2 Snow Days and Eating Like Kings {with recipes :O)}

Two snow days in Des Moines Public Schools is unheard of... let alone having two snow days in a row! We made the most of our days here in Lynamland. Well, maybe not the most, but we sure did get a few things done.

Of course, we did the normal, standard, typical shoveling & snowblowing after a lovely massive snowfall. Here is my knight in shining armor hero in brown Carhartt snowblowing our driveway.

You can't tell... but I was not getting a smile from him. :(

Would ya look at the height of that snow?!? Insanity! I would like to point out that I shoveled the front steps (to the best of my ability) and the deck a couple of times. But I was not outside nearly as much as Sean was. Poor guy. I'm not sure he's warmed up yet!

As for us girls? A whole lot of bonding time. And Christmas present wrapping! And more bonding time!! And a few loads of laundry! And eating! Boy, did we eat!! Not all day long though. I actually had will power to NOT eat all day. What?!?! Could I be growing up???

Seriously though, we ate like kings, y'all. Tuesday, while being home from Keelyn's shots, I made a roast & carrots in the oven, mashed potatoes, and of course, my Uncle Bob's gravy (minus the Kitchen Bouquette... still can't find that stuff!!)**. I also made a cheesecake**.

**All recipes mentioned in this post are at the very bottom. Don't just skip to the bottom though... you'll miss some fun readin'!

Wednesday morning I made Southern Hashbrown skillet**. Yumm-o! However, by the time Sean came in from snowblowing the neighborhood, it turned out to be more of a brunch kind of thing. Wednesday night I channeled my friend Missy and made her oh-so-tasty Bacon Potato Chowder**. Again... yumm-o!

I also whipped up some tasty baby food for Keelyn. I made carrots, green beans, squash & sweet potatoes. So far, I've given her carrots. She's seeming to like them, so that's good. Of course, her poor lil' system is not quite knowing what to do with this new food addition, so today I did something I thought I would never, ever do. I helped my little girl go #2. {I'm sorry if this offends any of you readers, but hey, it's my blog and I'm talking about what I want to talk about}.

The debut of eating carrots...

What?!?!? Why are you lookin' at me like that? Do I have something on my face? :o)

Today, well, we had no breakfast, but for supper I again channeled Missy and made another one of her tasty meals--Chicken Cesaer Pasta Bowl** and garlic bread. Again... yumm-o!!!


Tomorrow means we'll be headed back to the reality of work and Holly's house, but it only leaves us with 5 more days 'til Winter Break!



And now..... drum roll please...... it's recipe time!!!!


Uncle Bob's Gravy

• beef broth from roast
• 1/4 c. Wondra (a very fine flour in either a blue bag or blue container)
• A few drops of Kitchen Bouquette (apparently found in the spice aisle)

Get the beef broth to a roaring boil and add in 1/4 c. Wondra while whisking briskly. Add in a bit more Wondra as needed. Let boil for a few moments and it should begin to thicken. To get that nice, dark brown gravy look, add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquette. MMMMmmmmm!!!

Southern Hashbrown Skillet

• 1/2 32 oz. bag Southern style hashbrowns
• 6 strips bacon (I forgot to thaw mine, so I used Real Bacon pieces that are found by the bacon bits)
• 6 eggs (I only used 4)
• 1 onion, minced (I didn't use... I don't like onions)
• shredded cheese

Cook bacon in skillet. Remove excess grease by laying on a paper towel. Use 2-3 Tbsp. of grease drippings and add hashbrowns and onion. Cook covered on medium heat for 10-13 min. or until brown (make sure you stir every so often) {since I used bacon pieces, I put them in with the hashbrowns and let them cook away for the flavor}. Stir in some shredded cheese. Then make 6 (or 4) wells and crack an egg into the well. Cover and let egg cook. Top with bacon strips and a little more cheese. Enjoy

Cheesecake

• Follow the recipe on the side of the box and enjoy :)
  

Bacon Potato Chowder (courtesy of Missy)

• 1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled (I just use the pre-cooked, pre-crumbled recipe pieces)
• 2-3 c. new red potatoes, cubed
• 1 c. chopped onions
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 8 oz. can corn, drained
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. thyme

Mix in crockpot. Cook on low 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.

~~For my very own variation, I added a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. Tasty. I love cheese :)

Chicken Caeser Pasta Bowl (courtesy of Missy)

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut-up (I just use the pre-cooked, pre-cut chicken)
• 1 can cr. of celery soup (can also use cream of chicken)
• 1 c. water
• 1/3 c. Caesar dressing (I usually use a little more)
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 c. linguine pasta
• grated parm

Heat chicken on stovetop, add in soup, water & dressing. Heat to boil. Add tomatoes. Cover & cook on low for 5 minutes. Toss in linguine and serve with parm.

And what would be a post of recipes without another one of my own? Enjoy :)


Pizza Casserole

• 1 bag egg noodles, cooked & drained
• 1 lb. hamburger, browned & drained
• 2 cans pizza sauce (I prefer good ol' Chef Boy-ar-dee)
• 1 can Cheddar cheese (found in the soup aisle)
• 1 pkg. shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles and brown hamburger. Once cooked, pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Pour in pizza sauce and cheddar cheese and stir. Bake for 45 minutes. Add mozzerella cheese to the top and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. You could also add pieces of pepperoni, minced onion, olives, or any other pizza topping you like. It's also fun to use different noodles.

Now... I've shared two recipes of my own, three from other people. It's your turn!! Post a recipe on your blog (or in the comment section) for our very own Blogspot recipe exchange!!