Tasty Soup Recipe

I came across this soup recipe on Pinterest and thought I would give it a shot.  So yesterday, as the wind was howling and the snow was blowing I got myself together and tried this tasty soup recipe.  And let me tell you it did not disappoint!

Here is the picture as it appeared on Pinterest...

 

Because I was so hungry Babycakes was ready to eat, I didn't take a picture of the finished product but I can assure you the Pinterest picture is pretty accurate.

Because I'm such a visual person I thought I would walk you through this fairly easy recipe.  The most difficult time consuming part was chopping up all of the veggies for this soup.

Begin with 2 (14 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes with garlic)

 

Next you will need 1 cup of finely chopped celery.

 

One cup finely chopped carrots...

...and one cup finely chopped onion.

Next you will need 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of dried basil and 1 bay leaf (You can use fresh herbs but who has time to grow their own herbs these days?  Not this girl!)

(As a side note, don't you just LOVE the milk glass spice containers? They were my Mom's that she used in the kitchen when I was growing up)  Anywho, you will also need 4 cups of chicken broth.  I used 4 cups of water with bouillon cubes because that's what I had on hand.)

Dump everything into your Crock-Pot and stir.  This is so easy a child could do it.  Seriously!

Now, cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours.  I chose 6 since it was between 5 and 7.

After the time is up, about 45 minutes before you want to eat you'll need to start this next part.

Prepare a roux (Don't let this freak you out!  It's just French for butter and flour.  I promise!)  Melt 1/2 a cup of butter over low heat in a large skillet.  Then, whisk in 1/2 cup of flour a little at a time trying to keep lumps at a minimum. 

The recipe said to stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes.  I stirred constantly until it started to bubble.  Then you need to gradually stir in 1 cup of the soup from the crock pot.  Then add another 3 cups and stir until smooth.  Then dump it all back into the Crock Pot.  Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, 2 cups of warmed half and half, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Cook on low another 30 minutes.

I don't know that I would cook this as a "quick meal"  but it is some kind of yum!  I was going to serve it with bread that I whipped up in my bread machine but due to user error we improvised with sandwich rounds that were toasted in the oven with some cheddar cheese.

A Pinterest success perfect for a snowy evening!

 

East Coast Beast

Kind of an odd name, I'll admit, but that's what the media has dubbed this snowstorm that is currently hammering our region.  When we got up this morning we already had about 6 inches of snow on the ground.  While it is still snowing it isn't really sticking to much because the temps are above freezing.  No matter, I love a good snow because I don't (typically) have to go anywhere.  I am especially thankful for this snow because it's giving me some extra time to recover from this miserable virus I have that will not exit my body.

Anyway, the Hubs went out to shovel the driveway and as soon as he put on his coat, Babycakes was hot on his heels.  She does not like to get left behind.  I thought we would let her go out for a few minutes (no more than 5) and she would be done - ready to come inside.  She has never been a big fan of snow.  Not this time.  She had a blast "helping" her Daddy shovel snow.  Since I'm still not 100% I decided I would stay inside and enjoy the warmth.  But when I saw how much fun she was having I snuck outside for a couple of minutes to take some pictures.

Initially, I tried to get away with staying close to the house so I wouldn't have to go out into the snow.  But I quickly realized I should suck it up and head out there to capture this sweet moment in her little life.

I LOVE this expressing on her face!  It's such a look of childlike wonder.

Babycakes had a blast "helping" daddy shovel the snow.

See her little mittens?  Not mittens at all.  They are her Cinderella socks.  The kid probably has 4 pairs of mittens and I could find 1.  Not one pair, 1 mitten.  Mama got creative.  I knew she would not have the patience to wait Mama was too worn out to look for mittens.

And just so folks don't think I'm a total sloth while sick, I wanted to update you on a couple of projects I've been working on.

My beautiful baby younger sister is expecting her first child in July.  I have been working on knitting a blanket for her baby and thought I would update you on what I've gotten accomplished so far.

While being sick has not been fun, at least I'm being productive while I rest.

I also finished the counted cross stitch sampler I have been working on for nine years.  It's washed and just needs to be pressed and framed.  Once that's been completed I'll post a pic of the finished product.  

 

I also picked up another counted cross stitch project I laid aside for far too long and started working on it again.  When I showed the Hubs the project he looked at me and said, "Why do you keep punishing yourself with this stuff?"  Hee! Hee!  I really do enjoy this stuff.  I'm just slow about getting things finished.  It probably doesn't help that I have crafter ADD. 

 

Anyway, soup is in the Crock-Pot and I am (hopefully) going to bake some bread to go with it.  It's a new soup recipe.  If it's tasty I'll share it with you next time.  Until then, enjoy the snow!

Mama's Turn

I've been under the weather since Thursday and I am done with it!  I went to the doctor on Thursday with the hopes of getting some medicine and heading back to work on Friday.  No such luck.  I was told to stay off work until Monday and was tested for the flu. ICK!  Fortunately the test game back negative for influenza A and B.  Unfortunately I have gotten worse instead of better.  So I called in for another sub for tomorrow and will head back to the doctor and hopefully get some antibiotics.  I'm pretty sure Babycakes has shared her most recent bout of bronchitis with her dear, sweet Mama.

Enough of my bellyaching!  Onto more fun things.  I was feeling well enough for a very brief foray into Wal-Mart yesterday to pick up some supplies.  While I was there I picked up some stuff to get some Easter decorating started.  I don't do St. Patrick's Day.  Never been one of my favorite holidays.  So I'm excited to start decorating for Easter because I really like the spring colors and the holiday itself.   In an earlier post I showed off these gems I made for around $6 for supplies I picked up at the Dollar Tree.

So I bought some Easter grass for $0.33 and some malt balls that look like speckled eggs for $2.88 and put together this...

I would show you the whole display but the table is a disaster since I have been sick and the Hubs has had to take care of Babycakes. And to be honest, all I did was stuff Easter grass in the vases and dropped in some eggs.   But hopefully I'll get the house decorated for Easter and will be able to post some pics at a later date.

Have I posted recently what an AMAZING husband I have?  He has totally picked up the ball while I work on getting better.  Right now he is at our last class for our Dave Ramsay Financial Peace University course while my Mom watches Babycakes.  Before he left, I snapped this picture of him and Babycakes watching bull-riding.

I really love that man!  In addition to being an awesome husband and dad, he also does laundry.  He knows how much I LOVE the smell of bedclothes that have hung on the line in the sunshine.  So he did that today.

While I love spring, I am hoping for one more snow day.  Today it really looks like spring is in the air but the forecast is calling for the, "potential for significant snowfall accumulation," on Wednesday.  They seem pretty sure about this - 80% at last check. Bring. It. On.

Anyway, one last picture of Babycakes.  I love that she lets me put pigtails in her hair!

I'm off to watch some Golden Girls, work on finishing a cross-stitch project, and resting.  Hope everyone is healthier than me! :-)

I'm Back!

Imagine my surprise when I logged on tonight to update this blog and saw that I had a guest blogger!  Thanks Honey!

After my scrapbook adventures on Saturday the Hubs and I ended up taking care of a sick little one.  We were so excited that she had made it 2 WHOLE weeks without getting sick.  We had our fingers crossed but it wasn't enough.  Back to the doctor we went yesterday.  This time it was a diagnosis of bronchitis and a sinus infection.  Poor Babycakes!  She can't catch a break. :-(  Here she is on the way home from the doctor yesterday.

Not sure what those red marks are on her face.  I think her cheeks are chapped with all of the cold weather.  :-(

The day before she was dressing up like a little fashionista.  Her Auntie Karen got her some new pants (she is wearing one pair on each leg) and she just had to try them out pronto!  The scarf belongs to me and the hat is her winter hat.  By 9:00 that night she was running a fever.  How quickly things can turn.

The good news is that she is on the mend and is starting to perk up now that she has antibiotics.  Although I do worry about the long term impact of having so many antibiotics in her system at such a young age.  I guess as a mom you are always worried about something.

I've also been trying to finish up some craft projects.  Some of which have been going on way. too. long.  Like this gem...

I started this when my best friend found out she was pregnant nine years ago.  Seriously, nine years.  Who takes this long to finish a project?  That would be me.  When I found out I was pregnant I started working on it again for Babycakes. I am so close to being finished.  The little girl in the top right corner is all I need to finish.  I finished the top left but it has all of her information on it and I don't feel comfortable posting it for all the world to see.  But I promise you that part really is finished!  I put it on my "to do" list for March so hopefully I will do it since I wrote it down.

I also wanted to show you what Cleo the cat does when I get up to grab a snack while I am catching up on my blog reading.

Apparently the Susan Branch blog that I enjoy reading isn't nearly as exciting for her.  

Finally, I posted this pic on Facebook.  It's my new 'do.

I still have to "deal" with it each morning but my hands on time has significantly decreased.  With all I have going on right now this is a definite plus.

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

  

Good Morning from the Husband!

I will 'post' on this for the first time - I'm not much of a 'blogger' or anything, but will share some info. about our goings-on.

"Mama" went to scrapbook for the day, so I'm at home with Babycakes.  Grandpa Bill, (Mama's Dad from Texas), dropped in on his way to the airport to pick up his wife later today.  They will then go on to PA to see both of their mothers, who are at an assisted living place there.

All is fairly good here, but busy.  There's a lot of cleaning and home chores to do, so while Babycakes is napping, I can hopefully get a lot of that done.  For now, we wish all of you well and enjoy the weekend.   Jeff (a.k.a. "Hubs")

Project Updates...

After my VERY blah day yesterday, I thought I would update you all on some of the ongoing projects I have been working on.  Earlier, I mentioned a project I was working on for the Hubs for Valentine's Day.  The inspiration came from Pinterest.  Since there was a $5.00 limit I re-created this on my limited budget.  It's the words to our First Dance with out initials in the bottom left corner and our wedding date in the top left corner.  The frame was on clearance at Wal-Mart.  The Hubs definitely went over budget for me but I'm not complaining.  :-)

The other project I have been working on are some curtains for our family room that we moved to the basement this past summer.  I saw the fabric at Hobby Lobby and debated for a couple of months whether or not I should buy it.  I finally broke down and got it with a gift card I received. 

Sorry about the picture quality.  I have to use my cell phone because my crappy camera isn't working again. :-(

Anywho, my younger sister just found out last week she will be having a girl in July.  So I started on a blanket for my newest niece.

I'm not known for giving my handcrafted gifts on time but there's a first time for everything, right? 

On Saturday we took a trip to Lowe's where they had a lot of great stuff on clearance.  I mean like $1 and $2 stuff clearance!  So we went ahead and loaded up for Spring projects and Easter.  Babycakes will be getting some gardening goodies from the Easter Bunny.

So maybe the "My First Garden" was a little self serving, but I know for a fact she is going to LOVE the Elmo gardening stuff.  That kid can't get enough Elmo.  I've thought about decorating her room with Elmo but I'm pretty sure she would be so overstimulated that she would never sleep.



Finally, my favorite little "project" on Friday night.

We all went out for dinner because, quite frankly, no one wanted to cook.  So this was out Valentine's date.  Babycakes loves her catchup!  She didn't get that from me.  I can't stand the stuff!

So that is a project/weekend update.

Happy President's Day!

Blah!

What a title, right?  But that is how I am feeling today.  I'm normally out the door around 9:40 on Sunday mornings with Babycakes hot on my heels as we head to Sunday School.  The Hubs usually meets us there for Worship Service at 10:45 but not this morning my friends.  I just couldn't do it.
 I'm not ill and I got a full night's sleep.  I just have a case of blah.  I'm too tired to do much of anything today.  The Hubs took Babycakes to church and I laid in bed and read research studies for my dissertation.  So I wasn't entirely unproductive, I just don't want to leave the house today.  Who can blame a girl with when temperature is a balmy 27 degrees and the windchill is 12? 
So with Babycakes napping and the Hubs at our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class I decided to take a little "me" time.  So I will enjoy a mug of Earl Grey tea, a good book and the company of this beautiful girl...

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday!