Again, Tasty Tuesday (on Wednesday)...

Yesterday was such a busy day...Mom's & More Bible Study Brunch, errands, a little visit and lunch with my mom and then another little visit with Sloan's parents at their office, picking up big girls from school and then home to clean up a little more (trying to do a little everyday this week before we have my family over this Sunday for Thanksgiving), make dinner, homework and bed for girls. All that to say, I didn't have time or really get a chance to post this recipe on the blog..and by the time I did, I was too tired and HAD to watch the DWTS results show (a shocker this week, if you didn't see it)!

I love this soup recipe...got it from a friend...it is SOOOO easy and so yummy. We had it for dinner on Monday night. I love Fall because I can start busting out the soup recipes again and also chili (which my kids love). This soup is not too high up on the list of foods my girls love, but Madeline ate her fair share while the big 2 ate Mac & Cheese that I made for them (that was a special thing...usually they have to eat what we eat). Anyway...here is the recipe..enjoy!!!

Easy Potato Soup

2 cans cream of potato soup

3 cans of milk

8 bacon slices (cooked and crumbled)*

1 onion (chopped and sauteed)

16 oz. Velveeta cheese

1 package Uncle Ben's wild rice (cooked according to box)**

Saute onion in a big pot (I add a little bit of butter to it so it doesn't stick or burn).

Add soup, milk and cheese. Stir to melt...make sure the heat is pretty low or the Velveeta will burn.

Cook rice.

Add bacon and rice, cook until bubbly and simmer.

*I use the real bacon bits you can buy in the salad aisle...so much easier to dump those in than having to cook bacon.

**Uncle Ben's makes these packages of rice that cook in 90 seconds...I use one of those. Super easy to throw in the micro and heat up.

Tasty Tuesday (on Wednesday this week)...

I made this recipe last night and took it over to my in-laws for dinner. My mom-in-law was hemming some pants for Sloan (I know, I know; I should be doing this, but she is so much better at it) and I thought the least I could do was make dinner and bring it with us. Needless to say we all loved this manicotti, so I thought I would share it with you all in blog land!

BEEF & CHEESE MANICOTTI

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey last night in mine)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

14 (8 oz. pkg.) manicotti noodle

1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used part-skim milk ricotta)

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I just sprinkled in some Italian seasoning blend that I had)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups marinara (of course, she has her own marinara recipe but I used Emeril's homestyle marinara sauce...our family is addicted to this stuff)

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, onion and ground beef (or turkey). Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet (I skipped this and just used my baking sheet with silpat and it was just fine). Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4-6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti form the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 & 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan and parsley (or Italian seasoning blend). Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 9x13 glass baking dish. Spoon 1 & 1/2 cups marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 & 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese then the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30-35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

Pumpkin Patch

The girls and I took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago when the 2 big girls were out of school. Sloan was busy at work finishing up the last tax deadline of the year, so a dear friend of mine, Leah Elrod, and I took the girls to Johnston Farms in Greenbriar. The weather was beautiful that day (other than a little hot) and thankfully, there were not mass amounts of school kids there, so we were actually able to enjoy our time at the pumpkin patch. The girls had a great time running through the rows of pumpkins, sticking their heads in the wood cutouts and yelling at me to "take a picture", looking at all the animals and trying to mimic the sounds that each one made so that the animal would in turn make that same sound (it worked with some of them). I think my favorite was when they gobbled like "girl turkeys" and made the big tom turkey puff out his feathers. Here are just a few pictures that I have edited...still need to work on the others.

Isabelle...5 & 1/2 years old

Delaney...7 & 1/2 years old

Madeline...2 years old

Eleanor...4 months old (almost 5 months, here)

All my sweet girls at the pumpkin patch!!!

CA trip "Sneak Peak"

I had a great time in Cali while I was there. It was so good to go back and get to hang out with my family there. I really enjoyed getting to meet my cousin's wife, Macy (who I've been dying to meet for literally forever) and my cousin Amy's boyfriend, Joel...not too mention all my other cousins wives, husbands, kids, etc. Even though Eleanor and I flew out there for my grandmother's funeral, we did get to have some fun. Here is a pic of she and I at Huntington Beach...when I was little we literally went there EVERY Saturday, my mom, brothers and grandma...so many FUN memories there. E liked the beach, but did not like the COLD water (pics of that to come), but until then here is the one of she and I on the shore...what a BEAUTIFUL day!

Goin' back to Cali....

I'm sitting in my aunt and uncle's living room right now. Eleanor and I got here this morning...flight was great, except the rather bumpy 30 minutes till we moved out of some clouds. And since I'm not a great "flyer" a nice smooth flight was just perfect!!! It was so good to see my aunt, 2 uncles, and one of my cousins. The best was seeing my mom who has been here for the last 7 weeks with my grandma, who just passed away this past Monday. We went out to eat at Chipolte...we SO need one of these in LR...they have the BEST guac!!!! Can't wait to hang out with the rest of my fam this weekend. My grandma's funeral is Monday. Pics will be posted...coming soon. So nice to be back in Cali...my old stomping grounds!

Tasty Tuesday...

Tonight we had roasted chicken, orzo with roasted vegetables, watermelon and cantaloupe for dinner. As usual, the girls gobbled up all the fruit and chicken...they are not huge fans of the orzo salad, but I sure am!!! I got this recipe a while back from a dear friend, Kristin Conklin, and her mom, Jackie Conklin, and I am in LOVE with it. I'll never forget the first time Kristin made it for me...it was on one of our many Dancing With the Stars watch party nights...and I wasn't too sure about it at first, but one bite later and I was HOOKED!!! It is so yummy and it's great with roasted chicken, burgers, sandwiches, etc. Anyway, I thought I would share the recipe with you all cause it's too good to not be shared!

(veggies before being cut and roasted)

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients...

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced

1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced

1 yellow pepper, 1 inch diced

1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 & 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing...

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To assemble...

1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted

3/4 pound good feta, 1/2 inch diced*

Directions...

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Toss eggplant, bell peppers, onion and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

3. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7-9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

4. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the pine nuts and feta. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

*Note...I used crumbled feta since I usually have it on hand (we eat a lot of it in salads). I also usually add an orange bell pepper into the mix as well (it adds another color and it tastes good). I have not tried it, but Kristin said that sometimes they like to roast asparagus too and add that as well (I'm sure it would taste yummy with that, too)!

ENJOY!!!!

(veggies after being roasted for 40 minutes)

(the final result...minus the pine nuts because I forgot to get them at the store...still YUM, put it in my mouth G.O.O.D.)!!!

Memory Lane...

Delaney has a "project" for school. Well, it's not really a project (hence the quotation marks) but it's a questionnaire sheet and a project for mom (or dad). I had to find pics of her to send to school so she can be featured as a "Super Star of the Week" one week this school year. I love looking through pics and here are a few I found of her over the years. I can't believe she is 7 (and a half...she would want you to know that)!!! She is such a good helper around here...not sure what I would do without her some days. My "baby" is so big now...oh, how I love her so!

Delaney with her soccer team...the Soccer Pups!

Delaney at 2 years old!

Playing mini-golf this summer in Hot Springs, AR!

Delaney at 3 (almost 4)!

Loving her cake for her 1st birthday! (I have pics of each one of my girls taken at 1 with a cake...they are hanging in my breakfast nook and I LOVE them)!!!