Tonite was a crazy night because I hadn't planned anything, and I truly hate that. The Steelers are losing, and deserve to be because they are playing like crap. The first seven points they got were a gift from the Ravens, certainly not earned in any way. So this puts me in 'a mood'.
I started to muttle around the kitchen, scrambling for ideas. Me with no dinner plan is just a nightmare. Usually we end up ordering out because I can never get it together in time.
Today, we can not eat out because funds are tight til payday (due to Christmas over-spending). Plus, Mike is home for dinner since he worked the day shift and so I want to have a nice family dinner at the table !
I started to search allrecipes.com for a solution to my problem. One hang up that I always encounter when doing this is that I almost never have chicken broth or campbells soup on hand. i have to make a mental note to get them at the store, just to have them on hand for nights like this.
So, I did an advanced search with some things I did have on hand, and this is what we made. It was pretty good considering it was last minute and I was limited. I would make it again, but I might use colby jack cheese, less flour (for sure!) and ground pepper instead of white.
Chicken Noodle Casserole
PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 35 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink. Add the broth, carrots, celery and savory. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Pour over chicken mixture. Add noodles; mix well.
Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Aero and Smarties from Canada
Recently, I received my 'secret santa' present from my pal in Canada. Every year my May mommy buds do an exchange and while typically it is 'all about the kids', for Christmas the mommies exchange presents and we put an ornament or small toy in the package for the kids.
I always get the most amazing gifts in this exchange! I also put alot of thought into the gift I send for this exchange. This year I had Ally.
Ally is one of the mommies who came for the outlet shopping-fest in November, which was AWESOME! It was the first time we had met in person! I had a blast shopping for her. She is so hardworking! She is a trauma-care nurse in her hometown and she puts in some LONG ASS hours. She is a great mommy and wife, and still finds time to be a great friend to alot of people!
I got her some 'time for her' stuff including a creme brulee set with cookbook, torch and ramacans. A few 'ahem' cocktail mixes! I got her son a toy for the bathtub! I hope she loves them! It just so happens that Ally is from Canada. So, I was praying it would get there on time.
My Secret Santa was also from Canada! Her name is Erin, and she is also a nurse, hardworker, great mommy, and so funny! She sent me an amazing gift! A super, soft blanket that is creme colored and is quite possibly the softest thing I have ever felt, a Christmas candle that smells like a vanilla wafer, a book by my favorite author Jodi Picoult called "Keeping Faith" and two board books for Maddie. Here is the thing, she stuck some candy in the bottom of the box for me.
Ok, I didn't realize how different things were between the US and CANADA! I mean we do share a border, various lakes and rivers, the Falls and other things too! But how is it that we do not have these candies here in the States!
Smarties here in the States are little sweet/sour pill-type candies sold in little skinny packs with plastic twisted at its edges. Smarties in Canada are similar to M&M's and are made by NESTLE! What the piss! They are good, thats for sure! Different than M&M's but still yummy just the same.
BUT I AM AMAZED BY THE FOLLOWING REVELATION! We do not have the other type of candy that Erin put in my bag here ! They are called Aero's. OMG, talk about a little piece of frothy chocolate heaven ! It tastes SO good, and it is similar to chocolate puffed with air. WOW!
Seriously, I am considering writing a congressman about why we do not have this in the States. I mean, what is up! Nestle makes both of these so why do we not have it! I am pissed, and am thinking I will have to send money to Erin so she can send me an entire bag of these. I could stick them in my freezer and take them out only in case of emergency!
I always get the most amazing gifts in this exchange! I also put alot of thought into the gift I send for this exchange. This year I had Ally.
Ally is one of the mommies who came for the outlet shopping-fest in November, which was AWESOME! It was the first time we had met in person! I had a blast shopping for her. She is so hardworking! She is a trauma-care nurse in her hometown and she puts in some LONG ASS hours. She is a great mommy and wife, and still finds time to be a great friend to alot of people!
I got her some 'time for her' stuff including a creme brulee set with cookbook, torch and ramacans. A few 'ahem' cocktail mixes! I got her son a toy for the bathtub! I hope she loves them! It just so happens that Ally is from Canada. So, I was praying it would get there on time.
My Secret Santa was also from Canada! Her name is Erin, and she is also a nurse, hardworker, great mommy, and so funny! She sent me an amazing gift! A super, soft blanket that is creme colored and is quite possibly the softest thing I have ever felt, a Christmas candle that smells like a vanilla wafer, a book by my favorite author Jodi Picoult called "Keeping Faith" and two board books for Maddie. Here is the thing, she stuck some candy in the bottom of the box for me.
Ok, I didn't realize how different things were between the US and CANADA! I mean we do share a border, various lakes and rivers, the Falls and other things too! But how is it that we do not have these candies here in the States!
Smarties here in the States are little sweet/sour pill-type candies sold in little skinny packs with plastic twisted at its edges. Smarties in Canada are similar to M&M's and are made by NESTLE! What the piss! They are good, thats for sure! Different than M&M's but still yummy just the same.
BUT I AM AMAZED BY THE FOLLOWING REVELATION! We do not have the other type of candy that Erin put in my bag here ! They are called Aero's. OMG, talk about a little piece of frothy chocolate heaven ! It tastes SO good, and it is similar to chocolate puffed with air. WOW!
Seriously, I am considering writing a congressman about why we do not have this in the States. I mean, what is up! Nestle makes both of these so why do we not have it! I am pissed, and am thinking I will have to send money to Erin so she can send me an entire bag of these. I could stick them in my freezer and take them out only in case of emergency!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Catch up
Well, it has been awhile (by my standards) since I last posted a blog. There is a lot to catch up on, but I will try to keep my stories short and sweet.
Christmas was incredible, beyond my expectations. Madelyn was amazed, dumbfounded and overjoyed to find Santa had left her presents under our tree. Santa was pretty damn good to her this year, let me say!
I find, and this is just my opinion, that the earlier I start shopping for Christmas, the more I buy. So, since I started early, there was WAY too much stuff for her. And of course, she wanted to play with everything the second she opened it. So that made for a difficult time. I had to tell her no, and that we were going to open all the presents before we played with anything, and she didn't dig that at all. Understandably, and that is one thing I do hate, but we are so busy running around all day on all the holidays. It often makes for a very long, tiring day.
Lauren, poor little Lauren. She hadn't a clue what was going on. She was happy, as she usually is! It was thrilling to watch her just smiling away as Maddie opened all the presents.
Madelyn and Lauren both got alot of awesome toys and clothes from Santa! But they do have some favorites! Madelyn loves her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Lucky Ducks Game, Baby dolls, Dress up trunk and Alice doll. Lauren loves her Jack in the box, and her gummy rattles that are finally light enough for her to hold and chew on (poor baby's gums!).
Maddie got a marching band set from her Cousin Allen! HOW KIND OF HIM (yes, I was shouting!). She does love it! She also got the Rose Petal Cottage from Mimi, but it hasn't been assembled yet, so she doesn't know really about it yet. From Cheryl she got a Care Bear which she sleeps with and a really cool Elephant game.
Cheryl also got Lauren little baby UGGS, and an outfit to match them! OMG, they are the cutest! Aunt Bee got Lauren little tiny stuffed Pooh characters that she can grasp. They are so soft, she just hugs them and loves them!
Overall, we had an incredible Christmas. The kids got so much stuff!
Oh, Mike got an XBOX, in case you missed that in an earlier post. I gave it to him early so he could play it during his vacation time in early December. He also got a blanket and a Steelers AFC Champions t-shirt from me. My parents got him Madden 08, and my sister and Brett got him Scrubs season 2 on DVD. That is just as much a gift for me as it is for him!
Here is an overview of what I got: beautiful diamond earrings, aromatherapy, slippers, jammies, season six of Scrubs on DVD, a CSI computer game, clothes and best of all A BELGIAN WAFFLE MAKER that flips! That is what I asked for, not sarcasm.
Mikes parents got us an awesome digital photo frame. It plays music, videos, slideshows of your pictures, IT IS SOOO NEAT!
Ok, that is the Christmas wrap up - hmm, no pun intended there!
Christmas was incredible, beyond my expectations. Madelyn was amazed, dumbfounded and overjoyed to find Santa had left her presents under our tree. Santa was pretty damn good to her this year, let me say!
I find, and this is just my opinion, that the earlier I start shopping for Christmas, the more I buy. So, since I started early, there was WAY too much stuff for her. And of course, she wanted to play with everything the second she opened it. So that made for a difficult time. I had to tell her no, and that we were going to open all the presents before we played with anything, and she didn't dig that at all. Understandably, and that is one thing I do hate, but we are so busy running around all day on all the holidays. It often makes for a very long, tiring day.
Lauren, poor little Lauren. She hadn't a clue what was going on. She was happy, as she usually is! It was thrilling to watch her just smiling away as Maddie opened all the presents.
Madelyn and Lauren both got alot of awesome toys and clothes from Santa! But they do have some favorites! Madelyn loves her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Lucky Ducks Game, Baby dolls, Dress up trunk and Alice doll. Lauren loves her Jack in the box, and her gummy rattles that are finally light enough for her to hold and chew on (poor baby's gums!).
Maddie got a marching band set from her Cousin Allen! HOW KIND OF HIM (yes, I was shouting!). She does love it! She also got the Rose Petal Cottage from Mimi, but it hasn't been assembled yet, so she doesn't know really about it yet. From Cheryl she got a Care Bear which she sleeps with and a really cool Elephant game.
Cheryl also got Lauren little baby UGGS, and an outfit to match them! OMG, they are the cutest! Aunt Bee got Lauren little tiny stuffed Pooh characters that she can grasp. They are so soft, she just hugs them and loves them!
Overall, we had an incredible Christmas. The kids got so much stuff!
Oh, Mike got an XBOX, in case you missed that in an earlier post. I gave it to him early so he could play it during his vacation time in early December. He also got a blanket and a Steelers AFC Champions t-shirt from me. My parents got him Madden 08, and my sister and Brett got him Scrubs season 2 on DVD. That is just as much a gift for me as it is for him!
Here is an overview of what I got: beautiful diamond earrings, aromatherapy, slippers, jammies, season six of Scrubs on DVD, a CSI computer game, clothes and best of all A BELGIAN WAFFLE MAKER that flips! That is what I asked for, not sarcasm.
Mikes parents got us an awesome digital photo frame. It plays music, videos, slideshows of your pictures, IT IS SOOO NEAT!
Ok, that is the Christmas wrap up - hmm, no pun intended there!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
A long two days.....
Wow, I don't have time to post really, but I had to come on and wish everyone
A VERY, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
A VERY, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From my little piece of Heaven on Earth to yours, I hope it was a good one.
Here is a picture of my best present this year!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Friends
Everyone has them, everyone wants them, everyone needs them! They are your friends! I happen to be so lucky to have a group of women who are my friends and they are just incredible.
The crew I have went through our last three years of college together.
Every SINGLE day, every SINGLE project, every single minute I was in class... I was with my crew!
We went through everything together: every psycho teacher, every ridiculous project, every lesson plan, every nail biting test (especially Briscoe!), the dreaded, blasted PRAXIS exams, student teaching, successes, failures, babies, weddings and then, who can forget, graduation !
Well since graduation, we rarely get to see each other. Most of us talk on the phone, or try to, at least once a week or two. We do try to get together more often, but it is hard with such a large group of people. Not to mention, we all have VASTLY different lives. Some of us have been married for awhile, some are just now newly engaged (YEA EMILY and JASON!), some of us had babies in college (whoops!), some of us have GRANDCHILDREN! Some are subbing, some are working two and three jobs, some are contracted with schools, some are in grad school.
We are so diverse, yet what we share is so powerful and grand. Having gone through such major events with one another has connected us on such a deep scale it is hard to imagine life without them. Although we don't see each other as much as we would like, none is more than a phone call or desperation cry away.
We just love each other and cherish the time we spend together. We know how lucky we are to have such a large group of closeness, and we know its rare so we hold it with both hands very, very tightly.
Since college for us ended I, for one, have felt some growing pains being seperated from this group. It was such a strong force in my life for three years, and now that we are AS TOGETHER as we once we were, I definitely felt a loss of sorts. But I have grown into the now, and that makes me so grateful for the times we do have.
And so, to my Ladies, I raise my glass to you and thank you for being such an awesome group of women! I love and admire each of you for different things: loyalty, devotion, committment, energy, sassyness (is that a word?), humor, realism, dedication and most of all faith.
Faith in many things, but mostly each other. Merry Christmas CCAC - - EYE YOU PEE !
The crew I have went through our last three years of college together.
Every SINGLE day, every SINGLE project, every single minute I was in class... I was with my crew!
We went through everything together: every psycho teacher, every ridiculous project, every lesson plan, every nail biting test (especially Briscoe!), the dreaded, blasted PRAXIS exams, student teaching, successes, failures, babies, weddings and then, who can forget, graduation !
Well since graduation, we rarely get to see each other. Most of us talk on the phone, or try to, at least once a week or two. We do try to get together more often, but it is hard with such a large group of people. Not to mention, we all have VASTLY different lives. Some of us have been married for awhile, some are just now newly engaged (YEA EMILY and JASON!), some of us had babies in college (whoops!), some of us have GRANDCHILDREN! Some are subbing, some are working two and three jobs, some are contracted with schools, some are in grad school.
We are so diverse, yet what we share is so powerful and grand. Having gone through such major events with one another has connected us on such a deep scale it is hard to imagine life without them. Although we don't see each other as much as we would like, none is more than a phone call or desperation cry away.
We just love each other and cherish the time we spend together. We know how lucky we are to have such a large group of closeness, and we know its rare so we hold it with both hands very, very tightly.
Since college for us ended I, for one, have felt some growing pains being seperated from this group. It was such a strong force in my life for three years, and now that we are AS TOGETHER as we once we were, I definitely felt a loss of sorts. But I have grown into the now, and that makes me so grateful for the times we do have.
And so, to my Ladies, I raise my glass to you and thank you for being such an awesome group of women! I love and admire each of you for different things: loyalty, devotion, committment, energy, sassyness (is that a word?), humor, realism, dedication and most of all faith.
Faith in many things, but mostly each other. Merry Christmas CCAC - - EYE YOU PEE !
So busy - well, what do you expect? It is Christmas!
I just love Christmas time. But I hate being so busy that I can't tell which end is up. I am desperately trying to keep the house clean, get all the cookies baked, presents bought and wrapped, keep the kids excited, and make sure all the t's are crossed and i's dotted!
All in all, it will be worth all the running, fussing, stressing and being busy. I don't mean to get all sappy on you guys here, but I can't wait for MJ to open her presents. She is excited, but I am even more excited for her. I can't wait to see her face when she sees the presents under our Christmas tree! It should be pretty spectacular to see! I just can't wait.
Tomorrow is my father in law's official birthday - so we will be them for dinner. Then to my moms for a little while.
Christmas day, Mike is off so we will do the run around like we always do!
I probably won't be on much in the next two days, although I may try to squeeze another cookie's post in tomorrow since we will be baking part of the day.
Here is a layout that I did with a kit from Karla's Kaleidoscope Designs called Christmas Cheer.
Merry Christmas to you and your family from mine here in Pittsburgh! Have a wonderful holiday!Friday, December 21, 2007
I got RAK'd
Yesterday, I received a private message in my inbox at go digital scrapbooking (which rarely happens), so I logged on to see what was up.
I was so excited, elated and just plain tickled to find I had been RAK'd by Crops!
RAK (random acts of kindness)
She is on Kim B's Creative team (lucky devil that she is!) and Kim B gave her creative team a little Christmas gift in the way of an INCREDIBLE kit called Old Festive Cheer! So, to pass along the merriness (yea, it is a word!) the creative team were selecting people to receive it as a RAK!
How awesome, and I got selected! I made a page today using the kit, and an alphabet from the Christmas Around the World girls (I tried to find who it was from, but all I can tell you is that I downloaded it from Hummie's World).
I shared the layout I did with anyone and everyone who I would think of who cared! I just love this kit, and everything that Kim B. does. She just embodies a presence (even over the net) that makes you want to have fun! The bond that she has with her internet friends all over the world is amazing, and I am just so inspired by her!
Maybe it's Christmas that is making me all sappy!
Ok, enough of that. Here is the layout I did with her kit!
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