Creamy Ham & Potato Soup

I found this receipe in one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and I was surprised at how quick, easy and delicious this soup was! It was a big hit with the hubby too!

You start by cooking up a bag of frozen, diced potatoes. Yes,  simple as opening the bag, unless you want to wash, peel and dice your own... just sayin...

 Add your water and onion and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add the cheese and cream of chicken soup.

Blend in remaining ingredients.

Serve it up with some salad and your favorite bread and you have a happy tummy!

Linked to:
Life as Mom

5 Question Friday

1. Can you drive a stick shift?

Yes, well it depends on who you ask...haha, it may not be pretty but I could get from point A to point B!


2. What are two foods you just can't eat?

hmmm....I'm not too picky about food...

When I was younger I once told a babysitter I was allergic to gingerbread because her's didn't taste very good and it was mandatory you eat some...

Oh, and I don't like cool whip or the filling they put in twinkies.


3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind?

Oh yes... Thin Mints baby!!


4. How do you pamper yourself?

Well today it was retail therapy and a glass of wine!


5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?

I have many...

The boring answer is "Liz" my full name is Elizabeth and that's a long name to write for a kid who is just learning. I always ran out of room and before you knew it I was Liz. Although, my dad really prefered Beth...

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Wordless Wednesday - In Honor of National FFA Week

linked to: A Beautiful Mess

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Before our trip to see the Pioneer Woman our group decided we needed to make some shirts. To hear the shirt story... believe me it is a good one.... visit Megan's blog, "We Just Wanted to Make PW a T-Shirt." 

We were going to need something to eat so I fixed us some dinner! We laughed a lot and dinner turned out great!

1.In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

2.Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.

3.Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

YUM!

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

  

To Feel 15 Again

While it has been a "few" years since I saw 15 (did you honestly think I would tell you how many). I still love having one of those days, you remember...spending extra time making sure you hair is just right, picking out the perfect outfit, the anticipation, the anxiousness while being care-free and maybe even a little silly at the same time and who could forget the girly giggles.

During a drive home from a lunch with some of the fam my blogging partner Amy and I were talking about how we both had one of those experiences this past week.

Amy had a girls night out celebrating upcoming birthdays, including Amy's! They all went to see the "King of Cool."

The one and only George Strait!! Amy saw him for the first time when she was 15 and through the giggles yesterday she told me that she felt just like she did at his first concert!

I have never been one to get star fever, in fact when I was 15 I would get picked on for not knowing who the latest movie star was. Well... nothing has changed, I love movies but don't remember star's names, follow them on twitter, etc. I don't have the time to figure out what Lindsay Lohan did this time, who is divorcing who, etc. Let's be honest my spare time is spent getting cow manure off boots and coats, sweeping up straw and other farm debris, delivering food to the tractor and whatever else pops up. Glamorous I know!

But, there is one "star" who has seen just as much cow poo as me and that is the Pioneer Woman! So, when my blogging pals and I realized her book tour was going to lead her to our neck of the woods we decided we had to go!

Here are some of our pictures from the day!

Leah and I being silly!

Hanging out with the gang

Is it just me or does the lady in the painting behind us look like she is smelling her armpit?

The moment we were waiting for!

I heart her!

Me, Cris and Megan

A big thanks to Cris for taking all the pictures!

 

Putting away groceries

Craving chocolate much?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I just came accross this linky today and I couldn't help but participate!!

I am loving that I just had Pad Thai for lunch! Yes my appetite is back!!

I am loving that Big Love is on! I know...but I can't help myself.

I'm loving that my new hubby knows why "that light" keeps coming on when I drive my car. I really love the fact that he is going to take care of "that light" seeing as how it is just a light to me. 

I really love that a group of my gal pals and I are stalking going on an adventure to see Ree from Pioneer Woman during her book tour.

and I'm really loving that we are making shirts!! Yay for craft time!

I'm loving hearing "Aunt Liz"! I'm loving planning "projects" for an upcoming sleep over with all of these munchkins!!

I'm loving that we hit 300 followers! You guys are the best!

And finally, I'm loving that it is supposed to get close to 50 degrees this weekend!! Bring on Spring!

Beef and Noodles

 

Ice storm aftermath



So, it has been down right cold and nasty around here and my poor hunny has been working outside in this mess making sure our bovine beauties are weathing the story. This included checking water fountains to make sure they weren't frozen, pushing snow and ice out of the way so the feed truck could make it through and triple checking the generator to make sure that if the electricity went out the farm would still have power. All on top of the normal everyday work. Yes, as you can see the cows come first. I knew this getting in to the relationship but there are moments (like when we had to leave in the middle of dinner with friends because the roof of the barn blew off or when we have to cancel plans because an employee can't work for whatever reason and the cows still need feed and milked 365 days a year, even holidays!) that I think how easy our life would be if the hubby had a job off the farm. But, all that being said my hunny would rather work out in this weather than sit in an office and I love the cows just as much as he does! Plus, we get to provide great tasting, nutritious dairy products for families to enjoy!

Speaking of food... so with all of the above I really wanted to make something for dinner that my hunny would love and that would warm him up! I was drawling a blank until I remember that when my friend Leah at Beyer Beware was featured on Gooseberry Patch she had a Beef and Noodles recipe that looked awesome. Well let me tell you it was a hit and by far the best beef and noodles I have ever had! So, I felt that I needed to share this recipe with all of you!     

Leah's Beef and Noodles

1 Beef Roast

1 beer-can or bottle
1 package dry onion soup
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
10 cups of water
1 pound of homemade (store-bought) noodles


Place roast in crock pot and pour beer, onion soup, and garlic over top.

Cook on low overnight. In the morning, break meat apart. Add the mushroom soup and six cups of water. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Cook on low all day. An hour before you eat, add noodles as well as more water. Up to four cups depending on how moist you like it.

 

 Serve over mashed potatoes!