Turns on a dime

This evening I was relaxing in bed with a cup of hot chocolate(with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne, of course), catching up on emails and blogs, general surfing around, enjoying a rare moment of being completely lazy. I was relaxed and peaceful.

Then I realized tomorrow is October 1st.

And I realized we haven't begun to think about Halloween costumes.

And I have 5 kids.

And we were planning on a homemade Christmas this year.

And tomorrow is October 1st.

And suddenly I'm not so relaxed.

O.o

At least I am ready for Katelee's 11th birthday a week from tomorrow. Yeah. ELEVEN! Sheesh.

Good Eats!

While looking through my posts, I found a few I had never published for whatever reason. One of them was this one that appears finished, but was never published. Maybe I was waiting for pictures? Whatever the reason, here it is now from December 2008.

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I made a couple things last week that were so good that I'm still thinking about how yummy they were! If they were that good, then I think I need to share them. That and make them again as soon as possible. I'll put the recipes at the end of this post.

The first was made thanks to a lunchtime date to Olive Garden with my main squeeze and two littlest squeezes. Kirk took the whole Thanksgiving week off from work, so we went out to lunch one day. I had the most delicious Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. Mmmmmmm... I salivate a little just remembering. 'Scuse me. I wanted to recreate it, so I found a recipe that seemed kind of close and then tweaked it. What I ended up with was very, very close to the Olive Garden soup. It was a bit too thick, but that can easily be remedied with a little bit of chicken broth or milk. I also wasn't a huge fan of the gnocchi I bought. I think I might make my own next time or try a different brand.

The second thing I made was Spinach Artichoke Dip like the kind that is popular in restaurants. I think this also turned out very close to the "real" thing. I think I might have gone a little heavy on the artichoke with the first batch, but I can change that easily in the future. I thought it was delicious, but others thought it was a bit strong. That's ok, I ate most of that batch all by myself over the following few days. Ha!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
1/3 cup olive oil or butter
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb. chicken(breasts, thighs, whatever you like) cut into cubes
1/3 cup flour
some onion, diced(amount depends on how much you like onion)
1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach(I like a little more spinach, so I used more than this.)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream(I may reduce this amount in the future.)
3 chicken bullion cubes
pepper to taste
gnocchi

Melt the butter(or heat the oil) in a soup pot(I used my cast iron pot) over medium heat. Add in the garlic and sautee. Add your chicken and cook until done.
Stir in the flour and mix well until the flour is cooked into the chicken.
Add your milk and heavy cream. Mix it up well.
Add the veggies.(You could also add some carrot and/or celery if you wanted.)
Add three bullion cubes.(Next time I think I will add some chicken broth instead of or along with these, since mine came out too thick.)
Cook until soup thickens, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add your gnocchi during the simmer time. It takes 3-4 minutes to cook them throughout.


Spinach Artichoke Dip
For this one I don't really have a "recipe" per se, but rather a list of ingredients. You add them in amounts that suit your fancy. I'll try to give estimates for how much to use, but please do follow your gut when making it. ;c)
Spinach, fresh or frozen - I used fresh and chopped it up, but you could also thaw a small(10 ounce) package of frozen cut spinach.
Artichoke hearts, diced - I used a small jar(I think 14 ounces or so), but that was a bit too much.
Light Mayo - about half a cup
Parmesan cheese
Mozarella cheese
garlic to taste, either from pressed cloves or garlic powder

Mix it all together and put it into a dish. You want it to heat through easily, so put it in a dish that will allow it to be only about an inch or so thick. Sprinkle a little extra mozarella on the top. ;c) Bake it in a 350 degree oven until it is bubbly and heated throughout - about 15-20 minutes, but you might want to check it after 10 to make sure it isn't browning on top.

One of the best ideas ever!

In August, the stake Relief Society(church women's organization) took a trip to Washington D.C. to the LDS temple. It's a common fact that if you go near a temple, you also have to seek out the LDS bookstore near-by. While we were browsing the bookstore, a girlfriend and I found a book that contains what is one of the best ideas ever. We immediately knew we had to do it.



The book is all bout starting a meal exchange group for freezer meals. The way it works is pretty simple. If there are 5 members in your group, you would each make 5 copies of a meal(each person making a meal different from the other group members). You then meet on a regular basis(we're meeting once a week) and trade meals. When you go home, you then have 5 different meals and you only had to cook once! The book has different tips on freezing things, running the group and it has some recipes to try. We also exchange the recipes of what we make so that if something is a big hit we can make it again. You assume that your family isn't going to love every single meal, but the variety is wonderful and not having to worry about what to make every night is FANTASTIC! It just so happens that we have loved every meal we've had.

Our group met this morning and I have 6 more meals in my freezer. Even the kids are excited about it and are tasting more things. I love that I don't have to worry about what to have for dinner each night. I know that I have delicious meals waiting in my freezer. A few of them require a little thinking ahead, but none of them take very much effort. I don't ever want to go back to the old way of doing dinner. ;c)

Back to reality

I have pictures to add to my beach folder, so eventually they will show up on the slideshow in the previous post. It was a wonderful vacation.

Now it's time to get back to life. After a week away, my "To Do" list tomorrow is going to be a long one. Oy. I don't envy Kirk who gets to go back to work that was busy enough without being absent for a week.

Speaking of my darling and fantabulous husband, today is a special anniversary. Thirteen years ago, on the thirteenth of September(which was a Friday) we had our first "official" date. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. I love him more every day. We complete each other. I don't think two people can possibly love each other more than we do.

Happy anniversary, hon! Thank you for the 13 wonderful years! <3

Having lots of fun at the beach!

We're having so much fun on our beach vacation. It's hard to believe we still have until Friday! Here are some shots of our fun.

National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month!

Today is the beginning of the first ever National Hydrocephalus Awareness month! So little is known about hydrocephalus. I hope this helps raise awareness.

H. Res. 373 was passed at the end of July with the hopes that not only would awareness about this condition be raised, but that more action would be taken to find a cure, not just a treatment.

Whereas 1 out of every 500 children in the United States are born with hydrocephalus, and the condition is the leading cause of brain surgery in children;

Whereas the standard treatment for hydrocephalus, insertion of a shunt to drain excess cerebral fluid, is a 50-year-old technology that carries multiple risks, including shunt failure, infection, and overdrainage;

Whereas more than 40,000 operations for hydrocephalus occur annually in the United States, yet there are fewer than 10 centers in the Nation specializing in the treatment of adults with hydrocephalus;

Whereas although there is no single known cause of hydrocephalus or ways to prevent and cure the condition, with the appropriate diagnosis and proper treatment, individuals with hydrocephalus are able to lead full and productive lives;

Whereas further research into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, disease burden, and improved treatment of hydrocephalus should be conducted and supported, including the collection and analysis of statistics and data concerning the seriousness of hydrocephalus and its impact on families in the United States;

Whereas public awareness, professional education, and scientific research regarding hydrocephalus should increase through partnerships between the Federal Government, health care professionals, and patient advocacy groups, such as the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation;

Whereas these public-private partnerships would ensure that individuals suffering with hydrocephalus and their families are empowered with educational materials, informed about the latest research, have access to quality health care, and are able to advocate for increased research and funding in order advance the public’s understanding of the condition, improve the diagnosis and treatment of hydrocephalus, and one day, find a cure; and

Whereas September would be an appropriate month to designate as ‘National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the designation of ‘National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month’.

The lemons are growing!

Do you remember the baby lemons on the lemon tree in May?



They are growing up! There are about a dozen lemons now. Did you know it takes Meyers lemons about 9 months to ripen? We're looking at a pretty nice haul of fresh lemons around January or February.



The tips of the leaves were yellow when my tree arrived in May, but in the last few weeks it has been growing some fresh, new leaves that seem very happy and green. I can breathe a sigh of relief. :c) I was worried for a bit that something might be wrong since they never greened back up.

It has flowered twice this summer. Lemon blossoms smell amazing!