Taco Twist Soup & Cranberry Bread Recipes

Taco Twist Soup (Grand Prize Winner from Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2008)

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 Medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cups veggie or reduced fat and sodium beef broth
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes
1 ½ cups picante sauce
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta (we used wheat pasta)
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Shredded cheddar and sour cream to garnish (optional)

1. In large soup pot, sauté onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, pasta, green pepper, chili powder & cumin. Bring to boil stirring frequently.

2. Reduce heat: cover & simmer for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

We sprinkled a little cheese on our soup and served with toasted cheddar cheese French bread slices.

Cranberry Bread (from Everyday Foods magazine 2008)

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. b. powder
½ tsp. b. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup whole milk (we used skim)
1 bag (12 oz.) cranberries
1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar for topping (optional)

1. Preheat 350, butter and flour one large or three small loaf pans. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries.

2. Pour batter into pans and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour & 15 minutes for large loaf and about 45 minutes for small. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to let cool completely.

(Adding walnuts to this recipe is also yummy!!)

Be A Quick Scrapbooker

Busy, busy, busy…I know how it is as a mother of an almost six year old boy, wife, part-time worker, church member, friend, daughter/sister-in-law and daughter/sister/granddaughter. So much to do and so little time right? Well I am VERY passionate about preserving my family memories. I not only take tons of photos of family and friends but collect scans of old family photos from my family and Josh’s. Now as mother of the handsomest Quinn ever, I found early on that I could not scrapbook the traditional way by picking the best pictures and make layouts with them. My problem is that they are all precious to me so I decided on a quicker, all inclusive way to “scrapbook” my memories. I started by separating my photos into different categories…for example: Travel, Events, and Us (this one is just Josh, Quinn & I). Then, I buy albums for each group. Next, I organize the photos chronologically. Last, I make a 4x6 scrap page as a sort of title page for each section of pictures throughout the album with the name of event and date. For example, if you have a whole albums of pictures from 2008 Events (weddings, birthdays, holidays) then you would make a page for each event and place it just before each event’s pictures start. I find that these 4x6 pages are easier because you do not have to color coordinate with your pictures, take less time because they are smaller and are less expensive because you can only fit so much on them but you do not compromise the cuteness!! I have posted here some of my favorites along with pictures of the albums that I use. For an extra fun idea, take that first blank paper page of your albums and create a scrap title page for the entire album. I hope those of you who think you do not have time or that you feel that you are not creative enough will try this with your family photos. It will make looking through those albums all the more fun not just for you but for family members whom these albums will be pasted down to in years to come.

-A

Christmas Decorating

This season has been so busy for us this year that I have not been able to blog all that I wanted but here is some of our decorating that we did the weekend after Thanksgiving. I love Christmas decorating but have not had time to put up everything that I normally do. Maybe by next year I will get a routine with this work and holiday thing!

- A

Christmas Tree for Sale

O.K. everyone here is a steal of a deal...My friend Ben at work has fixed a $300 Christmas pre-lit tree but he already has one and does not need another one so he is selling the tree for $100. This tree is new and apparently would not light at one point but is not in full working order. Let me know if you are interested.

- A

Chicken Confetti Spaghetti

Chicken Confetti Spaghetti (a Publix recipe)
(Makes 6 servings.)

Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti pasta (I used wheat pasta)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces cooked, diced chicken (I shredded mine)
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos (drained)
8 ounces trinity mix (fresh diced onions, bell peppers, celery)
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)


Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta. Break pasta into 2-inch-long pieces and stir into boiling water; boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until partially tender.
Meanwhile, cut butter into small pieces while placing in medium bowl; set aside to soften.

2. Combine in microwave-safe bowl: chicken, pimentos, trinity mix, soup, salt, pepper, and broth until well blended. Cover and microwave on HIGH 2–3 minutes or until mixture is hot and vegetables begin to soften.

3. Drain pasta and stir into vegetable mixture. Transfer mixture evenly into 2-quart baking dish. Stir cheese and bread crumbs into butter. Mix with fingertips until blended and crumbly; spread evenly over chicken mixture. Bake 15–20 minutes or until golden and bubbly around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

- A

Tagged

Josh has been tagged by Chris for 7 random things about him so here is what he says:

1. I write poetry.

2. I sang in the chorus in high school and church as a teenager.

3. I used to have long hair.

4. Before I started working with monkeys, I wanted to be a teacher.

5. I had no desire or ambition to work with monkeys until I started working with them.

6. I still can hardly believe that I am a Research Specialist with no college degree but received the job solely on experience and hard work.

7. I used to be Catholic.

- J

Ten Things...I'd Like to Learn to Do

Sorry it has been such a long time...work has been crazy and I have little time to think.

I am going to do a series of posts that I am calling "Ten Things". I will post about Josh, Quinn and me regarding different ten things. This time it is about ten things that I -Amy- would like to learn to do. I thought that this was a new way of getting to know us better and instead of tagging I encourage you to post ten things on your blogs for us to learn about you. Enjoy!

1. My number one thing that I want to learn to do in my life is to live a Christian
life free of past guilt. I feel totally right for feeling guilty for my sins
because I helped to send an innocent man to torture and death. To me that is
liking blaming Quinn for something that happened before he was born...it doesn't
seem fair. So I must strive and learn to free my heart of my guilt!

2. I would LOVE to learn wheel pottery!

3. I would like to learn how to use a sewing machine.

4. I want to learn how to knit my own sweaters, scarfs and hats.

5. Part of me would like to learn to swim and part of me is afraid to.

6. I really would like to know how to speak French.

7. I would LOVE to learn not to worry so much (or at all =-)!!

8. I still have SO much to learn about cameras, lighting, lens and filters.

9. I want to learn how to be a better container gardener. I would love to grow my own vegetables and herbs in pots.

10. Although I can type pretty good and fast I still have to look at the keyboard from time to time and I would like to learn how to do it without looking and be fast!!

- A