Corn-Sausage Chowder

Another favorite of ours I happened to find in a magazine while waiting for a OB visit while pregnant with Hannah.  It's easy and quick and definitely one of Matt's favorites!

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage*

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

3 cups 1/2-inc pieces red potatoes

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano or marjoram, crushed*

1/8 tsp black pepper

One 15 1/4oz can whole-kernel corn, drained

One 14 3/4oz can cream-style corn, undrained

One 12oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven*, cook pork sausage and onion until sausage is brown and onion is tender.  Drain well.

2. Return sausage mixture to dutch oven*.  Stir in potatoes, water, salt, spice and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until potato is tender.

3. Stir in the whole-kernel corn, cream style corn, and evaporated milk.  Cook and stir until heated through.

Serve with garlic bread if desired.

*I use maple flavored sausage because I like the sweetness; but any flavor would be good (I should try hot)!
*I also use 1.5 pounds of sausage to make it meatier!

*I've used italian seasoning when out of oregano

*I use my stock pot to cook it all in

Paula Deen's Sheperds Pie!!!

Matt told me he was a fan of Shepherds Pie awhile back so for his birthday I went scouring the internet for a recipe!  I came across Paula Deen's version (who happens to be my cooking hero), which is a little bit different than the typical recipe, but its so delicious and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 small onion

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables or niblet corn, prepared (I use the steam fresh corn!)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (fresh? I use the pepper in the cupboard)

8 to 10 medium red new potatoes (or 2 packages of instant potatoes for when you're in a hurry!)

1 1/2 cups milk

12 tablespoons butter (You know how Paula likes her butter!)

1/2 cup sour cream (for the potatoes)

2 cups instant biscuit mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 

2. Prepare Potato Layer: Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick.  Cook in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fork-tender.  Whip potatoes with electric mixer; mix until moderately smooth.  Don't over beat them; a few lumps are nice.  Add 1/2 cup heated milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sour cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Whip until mixed.  Adjust thickness by adding more milk, if desired. 

3. While potatoes are boiling begin preparing Beef Layer: Saute onions in 2 tablespoons butter.  Add ground beef.  After beef is browned, add tomato sauce; mix in corn or veggies.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Biscuit Layer: Combine biscuit mix and 1 cup milk.  The mix should be thinner than normal biscuit mix but not runny.

5. Spray a 9x9x2 pan or any similar casserole dish.  Put potatoes down first.  Next spread the beef and corn mixture on top of the potatoes.  Pour biscuit mix over the meat.  Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over top.  Bake for about 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy! It's fantastic!  I do recommend getting a seasoned tomato sauce to give the meat mixture some flavor but the rest is fantastic the way it is!

Help for Haiti

Yesterday a post was going around on facebook stating this:

Shame on you America: a country where we have homeless without shelter, children with nothing to eat, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. ...... POST THIS!

 I was absolutely appalled by people posting this! I'm the first one that will stand up and say that we spend A LOT of money helping other countries when our own people need some SERIOUS help here in the U.S.  But for people to say "Shame on you America" was 100% disgusting!  There is a country that we know is in need that has been struck by a more than devastating earthquake that has affected a giant portion of its population and people are saying that we've helped them enough? 

We should be PROUD that we were one of the first countries to step up and donate!
          We should be PROUD that we are able to send help when countries are in need!
                    We should be PROUD not ashamed!

Who cares if it there was a broadcast on 12 different channels? I'm sure the majority of you have more than 12 channels to choose from.  No one seemed to care when benefits for Hurricane Katrina took up local newstations.  Haiti needs our help big time and I am proud to be from a country that is WILLINGLY able to send help and support during a crisis.

And if you think we don't take care of our own people - it starts with you and I.  How many of you donate to local charities or food banks?  How many of you are working to make America a better place for its people?  How many of you sit back and do nothing but complain that the government isn't doing their part?  

One of the things my Pastor said in church on Sunday was that our reactions tell others how close we are to Christ.  There are sooo many Christian organizations pouring out their heart and soul to help out Haiti.  There are soooo many Christians sending their support without a thought because we're not self-centered, we're other-centered and Christ-centered.  Christ WANTS us to help Haiti - our willingness to help a country that we've already poured millions and billions of dollars into is what Christ would do.  We don't turn our backs during the time they need us the most regardless of how much help we've already given.  We keep giving and share the Word of Christ while we're doing it because its our responsibility. 

And that's all I have to say about that... for now...

Emma Facts

In honor of Emma's 6th Birthday, I thought I would share some facts about her:

Her favorite color is PINK

She LOVES animals especially horses

She *hearts* chocolate and will eat just about anything that is chocolate or has chocolate in it

Her favorite things to wear are dresses and skirts.  She would wear them everyday if I let her

She wants to work at Donimoes (her pronunciation of Dominoes) just like her Grammy who works there PT and showed her the kitchen and pizza maker

She is very outgoing and will talk and play with anyone

She HATES having the Happy Birthday song sung to her at her birthday parties

Her favorite restaurant is McDonalds

 Her best friends are Kayla, Marquita and Abby Rae

She is one of the most independent kids you will ever meet.  She has been that way since she was born!

and most important...

She is the 6 year old daughter of one of the most proud Mom's in the whole wide world!

Happy Birthday Little Miss Emma Rose!  You are so beautiful and smart and you make me proud and happy to be your mom every single day.  I love you!

Flasback Friday

Hard to believe Emma will be 6 on Monday!  I don't have any pictures from her birth on this computer, so here is her first birthday portrait!  She almost doesn't even look the same at all!  But she still has those dark eyebrows and silly grin!

Climbing Mt. Everest

There she is.  Mt. Everest.  Up until the other day, I really had no interest in her.  I remember listening to Elliott In The Morning a few years back and climbers of many different mountains would be on and talking about their adventures.  Sure, it was interesting.  But my fascination came the other night when watching Everest: Beyond the Limit on the Discovery Channel.  To see these people climbing had me hooked for 2 1/2 hours while I watched 2 1/2 episodes back to back.  It was beyond fascinating.  I knew right then and there that I wanted to climb Mt. Everest before I died!  It takes years of training since most team leaders that you go with require that you have successfully summited other high altitude mountains.  And the cost to climb with some of the best leaders out there range anywhere from $40,000 to $65,000 and I'm sure on up.  It makes me wonder how disappointed someone must be when they have to turn around and not reach the summit!  So I'm determined.  Item #1 on my bucket list is climbing Mt. Everest.  I would NEVER in a MILLION years jump out of an airplane or even bungee jump, but climbing Mt. Everest, now we're talking!

Happy New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year's!  Time to make those resolutions...again!  I've read this past December of sooooo many people saying why they're not making resolutions - they never stick to them, it's silly to change just because it's a new year, etc. etc.  I, however, think it's a perfect time to change.  No one wakes up and says, it's July 17, time to make some changes.  It's always a milestone of some sort, a birthday, the birth of a child, New Years!  And I'm pretty good at sticking to most of my resolutions.  There is nothing like having goals written down on paper, it's a challenge in my mind to accomplish as many as I can before the next year!  So here are my goals/resolutions for 20-10:

1.  Take part in the 2010 Challenge set by my Pastor at City on a Hill Church.  It's a challenge to read my bible for at least 10 minutes a day for 20 days a month.

2. Finish my Associates Degree and begin my Bachelors program.  If I go nonstop again in 2010 like I did in 2009, I'll finish up my last Associates class in the middle of September.  And I'll be able to begin the Bachelors program right away.  I also plan on graduating with a 3.95 gpa - which gives me some room since right now I have 3.96 - whoo hoo!

3.  Balance my time more effectively between doing housework, school work,  spending time with the kids, and making time for Matt and I.  This is a really hard struggle for me every day and I am really soul searching for a way to accomplish this.  If I'm not doing one thing, I'm feeling guilty for taking part in another.  

4.  Make time for myself.  I give so much of my time to those other things (see #3) that I feel like I never do anything for myself without feeling guilty.  I am determined to start scrapbooking again, finsh my quilt I started two years ago and just go out alone and feel GOOD about it, not bad.

5.  Lose 30 pounds.  I no longer have the excuse of saying it's baby weight.  Hannah is 2 1/2 years old.  I'm debating on whether or not to join a gym once the fees are waived for all of who join at the beginning of the year, but I may just use some of my dvd's at home.

6.  Be Happy.  Being a stay-at-home mom and full time student is very draining.  Many times I lose sight of the tremedous gift I have of being able to stay at home with Hannah all day and greet Emma every day after school.  My patience level has dramatically dropped and I find myself being more uptight than happy.  My depression seems to be slowly coming back full force these last few weeks and I'm determined to not let it take hold.


7.  Continue putting ourselves on a better financial track.  People either think two things about us because I am a stay at home mom.  One is that I need to get a job or the other is that we have "money" because I am able to stay home.  Sure, we would benefit greatly if I was working, but we've made the decision together that I would stay at home for at least another year, but ideally until my degree is completed.  But considering the last three years, we've come a LONG way.  There were dinners of bologna sandwiches and spaghetti with no sauce in the beginning and to see what we've accomplished since "starting over" in Culpeper is truly amazing.  We'll be debt free this year and will do our best to keep our fresh start in the best shape possible.  We've set financial goals for us and broken them down in 3 - 6 month segments and so far we're meeting our goals.  At the rate we're going we'll be ok!


8.  Finally I want to work on my relationships with my family.  I want a close family, a sister I can call my friend, a mom I can call when I need advice.  The beginning of the last 3 years severed our relationship and its a million times better today, but I want it to be the best that it can be.  


I don't think my resolutions are too far fetched.  I think they are absolutely 100% obtainable and I plan on sticking with them and accomplishing each and every one of them.


Happy New Year!