Discovering KETCHUP!!

 

                                                    

Corn Chowder and bread bowls

I have had several people ask about my recipes for chowder and bread bowls so here it is!

 

Corn Chowder – a Karen Illian Classic (thanks, friend)

1 large bag of frozen corn  

6 slices of bacon

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup cubed potatoes (I use MORE)

1 cup water

2 cups of milk (divided)

1 t sugar (or more!)

1/2 t thyme

salt and pepper

1 T cornstarch

 

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven until it is crisp.  Remove and set aside.  Crumble.

Cook onion in bacon drippings until they are tender.  Stir in corn, potatoes and water and bring this to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups of milk, the sugar, thyme and salt and pepper.

Combine and cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk and add to the soup to thicken.  Cook uncovered 15 minutes until it is thick and bubbly!  ENJOY!  Makes 6 cups (or more if you add more potatoes).

 

Bread bowls 

2 packages of dry yeast

2 1/2 cups of warm water (110*)

2 t salt

2 T vegetable oil

7 cups flour

1 egg white

1 T water

In a large bowl dissolve yeast in the warm water.  Let stand for 10 minutes until it is creamy.  Add salt, oil, and 4 cups of the flour and beat well.  Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time (an electric mixer is recommended).

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out on a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and elastic.  Place in a bowl and coat the dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let it rise until it has doubled – about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down and divide into 8 equal portions – for 8 bowls.  Shape them into round loaves.  Place onto a lightly dusted and greased baking sheet.  Cover and let rise again until doubled – about 35 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400* and brush the top of the risen loaves with an egg and water mixture.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes; check them and then bake for an additional 5-15 minutes depending on the doneness you desire and the crustiness (is crustiness a word?) you want. 

To make the bowls, simply cut off the tops of the bread – just a thin slice – and then scoop out the centers.  Leave 3/4 inch of bread in the shells.  Fill the bowl with soup and use the bread you scooped and the top of the bowl as “dunkers”.  ENJOY! 

I like to make more than I need so I can freeze some for next time.  They freeze well,and I don’t’ have to go through making the recipe all over again!  :)

Helping Daddy and actually HELPING

Josiah has been getting into one of our cabinets that has cereal and crackers in it.  He knows how to open it and helps himself to Lucky Charms, Cherrios or Animal Crackers!  I will often catch him red-handed with his sweaty palms deep into a box of Cherrios with a HUGE grin on his face!  What a kid!

SO… I have been begging Danny to put locks on those cabinets, and he finally got around to it.  Josiah helped him… I don’t think he knew that he was locking up the very cabinets that he LOVED opening, but he was helpful.  He held Danny’s drill and watched intently.  He gave Danny the tools he need when he needed them and he didn’t even eat any parts!

There IS more to my life…

Some of you may think that my life is CONSUMED with my children – since 99% of my posts are about them!  I DO love them, but there IS more to my life – cooking, cleaning, crafting, picture taking, serving at church, couponing, MOPS, etc! 

Danny and I love eating soup on cold days and we LOVE eating bread bowls, too!  We have a great recipe that makes yummy bowls, so I made them this week with chicken corn chowder inside… what a delicious dinner!!!  I even made a few extra so we could freeze them for next time!  Can’t wait!

Don’t drool all over my pictures, please!

Cutie in 5T

Grace LOVES the fact that she is now in 5T clothing!  She comes down in the morning after she has changed and asks her daddy, “What size do you think this shirt is?  Do you think this is 4T?”  She proudly announces that she is wearing ALL 5T clothes!  She just loves it!  Many of her 4T things do not fit any more, so Nanna graciously sent some ADORABLE things in Grace’s new size!  (She “needed” some new things for church!) We got many things from Yard Sales this summer, but there were a few holes to fill!

So.. Nanna… Here she is!

A Season of Change

We took a break from our traditional schooling to learn about the seasons and review all of the things that we have been learning at school.  Grace has done an amazing job and LOVES to “do school”; she often BEGS to do more work when we have finished what I have planned for each day.  She is a teacher’s dream!

We started off learning about how the seasons change and why they change and then reviewed fall. Grace wrote vocabulary words for each season, made a special craft for each season, decorated a bare tree for each season, read books for each season, and had several math, writing and phonics activities for each season to reinforce what we have been learning.

              

              

Here is the whole season display on our wall in the school room (the basement)!

This is just one of the many units that we will do this year!  Our creative little Gracie LOVES all of this activity while learning…and so does her mommy.  Keep checking back for the next mini unit on Thanksgiving!

Freezer Cooking

I am just fascinated with Freezer Cooking.  I really want to get started HARD CORE, but I will have to wait until after the holidays.  Here is a great E Book that explains all about it.  It is from a blog that I follow... Money Saving Mom.  I have learned a lot about her budgeting techniques, stories, and helpful coupon ideas.  You really should follow her too.Money Saving Mom

You can buy it online as well:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451646208/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=monsavmom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1451646208