Finally, the Cheeseburger Soup!

As promised, a long time ago, here is the recipe for the cheeseburger soup.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
3/4 C chopped onion
1 quart chicken broth
2 C water
4 1/2 C diced raw potatoes
1 1/2 C shredded carrots
1 1/2 C diced celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

White sauce:
1/2 C butter
3/4 C flour
3 C milk
3 C processed cheese, cubed

Brown ground beef with onions; drain. In large saucepan, combine broth, water, vegetables, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. To make white sauce, melt butter in saucepan; add flour and stir until smooth. Slowly add milk and cook until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Combine sauce with vegetables and ground beef and onion. Do not boil after sauce is added to the soup.



And there it is! It is sort of like a potato soup with beef in it. It's very yummy! Especially with warm bread or biscuits. Or, here is the recipe for Red Lobster's cheesy garlic biscuits (a little bonus for making you wait). They are to die for!


Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits

Dough:
1 1/4 lbs. Bisquik
3 oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese
11 oz. cold water

Garlic Spread:1/2 C melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

To cold water, add Bisquik and cheese, blending in a mixing bowl. Mix until dough is firm.

Using a small scoop, place the dough on a baking pan lined with paking paper (I just put them on my well seasoned/greased cooking stone). Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. While biscuits bake, combine spread ingredients.

Brush baked biscuits with the garlic topping.


Hey, I never said it was healthy ;)


For all of you homeschoolers out there, hop on over to Octamom's blog. She's giving away a really cute homeschool T-Shirt.

My little fireball

Notice the subtle movement of his arm as he smacks at me. This time? He wanted the phone.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Truth

Here are some pretty pictures of the recent snow storm we had. It has mostly melted away during the day, but at night it freezes, leaving everything treacherous. Scott's school was canceled every day last week.

Today's truth (not out of Daily Wisdom):
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I don't know about you all, but I am weak. I try to tell myself that I am a strong woman, but the truth is, I'm not. I am emotional, I am unsure, and I am tired.

I remember distinctly something that occurred a few days after I had given birth to Libby, with no medication, in my mom and dad's house, surrounded by strong, encouraging women. I was on the phone arguing with someone who, after discovering that I had given birth to my baby at home said, "On purpose?!?", about getting Libby's PKU test done, and I was in tears and shaking. Granted, I had just given birth, but I sat there and told myself, "You just did an incredibly strong, gratifying, amazing thing! Don't let this person push you around!"

But that is me. That is my nature. I am weak.


And that's, apparently, right where I need to be. As long as I am weak, God can work in me and through me.

When I am working too hard to be everything to everyone and for everyone, when I am working my brain trying to figure everything out, and I am trying to save the world (or even just my little part of it), God can't work through me. It's just not worth it to try to be the one in charge but miss out on His grace.

When I sit back and realize that I am not strong enough to do His job, then I can receive His grace.

And what sweet grace it is, no?

Are you feeling weak? Let God's grace fill you.... and be renewed!

Monday Menu

I have to appologize for my lack of posting the last few days. Libby caught, or rather re-caught the cough (she actually had it before we all got the flu right after Christmas) that Hudson has had. He is finally almost over it, and she is finally on the upswing from it. There for a bit, Scott and I actually wondered if she might have bronchitis, but today she seems to have turned a bit of a corner. I have been treating her with several different natural remedies, and they are working. She is still coughing, but not nearly as hard nor as frequently, and she hasn't had a fever since last night.

For the last several many nights I have had to hold (a sleeping) Hudson right up until the time that we went to bed because, on the nights that Libby actually made it upstairs to bed before us, we have had the monitor in the room with her so we would know if she was coughing and would know if she coughed herself into vomiting. So, I haven't been able to blog in the evenings, and during the day I have been holding, now, both of my babies.

So, my apologies =)

On to this week's menu (this should tell you that things are getting better: They are both asleep, in bed, and I can actually make a blog post!)


Monday: Marriage Monday
Tuesday: Cheeseburger Soup (I promise I will get the recipe for this up, I really really am sorry I haven't done it yet.)
Wednesday: Chicken and Noodle Casserole
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Bean Burritos
Saturday: Chicken and Spinach Risotto
Sunday: Leftovers

I also plan to post a tutorial on the yummy pepperoni rolls that I make. Every time I make them, they get raved about up and down, so I thought I would share the recipe for the dough and the rolls themselves. Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

I am cheating on my very first (but probably not my last) Wordless Wednesday to say that I am switching Wednesday Web to Wordless Wednesday. It will be a way to keep me taking photographs, and showing them to you.

Also to say this, "What a difference a few hours make!"

Ice covered tree...

now covered in ice and snow!

Tuesday Truth

Excerpt from Daily Wisdom for Mothers:

"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand." Isaiah 42:6

Even now, I instinctively grab Abby's and Allison's hands when we cross the street. At ages ten and eight, my girls do not think this is cool, but I can't help myself. By taking their hands, I feel I am protecting them from traffic, strangers, and all other dangers. I bet you do the same for your children. As I often tell my daughters, it's a mom thing.

I'll probably be reaching for their hands until they leave the nest. But you know what? That's not such a bad habit. In fact, if I could get in the habit of reaching out to God and taking hold of His hand more often in day-to-day activities, I'd be farther down the road in my faith walk.

I'm not sure why I neglect to reach for His hand when I'm crossing the busy streets of life. I guess, like my daughters, I think I'm mature enough to handle it on my own. Or, as my mother would say, I get "too big for my britches." I'm so thankful that we have a loving heavenly Father who reaches down to take our hands when we need Him the most. If you haven't taken hold of God's hand in awhile, why don't you grab it today?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I was in college, Scott and I broke up for a little while. It was during that time that we both did a lot of soul searching and faith searching. I remember one evening when I was feeling particularly emotional, confused, and scared. As I lay down on my bed, I physically lifted my hand up to the ceiling and begged God to take hold of it. As I held my hand up, I prayed that God would take it and lead me in the direction that He wanted me to go. I prayed that as He held my hand, He would hold me and comfort me during that difficult time.

I remember the peace I felt in that simple act. He did hold my hand, and He did hold me, and we danced together (in my mind I often picture myself dancing with my heavenly Father, and I know that when I see Him one day, we will dance) and He whispered that He knew the plans He had for me, and that I would be alright.

It shouldn't take that much to get me to give Him my hand, though. It should come as easily as breathing. Oh, we would all be much better off if we weren't so stubborn.

Give Him your hand, let Him lead you, or just love on you, and be renewed!