Catching Up #5

Remember how Matthew is accident-prone at 25 years old? Boo.

Latest injury:

Woof. That, my friends, is a severely sprained ankle. Ugly, ain't it? Yes.

Otherwise, since Matthew is so busy- EVERYDAY- after we got our Christmas stuff out of storage, I set up the tree. And he finally helped me decorate it last night.

The finished product:

Our sad, skinny Christmas tree. At least it has presents under it.

And now, I am caught up!

Catching Up #4

Thanksgiving.

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Skabelunds. Also this year I did not work on Thanksgiving- no one understands how un-fun it is to work on Thanksgiving unless you have done it more than once. So this was a good day.

For the grand feast, Shelley gave me her list of fixin's- there were no Sweet Potatoes on her list so I asked if I could bring those. I expected that I would be the only one eating them, that's ok. My mom found a Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole recipe that she suggested that I use. If you don't remember how I feel about Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, you should probably re-visit THIS POST.

Otherwise, you should try this recipe.

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole:

Topping:

-1 Cup Brown Sugar (You could probably get away with 3/4 Cup)

-1/3 Cup Flour

-1 Cup Chopped Nuts (Pecans preferred) (I got really small, finely chopped- Not a huge nut fan, smaller makes them better)

-1/2 Cup Butter, Melted

Sweet Potato Mixture:

-3 Cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes (you can use canned to save time) (I didn't, I bought 2 sweet potatoes, not huge. Baked them the night before 350* for about an hour- until they were soft- like a baked potato!)

-1 Cup Sugar

-1/2 Teaspoon Salt

-1 Teaspoon Vanilla

-2 Eggs (well beaten)

-1/4 Cup Butter, Melted

Directions:

- Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

- Preheat oven to 375*.

- Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. 

- Pour mixture into buttered baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

- Bake for 10 additional minutes. Allow to set for 30 minutes before serving.

- (I also broiled some marshmallows on top of the casserole. They were unnecessary. It would have been supremely delicious without them.)

I was not the only one to eat them! Matthew, Marty, and Becky all tried it. Another win for Liz.

And this is our pre-Thanksgiving picture.

Just Beautiful Photography
Look at that belly. You're welcome.

Catching Up #3: Taco Soup

I have been a kind wife and been making food for us lately. I tried two different recipes of Taco Soup. Both were great. Take your pick and make one.

Healthified Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Soup:

-1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (About 2-3 Breasts), Cubed (I used bottled from my mom, and shredded it)

-10 Oz. Diced Tomatoes With Green Chilies (RoTel) (I excluded)

-14.5 Oz. Diced or Whole Peeled Tomatoes, No Salt Added (I didn't care about No Salt)

-1 C. Corn, Frozen or Canned (Canned)

-14.5 Oz. Black Beans, No Salt Added (I also didn't care about No Salt)

-1 Medium White Onion, Diced (I used about a handful of dehydrated, Matthew don't like onions at all)

-1-2 Jalapeño, Diced (I used a small can of Diced Green Chilies)

-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced (Garlic Powder)

-2-3 C. Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth (I use Sodium Free Instant Chicken + Water) (Chicken Bouillon Cubes and water)

-1 Tsp. Ground Cumin

-1 Tsp. Chili Powder

-1 Tsp. Salt

-1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper

Tortilla Strips: (I just used chips that we already had at the house)

-3 White Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Strips

-Salt & Pepper To Taste

Directions:
Toss all the ingredients for the soup into your crock pot and give everything a good stir. Secure the lid and set to cook on low for 6-8 hours. (My chicken was pre-cooked, so all of the stuff was just put in together long enough to 'marinate' and get warm together. Maybe 4 hours?)

Delicious. Matthew ate leftovers! (That's a huge win at our house) We put Sour Cream and Cheese into our soup and squeezed some lime juice on top, I also had avocado in mine- not in Matthew's.

 

8 Can Taco Soup:

 Ingredients: 

-1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
-1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
-1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
-1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drained (I used my Bottled Chicken from my mom again. I didn't drain- cause its allllll chicken goodness. And I shredded.)
-1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
-1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
-1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth (I did 2 cups of Broth with my bouillon cubes.)
-1 packet taco seasoning
-(I also added a small can of Diced Green Chilies, cause I like them.)

Directions:

-Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. (I crockpotted my stuff, about 3 hours.)
-Heat until warm, stirring occasionally. 
-Serve with tortilla chips.

I liked this one slightly more because I didn't have to measure ANYTHING. Except water for my broth, NBD.

Again we ate with Sour Cream and Cheese. Again Matthew ate leftovers!

Like I said, choose either and you will not be disappointed.

Catching Up #2

Have you seen Catching Fire yet?

You should. Matthew and I have now seen it twice. Its that good.

First time we saw it was opening weekend with our friends Alicia and Sam.

Second time on Thanksgiving with the Skabelunds.

They did such a better job with this movie over the first one. I think because they had almost double the amount of filming budget than the first one, and also because of their new director. Either way, it is great. Spend the $8 and feel good about your life.

Catching Up #1

Well, my motivation has been waning. I apologize to my one reader, Shelley.

Here we go!

Halloween:

I was working on getting large. I almost didn't fit into my Halloween scrubs.

Our pumpkins. Matthew's is reppin' his website, NZI Football. And mine, lit up.

Can you say legit? Yes, you can.