Oh Thank Heaven!

We're still in hog heaven having a 7-11 on almost every corner here in Virginia. We had to drive almost 25 miles for a Slurpee in California. Guess what we did after Family Home Evening tonight?

Popcorn Popping

When our kids were young, we established the Sunday night popcorn tradition. We ate our big meal for lunch and always made a BIG bowl of popcorn in the evening. Back then, we popped the popcorn on the stovetop with oil and then added lots of butter and salt. Over the years we've tried microwave popcorn, hot air popcorn, Jiffy Pop Popcorn, etc. etc. Kurt and I came across this microwave popcorn popper at Walmart the other day. I am in love! No oil or butter is needed to pop this corn. Yum! We spray a little butter or butter flavoring on it after it's popped and sprinkle with different salts or seasonings. It's our new favorite evening snack now!

Washington DC Temple

Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning.
I LOVE the temple!

Bleary Eyes

I started reading this book this morning and didn't put it down until I had finished it. I don't remember EVER reading an entire book in one day. It was THAT good! What a sweet love story! I laughed, I cried, and I related to her most embarrassing, klutzy moments. I've been a follower of The Pioneer Woman for quite sometime, so it was fun to read about her love story with Marlboro Man. I can't wait to buy her cookbook now!

Chili for a Chilly Day

Rachael Ray had a crockpot cooking contest on her show yesterday. This was one of the entries. It wasn't the winner, but it was a DEFINITE winner for me! This chili is SOOO delicious!

Rock the Crock White Chicken Chili

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2-15 oz. cans great northern beans or navy beans, undrained
(I use one can of each)
1 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 envelope taco seasoning
1-4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream (goes in at the very end)
Monterey Jack cheese, sliced green onions or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Tortilla chips for serving

Place chicken in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Top with beans, zucchini, pepper and corn.

In a medium bowl, combine taco seasoning, chilies, soup and chicken broth. Pour over top of ingredients in the crock pot.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

Just before serving, stir to break up the chicken then stir in the sour cream.

Top with Monterey Jack cheese, garnish with green onions or cilantro if desired. Serve with tortilla chips alongside.

Another Amazing Book

Today I finished a book and immediately turned back to page one to read it again. This was definitely not a light read, or a fast read. I found I could only read one or two chapters a day and then take time to digest what I'd read. Written in a format that reads like a novel or parable, this is one of the most inspiring books that I have ever read. So many lessons to learn. It left me with a desire to be a better person and to make a few course corrections in my life. I highly recommend this book.

Magical Layered Brownies

These. Brownies. Rock!!
I found the recipe on melskitchencafe.com and had to give it a try. They were a big hit with Kurt because the middle layer has a caramely (is that a word?), maple flavor. He took some to work and they were a hit there also. I'll be making these again!

Magical Layered Brownies

*Makes 9X13-inch pan of brownies

Brownies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar)

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Browned Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch aluminum pan with nonstick cooking spray and cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

For the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and salt. Mix with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture has lightened in color and is very thick. Fold in the warm (not hot!) chocolate/butter mixture. Stir in the flour and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing evenly.

Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan just slightly. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).

For the browned butter frosting, place the stick of butter in a small saucepan and set it over low heat. It is best to not use a non-stick or dark coated pan in this step because it will be difficult to tell when the butter has turned brown. Let the butter melt over low heat and turn a caramel brown color, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn't burn. Once it has turned a nice medium-brown color, remove it from the heat. Pour the butter into a medium bowl. Immediately add the powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. Mix well with an electric mixer until the frosting is smooth and thick.

Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies.

For the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is smooth. Pour the warm glaze over the frosted brownies. Tip the pan from side to side to even out the glaze over the frosting (or carefully spread with a knife or offset spatula). Chill the brownies until the glaze is set and the brownies are chilled through, about 1-2 hours. The brownies taste best cold.

Quarter for a Cart

My new favorite place to shop for groceries is Aldi, a no frills discount store that sells basic staples. I first heard about Aldi on the Clark Howard radio show. He RAVED about it. I wasn't able to find an Aldi on the west coast, but they're all over here in the east. The prices are the best I've seen, and while I haven't found anything I didn't love, I haven't always found everything I needed. Therefore, I shop first at Aldi and then get what I can't find there at

other grocery stores. It's quite an adventure shopping at Aldi - no name brands, no credit cards accepted, no shopping bags available (you bring your own), and the most surprising thing was that you pay 25 cents for the use of a shopping cart! You get your quarter back when you return the cart though. Funny thing is, there are NO shopping carts sitting around in the parking lot. Imagine that! I LOVE Aldi!

Valley Forge, PA

We stopped in Valley Forge on our way back to Virginia today. We thought we'd wander around for an hour or so, but ended up staying for about 6 hours! What an amazing place! Tomorrow is President's Day - I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to walk where George Washington once walked. This weekend we not only learned about the Civil War (Gettysburg), but the Revolutionary War too. I have a much better appreciation for those who sacrificed for my freedoms.

Amish Country

I crossed another item off my Bucket List today! I have wanted to visit Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for as long as I can remember. I have read everything I can get my hands on having to do with the Amish and Mennonite way of life. It fascinates me. I love their minimalist lifestyle, their hardworking attitude, and how they work together as a community. I have collected Amish cookbooks, Amish quilt patterns, and have ALWAYS wanted to own an Amish handmade quilt. We stayed in Lancaster, but drove through Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird In Hand, and a few other little towns with equally interesting names ;-) We wandered through an Amish Farmer's Market, went in search of covered bridges, and even went into the home of a nice Amish family to see the beautiful quilts the women had made. I can't wait to go back when I have more time. Next time, I WILL come home with a quilt!

Gettysburg, PA

Today we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and spent the day at Gettysburg National Military Park. It was a day I will never forget. I have never seen so many monuments in one place. I learned more today about the Civil War than I ever learned in school. We spent time in the visitor's center and then spent the remainder of the day driving and walking through the park. We saw where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place and even stood where Abraham Lincoln stood when he gave the Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln is my hero!

Feelin' Crafty

I made a fun necklace today. I actually crocheted and braided wire, adding beads as I went. I found the instructions on YouTube. I think it's kind of pretty ;-) I think I'll make a matching bracelet!
Click here for instructions.

Miracles

I believe in miracles

My Find of the Day!

Once a week I take a friend from church to her dialysis appointment and then pick her up 5 hours later. Most days I go home in between, but some days I go exploring. This is one of my favorite finds on my 5 hour adventures. One of the first stores I looked for when moving to Manassas was Target. I absolutely LOVE Target. I found a nice Target store about 5 miles from my apartment. I love walking around in that store. I can wander for hours. Sometimes I don't buy a thing, I just love looking at the books, clothes, shoes, home decor, jewelry, etc. etc. Anyway, while on my waiting adventure today I found ANOTHER Target store in Manassas! And this one is a SUPER Target!!!! I spent my entire waiting time there today! I found great deals and got some great exercise walking and walking and walking. I'll probably need to limit my visits to Super Target to once a month. This store is dangerous! ;-)

Valentine's Day Dinner

I made a surprise Valentine's dinner for Kurt tonight. He has something up his sleeve for this weekend, so I thought the least I could do was make a nice dinner and get a couple of "love" themed movies at redbox. We had a fun evening!

I attempted Chicken Cordon Bleu for the first time. I will NEVER buy Costco's version again.
This recipe was amazing!

Here's the recipe Angie ;-)

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 6 slices Swiss cheese

• 4 slices cooked ham

• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used seasoned Panko)
  

• Sauce – 1 can cream of chicken soup, ½ cup sour cream, 1 TBLS lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.

3. Dip the chicken in egg wash. Coat both sides with bread crumbs. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper then lay the slices of ham and cheese on top. Roll up, securing with toothpicks. Add a pat of butter to top of each.

4. Place chicken in baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven and place ½ slice cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, top with sauce, and serve immediately.

5. Serve on a bed of rice with sauce on top. A good side dish is buttered rolls. Mmmmmm!

I found some really cute individual, heart-shaped cheesecake pans and made these for dessert. What a way to end the day!
YUM!!!

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE (for 2)

Crumb crust (recipe follows)
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 TBLS cornstarch
1/2 cup sour cream

In large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light. Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon peel (rind), and cornstarch, only until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the oven, with the door propped slightly open, for 45 minutes. Chill in pan.

Top with blueberries, other fruit, or enjoy plain.

CRUMB CRUST

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 TBLS granulated sugar
3 TBLS butter or margarine, melted

Mix all ingredients together and press firmly into the bottom and 3/4 up with sides of TWO
non-stick 4 inch springform pans (I use heart shaped pans). Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Remove.

Makes 2 cheesecakes

Ward Employment Specialist

Caught Kurt multi-tasking, as usual ~ eating his breakfast as he prepares employment fliers for the bulletin board at church.

Fun at the National Zoo

Our Saturday adventure took us to the Smithsonian National Zoo today. We had heard it was just an "okay" zoo, so we weren't expecting much, but I must say that we were both pleasantly surprised. Zoos can be a little depressing to me. I hate seeing animals caged in too-small spaces, pacing back and forth. This zoo wasn't like that at all. All of the animals had plenty of room to roam and play, and they all appeared to be healthy and well treated. The pandas alone were worth the trip. I LOVED the pandas! The meerkats were absolutely adorable too. I could have watched them all day. We ended up spending the entire day, and would go back in a heartbeat. What a fun day!

Valentine's Cookies

My sweet tooth got the best of me today. I decided to put the craving to good use and make some Valentine's cookies to take to some friends. I used my tried and true sugar cookie recipe and tried a new glaze icing recipe. I'm not fond of the taste of royal icing, so I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the icing I found on Our Best Bites website. YUM!!

Here are the recipes:

Sugar Cookies

1 cup real butter (no substitutions!)
1 cup sugar
1 egg (make sure to use a large or extra large egg)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or other flavor of your choice, like almond or lemon)
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.

Chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour, or use this great tip to make things easier:
When you're ready to roll out dough lightly sprinkle flour onto your work surface and roll out dough with a rolling pin.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. The baking time really depends on how you like them. If you like them slightly chewy, about 8-9 minutes does it. If you like them slightly crisp and buttery, then go for 10-12.

Glacé Icing

1 lb powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 C)
6TBLS whole milk
6TBLS light Corn Syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth (no lumps!) Then stir in corn syrup and extract.

You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. It's smooth and thin and easily runs off the whisk in a pretty thin drizzle.

To prepare the icing for piping, you just add more powdered sugar. Just eyeball it. You can't really mess it up because if it's too thick you just add more milk and if it's to thin, you add more powdered sugar.

Take your glazing icing and separate it into bowls if you want to color it. Use gel food coloring for more intense colors.

I outlined each cookie with a thicker version of the glaze and then let it set for an hour or two until it was firm. Then you can fill in with the thin glaze. The piping will act as a dam and hold the glaze in. So just drop a spoonful of glaze in the middle of the cookie and with a small spoon, or clean paint brush, or toothpick for small spaces, gently spread the icing out until it fills the cookie in. Let the glaze dry completely overnight. They should be stackable at that point. SO EASY!!!

Winter Through my Windshield

It’s amazing to me how when I stop and pay attention to my surroundings, and actually just see things, I am blown away by how beautiful they are. The trees swaying, the leaves blowing around on the ground, the waves crashing on the shore. The simplest of things have the most profound beauty.
I may not love this cold, snowy weather here on the east coast, but just like rain brings rainbows, even a cold winter day can bring beauty beyond description.

Double Date

Tonight we met one of Kurt's co-workers, Howard, and his wife Cheryl at Sweetwater Tavern for dinner. We had a fun time. They told us about their adventures in Amish country. We had all kinds of questions since we plan to visit Pennsylvania next weekend. Dinner was delicious, the conversation was interesting, and I think we've found friends who love dining out as much as we do! Can't wait for next time!

Washington DC Temple

Today I spent time with friends Leslie and Lia at the Washington DC Temple.
Thanks ladies! I needed this!

Another Good Book

Just finished another good book today. Don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to get enough when it comes to the Mennonite/Amish culture. This book's cover claimed that it was 'laugh out loud funny'. That it was. It was hilarious! I found I couldn't read this one in bed while Kurt was sleeping because I kept waking him up with my laughter.
Janzen shares her memoir in a funny and entertaining way. She pretty much got the bad end of the stick when her abusive husband leaves her for a man, throwing her into financial ruin, and to make things worse, she is seriously injured in a car accident. Talk about a bad week! She returns home to her Mennonite family to heal both her physical and emotional wounds. Her friends and family were hysterical (especially her mom) and her experiences back home help her realize how to move on. I highly recommend this book.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Today my second born is 27 years old! It's hard to believe. Seems like just yesterday that he was running around in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas. I nabbed this photo off of his fiance's facebook page. It's the perfect depiction of him....kinda laid back with a sly grin on his face. What can I say about Tyler? To say that he is unique would be a gross understatement, because with that uniqueness comes a sweet, sensitive, thoughtful, talented, intelligent, witty, hilarious man. MAN? Holy cow, my boy's a MAN! And what a WONDERFUL man he is! Love ya Ty! Happy Bird day! ;-)

Rainy Day Adventures

As you can see by my limp, stringy hair, today was quite a rainy day. We had decided to go exploring in DC for the day and didn't let a little (or a lot) of rain ruin our fun. We began the day on Metro and went to the National Archives to see The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It was such a sobering experience to think that we were actually seeing the original documents. Since photography wasn't allowed at the Archives, you'll just have to go and see it for yourself if you haven't been there. It was an unforgettable experience. We then walked to the Old Post Office and took the elevator to the top where you can see the Congressional Bells and look out over the city. It was too foggy to see much today, but we'll go back again. We then took Metro to Georgetown and had lunch at Martin's Tavern, a historical restaurant where many US Presidents have dined. Kurt had arranged, beforehand, for us to sit in the Proposal Booth - where JFK proposed to Jackie. It was a lot of fun. The food was amazing. After lunch we walked to Georgetown Cupcake for our $3.00 cupcakes. They have been made famous on the TLC show "DC Cupcakes." I love the show and just had to see what all the hoopla was about. The crowd was lined up down the street, in the rain, waiting to get in. Brought back memories of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken. At least they served complimentary hot chocolate at Georgetown Bakery while we waited. We finished the day by browsing through shops in downtown Georgetown. What a fun day!! I'll post all of our pictures soon.

The Games We Play

Kurt and I had a game night tonight. We love playing games! We brought quite a few of our games with us when we moved here but haven't had much of a chance to play them. Tonight we broke out Bananagrams, our new favorite game. Other games we LOVE are Phase 10, Scrabble, Quiddler and Five Crowns. I personally love Boggle, but Kurt usually vetoes it. Why? He's only beat me once in 30 years (and that was because I was loopy on cold medicine). Kurt loves Monopoly and Risk. I detest them. Why? Probably the same reason I don't like playing tennis or ping pong with him. My mild-mannered husband turns into a fierce, aggressive, competitive, dog-eat-dog person that scares me a little ;-) We stick to nice, low-key, relaxing games. It works for us.

Pho 50

Today I met my cousin Roger's wife for lunch at Pho 50 in Falls Church. Denise and I have talked on the phone, and chatted online, but have never "officially" met until today. It was so much fun to meet her today. She is a wealth of information about the area and has a fun personality and great sense of humor. She suggested we have lunch at one of her favorite restaurants, Pho 50. Pho, (pronounced [fə᷉ː]), is a Vietnamese noodle soup usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Thai basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers as a garnishment. It was YUMMY! I'm excited that we have a Pho restaurant here in Manassas. Can't wait to take Kurt there. He'll love it!
Thanks for the fun Pho Phothursday Denise!!! ;-)

Out on the Town

Our date night has changed from Friday night to Wednesday night. Friday nights are just too crazy around here. There's at least a 1 hour wait at every restaurant we go to, and the movie theaters are packed. Since we usually go exploring on Saturdays, we decided, "Why not spread the fun out over the week?" This has worked out pretty well until last night. My plan was to go to Cici's Pizza for dinner and then to go bowling at Bowl America. Dinner went without a hitch, but bowling didn't happen. It's league night on Wednesday night. We'll have to change our date night to Thursday night if we ever want to bowl I guess. Plan B was to see "The Green Hornet." It's only playing in 3-D and it kills me to pay $15 per ticket to see a movie, but I had coupons and a free pass. It's a good thing, because the movie was pretty lame. Oh well, date night is still my favorite night of the week!

The LAMINATOR

It all started with a bookmark. I just wanted to laminate my favorite bookmark. I was on my way to Staples to have it done and made a quick stop at Costco for milk, bread, etc. I found a great deal on this laminator and have been going crazy laminating everything in sight. Hmmmmm.....what other treasures can I find that need to be preserved and protected? I think I need to get out more ;-)

Mom's Recipes

Alyssa, my sweet daughter, gave me the most thoughtful Christmas gift this year. Unbeknownst to me, she had gathered over 100 of my favorite recipes, most of which were scribbled on sheets of paper or printed off of cooking blogs and websites. She then typed over 100 of those recipes, created a cute cover page and divider pages, and gave me the computer files to FINALLY organize my recipes. Today was the day! I printed the cover page and dividers, all of the recipes, and organized it into a book that will be SOOOO wonderful to have and easy to add to. Thank you Alyssa! I LOVE IT!!!!!