What could it be?  Keep an eye on the blog for the big revelation =]

Well, what an easy and delicious meal!  I saw this recipe on CMT’s Country Fried Flicks with Hazel Smith (we were watching Backdraft – excellent movie) and just HAD to try it out.  I hopped on over to CMT.com and there it was!  The recipe calls for the tips to be served on white rice, but I’ve had great experiences with serving them on cooked egg noodles.  So whichever way sounds better to you, I say go for it!

BEEF TIPS
2 pounds stew beef in bite size pieces
1 can celery soup
1/2 can water
1 envelope dried onion soup mix
1/2 cup sour cream
Mix first four ingredients in a large covered baking dish. Cover and cook for 3 hours at 325. Add sour cream and stir. Serve over cooked rice.

RICE
1 cup white rice
1 1/4 cup water
Bring to boiling. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir.

Well, I’ll start with a house update: most of you know about our big house project already (remodeling/building our first home on 5 acres in Bolivar while living in it), and how much of our lives revolve around everything to do with it.  This weekend we made a big decision – to give up our expensive, amazing, incredible cabinets of our dreams and instead purchase unfinished oak (or maple, if I’m lucky) cabinets.  I’m disappointed, but we definitely think it’s the right way to go in furthering our progress toward the end goal – a finished house!!  Let me show you the difference in cabinets:

The first picture is my darling cherry wood cabinets, the second picture is the “before” of our oak cabinets.  I’m going to do my darndest to make the oak ones darker like the cherry wood, although I’ve heard some horror stories about trying to stain oak dark & the grain turning black.  Hopefully, the advice I’ve read to “use gel stain”, “don’t use Minwax” and “use semi-transparent” will work out and we’ll end up with something we love.  I’m sure it will be beautiful, it’s just a hard transition to make.

On Sunday morning we visited a new church – Wellspring Baptist Fellowship – and really liked the sermon!  The downside was the worship service, as much as I hate to pick apart things like this, it really was just disappointing.  We may go back, but I think we’re going to visit a few others before we decide anything.  Daryl’s cousin Donnie and his wife Jenni came with us this Sunday, and after church we went to Smith’s Restaurant (where we met a waitress that said “Yes!” to everything.  Example:  Me: “Thank you!”  Her: “Yes!  You’re welcome.”  or Me: “I’ll have the white gravy.”  Her:  “Yes! Okay.”  …it was strange), and then spent the rest of the day at their place.  Daryl and his brother helped Donnie fix their water heater and Jenni and I played with the kids and that evening cooked a delicious grilled chicken dinner!  It was definitely a great Sunday, and I personally think it should be come somewhat of a tradition.

James has been really excited about reading his “God Book” (his kids Bible) every night before bed, and even wants to tote it around with him when we run to the store or over to Mamaw’s house.  You go, son!  Maybe that’s something we should all try.  For the last few nights, we’ve read a chapter every night and he really understands the big concepts like creation, obedience, and God’s love because they’re described in really simple ways.  It really brings me joy to see him interested in God and “putting Jesus in my heart” and I do all I can to encourage the growth and walk with God.  Kids are a real blessing, aren’t they!  I sometimes wonder what my life would be like without him, but honestly, I don’t want to know.  His innocence, eagerness to learn and let me teach him just blows my mind sometimes.  It’s so great to be able to teach him new things that are “old news” to me, but he’s never heard of before!  What a satisfying experience!

I noticed today that I have about eight bananas sitting on my countertop waiting to go bad.  I guess it’s banana bread making time!  Darn it.  I really hate to have to eat all that delicious banana bread by myself while Daryl’s out of town for a whole week.

So, we’ve decided that 2010 is going to be our year of change.  For one thing, as I mentioned earlier in the post, we’re starting to go to church again.  We’ve been out of church for at least as long as we’ve been married (5 years this August), and I miss it so much.  I never thought I’d feel like there was something missing in my life without church, but I really do.  It’s not that my faith is shaking, it’s just that there isn’t any comparison to fellowship with believers and getting encouragement in your Spiritual growth from people who love you like your brother or sister.  We finally decided it’s gone on long enough, so we’re jumping in with both feet!  Another thing that’s going to change is our serious “eating out” habit.  I’m not a great cook, but I can definitely manage to make enough different things to keep us fed and happy, so why spend money on groceries and fast food?  It sounds ridiculous, but that’s exactly what we’ve been doing for about a year and a half.  I’ve started a monthly menu plan, complete with custom tailored shopping list and recipe cards so I have no excuse to buy things we don’t need or just not cook.  Another change is going to be our budget!  Up until now we’ve had more of a “wing it” budget plan, and we’ve always gotten by just fine, but with the addition of our house project our savings has been gone for a long time and we’ve even been late on a few bills!  Not good, folks!  So, I’m making a calendar of our pay days and bills, sticking to a strict limit when I go grocery shopping, and we’re all cutting back on “wants” so that we can have what we “need” – a finished house!

Back to the subject of menu planning, I’ve decided to participate in Menu Plan Monday by OrgJunkie, so watch for those posts each week!

Things to pray for:
- That Daryl have a safe trip as he travels for a solid week, starting Wednesday.
– That James and I get through the lonely week without a hitch!
– For Monica’s (my mother-in-law) family, two elderly family members have gone to be with the Lord in the past couple of weeks.
– For Daryl and I as we try to make wise decisions regarding the house and our family.

Well, today was pretty much a big waste of time as far as getting things accomplished goes. I woke up with a migraine left over from last night (dang Excedrine didn’t work this time!), so the wonderful, productive day I had planned flew out the window before breakfast was over. On that topic, though, has anyone tried the Carnation brand Instant Breakfast? The chocolate flavor is actually pretty excellent, just almost as good as regular (fattening) chocolate milk.  Close enough to work for me, anyway!  I started drinking it a couple weeks ago, and at first had an odd (or so it seemed) nauseous reaction when I drank this and then took my usual One-A-Day Women multi-vitamin…well, I’ve figured out why!  My multi-vitamin has 100% of my daily Iron needs and the Instant Breakfast drink has 25% of my daily Iron needs (Iron makes me soooo sick until I’m used to taking it anyway).  Viola!  So, I’ve switched to taking my vitamin at night after dinner, which is harder to remember but hopefully will allow me to keep on with the breakfast drink plan (it’s really low in calories and surprisingly satisfying!).

See? Lazy, lazy day.

So, because of aforementioned migraine, James basically watched TV all day.  I know, I know…you don’t have to tell me that was a horrible failure on my part!  Not that he minded, of course, as long as Spongebob (”Bumbob”), Imagination Movers (”Mayshamaysha Movers”), or Handy Manny (”MannyMan”) is on, he’s a happy camper.  I got almost nothing done compared to all there was to do: 1 load of dishes.  Oh, and I made the bed.  Whoopee.  James rotated between wanting to “help” me with stuff and just wanting to sit on the couch and watch TV, so I let him “help” with the things that didn’t involve glass and just laid down when he wanted to watch TV.  It’s a super shame, because today was the warmest day we’ve had in a long while and I had been hoping to squeeze in an outing to the park in Bolivar!  Oh well, maybe we’ll have some nicer weather days next week.

Daryl left for Texas on Tuesday morning, got about 3/4 of the way there only to realize the water pump on his truck was going out & the darn thing would start overheating soon!  He decided to park it in Arkansas and ride with his co-worker (who was going with him anyway) the rest of the way to Temple, TX…which was a nice break for his truck (and him – he didn’t have to drive!), but is going to make for a pretty small expense check next week (he gets paid per mile on his trips)!  Oh well – we know the Lord will provide!  Daryl’s on his way home from Arkansas now after spending a large part of the day waiting for O’Reillys to get his water pump in and then replacing it himself.  We’re blessed that he has the skills to do stuff like that himself – a repair shop would have had some real money out of us if he didn’t!

In other news, I’m almost pretty sorta maybe sure (in other words, skeptical but hopeful) that we’ll be getting our kitchen cabinets soon!  I’ve worked out a deal with the company we’re buying them from, so I’ll be making them a couple websites in exchange for a large part of the cost.  Praise the Lord!  A lot of you guys know about our home remodel project, and some of you know about the sorry condition our kitchen is in – well that’s about to change!  It’s liveable the way it is, but I’m definitely ready to have the cabinets of my dreams in there.

Things to pray for:
– That Daryl continues to have the patience and endurance required to do his job – he’s tired, but he has to keep going.
– For clarity in me to see what direction my career (or lack thereof) should be headed.
– For James, as he continues to grow in body and in spirit, and (I hope) in Christ.
– For an unnamed member of Daryl’s family, for guidance and for God to change his heart.

This Chicken Salad recipe is one of my favorites – it’s mostly healthy (completely healthy if you use “lite” mayonnaise), very refreshing, and perfect for a hot summer day.  It’s really good on some nice soft wheat bread, ciabatta bread, on a tortilla, lettuce leaf, or even just eaten by itself out of a bowl (my personal favorite).  I recommend boiling and chopping the chicken yourself (not using the canned chunked chicken breast – it just doesn’t taste as good at all) and using the “Craisins” brand dried sweetened cranberries – yum!

The walnuts or pecans add some crunch, but you can leave them out if you’d like.

(photo from http://entertaininganytime.typepad.com)
(thanks to About.com for the amazing recipe!)

Ingredients:
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced celery
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
lettuce leaves

Preparation:
Combine the chicken, cranberries, celery, onion, apple, and walnuts, if using.
In a cup or small bowl combine 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise. the lemon juice, curry powder, if using, and salt and pepper. Stir into the chicken, adding more mayonnaise as needed and for taste. Line bread or rolls with lettuce and spread chicken salad on the bread or serve the chicken salad on lettuce-lined plates.

Oh.  My.  Gosh.
I can now make the most delicious sandwich right here in my very own kitchen.  Mind you, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but the reviews at RecipeZaar were stellar!  This was my other favorite food at the late Bennigan’s (RIP Cedar Hill, TX branch)…missed terribly when they closed their doors.  Also check out the recipe I found for Bennigan’s Potato Soup!

(thank you RecipeZaar for this recipe.  I can’t wait to try it!)
(Monte Cristo image found at idahofergusonfamily.blogspot.com)

Ingredients
9 slices whole wheat bread
3 slices cooked turkey
3 slices cooked ham
3 slices American cheese
3 slices swiss cheese

(Batter)
1 egg
1-1 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Preparation
Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread.
Place third slice in-between and secure the triple-decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.
Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together.
Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Beat batter until smooth.
Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface.
Carefully place in hot oil and fry until golden.
When sandwich has turned a warm gold color remove from hot oil and place on paper towel.
Let cool for a few minutes before removing the tooth picks.
Before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle with powder sugar.
Serve with Raspberry jam.

(comment by apparent Bennigan’s employee: Accuracy wise this recipe is essentially spot-on….just a few adjustments. To make a true Monty Cristo EXACTLY as Bennigan’s does, use 1 1/2 oz (2 med slices) each of honey ham and smoked turkey, a commercial tempura mix (we use Sun Luck brand), and double-dip each half of the sandwich. Be sure to fry each half after cutting, fry for 3 min 10 seconds, turning halfway through, and sprinkle the powdered sugar on RIGHT after taking from the oil. Enjoy!)

I can never get enough of the fabulous Lemonade from Chick-Fil-A.  It’s so delicious and refreshing, and it’s quite obvious they don’t use the “instant” brand.  According to a man who claims to be a manager of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, this is the recipe they follow:

(recipe found on Yahoo! Answers)
(lemonade image found at childreach.wordpress.com)

Ingredients
2 quarts freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 quarts water
7 c. sugar

Preparation
For helpful lemon squeezing directions, visit StartCooking.com

Mix ingredients together, serve chilled.

Yields 11 quarts.

Bennigan’s restaurant was my favorite place to eat for a loooong time because of this Potato Soup recipe.  It is to die for.  Literally.  Well, okay, maybe not literally.
Anyway, if you’re a fan of potato soup and you’ve never tried this one, put it on the menu for this week.  I was devastated when our local Bennigan’s shut it’s doors forever, and was so grateful to find this recipe so I could keep on potato soupin’.
(side note: I’m also in search of a totally awesome Bennigan’s Monte Cristo recipe.  Anyone have any leads? I found a Monte Cristo Recipe!  See it here.)

(many thanks to www.cdkitchen.com for sharing this recipe on their site)
(potato soup image from http://www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
3 pounds starchy baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 can (14 1/2 ounce size) can chicken broth
3 cups low-fat milk or whole milk
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
***Toppings***
shredded Colby cheese, garnish (optional)
crumbled bacon, garnish (optional)
chopped scallions, garnish (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Poke potatoes with a fork several times and bake 1 hour or until tender when pierced.
Let cool slightly, and when you can touch them without burning your fingers, peel potatoes.
Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat.
Add onions and garlic, cover and let sweat 10 minutes, or until soft- but not brown.
Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash using a potato masher right in the pot.
Add chicken broth, milk, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Raise the heat slightly to bring mixture to a low simmer (bubbles forming under the surface, but not a boil), stirring occasionally.
Chop remaining potatoes into small cubes, add to soup, and stir gently; keep heating until soup warmed through.
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with any or all of the optional toppings.

Serves 6.