Hearty Stuffed Pepper Soup - So easy peasy!

I wanted to make something this past week that was hassle free and that I could make a lot of. I was looking to make a lot because I wanted to send some to my father-in-law as he was on his own for a week since Faye, his wife, was in the Phillippines. I thought that this soup recipe that I got from AllRecipes.com would be perfect. It was! I did make some small changes -mostly with the amounts of ingredients that were used. I added a bit more green pepper, more rice and more tomatoes. You can follow the recipes from AllRecipes as is...and I am sure it would turn out wonderful.

I started by browning (1) lb of ground sirloin. (forgot to take a pic).

Chop (2) Large Green Pepper.

Chop (1) onion. Add the green peppers and onions to the large pot that holds the cooked and drained ground sirloin. Cook until onions are translucent.

I used (2) 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes and (1) 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes that I crushed up with my hands as I added it to my pot. I used these as it was what I had on hand. Add these to the pot.

I used a little more than (1/2) can of this 29 oz tomato sauce. Add this to the pot.

Pour in (2) cans of chicken broth.

Add Thyme and sage to taste along with salt and pepper. Cook this mixture for approximately 40 minutes until the peppers are tender.

Meanwhile, I cooked 1.5 cups of white rice. I used instant whole grain since it was all I had left since I made fried rice previously. Add this to the soup after the 40 minutes and stir it in well.

This is the end result. Delicious Stuffed Pepper Soup. It really does taste like stuffed peppers! Promise!

Chicken Fried Rice

I love to make fried rice because it reminds me of special occassions in our home growing up. My mom would only make it once in awhile at a family members request and it was only for potlucks or holidays. I have taken cues from my mom and have always just used what I had on hand for the vegetables but I always use chicken and my mom always uses beef. I am just a huge chicken fan and use it the majority of the time for the protein in my dishes.



The first step is to chop - chop - and chop some more.



Here are the ingredients I used:

(2) cups of potatoes, peeled and diced.

(1) cup of red onions, diced. (you can use any type of onion--but all I had was red).

(1) small green bell pepper from the garden, diced.

(1) cup of frozen edamamme (so healthy for you)!

(1.5) lb chicken breast, diced.

(3) cups white rice, steamed and cooled.

(2) eggs, beaten with (2) tbs water.

(2) tbs butter.

salt and pepper to taste.

(1/3) cup soy sauce.

Here are all my veggies cut up! I love the colors!

Next, after beating (2) eggs mixed with (2) tbs of eggs, I fry it flat in (2) tbs of butter. You make it similar to an omellette and fold it in order to cut it into bite size pieces.

Next, I diced (1.5) cups of chicken breast and cooked it in (2) tbs oil and set aside.

In the same pan that the chicken was cooked in, I added (2) tbs more of oil and cooked potatoes til done. Remove from pan and set aside.

Next, saute the onions and edammame in oil til soft.

Mix in (3) cups of cooled white rice to the onion and edammame mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now add the cooked chicken, egg and potatoes. Cook till all ingredients are heated through. I like to let some parts of the rice get a bit more fried so there are a few crunchy bites in there and mix them in. Next, add soy sauce to taste. I tend to use about 1/3 cup and keep some on the table for others to add to their liking. Cook with the soy sauce for about 2 more minutes and serve.

And here you have the finished product! A big bowl of yummy fried rice!

As with almost all of my recipes, you can easily make substitutions. I don't usually have a lot of edamamme on hand and often times use peas instead. Also, most people don't put potatoes in their fried rice, but I don't think I could make it an NOT put it in! I have always made it with them and love when I get a taste of it in a bite. Try it for yourself. Once you've had fried rice with potatoes, you will love it too!

Our last adventure before it all begins...

Tomorrow is the official start day of high school football. Therefore, that means it will take over our existence in the blink of an eye and all that we will live and breath will revolve around this wonderful sport. I've mentioned before that my husband is the Head Coach of the football team at the school he teaches at but I am sure I have not been able to properly stress the intensity that surrounds him as a coach. When I say that we will live and breath football starting tomorrow--there is no over-exaggeration.

We will no longer be able to plan anything during the week because there will be practice. As for the weekend, Friday's he will have school and not be able to talk afterwards because he will be in game mode. Then, it's game time. After the game he meets with the team, then with the press and gives interviews to about three newspapers and a couple of TV stations. Following this he will review film---sometimes until 3 AM. Saturday mornings he meets with the team for breakfast and then he spends a large portion of the day analyzing and taking notes on film and he must meet with the coach he plays the following week to exchange films. Sunday, we go to church and then he meets with the team to go over the film as a whole and pass out and discuss his notes with the players. Throughout this entire process he is filtering through calls from other coaches, players, parents, press, etc. Many people do not understand what goes into this whoel ordeal. I will tell you firsthand, this is no joke.

I don't want it to sound like I dislike football season in any way but to say that it is not a stressful time would be a lie. It does get frustrating at times and I do want to pull my hair out when a coach or parent decides that it is okay to call past 11 PM when we have a baby at home sleeping or when we have to work the following morning. At the same time, I admire and respect Clint for doing what he is so passionate about and I know he truly loves every moment of it. He is greatly rewarded by working with those kids and seeing them progress. It makes me proud to see him on the sidelines or to hear the great things people have to say about the connections he has made with their child or how great the team is looking.

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Anyways, the title says "our last adventure" because we went out of town for the last time as a family til the conclusion of football season (apart from any traveling we do for games). We decided to go up north to Grandma Hodack's and enjoy our last weekend there. She had a couple of things for Clint to take care of that she couldn't do herself, so he felt that we should go. Luckily, we were able to take a day trip to the beach and grab dinner as a family on Saturday. It was so much fun. It was Jude's first real trip to the beach besides the one in Florida at the resort which I don't think counts.

We arrived at Grandma's on Friday around 12:30 PM and hung out mostly up by the house. It was odd because we didn't go down by the water til the very end of the day when things were being set up for the campfire and smores. Then on Saturday we finished Grandma's projects and went down to the water. Jude went down for a long nap so it gave Clint and I the opportunity to ride the jet-ski just like old times. Of course, Clint gets all crazy and I hang on for dear life.

When Jude woke up, we headed out to the beach. On the way, we stopped in Ironton to take the ferry across the lake. Jude was thrilled to see that we had driven our car onto a boat and that we could get out and walk around. What he didn't enjoy was the fact that the ride was so short and he had to be returned to his carseat so we could go the rest of the way to our destination. He cried the entire way. When we arrived in Charlevoix though, he was happy to be walking around town. Then we walked the walkway to the beach and then he was amazed. He absolutely loved the beach. He has no reservations when it comes to water...so he tried going in tright away. It took him a little while to get used to walking in the sand, but it was fun to watch him learn. There is a playground there as well and as always he loved to swing most of all! We then ate dinner at the pub and headed back to Grandma's for a bonfire.

We departed early the next morning and returned home for a few hours before heading to Lobdell Lake to go out our friends pontoon for the day. This was Jude's first time and he loved it. He even was able to drive and go for a swim which made his day. He was so tuckered out for the adventure that he fell asleep within approximately 45 seconds of being in the car and slept the rest of the night.

Jude with his first store-bought popsicle.

Jude's fave thing at Grandma's.

Jude with daddy for his first time at the beach.

Too cute.

Daddy and Jude swinging.

Jude and myself swinging.

Jude enjoying the scenery and the birds.

Jude's Big Day

The day finally arrived and we couldn't put it off any longer. The time came for Jude's first haircut. Since Clint needed one as well, we got them both done at the same time. Jude had needed one for quite some time, but I have been avoiding it since I knew it would make him look a little more grown up. I feel like it's already happening so fast but this was something I had control of. Inevitably, I knew it had to happen because it was getting out of control and looked a bit like he had a comb over since the lengths were so uneven. Last Thursday we made an appointment for the both of them and of course I went along to snap a gazillion pictures of this huge milestone. I was right, he does look a bit older.

Here is the before:



And here is the after:



I am proud to report that he behaved like an angel during the whole process. No tears or fears. He was totally okay with it all. He didn't mind getting squirted with water, the scissors or the buzzy thing. I was so proud.

Doesn't he look so much more mature?