I have a song on my playlist that I love. It is sung by Carrie Underwood and the first time that I heard it on the radio, it brought tears to my eyes. Partly because my heart is always touched/broken by stories of children suffering but also because I think it has such an important message.
Temporary Home Lyrics
Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to bein' alone.
Another new mom and dad,another school,
Another house that'll never be home.
When people ask him how he likes this place...
He looks up and says, with a smile upon his face,
"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."
Young mom on her own.
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go.
She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out,
Because a half-way house will never be a home.
At night she whispers to her baby girl,
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world."
"This is our temporary home.
It's not where we belong.
Windows and rooms that we're passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is our
Temporary Home."
Old man, hospital bed,
The room is filled with people he loves.
And he whispers don't cry for me,
I'll see you all someday.
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."
"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know... this was
My temporary home."
I've been meaning to write about it for a couple of months and never got around to it, but it seemed to fit perfectly with my previous post about perspective. If we can just remember that this is just our temporary home, not where we belong, and that we are headed somewhere so much better, to be with those who love us most (family, friends and most especially our Savior and Father), it will change our perspective and help us cope with the challenges that come. It will help ME to focus on what's really important and help me to make better choices. I want to always remember that this is just a temporary home. I want to do my best to make this a great home, filled with love and peace, so that those I love will want to be with me in the future. I want to do all I can to alleviate suffering and comfort those in need of comfort. I want to help guide others so that they, too, can leave this temporary home behind when life ends and return to our permanent home. That is the perspective I want to maintain on bad days. I'm far from being where I want to be... but I home I'm on the road there.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Perspective
This past week has been a hard one. Well, in some ways the past month. It seems like illness has followed us around for the past month. We'd get one person feeling better for a couple of days only to have someone else get sick. I got a sinus/ear infection and bronchitis. The kids all got colds. Then the kids each got high fevers and felt awful. It is miserable to be sick, but I think I'd definitely prefer to all be sick at once and get it done rather than thinking were done and then a few days later having it start all over again.
Then this past week, Chester escaped and was taken to the pound. (Don't worry, we rescued him.) The same day, Alfredo's grandma died. He was very close to her and hasn't seen her in a long time, and he wasn't able to make it to see her before she passed. The next day, because I was so distracted worrying about Alfredo, Chester, and my own grandparents, I got a speeding ticket. My grandparents are suffering from age related dementia and things are not going well. My dad has been caring for them, and yesterday they were placed in a home. I think it is for the best. But it is sad to see two people whom I love dearly lose their physical and mental abilities. I think it will be a blessing for them to pass and yet I don't know when that will happen. It seems so sad to be locked inside a body that no longer works properly, unable to care for yourself, and unable to remember most of your life or those you love.
Anyway, it was a rough week and I was worried about family, money, etc. Most of the problems weren't problems I could solve and I was just feeling pretty discouraged. But sometimes when problems strike, what you need is a little perspective. On Friday, Alfredo called me in to watch the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We have watched quite a bit about it in the past few days. And while I still have some problems, it sure put things in perspective. So many people lost their lives. Thousands of others lost everything...their homes, their cars, and everything they owned. There is the nuclear threat. And they face months (*hopefully not years?) of rebuilding. And well, that puts things back in perspective. Compared to so many others, my problems are relatively small. We will be fine. We still have so many blessings.
Sunday was Stake Conference. I always go, but I admit that this weekend I just didn't want to. But I was taught that when you don't feel like doing the right thing it is the most important time for you to do the right thing. And a wise young woman's leader of mine would always say that she felt her most discouraged and worried right before a blessing would come into her life. That hasn't always been the case for me, but there have certainly been times when that has been true. So I went. And President Isaacs spoke about seeing the Savior and hearing his voice. He shared all that he has learned as he has cared for and sat with his dying mother. He taught/reminded us that our Savior wants to succor us and that literally as we turn to Him, he runs to us to help us. Others bore testimony of times that they have seen the Savior and heard his voice as they served or as others served them. (I"m reminded of a favorite song from my youth.. "Have you received His image in your countenance? Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes? Will He know you when He comes again because you will be like him? When He sees you will the father know his child?" by Janice Kapp Perry) My heart was lifted and I was able to remember times that I have felt loved by others and through them, felt the love of my Savior. I was able to be reminded of ways that my prayers have been answered. Times when I've heard the voice of the Lord. And this meeting also brought added perspective. Life on Earth really is a short time and while it can be difficult, we will not be here for long. We are on our way home. We need to live so that we can go home, but we are not alone on this journey and we can receive the help we need so that we can go home. I'm grateful for the gospel and the peace it brings. I'm so glad that I do not have to endure the trials of life without a knowledge of its purpose or without knowing that I have help along the way.
Then this past week, Chester escaped and was taken to the pound. (Don't worry, we rescued him.) The same day, Alfredo's grandma died. He was very close to her and hasn't seen her in a long time, and he wasn't able to make it to see her before she passed. The next day, because I was so distracted worrying about Alfredo, Chester, and my own grandparents, I got a speeding ticket. My grandparents are suffering from age related dementia and things are not going well. My dad has been caring for them, and yesterday they were placed in a home. I think it is for the best. But it is sad to see two people whom I love dearly lose their physical and mental abilities. I think it will be a blessing for them to pass and yet I don't know when that will happen. It seems so sad to be locked inside a body that no longer works properly, unable to care for yourself, and unable to remember most of your life or those you love.
Anyway, it was a rough week and I was worried about family, money, etc. Most of the problems weren't problems I could solve and I was just feeling pretty discouraged. But sometimes when problems strike, what you need is a little perspective. On Friday, Alfredo called me in to watch the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We have watched quite a bit about it in the past few days. And while I still have some problems, it sure put things in perspective. So many people lost their lives. Thousands of others lost everything...their homes, their cars, and everything they owned. There is the nuclear threat. And they face months (*hopefully not years?) of rebuilding. And well, that puts things back in perspective. Compared to so many others, my problems are relatively small. We will be fine. We still have so many blessings.
Sunday was Stake Conference. I always go, but I admit that this weekend I just didn't want to. But I was taught that when you don't feel like doing the right thing it is the most important time for you to do the right thing. And a wise young woman's leader of mine would always say that she felt her most discouraged and worried right before a blessing would come into her life. That hasn't always been the case for me, but there have certainly been times when that has been true. So I went. And President Isaacs spoke about seeing the Savior and hearing his voice. He shared all that he has learned as he has cared for and sat with his dying mother. He taught/reminded us that our Savior wants to succor us and that literally as we turn to Him, he runs to us to help us. Others bore testimony of times that they have seen the Savior and heard his voice as they served or as others served them. (I"m reminded of a favorite song from my youth.. "Have you received His image in your countenance? Does the light of Christ shine in your eyes? Will He know you when He comes again because you will be like him? When He sees you will the father know his child?" by Janice Kapp Perry) My heart was lifted and I was able to remember times that I have felt loved by others and through them, felt the love of my Savior. I was able to be reminded of ways that my prayers have been answered. Times when I've heard the voice of the Lord. And this meeting also brought added perspective. Life on Earth really is a short time and while it can be difficult, we will not be here for long. We are on our way home. We need to live so that we can go home, but we are not alone on this journey and we can receive the help we need so that we can go home. I'm grateful for the gospel and the peace it brings. I'm so glad that I do not have to endure the trials of life without a knowledge of its purpose or without knowing that I have help along the way.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Articles of Faith
Every once in awhile I get a good idea and even act upon it. This year our Primary has challenged all of the children to memorize the Articles of Faith. So I decided to make our Family Home Evenings about them for the next couple of months. I wanted to help my daughters learn them, but even more importantly, I want them to understand what they mean. So each week we talk about one of them and do some activities to help us understand them. (I've found resources on sugardoodle.net and aboutlds.com and lds.org). I also find pictures to illustrate them as well as I possibly can. Then I'm putting this together into a little 6 x 6 scrapbook that we can take to church and study here at home. The girls are loving it. Ella has #1-3 memorized so far, and Michelle has #1-4 memorized. We've talked about the members of the Godhead and what each of their characteristics are. We talked about the Fall and about repentance and how each of us can choose the right (or not) and that there are consequences for our actions. For number 3, we talked about obedience. We discussed our Savior's atonement. For number 4, we played a game about baptism and discussed the difference between principles and ordinances. So far, I'm really happy with what they are learning and hope that this book with its visual reminders will continue to help them remember not just the words but the meaning of these articles of faith as well.
Little Girls Book Club
I can't keep up with my blogging lately! :)
A week and a half ago, it was book club night. For me. And for Michelle. Michelle is in a book club with other 7-11 year olds in our neighborhood. The book club was started by my amazing friend Aly. Usually Aly holds book club at her house and she always has such fun activities for the girls. January was Michelle's turn to pick the book though, and she wanted to do it at our house, so we did. She chose Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, a book I had loved as a little girl. Since Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has "magic" cures for common childhood behavior problems such as being a tattle-tale, having bad table manners and not wanting to go to school, Michelle and I thought it would be fun to do some magic tricks. I don't really know any magic and didn't figure I'd be very good at it without a lot of practice, we mostly did math magic tricks.
Then we had ice cream sundaes where they could add whatever magic "cures" they needed (or wanted) on top of the ice cream. We had licorice drops to get rid of tattle tales and oreo cookie crumbs to get rid of "I thought you said-itis". They could put chocolate syrup to combat the "I don't want to go to school"ers. Since interrupters start to talk like goldfish, we even had goldfish crackers (which surprisingly many of the girls put on their ice cream!).
One fun thing about this was that after their little girl's book club, I headed over to my book club. We had read The Magic Lifein which magic plays a major role. A magic-filled night with lots of great people...cute little girls and then my friends. :)
Here's just a couple of my magic tricks (I found them online--they aren't actually mine):
Unfold the Paper - Magic Number TrickTell someone to write down a 3 digit number (example: 746). Tell them that you are each going to write down 2 more 3 digit numbers and add them, but before you do, you are going to write down the answer on a piece of paper and fold it up.
You obtain the answer by subtracting 2 from the last digit of the first number and placing a 2 before the first digit--thus 746 becomes 2744 for the answer. Now ask the other person to put their two digits down, either both at once or in succession with you. Either way, they must go before you. Now, whatever they put down, make each number, when added to the number you put down add up to 999. Don't do this but once with each person; they'll catch on otherwise. Example: (original number) 746... (Their first number) 325... (your first number) 674... (their second number) 841... (Your second number) 158...
Total 2744
They unfold the paper and you're a hero!
Name of the Dead
For this trick, you hand out three slips of paper, and ask three people to help you. Two are to write the names of living people on their slip, and the third person, the name of a dead person. These slips are folded and placed in a hat, without your touching them. You are then blindfolded, or the hat is held high over your head so that you cannot see into it. You are able to reach in and bring out the slip with the dead person's name.
This is a very easy trick. Take a sheet of note paper, and tear it into three pieces. The top and bottom pieces will have one smooth edge and one rough edge, but the center piece will have two rough edges. Have someone in the audience write a dead person's name on the center slip, and two other spectators, the names of a living person on each of the other two slips. Have the slips folded and dropped into the hat.
When you reach into the hat, all you need to do is feel for the slip with two rough edges. When you have found it, don't bring it out right away. Have the spectators concentrate on the names to make it more of a mystery. Then reveal the slip in your hand as the one with the dead person's name.
A week and a half ago, it was book club night. For me. And for Michelle. Michelle is in a book club with other 7-11 year olds in our neighborhood. The book club was started by my amazing friend Aly. Usually Aly holds book club at her house and she always has such fun activities for the girls. January was Michelle's turn to pick the book though, and she wanted to do it at our house, so we did. She chose Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, a book I had loved as a little girl. Since Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has "magic" cures for common childhood behavior problems such as being a tattle-tale, having bad table manners and not wanting to go to school, Michelle and I thought it would be fun to do some magic tricks. I don't really know any magic and didn't figure I'd be very good at it without a lot of practice, we mostly did math magic tricks.
Then we had ice cream sundaes where they could add whatever magic "cures" they needed (or wanted) on top of the ice cream. We had licorice drops to get rid of tattle tales and oreo cookie crumbs to get rid of "I thought you said-itis". They could put chocolate syrup to combat the "I don't want to go to school"ers. Since interrupters start to talk like goldfish, we even had goldfish crackers (which surprisingly many of the girls put on their ice cream!).
One fun thing about this was that after their little girl's book club, I headed over to my book club. We had read The Magic Lifein which magic plays a major role. A magic-filled night with lots of great people...cute little girls and then my friends. :)
Here's just a couple of my magic tricks (I found them online--they aren't actually mine):
Unfold the Paper - Magic Number TrickTell someone to write down a 3 digit number (example: 746). Tell them that you are each going to write down 2 more 3 digit numbers and add them, but before you do, you are going to write down the answer on a piece of paper and fold it up.
You obtain the answer by subtracting 2 from the last digit of the first number and placing a 2 before the first digit--thus 746 becomes 2744 for the answer. Now ask the other person to put their two digits down, either both at once or in succession with you. Either way, they must go before you. Now, whatever they put down, make each number, when added to the number you put down add up to 999. Don't do this but once with each person; they'll catch on otherwise. Example: (original number) 746... (Their first number) 325... (your first number) 674... (their second number) 841... (Your second number) 158...
Total 2744
They unfold the paper and you're a hero!
Name of the Dead
For this trick, you hand out three slips of paper, and ask three people to help you. Two are to write the names of living people on their slip, and the third person, the name of a dead person. These slips are folded and placed in a hat, without your touching them. You are then blindfolded, or the hat is held high over your head so that you cannot see into it. You are able to reach in and bring out the slip with the dead person's name.
This is a very easy trick. Take a sheet of note paper, and tear it into three pieces. The top and bottom pieces will have one smooth edge and one rough edge, but the center piece will have two rough edges. Have someone in the audience write a dead person's name on the center slip, and two other spectators, the names of a living person on each of the other two slips. Have the slips folded and dropped into the hat.
When you reach into the hat, all you need to do is feel for the slip with two rough edges. When you have found it, don't bring it out right away. Have the spectators concentrate on the names to make it more of a mystery. Then reveal the slip in your hand as the one with the dead person's name.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Primary
In 2010, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach an 11 year old boy in Primary. He was my only student, and at times it was challenging but it was such a great experience. I grew to love him. The world would label him as autistic but that label only tells a small part of who he is. He is a boy who loves to draw. Who can memorize commercials and tv shows better than anyone else I know. A boy who loves his family. A boy who likes oreo cookies and crackers but doesn't like most candy or other sweets. A boy who loves to look at pictures of the families in our ward and sometimes makes up stories about them. A boy who has a testimony of the gospel and who can make me laugh. Fortunately, he is a boy who has a family that loves him and has helped him to work hard and to reach his potential. Not that I'm saying he's reached his full potential yet, but he is on his way. He knows who he is and as I taught him I often could feel the Savior's love for him. It was such a great opportunity, and while I was excited for him, I was sad to see him move on to young men's.
This year, I'm having a very different experience. I'm teaching the Sunbeams, the little 3 year olds. I must admit to having been both excited and a little nervous about this. I've taught school for a long time, but I've always thought of myself as an upper grade teacher. I've taught 3rd, 5th and for one year 6th grade. This year I'm teaching 2nd grade, my youngest grade yet...but even those kids are 7 and 8. So teaching 3 year olds is a change for me. And the first week was a little rough...for them and me. It's a big change to go from nursery to primary. They kept asking where the toys were and when we would play. But it's been four weeks now and we are all adjusting well. They are darling! They are so cute and sweet. Every Sunday I have one on my lap during sharing time...and interestingly, every Sunday so far it has been a different one. It is fun to see their little testimonies and to see how much they already know. And it is fun to be teaching the very basics of the gospel...that we are children of God, that He has a plan for us, that He has given us bodies, that we can and should pray to Him. And I've found that as long as I bring a toy each week (that ties in with the lesson)then they are pretty good at paying attention so they can get to the "toy" part. The first week, we had Baby Moses in a basket. This past week we had costumes and a stuffed lion to act out Daniel in the Lions Den. Hopefully they are remembering what we are learning. I certainly am having a wonderful time teaching them. No wonder the Savior has told us to become as a little child!
This year, I'm having a very different experience. I'm teaching the Sunbeams, the little 3 year olds. I must admit to having been both excited and a little nervous about this. I've taught school for a long time, but I've always thought of myself as an upper grade teacher. I've taught 3rd, 5th and for one year 6th grade. This year I'm teaching 2nd grade, my youngest grade yet...but even those kids are 7 and 8. So teaching 3 year olds is a change for me. And the first week was a little rough...for them and me. It's a big change to go from nursery to primary. They kept asking where the toys were and when we would play. But it's been four weeks now and we are all adjusting well. They are darling! They are so cute and sweet. Every Sunday I have one on my lap during sharing time...and interestingly, every Sunday so far it has been a different one. It is fun to see their little testimonies and to see how much they already know. And it is fun to be teaching the very basics of the gospel...that we are children of God, that He has a plan for us, that He has given us bodies, that we can and should pray to Him. And I've found that as long as I bring a toy each week (that ties in with the lesson)then they are pretty good at paying attention so they can get to the "toy" part. The first week, we had Baby Moses in a basket. This past week we had costumes and a stuffed lion to act out Daniel in the Lions Den. Hopefully they are remembering what we are learning. I certainly am having a wonderful time teaching them. No wonder the Savior has told us to become as a little child!
Home Improvement
During the Christmas break, Alfredo did two things that made our house nicer. First, my Christmas gift from him was a computer desk. I had a small wooden desk that I bought after (or maybe even before?... but I think it was after) graduating from college, 14 years ago. It has been with me through three or four moves and 14 years. Needless to say it was falling apart. Literally. So Alfredo bought/built a new computer desk. It is huge and pretty and sturdy. Just wonderful. Alfredo also did a pretty thorough cleaning of my office...which is the one room in my house that I totally neglect and that often looks like a bomb hit. I was nervous about him cleaning it but he was kind and didn't throw too much away but did make it nice. And miracle of miracles, it has stayed clean for 3 + weeks now!! (Seriously, I'm not kidding about the miracle comment. It really never stays clean.)
The second project was to install shelves in the basement for our food storage. I had my food in a small hall closet. It was convenient (close to the kitchen) but so small that it was always overflowing and hard to reach foods at the back. By putting up the shelves, there is more space. It is better organized. I can easily see what I have or don't have. And it freed up a closet to store our towels and blankets in. They had been stored in 3 or 4 spots in the house...all the extra nooks and crannies. So this, too, is making the house much better organized and easier to keep clean.
Amazing how two such simple, fairly small projects could make such a difference. This month, keeping my house neat has seemed easier and more manageable than in the past.
These shelves were obviously still empty when I took this picture. We hadn't finished moving everything downstairs when I took the photos.
And well, before I give Alfredo all the credit (but he still gets most!), I also worked hard during Christmas break. I cleaned out closets and went through every toy in the kids' rooms and organized. I donated a trunkload of stuff to DI.
That's just some of the stuff that went to DI.
The second project was to install shelves in the basement for our food storage. I had my food in a small hall closet. It was convenient (close to the kitchen) but so small that it was always overflowing and hard to reach foods at the back. By putting up the shelves, there is more space. It is better organized. I can easily see what I have or don't have. And it freed up a closet to store our towels and blankets in. They had been stored in 3 or 4 spots in the house...all the extra nooks and crannies. So this, too, is making the house much better organized and easier to keep clean.
Amazing how two such simple, fairly small projects could make such a difference. This month, keeping my house neat has seemed easier and more manageable than in the past.
These shelves were obviously still empty when I took this picture. We hadn't finished moving everything downstairs when I took the photos.
And well, before I give Alfredo all the credit (but he still gets most!), I also worked hard during Christmas break. I cleaned out closets and went through every toy in the kids' rooms and organized. I donated a trunkload of stuff to DI.
That's just some of the stuff that went to DI.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Recipes--Part 3
Quick Ravioli Soup... from busycooks.about.com
Ingredients:
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 cup pre-shredded carrots
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion, chopped
•2 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
•1 (18 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
•2 (14 ounce) cans Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained
•1/8 teaspoon white pepper
•1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
•9 ounce package refrigerated cheese stuffed ravioli
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and garlic and cook and stir until crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in remainining ingredients except for ravioli and cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add ravioli; cook over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes until tender. Serve with cheese.
**Note: I often throw in other vegetables with the carrots, onion, and garlic. I've added shredded zuchinni, finely chopped green or yellow or red peppers. You could probably throw in squash. Also, I've used great northern beans in place of the cannellini beans...I don't know what the difference between the two is (they are both white...so I just use what I have on hand.) If I'm out of Italian seasoned tomatoes, I throw in plain diced tomatoes and then add a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning. This is great with french bread and a big salad...but good enough to just serve it alone. And pretty fast. Also, if I'm busy...I'll just throw the vegetables into the broth without cooking them until crisp-tender in a saucepan. You then need to let them come to a boil, lower the temp and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender...instead of 15...makes the cooking time longer but less work for you. Also, you can substitute chicken broth for the veg. broth.
North Woods Wild Rice Soup (from
Dont' Panic...Dinner's in the Freezer)
1/2 lb. bacon (can also substitute bacon bits if you prefer)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup celery,diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 10 oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
Makes 6 servings. Takes about 30 -45 minutes
Directions:
Fry, drain and crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, thyme and paprika. Heat until bubbly. Add chicken, chicken broth, worcestershire sauce, sherry, milk and half and half. Stir until thickened. Add rice and bacon. Serve. (great with french bread and salad.)
NOTE: If you buy prepackaged wild rice, don't add any seasoning packet that comes with them. ALSO, do cook the rice before adding it to the soup. THe first time I made this, I didn't notice it said cooked wild rice and even after cooking for about an hour, the rice was still hard...not so great.
NOTE: YOu can also double or triple this recipe and freeze it in quart sized freezer bags. Label it and stick in your freezer. Then remove from your freezer 10-12 hours before serving so it can thaw. Then throw in a pan and heat until bubbly. Serve.
Creamy Chicken Soup (recipe from Monica Bills)
4 chicken breasts, with bones or whole chicken... can also use rotisserie chicken to make this recipe easier/faster
2 stalks chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 -1 chopped small onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
about 1 quart water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 package egg noodles, precooked
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Combine celery, carrots, onion in water with garlic powder. If using a whole, uncooked chicken, add an extra quart of water. If using chicken breasts just add 1 quart of water. If using rotisserie chicken, you don't need to add the chicken yet. Cook until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender (when I throw in a whole chicken...I bring it to boil and then simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half...half way through that time, I remove the chicken and cut it up...then put it back in to finish cooking.. For just chicken breasts it would probably need to cook for about an hour.)
Remove chicken from the pot and remove bones. Discard bones (if using a whole chicken...discard fat and skin also). Cut chicken into small chunks. Replace in pot. If using a rotisserie chicken, shred it into small chunks and add to the water with the carrots and such. If you added more than 1 quart of water, measure and make sure there is just one quart in the pot. Discard the extra water (but not the carrots,celery and onions).
Add cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk and COOKED egg noodles. Heat until warm, bubbly and semi-thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
So creamy, yummy and delicious!!!
A little bit harder/time consuming recipe...but totally worth the effort.
Chicken with Herbs and Vegetables
Source unknown
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
6 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
4 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10 large mushrooms, quartered
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 large tomatos, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
cooked rice or noodles
Serves 4
Combine breadcrumbs and 4 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. Dredge chicken in mixture. (I like to cut the chicken into strips.) Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet over medium high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet.
Add mushrooms and bell peppers to skillet. Saute for 3 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, and salt. Return chicken to skillet. Cover,reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and rest of parmesan cheese. Serve over hot rice or noodles.
**I just found this recipe. I haven't made it in about 2 years but it is so yummy. I can hardly wait for my next grocery shopping day now, so we can have this again. Yum!!
Chicken Taco Sandwiches
need to look up where this comes from...I think 30 Day Gourmet...but not sure
2 cups shredded chicken breast meat (can use canned, rotisserie chicken or can cook some chicken breasts and shred...I will even throw chicken in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for8-10 hours and then serve.
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup mild or medium salsa (or hot if you prefer)
Boil the chicken broth with the garlic, oregano and cumin until reduced to 1/3 cup. Stir into shredded chicken breast with the salsa.
Then serve by placing on rolls and adding your choice of toppings: lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, finely chopped onions, chopped avocadoes. You could also serve in tortillas to make chicken tacos.
Ingredients:
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 cup pre-shredded carrots
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion, chopped
•2 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
•1 (18 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
•2 (14 ounce) cans Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained
•1/8 teaspoon white pepper
•1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
•9 ounce package refrigerated cheese stuffed ravioli
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and garlic and cook and stir until crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in remainining ingredients except for ravioli and cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add ravioli; cook over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes until tender. Serve with cheese.
**Note: I often throw in other vegetables with the carrots, onion, and garlic. I've added shredded zuchinni, finely chopped green or yellow or red peppers. You could probably throw in squash. Also, I've used great northern beans in place of the cannellini beans...I don't know what the difference between the two is (they are both white...so I just use what I have on hand.) If I'm out of Italian seasoned tomatoes, I throw in plain diced tomatoes and then add a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning. This is great with french bread and a big salad...but good enough to just serve it alone. And pretty fast. Also, if I'm busy...I'll just throw the vegetables into the broth without cooking them until crisp-tender in a saucepan. You then need to let them come to a boil, lower the temp and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender...instead of 15...makes the cooking time longer but less work for you. Also, you can substitute chicken broth for the veg. broth.
North Woods Wild Rice Soup (from
Dont' Panic...Dinner's in the Freezer)
1/2 lb. bacon (can also substitute bacon bits if you prefer)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup celery,diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 10 oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
Makes 6 servings. Takes about 30 -45 minutes
Directions:
Fry, drain and crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, thyme and paprika. Heat until bubbly. Add chicken, chicken broth, worcestershire sauce, sherry, milk and half and half. Stir until thickened. Add rice and bacon. Serve. (great with french bread and salad.)
NOTE: If you buy prepackaged wild rice, don't add any seasoning packet that comes with them. ALSO, do cook the rice before adding it to the soup. THe first time I made this, I didn't notice it said cooked wild rice and even after cooking for about an hour, the rice was still hard...not so great.
NOTE: YOu can also double or triple this recipe and freeze it in quart sized freezer bags. Label it and stick in your freezer. Then remove from your freezer 10-12 hours before serving so it can thaw. Then throw in a pan and heat until bubbly. Serve.
Creamy Chicken Soup (recipe from Monica Bills)
4 chicken breasts, with bones or whole chicken... can also use rotisserie chicken to make this recipe easier/faster
2 stalks chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 -1 chopped small onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
about 1 quart water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 package egg noodles, precooked
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Combine celery, carrots, onion in water with garlic powder. If using a whole, uncooked chicken, add an extra quart of water. If using chicken breasts just add 1 quart of water. If using rotisserie chicken, you don't need to add the chicken yet. Cook until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender (when I throw in a whole chicken...I bring it to boil and then simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half...half way through that time, I remove the chicken and cut it up...then put it back in to finish cooking.. For just chicken breasts it would probably need to cook for about an hour.)
Remove chicken from the pot and remove bones. Discard bones (if using a whole chicken...discard fat and skin also). Cut chicken into small chunks. Replace in pot. If using a rotisserie chicken, shred it into small chunks and add to the water with the carrots and such. If you added more than 1 quart of water, measure and make sure there is just one quart in the pot. Discard the extra water (but not the carrots,celery and onions).
Add cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk and COOKED egg noodles. Heat until warm, bubbly and semi-thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
So creamy, yummy and delicious!!!
A little bit harder/time consuming recipe...but totally worth the effort.
Chicken with Herbs and Vegetables
Source unknown
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
6 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
4 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10 large mushrooms, quartered
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 large tomatos, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
cooked rice or noodles
Serves 4
Combine breadcrumbs and 4 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. Dredge chicken in mixture. (I like to cut the chicken into strips.) Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet over medium high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet.
Add mushrooms and bell peppers to skillet. Saute for 3 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, and salt. Return chicken to skillet. Cover,reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and rest of parmesan cheese. Serve over hot rice or noodles.
**I just found this recipe. I haven't made it in about 2 years but it is so yummy. I can hardly wait for my next grocery shopping day now, so we can have this again. Yum!!
Chicken Taco Sandwiches
need to look up where this comes from...I think 30 Day Gourmet...but not sure
2 cups shredded chicken breast meat (can use canned, rotisserie chicken or can cook some chicken breasts and shred...I will even throw chicken in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for8-10 hours and then serve.
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup mild or medium salsa (or hot if you prefer)
Boil the chicken broth with the garlic, oregano and cumin until reduced to 1/3 cup. Stir into shredded chicken breast with the salsa.
Then serve by placing on rolls and adding your choice of toppings: lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, finely chopped onions, chopped avocadoes. You could also serve in tortillas to make chicken tacos.
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