veggie beef soup

I have been on a soup making binge lately.  It must the cool weather because it has sounded so good to me lately.  I tried out a new recipe I found on good ol' Pinterest and I changed it up a bit.  The recipe was for a crock pot but I made ours on my stove in my dutch oven. 

Veggie Beef Soup

Garlic olive oil (or regular olive oil) to coat the bottom

1 lb. beef stew meat

1 medium sweet onion chopped

3 medium carrots cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 small potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 can kernel corn

1/2 teaspoon season salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1-1/2 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen green beans 

 

I heated up the oil in my dutch oven and dropped the meat in with the onions browning the outside of the meat and softening the onions.  Add the remaining ingredients except for peas and green beans.  You add those during the last hour of cooking.  Ours simmered for 4 hours.  Crock pot instructions are to put it on low 6 to 8 hours or high 4 to 6. 

 

It reminded me of my mom's beef soup :). It made the house smell wonderful.  Art gave it a 5 star rating.  We served it with grilled cheese and apple slices.  Delish, easy and comforting.  This one is going into my recipe book!

 

Enjoy!

ella 3

Ella was caught with the marshmallows.

 

Sarah thinks she ate half the bag and should have a tummy ache.

 

Grace thinks she took a bath in them.

 

Either way, she's cute and quite a character.

 

What will we do now for our hot chocolate?

 

ella 2

The girls woke up this morning to find Ella in her silliness.  She and Hermey had hitched up the sleigh with Rudolph leading the way.  Looks like they went on a joyride in the night.

 

Over breakfast I heard the girls talking about their ideas on how this came to be:

 

Sarah - "She made Hermey and Rudolph come to life with her magic and they flew around the house all night."

 

Sarah - "Hermey is an elf so they MUST be boyfriend and girlfriend now."

 

Grace - "Ella took the string out of Mommy's school bag and made the reins so they could fly."

 

Grace - "Ella was busy last night!"

 

She looks guilty and mischevious doesn't she :).

 

What will she doe next?

welcome Ella 2012

Our Elf on the Shelf is here, straight from the North Pole.

 

 She (Ella) has picked a strange place to hang out.  The girls of course think it's exciting :).

 

I wonder what kind of shennanigans she'll get herself into this year.  Last year she was pretty tame but we've heard with each year they become more and more mischevious.

 

the glow

The tree is up and the glow fills our house.  The last two nights all the girls have wanted to do is turn down the lights, turn on the Christmas music and sit by the tree.  Once the pajamas are on we all tend to land there. 

 

Grace on her ipod.

 

Sarah posing.

Playtime with Truman.

 



Sarah reading.

More playtime with Truman.

Getting sleepy.

 



I love these moments.

tree hunt

This year we gave the girls the option of putting up our "fake" tree or going out and cutting down our first natural tree.  We told them stories about our childhood, how much fun we had looking for the perfect tree each year in the woods.  They were excited to go on a hunt.

 

So we were off, snow boots and all (it was a little muddy).  It was 40 degrees with a cold wind.  Despite the wind, the sun was out and warm on our faces. 

 

 

After a haul up a big hill and hearing our girls complain over and over, they were ready to pick the next thing they saw.  We had to set them straight on our quest to find the perfect tree for our Christmas.  It worked and they were back into the adventure.

We found two we liked!  One big, one small. The smaller one won out.  It was perfect for our hearth room where we were going to put it this year.  It is a smaller room off our kitchen. 

Coming down the hill was much easier and the girls were very excited for their find.

Overall, a very fun time for our first as a family.

sweet pie

Since last Thanksgiving Sarah has talked and talked about trying pumpkin pie for the first time.  Last year we had just found out she needed to be on a gluten free diet so pumpkin pie was out of reach for her.  This year with the help of Grandma Donna we made her wish come true.  Dinner was done and while we were cleaning up Sarah kept asking.  And asking.  And asking!  Grandma brought out the desserts early just for our girl. 

 

She's diving in...

 

First bite, and the verdict is...

 



 

 

Thumbs up!

 

 

This girl went straight for the chocolate :).

It was a very sweet Thanksgiving.

the redneck way

Tonight we headed out the door with the taco soup I had made for our life group bible study.  I had asked Art to help secure it since soup can be a tricky thing to handle with a hot dish and loose lid.  I came into the kitchen and found this.   While he was being very resourceful and completed what I had asked, I had to laugh at this contraption and give him a smidge of a hard time :).  He called this the redneck way to secure the contents.

 

This crock pot has been with us since the beginning. It was a wedding gift, that's 21 years old. The other day I accidentally dropped the metal heating pot. It made a pretty big commotion, enough to bring Art running. It sounded as if a coil had broken upon impact but all looked okay. I was warned by Art to not plug it in without being home which defeats the purpose of a crock pot. It's worked okay since then, being monitored with no issues.

 

While walking through Sams Club the other day I drooled over a stainless steel slow cooker (yes it was not labeled as a crock pot). It came with multiple settings and a timer, I am in love. It also came with two clamps on the side that closed the lid down nice and tight. PERFECT!!!! Lucky for me Art was right there beside me to watch me giggle with glee over it.   I think he got the point :).  So.... maybe this Christmas I can put my current one to rest.  We will have to wait and see.

 

Here's the recipe:

(it was a hit)

 

Taco Soup

 

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion

1 carton beef broth

1 can rotel, undrained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can kernel corn, undrained

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet dry ranch dressing

 

Cook the beef in a skillet with diced onions, drain. Place meat in crock pot with remaining ingredients.  Stir and put on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Serve with spoonful of sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips.

 

And just because you might be wondering... the taco soup made it to life group without any spills. Thanks to my creative guy :) and two bungee cords.

a needed reminder

happy birthday t-man!

The dream of having a dog began with this girl.

And at first I resisted. Alot.

  I resisted the house smelling like dog and hair everywhere.  I resisted your size (if I had to have one, I wanted something smaller). 

 

 

You got a haircut and a bath.  You stayed off the furniture.  You listen better than my kids at times. 

 

Over time I grew to like you.

 

 

You love to play with the girls.  You love to wrestle with Art and I.  You stayed away from shoes and the girls toys.  You didn't eat the furniture. 

 

Your duck is your favorite toy.

 

 

You love to walk with me and your absolute favorite is when Art puts on his running shoes.  You instinctively go to find your harness and leash.  No one can control your leaps of excitement.

 

 

You love to watch the birds, squirrels and deer from your stoop.  You are always ready for a game of chase.

 

 

And despite my resistance you have become my best four legged friend, always at my feet and at times aggravating me as I trip over you.

 

But... I love you Truman.  We all do and life would not be the same without you. 

 

Happy fourth birthday sweet boy!

 

 

i've got the joy!

stripes, loot and meow

Zainy Zebra

 

Oh the socks and that face :)

The loot

 

Chocolatae! Mmmmm....

Curious Cat

 

All Cat, even down to her shoes
 

Happy Halloween!