Summer Colds & Cooking

I almost never get sick.  There's official memo in the mommy handbook that says Mommy's don't get sick, we have too much to do and not enough time to get it completed.  When I'm sick I can't get much done at all.  The heat has not helped my cold at all, as a matter of fact, it's helped it to drop into my chest...I sound like I've been smoking my whole life.  Yuck.  The older I get the more I have found I'm like my MeMaw.  I don't like to take medicines.  Advil is my cure-all.  My MeMaw only took aspirin & milk of magnesia.  (she lived to be 93, so she may have been onto something...) 
When I'm trying to keep from hacking a lung up I don't like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  The heat make my coughing worse & don't think any of the fam likes me coughing in their dinner.  I wonder what the temperature is to kill for germs. I'll have to look that up in a bit. 

I made this CBT casserole a few weeks ago.  I was craving a BLT, but I had some chicken I needed to cook, so I decided to combine the two together.  The fam loved it and inhaled it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I wish I had thought to serve it with a wedge of lettuce.  I may have to make this in the very near future.  It will be easy since I won't have to stay in the kitchen while it's cooking. 

Well, I'm going to get some water to sooth my throat, I've been coughing a bit while I'm typing this and my throat is a little scratchy.  Stay well & bon a petit!

Be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

A Jack of all Trades

I often have commented that Hopson (daddy Hopson), is a CPA who likes to pretend he's an:  attorney, electrician, plumber, farmer (he does this one quite well), yard boy, and bug man, just to name a few.  It is really impressive, I think the man can do and fix almost anything!  He's also very smart.  I've finally learned, after almost 18 years of marriage, how to verbally spar with him.  It's no easy task.  He's the calming force and logical thinker when I'm about to blow my lid.  (it's usually dealing with a child(ren), surprise...)  He'll talk me down and we'll logically talk it out.  My children should thank him on a daily basis for keeping them from not getting a beating or two.  (I don't really beat my children, but a few whacks with a wooden spoon, aka Mr. Do Right [thank you Cathy DeBard] have done wonders for my kids.)

My job is mommy.  That really means:  taxi, short order cook, nurse, rule enforcer, school homework monitor, fight referee, laundress, maid, pet caregiver, etc.  My main job this summer has been taxi & short order cook in that order.

The cooking part has been interesting.  Usually during the summer my children eat their weight in tuna and mac & cheese.  It was a staple of mine growing up & my kids have been addicted to it since they were old enough to eat solid food.  This summer has been the year of homemade pizzas.  I think I've finally nailed how to make a pretty good homemade pizza.  If I'm really feeling daring I'll even toss the dough in the air.  Of course everyone has to have a try & it usually gets dropped a time or two, but hey, it's fun. 

Today I made one cheese pizza and one 1/2 turkey pepperoni & 1/2 turkey pepperoni, onion & tomato.  So YUMMY and easy, just a little time consuming.  Needless to say, there was zero left.  I'm sure they'll ask for it again tomorrow...it's a good thing I have the car gassed up & ready to go.  :)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley 

Bubble Bubble Toil & Trouble

I keep wondering where June went.  It is so hot in Alabama right now I bet I could cook chocolate chip cookies in my car.  (For some reason I've always wanted to try it.  I may do it next week.)  We skipped right over June & have August weather.  It makes me want to wilt.  I am extremely cold natured, but if I get just a little warm I will start sweating.  Yes, I am a walking contradiction!

I do love summer though because of all the fresh fruits & veggies, and farmer Ted (this is what I call Hopson when his garden is in full bloom) has his garden stocked with them.  But when it's this hot, who wants to spend anytime in a hot kitchen?  I do because all 4 kiddos are home 24/7 & they are hungry!  (and since I have my new cook top, even though the down draft vent is not hooked-up, I don't have an excuse not to cook.) 

Last night I was trying to think of something very yummy, but not too hot to eat.  For some reason in the summer my kids love tuna with a side of mac & cheese.  We didn't have that for dinner, but it's just something they love.  Ok, that was totally unrelated to this posting, but they do eat it almost everyday in the summer.  (no eggs in the tuna, just a little mayo & a ton of dill pickle relish.  sooo good!!!)

I decided on a pasta bar for dinner.  I had some homemade marinara in the fridge I made last week b/c the children were on a homemade pizza binge, so I browned some hamburger meat and onions to make that a meat sauce.  I made some creamy pesto, and a garlic butter sauce too.  There were 3 different kinds of pasta to choose from & they could just carb themselves out.  I think they were extremely happy b/c no one said anything during dinner, they just ate.  It's always nice when they get excited about my cooking. 

The one downer, the clean-up.  Because I haven't learned the ins & outs of my new cook top, I made a little bit of a mess & some elbow grease was required to scrub it all off.  But, you know, I didn't really mind b/c I have enough left overs to serve the pasta as sides for the next few days, or part of lunch, or breakfast if they're moved to have pasta before swim team/golf/football practice.

It was a different kind of meal & I was going to serve it with a salad, but they wanted angel hair shredded cabbage with ranch dressing.  You know as long as they were eating something green I thought that was just fine.  Y'all try to stay cool during these hot days in June. 

Be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

PS~My baby, Henry, turned 9 Sunday.  Happy Birthday to the cutest little wiggle worm in the world.  I love you Hen. with all my heart.  <3

 

It's Just Broken

Well, I've finally made it back to MOJ.  It's been a rough month.  You might remember when I mentioned my cooktop was broken.  We thought we had it fixed, but then it quit again...very bad.  We have since found out that we are lucky the cook top didn't burn our house down.  Like I said, very bad. 

Well it didn't & we are fine except that I can't cook a lot of stuff.  It's kind of a pain.  Everything has to be baked, grilled, or zapped in the microwave.  Or maybe we can just have peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, again.... 

I've been pricing cook tops, and WOW, the companies who make them really like their products, alot!  I'm not asking for a Viking or Thermador...this is just a plain jane cook top.  Now, I would really like a Viking or Thermador, preferably gas, but the accountant says it's a no go.  (Hopson is my accountant for those of you who don't know.) 

I get a huge laugh at some of my friends who don't cook, but have a mack daddy kitchen.  Then there's me, I cook, and have the smallest oven ever built & an electric cook top that potentially could have burnt my house down.  Oh well, if that's the worst thing I can complain about, I guess I'm not doing to badly.

Trying to figure out dinner has been interesting for the last 2 weeks.  Last week I decided to try to poach some chicken in the microwave.  It didn't turn out to badly.  You just have to make sure you don't cook it on high heat; you cook it on a power level of about 4 until it's cooked.  Anyway, I was craving a BLT.  I don't know why, I just was.  So I decided to make a Chicken BT casserole.  It was actually very yummy & even the picky one liked it.  I'm having trouble with my wegottaeat webpage, so I'll get it posted asap!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure!
~ashley :)

Hold Me Now!

Oh I am so tired of crying.  I have turned into the biggest watering pot you have ever seen.  I look at pictures, videos, read first hand accounts of Wednesday, and I'm just heart sick and heart broken.  I used to not cry so easily, but the older I get the worse it gets. 

I know without a shadow of a doubt God speaks His words into my life.  I have a new play list with some of my new favorite songs and I'm just sitting here writing and crying. I will give you the list at the bottom of this posting if you're interested in listening to some songs that proclaim how awesome He is!

I have said several times that all I know is I serve a great God.  He is everything.  He has shown me that His body, when we decide to move, is strong and unstoppable.  Praise be to God who gives us all gifts to serve others!   

Right now I'm thinking of all the first responders.  I can't fathom what destruction looks like when they get there.  I've been hearing stories that I can't repeat, because the mental image is too much for me to handle, but these first responders are not like that.  They will charge ahead, no matter what, and do what they were trained to do: help people.  How thankful I am that they are willing to do that.  I feel about 2 inches tall when I think about what I have done compared to what they are doing.  God be with them all & sustain them through this.  God be with everyone who has offered their hands to help our neighbors.  God bless all the power company guys from different states!  God bless all the other states who want to help us by sending necessities.  We truly are The United States of America.

I don't feel like cooking, but I am.  Tonight we are having just plain jane poppyseed chicken.  If you don't have the recipe for this send me a message & I'll send it to you.

God bless our friends and neighbors beyond measure who are suffering right now!  May they be surrounded by His love and eternal mercy!
~ashley

My new play list:
Forever Reign (Live)          Hillsong Live
Stronger                            Mandisa
No Matter What                Kerrie Roberts
Get Up                              Planetshakers
You Hold Me Now           Robert Pierre
Starry Night                      Chris August
I Am                                 Nicole C. Mullen
For Those Who Wait         Fireflight
Rain It Down                     Carlos Whittaker
God of Second Chances    Carlos Whittaker
When the Saints                 Sara Groves
Revelation Song                 Kari Jobe
Hosanna                            Hillsong United
Salvation is Here                Hillsong United
I Will Rise                         Chris Tomlin
Awakening                        Chris Tomlin
We the Redeemed             Hillsong