Our favorite visitor

Look who paid us a visit yesterday!



Don't you just want to cuddle with him?

Ouch!

Brooks managed to gash his head on the sofa table last night, 10 minutes before our Bible study group was coming over for dinner! Ryan grabbed some towels and rushed him to Urgent Care, thankfully only 3 minutes away. Brooks ended up with 8 stitches! He was a very brave boy. He was happy to come home to play with his best friends.

Brooks says, "I went to the dr office and they sewed me back up. I then I came home and there was a party and I ate some sandwiches."

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I made this beef stew last week. It was great on a cold winter day. I doubled the recipe and used beef chuck steak. I left out the celery since I didn't have any and added extra carrots to compensate. I also used 3 cans of diced tomatoes and added a bottle of Newcastle Ale. Fabulous Beef Stew

• 1 1/2 lbs stew meat
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 3-4 potatoes, cubed
• 4-5 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with water below
• 1/4 cup cold water

1. Put all ingredients except cornstarch in a slow cooker on low heat for 6-8-10 hours.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with water.
3. Turn heat to high and stir until thickened.

This waffle recipe is our favorite one to use in our "hotel-style" Belgian waffle maker. The yeast makes it extra special and it's so easy to mix up the night before. It came from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. They are great with fruit toppings or just maple syrup!

Overnight Belgian Waffles

1/2 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups milk
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour

1. In a large mixing bowl combine water, yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.
2. Stir in milk, butter, eggs, 1 tsp sugar, and salt. Stir in flour until well mixed.
3. Cover and store in fridge 8 hours or overnight (batter will be thin).
4. To bake waffles, spray Belgian waffle iron with cooking spray. Add batter and cook.

Quick update

Yesterday we celebrated Family Day with Brooks. It was 4 years ago that we went to Guatemala and he became our son! We are so thankful that his birthmom chose adoption for him. We pray that wherever she is that she knows that Brooks is safe and loved.

We all got hit with a nasty sickness last week. I think we are finally coming around. It was bad! I'll just say that it will be a loooong time before I can eat spaghetti and meatballs again.

Ryan took me to see the Second City at Purdue on my birthday. It was a lot of laughs! It definitely lifted our spirits.

Brooks has his family week at preschool this week so Ryan brought his tuba in for them this afternoon. It sounded like he was a big hit.

Hudson has a new favorite food...crab. Ryan made me crab legs for my birthday and I couldn't get them cracked fast enough for Hudson.

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I'm back with some tasty recipes.

I made this Chicken Spaghetti for dinner over the weekend. It was super good. I added some sun-dried tomatoes to it for some extra yumminess! I also doubled the sauce ingredients (minus the cheese). It was extra creamy. I served it with a mixed green salad with oranges and caramelized walnuts, and garlic rolls.

Chicken Spaghetti

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream ***I used evaporated milk***
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, apple juice or white grape juice
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed
• 8 ounces cooked spaghetti
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• extra parmesan cheese
• chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour stirring constantly.
2. When mixture thickens, add chicken broth, half and half, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, wine, garlic, lemon juice, dry mustard and salt and pepper.
3. Stir over medium heat until mixture again starts to thicken.
4. Add chicken and spaghetti noodles and stir well.
5. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with paprika and extra Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
7. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

I had picked up some sausage links reduced and was looking for something to make for breakfast besides pancakes. This recipe did the trick! Especially since I had a bunch of English muffins in the freezer that I had picked up super cheap. I left the onion and red pepper out because I didn't feel like chopping it up (lazy!).

Breakfast Casserole

• 1 (12 ounce) package breakfast sausage links
• 6 English muffins, cut into 1 in cubes
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup bacon bit

1. Cook sausage according to package directions. Cool slightly, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place English muffin cubes in the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish Drizzle with butter. Layer with sausage, cheese, onion and bell pepper. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle with bacon, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand before serving.