 3oz paper cups with Popsicle sticks

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix until smooth. Fill molds or cups with 1/4 cup yogurt. Freeze.

I think these are good and so does Emma. Our neighbor Ed and my husband Jacob both don't like them. They both don't like banana though so I'm thinking that's probably the problem. They are only 60 calories per pop. I think they would taste good with any flavor yogurt. I got this one from one of my Taste of Home magazines.

Sippy Time

This is Emma at 2 weeks old sleeping so peacefully

When Emma was about a year old she decided that a bottle was for babies and wanted a sippy cup. I wasn't ready to let go of holding her while feeding her a bottle (Emma never did hold her own bottle despite our many attempts to teach her how) so I invented "Sippy Time". Every time she wanted something to drink, I would say 'Oh Goody! Sippy Time!' and we would snuggle up and she would drink her cup.

When we moved back to Washington sippy time died. There was too much stuff for her to do now with a fenced back yard and a new puppy. Then one day a couple months later she came up to me and said Sippy Time Mommy. I had totally forgotten about it. Needless to say, I was very excited that she wanted to snuggle up with me and drink her water. Now the sippy cup is out of her life and we have moved on to "Big Girl Cups" but she still insists on having her sippy time. I'm so grateful that I can still have that one on one closeness with her. Some day she won't want to do that anymore (and let's face it, a five year old sitting on my lap drinking her juice while snuggling with mommy would look a little strange). It makes me kinda sad to think about her not wanting to be with me all the time (and at the same time I'm jumping up and down with excitement for her independence). Someday in the near future she will be asking for money, toys, clothes, to go play with her friends. I will no longer be the smartest person she knows (I believe the start of this is when they start school and then you get to hear "But my teacher says" and being a certified teacher, I love that but as a parent it's kinda annoying). It's amazing how slowly time passes when you are in the moment with your child but when you look back at pictures and watch videos it seems like time just flies by.

EVERYONE who has had a baby and now has a full grown adult has told me to enjoy every moment with your child because they will never go through this phase ever again. I've tried to stick to that which is really hard when the whole roll of toilet paper is now in the toilet and your little one's diaper is off which just happens to be soiled and there is dirt all over the kitchen floor and you don't know where to start cleaning. I can honsetly say that I don't regret not spending enough time with Emma for her first 21 months of life. I think I've made the most of it. I've learned to balance mommy and me time with her alone time and my alone time. I am just so happy to have such a sweet little girl who thinks I'm the greatest person in the world (daddy too) for right now.
Emma pointing out that Mommy needs to clean up the branches she just hacked off of the tree.

100 Things About Me...The Challenge

I read Serena's blog yesterday and she had this on her blog and challenged everyone to do it. I thought it was an awesome idea (and I'm always up for a challenge). It took me a LONG time to come up with 100 things. Here goes...

100. I'm double jointed in my ring and middle fingers on both hands
99. My thumbs look like someone chopped off the ends
98. My hair is naturally curly- THANK GOODNESS!!
97. I have the most beautiful daughter in the world
96. I love to cook
95. I hate to fold socks!
94. Lazy people really annoy me
93. I have 2 different feet
92. I have a 12 year old and a 20 year old brother
91. I love my husband
90. I play the piano to relieve stress
89. I put BBQ potato chips on my turkey and pickle sandwich
88. I LOVE rodeos!
87. I have read the Book of Mormon 3 times (sad I know, I need to do better)
86. Cake decorating is one of my favorite hobbies
85. I struggle with my weight
84. I was a stupid rebellious teenager
83. Like Serena, I too am very happy with who I have become. There is always something that needs improving
82. I'm happiest when I'm doing something for someone else
81. I grew up on a family farm
80. I still have callouses from bucking hay bails on my hands
79. I graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Elementary Education
78. I played the clarinet in band
77. I played the tenor sax and key board in Jazz Band
76. I had to wear an eye patch on my left eye to strengthen my Lazy right eye
75. I was trampled by a cow once
74. I washed tour buses in high school
73. I payed my own was through college
72. I love to play volleyball and basketball
71. I want to go white water rafting someday (but not class 4 rapids)
70. I'm still afraid of the dark
69. I love to travel
68. My secret indulgence is BACON!
67. I HATE SOCKS!
66. I get claustrophobic when someone puts a blanket over the top of me
65. Sometimes I get scared of the vacuum when I turn it on
64. I hate celery
63. I have to sleep with a blanket over me no matter how hot it is.
62. I love to shoot shot guns!
61. I love my parents
60. I'm allergic to my wedding ring
59. I took a life guarding PE class in high school to get over my fear of deep water and it worked.
58. I think men that belittle and degrade their wives deserve to get the crap kicked out of them.
57. It annoys me when people get upset at you and won't tell you why
56. I think life is too short to hold grudges
55. I fall asleep during General Conference
54. I love to swim
53. I think cleaning house is relaxing
52. I have the best friends in the world
51. I love to give talks in church
50. I don't cry during movies
49. I wear blue jeans and tee shirts all the time
48. I can't keep my shirts stain free for more than 8 hours
47. I only wear makeup on Sundays and special occasions
46. I turn on Will Smith's music and rock out- Gettin Jiggy wit it!
45. I sing at the top of my lungs in the car no matter who is in there with me
44. My hands cramp up when I deal cards
43. I'm a sore loser at Monopoly- Jacob and I don't play that game anymore
42. I cry whenever I hear the Star Spangled Banner
41. I played inter mural volleyball and softball during my college years
40. I don't like facial hair on men (or women for that matter)
39. I love thunder and lightening storms
38. I think I could be a storm chaser someday
37. I want to be in good enough shape to do a triathlon
36. My favorite color is red
35. I look really good in red
34. I love to play games
33. I also love to seran wrap cars
32. I want another baby really bad!
31. I think my dad is the hardest working man in the world
30. I think Al Gore is full of crap
29. Psychology fascinates me
28. It was my favorite class in college
27. I have an eyelash that grows on the inner rim of my eye
26. I've never gotten a speeding ticket (knock on wood)
25. I love to go bowling
24. I've been to Niagra Falls Canada (the Falls fall into Canada... just a little FYI)
23. I have never learned how to do a cart wheel (someone want to teach me?)
22. My fastest time ever running a mile was 7:37 back in 9th grade
21. I prefer sherbet to ice cream
20. My dad told me Forrest Gump was real and I believed him until I married Jacob and he broke the news to me
19. I can be pretty gullible
18. I think the movie Dumb and Dumber is a classic
17. I still get excited when I hear the ice cream truck!
16. I busted down my parents back door at 2am while they were on vacation with the help of my friends Serena and Ashley after getting ice cream at Albertsons
15. I learned that wood glue takes 24 hours to bond to fix a door jam
14. I'm very anal about being on time to things and sometimes show up too early
13. I could eat pizza everyday
12. I yell at the football players on TV during football season
11. I don't see the reason for scary movies
10. I want to travel the world someday
9. I believe living in Colorado made me a better and stronger person
8. Lillies are my favorite flower
7. My favorite eyebrow is my left one... it looks better after I pluck it.
6. My birthmark was removed when I was little because they were afraid that it could become cancerous.
5. When I think about it, the scar itches
4. I haven't grown any taller since 5th grade
3. I think being a mom is the greatest calling in the world
2. People who walk slow in a big group through the mall really piss me off
1. I love Orange Julius!

There you have it! Hopefully everyone will try this. Don't forget to stay tuned on Tuesdays for the recipe of the week.

New Recipe Tuesday!!

I've decided that I will start something new with my blog. I'm going to post a new recipe on every Tuesday that I've tried and like or that I would like to try. I hate trying to come up with new things to eat so hopefully this will help those of you that have the same problem.

THIS WEEKS RECIPE: Vegetarian Penne
I found this in my Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2007 Cookbook

2 cups uncooked penne or medium tube pasta
1 c baby carrots halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T canola oil
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
2 cups frozen cut green beans (I use canned sometimes)
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 T cornstarch
1/4 c water

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute carrots and garlic in oil until tender. Add tomatoes, beans, basil and oregano; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into vegetables. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta; stir into vegetables. Yield: 8 (1 cup) servings.B For those of you on weight watchers, one serving is 2 points.

I would gladly take requests for desserts, side dishes, soups, salads etc. if there is something you are wanting to try. Let me know before Tuesday and I will see what I can do.