Amish Noodles

One of my favorite things is Amish Style Homemade Noodles.  My mom bought some for me a little while back, and I forgot about them until the other night!  Super excited!

Cook them in vegetable or chicken stock with a little bit of butter, salt and lots of pepper.  Not too complicated, and very yummy!

 

Made some potatoes with onions…

The other night’s spread…  I haven’t been grocery shopping since before Thanksgiving.  We are trying to use up all the food that we have in the pantry and fridge.  I am not a big fan of grocery shopping, and I hate standing in the lines at Wal-mart.  Also, self check-out makes me nervous.  Pretty good dinner with not a lot of planning. 

 

Me and my favorite little buddy snuggling up after dinner.  

 

I love this little guy!

O Christmas Tree!

We put up our Christmas Tree, and I even wrapped some of our presents.

I bought these cute ornaments at Kohl’s this past Black Friday!  Love them!

My boyfriend’s addition to the tree…

Typical.

Tailgating at Bedlam 2010

 

My boyfriend is a Sooner, but his brother is an Aggie. 

Typical Tailgating Behavior:

People even set up their TVs for viewing pleasure:

The OSU Players Walk… Look at All that Orange!

Unbearable Lightness by Portia

I finally finished Portia’s book.  I really enjoyed the last portion of the book.  She eventually learns an “ordered” way of eating. 

She finds it is much easier to maintain weight without depriving herself of any type of food.  If she is able to eat whatever she wants, she finds she doesn’t crave it or need to binge.  She finds being vegan comes naturally to her. 

She also finds a healthy way to exercise.  She walks the dogs and takes up horseback riding.  An observation that I thought was interesting:  You never see overweight people outside walking their dogs, but you do see overweight people inside on the treadmill.  Finding a way to exercise and be happy is essential. 

Anyways, I am glad I read it…

Anyone up for a book exchange??  If you want to read her book, I will trade you for another interesting book.  Let me know!

Family and Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  I had a great one!  We ate lunch/dinner at my brother’s house. 

My sister-in-law and nephew with his new glasses:

My cutest, little niece:

My brother’s mother-in-law, mom, and me:

The Thanksgiving spread:

Deviled eggs and broccoli slaw (One of my boyfriend’s favorites):

Mashed potatoes of both sweet and sour (regular with sour cream):

Dressing (Right is with apples and sausage):

Turkey and Ham:

The pecan pie:

Cranberries:

The playtime after dinner:

My littlest nephew playing in his sister’s boots: Isn’t he the cutest?

Sending you good wishes today!!

Nothin’ Special Dinner

(I wrote this post last night, but I couldn’t connect to the Internet.  Better late than never!)

My boyfriend gets off work later some nights.  So, I cook dinner for one.  This is great because I can cook whatever I want and don’t have to worry about cooking something he won’t like.  Plus if it turns out bad, I don’t feel bad about making a gross meal. 

I still have some of these fabulous noodles!

Plus, I had some leftover spaghetti sauce from something I made early in the week….. Hmmm……??……..??………  I totally went blank as to why the sauce was in the fridge.  Hope it wasn’t too old.  Well, I didn’t get sick…so, I assume it was ok.  Aaaaand, it tasted good… that’s what really counts. Right?

I also had some edamame in the freezer.  It sounds good and simple.  So, I warmed up a bowl and sprinkled it with salt.  Voila!  Dinner!

  Simple, but still good!

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving!  It’s at my brother and sister-in-law’s house this year.  I’m thankful that I have such a loving family to spend the holidays with!  I wish my boyfriend was joining us, but his family is spending Thanksgiving at his uncle’s this year.  :(  I’m glad we both get to be with our families though. 

Does anyone else have trouble planning the holidays with different families?

Seafood Lasagna

1 cup chicken broth

1 pound bay scallops

1 pound shrimp

8 oz crabmeat

white pepper to taste

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

salt to taste

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Parmesan cheese

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

 

In a large skillet add broth and bring to a boil.  Add the scallops, shrimp, crab and pepper.  Return to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer for about 4-5 minutes.  Drain, reserving cooking liquid. 

In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter; stir in flour until smooth.  combine milk and reserved cooking liquid; gradually add to the saucepan.  Add salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat; stir in cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Stir 3/4 cup white sauce into seafood mixture. 

 

Spread 1/2 cup white sauce in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish.  Top with three noodles.

 

Spread with half seafood mixture and 1 1/4 cup sauce.

Repeat layers.  Top with remaining noodles, sauce and Parmesan.

 

Bake; uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. 

 

Or don’t wait and pile it on your plate like a blob!  If you are willing to try a non-traditional lasagna, I think you will like it.  My boyfriend wasn’t crazy about it.  I think he didn’t like the combo of seafood and lasagna, but I thought it was yummy!  Fattening, but yummy!

Add some peas and it’s health food!  Right?!?!

 

Gotta Freakin’ Try This!

I got this fruit and nut bar in Boston at Whole Foods.  I loved loved loved it! 

I have to find some more of these!  It was so good!

Best-Ever Potato Soup

This is the actually name of the recipe.  It is in a Taste of Home Cookbook.  I have to say it is extremely yummy!

6 bacon strips, diced

Chicken broth

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 grated carrot

1 chopped onion

Dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 cup sour cream

8 oz Velveeta

Cook bacon.

Add broth, vegetables and seasoning to large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Combine flour, milk and sour cream until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil and stir for about 2 minutes. Add cheese and bacon. Stir until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

 

The boiling soup looks kind of creepy, but it tastes delicious once it is done.

  

Weekend Hike with the Pups