A group of friends that have spent the last few years cooking together. A quick weekend trip to see one of the girls. Beautiful scenery, good food, and lots of fun!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Cooking Club Friends
A group of friends that have spent the last few years cooking together. A quick weekend trip to see one of the girls. Beautiful scenery, good food, and lots of fun!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Easy Corn Chowder
2 medium unpeeled red potatoes
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 teaspoon butter/margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) fat-free evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz) creamed corn
2 tablespoons sliced chives
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Cooked crumbled bacon (optional)
Cut potatoes and ham into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside. Dice bell pepper. Coarsely chop celery. Heat butter in a 3-qt saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tendor. Stir in flour; heat until bubbly. Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking until blended. Add potatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham; heat through. Remove from heat; stir chives into soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with bacon, if desired.
# of servings: 6
# in the freezer: 5
**Just a note, I am not a big soup eater. I prefer more the cream soups or soups with more "stuff" in them. I tend to add more potatoes and "stuff" to this soup. This tends to make more servings.
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 teaspoon butter/margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14-14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) fat-free evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz) creamed corn
2 tablespoons sliced chives
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Cooked crumbled bacon (optional)
Cut potatoes and ham into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside. Dice bell pepper. Coarsely chop celery. Heat butter in a 3-qt saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tendor. Stir in flour; heat until bubbly. Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking until blended. Add potatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham; heat through. Remove from heat; stir chives into soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with bacon, if desired.
# of servings: 6
# in the freezer: 5
**Just a note, I am not a big soup eater. I prefer more the cream soups or soups with more "stuff" in them. I tend to add more potatoes and "stuff" to this soup. This tends to make more servings.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Basic Egg Casserole
8 eggs
cheese
little bit of milk
little bit of milk
salt and pepper to taste
OTHER OPTIONS:
You can add mushrooms, green pepper, ham, sausage, bacon, tomato, etc...
Mix ingredients together and place in a 9x9 pan.
Bake in a 9x9 pan for 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees or until eggs are no longer runny.
# of servings: 9
# in freezer: 8
OTHER OPTIONS:
You can add mushrooms, green pepper, ham, sausage, bacon, tomato, etc...
Mix ingredients together and place in a 9x9 pan.
Bake in a 9x9 pan for 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees or until eggs are no longer runny.
# of servings: 9
# in freezer: 8
So I've decided to step into the world of bloggers...
I have decided to step into this world and share pictures, recipes, etc. One of my main hobbies is photography. I love capturing my memories from trips and seeing God's creation. I also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. This has developed over the past 6 years or so...How did this start you might ask?
A group of 4 singles ladies formed with the goal of trying new recipes and enhancing our cooking skills. Four friends who have laughed, cried and shared life together over the dinner table. We would come together once a month and share a meal and catch up with each other. We have seen relationships come and go, tragedy, marriage, job changes, life changes, etc. Each month, one person would bring an appetizer, one a side dish, one a main dish and one a dessert. Yes, we ate well!! We would each take a turn "hosting". Every evening we met, we shared our recipes. Now, we have a lot of recipes that we have tried, tasted and judged. Our creed? If the dish did not taste good, or if the recipe didn't turn out, it wasn't our fault, it was the recipes! This has given us many opportunities to taste new recipes without having to make them for ourselves. In the past few years, the group has undergone a few changes. One has moved a bit farther away and joins us when she can and another has moved 4 hours away. She has been coming back to the area every 6 weeks or so, so we moved our Cooking Club to when we can get together.
I don't know about you, but when I get home from a long day at work, I'm tired and I don't want to think about what I'm going to make for dinner, let alone cook it. I have started a habit (I hope that continues) of cooking a meal, putting leftovers in storage containers and placing them in the freezer for later. I also have a small dry erase board on my fridge so that I can keep track of what frozen meals I have. So far, this has worked for me the past month or so. I thought I would share the recipes with you and my strategy. Yes, it sounds simple, but it has taken me MANY years to put this into practice. My norm? Cook a dish, and then eat the leftovers for many days to come. Usually when I get to the last serving, I look at it wondering if I can really eat this AGAIN! Now, I can look at my dry erase board and figure out what I'm in the mood for and throw it in the microwave. I HAVE OPTIONS!
So when do I find time to cook these meals, you might ask? Right now, I work Tuesday through Friday. I have 3 day weekends every weekend! I try to cook one meal on Saturday and one meal on Monday. If the meal makes 4 servings, I eat one serving and then I have 3 for the freezer. If the meal makes 6 servings, I eat one serving and I have 5 for the freezer. Before I put my leftovers away, I grab my containers with the lids. I then place the leftovers in the containers, place them in the freezer and add them to the list on the dry erase board. Sure it takes a few extra minutes, but it saves my sanity during the work week. Because I like trying new dishes and I have 3 days off, I have the time to try some complicated dishes if I choose. So, now I am off to go make some soup for today. I might also get motivated to cook a breakfast casserole as well.
A group of 4 singles ladies formed with the goal of trying new recipes and enhancing our cooking skills. Four friends who have laughed, cried and shared life together over the dinner table. We would come together once a month and share a meal and catch up with each other. We have seen relationships come and go, tragedy, marriage, job changes, life changes, etc. Each month, one person would bring an appetizer, one a side dish, one a main dish and one a dessert. Yes, we ate well!! We would each take a turn "hosting". Every evening we met, we shared our recipes. Now, we have a lot of recipes that we have tried, tasted and judged. Our creed? If the dish did not taste good, or if the recipe didn't turn out, it wasn't our fault, it was the recipes! This has given us many opportunities to taste new recipes without having to make them for ourselves. In the past few years, the group has undergone a few changes. One has moved a bit farther away and joins us when she can and another has moved 4 hours away. She has been coming back to the area every 6 weeks or so, so we moved our Cooking Club to when we can get together.
I don't know about you, but when I get home from a long day at work, I'm tired and I don't want to think about what I'm going to make for dinner, let alone cook it. I have started a habit (I hope that continues) of cooking a meal, putting leftovers in storage containers and placing them in the freezer for later. I also have a small dry erase board on my fridge so that I can keep track of what frozen meals I have. So far, this has worked for me the past month or so. I thought I would share the recipes with you and my strategy. Yes, it sounds simple, but it has taken me MANY years to put this into practice. My norm? Cook a dish, and then eat the leftovers for many days to come. Usually when I get to the last serving, I look at it wondering if I can really eat this AGAIN! Now, I can look at my dry erase board and figure out what I'm in the mood for and throw it in the microwave. I HAVE OPTIONS!
So when do I find time to cook these meals, you might ask? Right now, I work Tuesday through Friday. I have 3 day weekends every weekend! I try to cook one meal on Saturday and one meal on Monday. If the meal makes 4 servings, I eat one serving and then I have 3 for the freezer. If the meal makes 6 servings, I eat one serving and I have 5 for the freezer. Before I put my leftovers away, I grab my containers with the lids. I then place the leftovers in the containers, place them in the freezer and add them to the list on the dry erase board. Sure it takes a few extra minutes, but it saves my sanity during the work week. Because I like trying new dishes and I have 3 days off, I have the time to try some complicated dishes if I choose. So, now I am off to go make some soup for today. I might also get motivated to cook a breakfast casserole as well.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Books...
Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I thought I would update you on the status thus far. I am currently in the process of uploading another book. This was a fun one to do!! It was a book on Zambia, which one might think is boring. But, I was able to see another person's view on the trip and the sites that I missed. I am also ordering copies of my South Africa book. This book will be put in the guest houses in Tugela Ferry at the Church of Scotland Hospital. Those who come for their residencies will be able to "see the sites" around them and experience the culture. I have another 2-3 books in progress. If you are interested in having a book done, let me know! I would love to put that together for you. I have coupons that will help with the price of the book!!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Starting out...
Now that I have the idea to do books for others, I talked to my office-mates. They were SOOO excited!!! The idea has now been launched and people are excited about the idea. Now just advertising and getting the word out. My first project: A Zambia book for a Gospelink Rep (Allen). He saw the book I had made for my trip and LOVED it. He wants the book for his personal use and to share with those interested in Gospelink and what they are doing. He also wanted a book to give to the president of the ministry (Lewis). YIPPEE!!!!!!! The excitement of seeing Lewis's face spurred me on. As I recieved Allen's pictures, I was anxious to see what he had captured from his trip. Allen had spent 4 weeks in Zambia at the Bible College. I was very jealous of the sunset pictures that he had captured. As the book came to a close, I was able to put pages in that explained Gospelink's mission statement and how others could get involved. This book will be an awesome ministry tool!
Friday, September 12, 2008
The beginning...
Hello....
I have had an awesome opportunity to travel to both South Africa and Zambia this year for mission trips. (Check out these blogs under MY FAVORITE SITES to your left!!) I have been fortunate to be able to take lots and lots of pictures. I love taking pictures to try to capture the essence of my surroundings. I know that pictures are worth a thousand words, but those thousand words don't even begin to describe God's creation and the beauty all around us.
When I returned back to the states from my trip to South Africa, I wanted something that would attempt to tell the story of my trip. I could just purchase an album and print off my pictures and stick them in the album, or I could scrapbook the trip (that project would NEVER get done because it's not my thing), or I could put my pictures in a photo book. My cheapest option, was a photo book. The great thing about the book, it told the story along with the pictures. Everyone who saw the book, was impressed. They liked the "coffee table book" idea. They loved the pictures and were able to "read" the story of my trip. (Click on South Africa 2008 under SAMPLE BOOKS to see this book).
In July, I headed to Zambia to work with Gospelink. (Check out their website under MY FAVORITE SITES to the left). This trip was my third with this organization. Gospelink is in the process of building a Bible College to train Preachers. The goal is to "Advance the Gospel through National Preachers". While there, I spend a week building and a week in schools in Lusaka sharing Christ. While I was there, I knew what types of pictures to take for my book. I knew that pictures of block walls and mortar would make great backgrounds. No one would ever just use a picture of a cement block for their book, but I would use it to give detail. In my efforts to create this book, I used lots of pictures to tell the story. I used the pictures of the blocks and mortar to help share what I did. (Click on Zambia 2008 under SAMPLE BOOKS to see this book).
As I was sharing with my friends about the fun I had designing these books, a thought occurred to me: What if I did this for others? And the rest is history as they say...
I have decided to do this project in efforts to fund my next trip to Zambia in 2009.
As I complete books, I hope to be able to post them on here for you to see.
I have had an awesome opportunity to travel to both South Africa and Zambia this year for mission trips. (Check out these blogs under MY FAVORITE SITES to your left!!) I have been fortunate to be able to take lots and lots of pictures. I love taking pictures to try to capture the essence of my surroundings. I know that pictures are worth a thousand words, but those thousand words don't even begin to describe God's creation and the beauty all around us.
When I returned back to the states from my trip to South Africa, I wanted something that would attempt to tell the story of my trip. I could just purchase an album and print off my pictures and stick them in the album, or I could scrapbook the trip (that project would NEVER get done because it's not my thing), or I could put my pictures in a photo book. My cheapest option, was a photo book. The great thing about the book, it told the story along with the pictures. Everyone who saw the book, was impressed. They liked the "coffee table book" idea. They loved the pictures and were able to "read" the story of my trip. (Click on South Africa 2008 under SAMPLE BOOKS to see this book).
In July, I headed to Zambia to work with Gospelink. (Check out their website under MY FAVORITE SITES to the left). This trip was my third with this organization. Gospelink is in the process of building a Bible College to train Preachers. The goal is to "Advance the Gospel through National Preachers". While there, I spend a week building and a week in schools in Lusaka sharing Christ. While I was there, I knew what types of pictures to take for my book. I knew that pictures of block walls and mortar would make great backgrounds. No one would ever just use a picture of a cement block for their book, but I would use it to give detail. In my efforts to create this book, I used lots of pictures to tell the story. I used the pictures of the blocks and mortar to help share what I did. (Click on Zambia 2008 under SAMPLE BOOKS to see this book).
As I was sharing with my friends about the fun I had designing these books, a thought occurred to me: What if I did this for others? And the rest is history as they say...
I have decided to do this project in efforts to fund my next trip to Zambia in 2009.
As I complete books, I hope to be able to post them on here for you to see.
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