10 month photo dump

           

The Fourth and Friends

This July 4th was a productive one. We spent the day packing and the evening celebrating. At one point I thought it ironic how we were preparing to leave America on a day we are suppose to be celebrating living freely in America. Anyways, we still have a long ways to go on the packing, but managed to pack our "winter" bag.

That evening we went over to a friends house and celebrated with our sweet small group. We had a lot of fun together, consisting of tons of food, games, good conversation, sparklers, and those pop thingys (know what I'm talkin bout??). Two of the girls are pregnant (three if you count Jen and Brad, who moved away a couple months ago, we are sad!!). Elizabeth was past her due date, and Sarah is due in a month! Thankfully, Elizabeth made it through the night without going into labor, although I'm sure she would have been thrilled!

Thomas and Eric lookin' like twins in their blue vnecks and khakis

The boys

The girls. Two are pregnant: Elizabeth (left of me, and she actually just had her baby!) and Sarah (right of me, still pregnant)

This bad boy created some excitement

Cameron and Addie playing together. Cam is an older boy, and we looked over and caught him hugging on her. He's super cute and really sweet, so for now, we don't mind :)

 Then, on Friday, we headed to the lake to have a great weekend with two other couples. We have been friends we these guys for awhile, and Eric has known Robert and Luke for a really long time. They lived together in college, but knew each other long before then. Since we are moving in August, Robert wanted to get us all together for a weekend...and let me just say, Robert and Jessica (his wife) served us the entire weekend. I felt so loved on by these two, and they did such a great job planning everything. We love these two couples, and they will be missed by us a ton! Pretty bummed I didn't get any pictures, but we plan on making this a tradition, so I'll get em next time!

A Little Recipe Shout Out

I have been on my game the past couple of nights. I guess the post about cooking bland meals spurred me on to make ones that use more than one ingredient. I am pretty competitive so this could explain the sudden drive for super wifeness. The interesting thing is I am competitive with myself. Anyone else? A prime example. In high school, I would try to run a mile as fast as I could. Then, after a few minutes of rest, I would run a mile again and try to beat my previous time. Then I would throw up from pushing myself too hard. Then I would run it again. Weird, I know. Anyways, because all of that has nothing to do with the reason for this post, that leads me to two fabulous recipes I want to share. Both are super easy.

First up, this was given to me by my friend Jean Marie. She is an amazing cook. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of the finished product, so I would be surprised if you are still reading this post. One without pictures is pretty boring. But hang in there, my friend. Pictures come with the second recipe. You must try this out.

Peanut Butter Chicken Veggie Stir Fry
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup broth
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs honey
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs fresh garlic
2 tbs ginger
 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
sliced veggies (of your choice)

Cut into cubes chicken. Place in a skillet sprinkle salt and pepper, then cook until done. Add veggies to skillet. Mix peanut butter, broth, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in blender.  Add to chicken and veggies until heated through.
**Note: I remove the chicken from the skillet while the veggies are cooking so the chicken does not become overdone. I add it back at the end!

Up next was our dinner tonight. You must plan ahead as it takes 5-6 hours. This recipe was found by my friend, Google. After clicking on more than zero other sites, I found this one. It was the first up. And it was the first up for a reason.

Crock pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
To see full post click here. It's by Recipe Girl.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbecue sauce (a flavor you like)
1/3 cup Italian dressing (reduced-fat or fat-free okay)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chicken broth
additional barbecue sauce, if desired
rolls, for serving as sandwiches
bread and butter pickles, optional

1. Place chicken in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. 

2. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and chicken broth. Stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until the sauce is thickened and heated through (10 to 15 minutes). Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir. Add additional barbecue sauce if more sauce is needed or desired. Cover and continue cooking on low for 45 minutes. Serve chicken piled onto rolls. Add pickles, if desired. 

I came up with my own brilliant idea of using the best rolls in town to make sliders.  Sister Schubert. This sister can bake. Seriously you may want to give her rolls a try. You can find them in any store in the frozen section.

Eric said, "Great job Kelly!" But that's not saying too much since he praises me over baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. But I am a pretty honest person, so trust me when I say, these babies are worth the planning ahead!

I wish I could take credit! But really I just wanted to give these tasty recipes a shout out. So here I am, shouting. 

Super Wife

It is a GOOD day if I wash and fold laundry, straighten my house, make it to the grocery store, think of a dinner to cook, then cook said dinner. Especially if that dinner uses ingredients. INGREDIENTS. Such a fancy word. Because then this means I probably used a book to make dinner. How academic of me. Super wife here! Then you have those magical days where you can create an entire meal based on items you already have in your house. I am so creative these days.  It really takes some artistic talent to thaw chicken, steam broccoli, and stick a potato in the oven or microwave.  I feel like a true chef. So, most days I am THIS awesome. Of course I switch it up a bit. The following day could be a salad. In which I've really outdone myself on these days. I have sliced numerous veggies and combined them all to create a colorful piece of art. And when my husband sees my brilliance, I have a smile radiating from my face, waiting for a standing ovation and for him to proclaim how proud he is of me. Thank you, Thank you!

The thing is, I can cook. My mom is an amazing cook, so since cooking is an inherited trait, it's obvious why I can do it. But for some reason, the thought of creating an elaborate meal STRESSES ME OUT.  What I remember from growing up: Pot roast, cooked carrots and onions and potatoes, HOMEMADE bread, and green beans that have simmered for over an hour (which means you have to PLAN AHEAD). OMG. My mom was known for her cooking and baking. She sold cakes to a local restaurant. Did you get that? She sold to a restaurant. A RESTAURANT. Not to a normal person who likes to eat cake. But to a PROFESSIONAL COOKING ESTABLISHMENT.  Other kids in my high school would ASK me when they could come over and EAT. Not hang out with me. TO EAT. I was so proud. You want to come over and...eat?

My precious husband will eat anything. ANYTHING. Really. This is truly a gift. I don't think I have ever seen him reject food. And this makes it so easy on me. When I have labored over a baked potato and steamed broccoli, he simply say's "This is really good Kelly, thanks for cooking." Of course my sweet husband, do you expect any less from me? My elaborate cooking methods is also why I rarely post recipes. Because most of the time they are from a book and not from my brain. Every now and then I come up with a great idea, which of course I have to post so everyone can see how together I am. And how I am the most wonderful wife. And how I can DO IT ALL!!...Like how we are suppose to be these days.

But you know the best kind of books?

The ones that are created by local churches. Just a bunch of women who have put together a collaboration of their best recipes. These are the recipes you can use for the first time on guests. When you want to look fancy and have something super tasty but easy. And you know which ones I usually end up cooking? The ones by my mom.