more recipes

2 more we've enjoyed lately!

chicken and rice
In a long, greased casserole dish, mix:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can boiling water (use one of the soup cans) with 1 chicken boullion cube
1 cup raw rice (i used uncle ben's long grain & wild rice original recipe and mixed the seasoning packet in with it as well, the more flavor, the better)
Put 4 or 5 chicken breasts on top (or any kind of chicken pieces--bone in or out)
Sprinkle with 1 chopped onion (i only use a half an onion)
Cover well with foil
Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 350, and no peeking!

i put some ground pepper over all the chicken breasts except one (for caroline and susanna) and i served it with green beans and bread...yummy and easy!

herb marinated chicken
place the following in a gallon ziploc bag:

• 1/2 small sweet onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (didn't have any)
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper

let the chicken marinate in fridge for 30 to 90 minutes. while marinating, slice up veggies to grill as well. i had squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper and onions. spread the veggies on foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. we also had some corn on the cobb b/c caroline (and her parents) love it!! after grilling the chicken, squeeze some fresh lemon over it. so delicious and easy!

remember...

some moments in life i just want to remember...late this afternoon was one of them. caroline has quiet time most afternoons in her room to rest, read, play on her own, etc. susanna normally takes a long afternoon nap during the same time and that gives me some time to do what i need to do. today, i was catching up on my esther bible study that i missed last week so i had the video on with my study book and bible. caroline wanted to come downstairs after a while so i told her she could, but that i wanted to finish the video and study so she needed to play quietly. instead of playing, she grabbed her little bible, sat on the other end of the couch and started reading. she on one end, me on the other, our feet touching...she opened her bible to abraham and sarah and said, "mommy, it's abraham and sarah...they really wanted a baby" and smiled. she quietly read as i finished the video and then got to where Jesus was crucified. she had a sad face and said "this is when Jesus died on the cross...there were 2 other men beside him who sinned". sitting on the couch, learning more about Jesus, our feet touching...my heart almost exploded. life doesn't get much better than that!!

a few good recipes...

here are a few recipes i've made this week for dinner...easy and yummy!


grilled pork tenderloin with black bean salsa
(family circle mag, july 2009)

i served this with rice and sliced peaches and blueberries...we devoured it!


beef and wild rice medley
(taste of home website)

i served this with corn on the cob and sliced peaches, strawberries and blueberries...microwave the corn to make it easy. just put on a plate covered with a paper towel still in the husks and microwave on high for 8-10min. tastes so good!

daddy's boards are over!!!

the drive into botany bay

the trees were amazing...oh, how i love the lowcountry!

caroline showing off a tiny, tiny crab

the chimney from a former slave home

more beautiful trees and landscape

susanna wanted to take a turn driving :)

playing on the beach

making a stick sand castle at caroline's request

john finished his boards and we took off on a little road trip to celebrate! there are so many places that we haven't been around here and we are trying to use this last year to take in everything. so, we headed down 17 to edisto beach to check out the botany bay wildlife management area. it's the site of 2 former cotton plantations and is absolutely beautiful! there are several remains of buildings from the plantation days...including a chimney from a former slave home. after checking it out, we headed to the beach for some play time. it was so much fun!!!!!

susanna's birthday in charleston

susanna at 9:16am on her 2nd b'day! this is her "cheese" smile :)

diggin' in to her vanilla cupcake at "cupcake" downtown

big sis and her big cupcake

yummy!!

you have to lick the icing

the girls

daddy and his girls

we had a wonderful time celebrating susanna's actual b'day on july 8 in charleston...it was a treat to go downtown, steal daddy away for a short time and enjoy lunch and a yummy trip to "cupcake" for a b'day cupcakes. john's medical boards were the next day so there was a lot going on!! susanna enjoyed the entire day and replied "mine" every time someone asked if it was her b'day :)

susanna's party in GA

susanna turns 2!

her woof woof cupcake cake made by grandma!!

the kid table

throwing up their birthday signs

this is her "say cheese" smile

reading one of her b'day cards

sweet anna

sorry for the glare here...couldn't get rid of it!

and the b'day girl is exhausted....

and throwing a b'day tantrum!

we were able to be in georgia for the 4th of july so it made for a perfect time to celebrate susanna's 2nd b'day a little early with our families! we had a wonderful party up at the lake and the b'day girl thoroughly enjoyed herself until she was completely worn out. we really missed my sis and her family, though :( they literally had moved the week before to raleigh. can't wait to take a road trip to see them!!