Let's Talk Soup

When I was growing up, it was always a Saturday tradition for my mom to make a big pot of soup for us to eat on Saturday. Normally my mom would always save the left over pot roast, beef tip, swiss steak, etc. broth and meat that we had for a previous dinner and freeze it. Then on Saturday, she would use the meat and broth as a base for her soup. She would always add a can of crushed rotel to go with the meat base because my mom and I always like our soup a little on the spicy side!! She would then add everything but the kitchen sink to the soup! Ok not literally, but she would always add a few potatoes, carrots, pasta/rice, and then whatever left over veggies we had hanging out in the fridge from the past weeks suppers...okra, cabbage, peas, corn, green beans...you never knew what might end up in our Saturday Soup! My mom would add the ingredients and I was the OFFICAL TASTE TESTER! LOL! Sometimes we would miss the mark and they weren't too good...but most of the time they were amazingly great!!!!! This is something that I loved my mom doing when I was at home and you can bet if I am ever at home on a Saturday, I am requesting soup!!

Last night I made soup for Mitch and myself! I had left over swiss steak gravy and meat in the freezer...I added a can of crushed rotel (that is the secret ingredient that makes it sooo good!), left over potato and carrot chunks that had marinated in Italian dressing from Saturday night's dinner, onions, some frozen corn, and rice!! I let it simmer all together for a while, and then we enjoyed it with saltine crackers. It was super yummy!!! Although Luci is too young to currently enjoy soup (especially spicy soup), I hope that I can pass on this weekend tradition that my mom started with me to her someday! It's those little special traditions that we can share and pass on that make life really special! Thanks Mom!

~Spaghetti Night~

I also made a dessert that I had previously posted about tonight. Recipe is at the bottom of the post here. I made it with Butterfinger this time instead of Heath Bar!! I am saving it for tomorrow when Mitch's parents come to visit! I did sneak a bite though and it was delish!!!

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for delicious pot roast lunch dates with my Bestie Kerri!

Thankful for friends at work keeping me sane!

Thankful for a mom who will gladly take my early riser off my hands at 6:00 in the morning on my vacation!

Thankful for a Dad who loves to play golf with the hubs!

Thankful for the best family ever!!

Thankful for Scentsy fall scents!

Thankful for cooler temperatures and rain!

Thankful for my morning, afternoon, and evening Diet Coke!

Thankful for a loving, caring husband who does my ironing!

Thankful for a loving, caring husband who loves me and Luci more than anything!

Thankful for my most precious time of the day...rocking Luci to sleep at night...I am holding her and she is holding me!!

Wordless Wednesday!!!!

Creamy Chicken and Rice

This is probably one of Mitch's top 5 meals that I make via crock pot...probably because it's the oldest one I've made for him...this is the first crock pot meal I ever made for him :-)

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (can use cream of celery or another can of cream of chicken)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of water
1-2 tsp of dehydrated onions
garlic salt to taste
regular salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix soup, water, onions, salt, pepper together in a bowl
Place chicken in crock pot
Pour soup mixture over chicken
Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4

Stir in 1/2 cup of instant rice during the last 15 minutes of cooking or you can cook rice separately and spoon the chicken and gravy over the rice!!!

It is really yummy!!!

Labor Day Weekend

The Minnick Family went to Branson this weekend with my mom and dad and 2 of their friends! We had a fun, relaxing weekend even though Branson was sooo crowded. Mitch got in two rounds of golf and I hit the sales for winter and next summer clothes for Luci. One thing I guess I never really thought about before having a child was the fact that they need a new wardrobe like every 3 months! The weather was absolutely fantastic in Branson...maybe even a bit chilly at times! SOO much nicer than our 100+ days that we have had lately!

Random things that we learned this weekend:

* We never usually feed Luci a lot of snacks after her dinner, but she was off schedule this weekend so I guess we didn't realize that she had eaten her snacks too late at night...well, she ended up in bed with us the first night and at around 2am, I woke up to her throwing up in the bed! It got all over Mitch and in my HAIR! YUCK! So, let's just say...lesson learned!

* Luci has now figured out how to take her diaper off...

* Luci is now tall enough to open the door by herself at the condo...

* Luci really does not like riding in the car...

Pictures of our weekend fun...


Luci opening the door at the condo!


Luci finding a hiding spot in the condo!


~Family Photo~


Ever since we went to Disney World, Luci is in love with all things Minnie...so, Luci is going to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween! We found this adorable costume at the Disney store in Branson! (we have pink ears she will wear as well!)

We always wish we could stay in Branson longer...it is so fun to just go there and relax!! We will be returning for Thanksgiving!!

Also, Mitch was featured this past week in the UA Fort Smith Young Alumni Blog...you can check it out here!

Fun with Friends..Oh, and a recipe!

Last night the Minnick Family hosted one of our very best friends, Kerri, and her friend over for dinner! The menu was Italian Chicken, potatoes, and carrots(recipe below), steamed broccoli, rice, and crescent rolls...oh, AND strawberry cupcakes from Confectionately Yours!!!! I was curious if Luci would be on her best behavior because as we inch into those toddler months...behavior is sometimes questionable. We decided to feed and bathe her before our dinner guests arrived and I think that helped a lot. She did great!! She loved on everyone, showed off her new "lizard face" (which consists of her sticking her tongue out...sound effects included!!), and pretty much entertained herself while the adults chatted!! I was so proud of her! We had a great time with our dinner guests and hope to host them again soon!!!

Prepare yourself for THE EASIEST, BEST RECIPE EVER!

Italian Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots

Ingredients: (this feeds 4-5 people...with some leftovers...well unless you are like me and prefer 2nds!)
5-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
4-5 medium potatoes peeled, and cut into 1 inch slices
1 bag of baby carrots
2 bottles of Italian dressing (I used 1 full bottle and 3/4 of another...either way it doesn't matter)

-Layer chicken, potatoes, and carrots into a 6qt or bigger crock pot.
-Pour Italian dressing over everything
-Cook on high 6 hours or low for 8!!!

*We end up using the leftover "gravy" (italian dressing and chicken broth juice) and pouring it over rice to complete the meal!

Seriously...this is soooooo good!!!