Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

If you have not discovered that magic of the slow cooker, aka the Crock Pot, you need to do so. I find slow cooker meals make large quantities so it's perfect for lots of leftovers or parties. The best part? It cooks the meal for you! 

I discovered this soup recipe and OH EMM GEE it's divine! It's creamy, thick, and full of flavor and it's perfect for this cold weather... 

Crock Pot Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
8-10 cups turkey or chicken stock, divided
8 oz. uncooked wild rice (I used 4 oz. wild rice and 4 oz. of brown rice just to mix it up)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced (when I make this soup again I'd add about 4 carrots)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chicken soup base (like Better Than Bouillon)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half or cream
2 cups diced cooked turkey (I just used the carving block turkey in the deli section)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or one tablespoon dried parsley flakes)
salt and pepper to taste

Add eight cups of stock and the uncooked wild rice to a crock pot set to high. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute onion, celery and carrots until onion is transparent, about 10 minutes. Season with the black pepper, and add the sauteed veggies to the crock pot. Stir in the chicken soup base. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours) until the wild rice and veggies are sufficiently tender.

In the same skillet over medium heat, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Whisk in the flour, and cook for a minute or two. Gradually add the half-and-half or cream, whisking constantly. You may wish to thin this mixture out with an additional cup of stock at this point. Once thickened and completely smooth, add the white sauce to the crock pot and stir to combine. Add the turkey and the parsley (and perhaps another cup of stock if you prefer a thinner soup), and cook on high for another 15-20 minutes until heated through. Taste to correct seasonings before serving.

This soup is probably one of my favorite things I've ever made so it's really worth a try. Enjoy! 

Maddie  

Update

I realized its been a while since I've updated you on our lives here in the Buckeye state. The reason for that is really not much is going on but I'll try my best to think of something...

First off, marriage is awesome! I highly recommend it. Being married is truly like getting to be with your best friend all the time. After being long distance for 3 years we are definitely taking advantage of finally living in the same place and it's so cool to interact on a daily basis. We've gotten connected to the young marrieds group at our church and it's great to make friends that are in the same season of life that we are in. 

Aspen is 12 weeks old now and is so curious and biting everything! She's actually a really good puppy though and loves being around people which we're very relieved about. She's pretty much up for anything and isn't scared of much, which again we're very happy about because we want her to be a super social dog. Next week we start obedience school and I'm so excited! Our goal for her is to basically be a bombproof dog. We want her to be exposed to a lot and to take her anywhere with ease. The biggest issue we're seeing is she likes to chase cars when we're on walks so we want to break that habit fast! 

Chad is doing great, working away as usual. He's making great strides at work and I'm so proud and happy for his success! He turned in the first draft of his thesis and he'll be done with his masters soon and I know he'll be very relieved when that's finished lol. He's definitely over the education system. Of course, baseball (and church softball) season is right around the corner so I think that's putting a little extra spring in his step! 

I'm doing alright. The move has been more difficult than I thought it would be and I'm really struggling with all the changes. Being with Chad and Aspen is a dream but the fact that I'm not where I really want to be is extremely hard. Moving to a new state, being away from all of my friends and family, and adjusting to the changes of marriage is pretty overwhelming. I'm really trying to give it all to God and to remember He has an amazing plan for all of this but I'm sure you can imagine how difficult that is. I'm just taking it day by day and trying to see the blessings of it all. 

We're both so sick of this cold weather and can't wait for it to warm up so we can get out and explore along with starting on some of these house projects. The big things on our list are get a dog pen for Aspen, start my garden :) and begin painting the bedrooms. We're both really excited to give this house some lovin'! 

That's all I can think of right now so I hope that suffices. I promise I'll keep you updated more often! Love ya'll! 

Maddie 

Ham, Egg, and Potato Bake

Chad's family has a tradition of having breakfast for dinner. My family never did this so at first I found it a little strange but I began to embrace this fun concept and now we have breakfast for dinner quite often! The first time I attempted this tradition I made the yummiest ham, egg, and potato bake that I could probably eat every day, it is so yummy!! Here's the recipe! 

Ham, Egg, and Potato Bake 

600g (about 3 large) potatoes
75g (1 cup) grated tasty cheddar cheese
44g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese
150g shaved ham, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, grated
4 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
250ml (1 cup) cream
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thoroughly grease a 19cm or 20cm diameter pan. (We previously recommended using a spring form pan for neat and easy serving, but some people found that their pan leaked. Only use a spring form pan if you are sure that it is leak proof).

Line the base of the pan with baking paper. If your pan isn't non-stick, line the side of the pan also. ©

Peel and halve potatoes. Boil potatoes until tender, drain. Allow potatoes to cool then cut into 1cm thick slices.

Combine cheeses in a bowl.

Cover the base of the prepared pan with a layer of potato slices. Season with salt and pepper.


Top with half the ham and onion. Sprinkle with about one third of the combined cheeses. Continue layering ingredients (seasoning each layer of potatoes), finishing with a layer of cheese.

Use a whisk or fork to beat the eggs and cream until well combined. Gently pour the mixture over ingredients in pan.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture has set. Cover the bake with aluminum foil if the top begins to over brown before the egg mixture has set. 

Remove from oven and set aside for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. Cut into wedges to serve.

Enjoy! 

Maddie

 

Wait, what's for dinner?

Granted, my life isn't super hectic right now but I have found a way to stay on top of one of the most important parts of life....dinner. In our family food is no joking matter. For example, when I was a little sprout I went to the doctors for routine booster shots and my Nana bought me a snow cone maker for taking them like a champ. Our family rewards with food, always appreciates a good meal, and never misses a feeding! Being married I started to get a little overwhelmed with the excitement of being able to try tons of amazing recipes from Pinterest and my cookbook library. Meal planning is what saved me from drowning in the land of slow cooker meals and cauliflower pizza crusts. 

Once a week I pick 2 or 3 new recipes from my collection, anymore than that I find too overwhelming and I end up buying ingredients that I'll never use again. The rest of the week I make recipes I either know by heart or can create from what I already have in the pantry. After I go shopping I sit down and create the menu for the week. The new recipes I disperse throughout the week and intertwine the easier recipes between them; one day is usually designated leftover day because let's face it, no one wants to cook all the time. I'm lucky because the previous owners made a chalkboard door in our kitchen that is also magnetic so I can put the recipes up to be seen for the entire week, however meal planning doesn't need to be that visually fancy. Putting the meals in a planner, on a piece of paper, or creating your own menu board are all great options. 

 The biggest tip I have for meal planning is to keep your pantry stocked! Keeping a healthy amount of spices, broths, herbs, can goods, and all of those base flavors allows you to make all kinds of recipes with ease. Another thing I do is buy frozen veggies. They have the same nutrients as fresh and are cheaper, which is great since being on budget is key. Of course having a big stock of fresh fruits and veggies is important as well. Lastly, I buy in bulk. Once or twice a month I go crazy at the store and basically buy it out! I hate having to go to the store all the time for one or two things. 

I hope these meal planning tips add a little peace to your life and you find them just as helpful as I have. Love ya'll! 

Maddie 

 

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Chad is not a breakfast person and usually eats a granola bar or two on the way to work. I'm not quite sure how he does this because if I don't have a bagel or a bowl of cereal I turn into a grumpy, tired, mess of a girl who is less than pleasant to be around. Anyway, it's hard to send my husband off to work with granola bars that, although relatively healthy, have lots of unnecessary sugars and preservatives. So I decided to find an alternative that was equally yummy without all that junk his body doesn't need. Well, I think I found it...

Healthy Breakfast Cookies
1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup unsweetened applesauce 
 1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
**I added walnuts for an extra crunch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix vanilla extract and cinnamon into the applesauce. Blend applesauce mixture with all other ingredients. Drop rounded cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper (use parchment paper if you can. I greased a cookie sheet and it made the bottoms a little soggy). Use the bottom of a glass or your hand to press the rounds down flat. Bake 20-30 minutes or until golden (They don't expand in the oven so feel free to go big!) Remove from oven and let cool.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is completely interchangeable with different spices, dried fruits, nuts, shredded carrots, or adding extras like flax seed, chia seeds, or some dark chocolate!   

Maddie 

 

Rigatoni Bake

Cooking and baking are some of my greatest passions. Ever since I was little I was rambling through cookbooks, creating recipes, and starring in my own Food Network show with a very captive audience of stuffed animals and baby dolls. Today, the audience isn't as captive, Aspen usually sleeps while I'm cooking, but the passion is still very much alive. Now that I've graduated I have the free time to finally prepare all the dishes I've been admiring and thankfully being married allows for a willing (or not so willing) guinea pig for all of my creations. 

 Rigatoni Bake 
1 (500 g) package rigatoni pasta

1 lb lean ground beef (I didn't have any beef but it turned out perfectly if you feel like making it vegetarian) 
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or to taste)
season salt and pepper 

2 (700 ml) jars favorite pasta sauce (I used a mix of 2 different sauces for more flavor)

2 cups ricotta cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4-1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Set oven to 350°F.

Grease a 13 x9-inch casserole dish. 

Cook the rigatoni until firm-tender (do not overcook as it will cook more when baked) toss with 2 tbsp oil to prevent drying out; set aside.

Cook beef with onions, garlic, seasoned salt and pepper until beef is done and no longer pink; drain off fat. (If you feel like making it vegetarian just cook the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent)

Stir in pasta sauce; simmer 20 minutes. 

In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and eggs.

On the bottom of the casserole dish spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce.  

Top with half each, the cooked rigatoni, ricotta cheese mixture and meat sauce. 

Repeat layer ending with meat sauce.

 

Top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.

Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 

  This dish is super simple, makes for plenty of leftovers, and can be modified so many different ways. I hope you enjoy!

 

Maddie

Obsessing

Now and then I become fixated on different foods or products and get so excited I want to tell everyone! You know what I mean? Like when you find the Holy Grail of moisturizers or the best Mexican food in the Midwest (still need to discover that one). When I am obsessing over something I desperately want to share it with you. So every once in a while you can hear about my latest find. Currently my obsession is...... 

 Peanut butter! I bought this at Trader Joe's on the recommendation of an employee. It is all natural, low sodium, and the best part, you don't have to stir it! I have had very bad luck with natural peanut butters because stirring it grosses me out and they usually taste like peanut-flavored wallpaper paste. This stuff is amazing! It has an incredible flavor and I love that I'm not putting terrible chemicals in my body. Go try some! :)

Maddie 

Work in Progress

Let's face it, all women dream of having a home and decorating it with every Pinterest DIY they can find. Well, now that dream is my reality! Being married has brought so many blessings, one of them being a home. Chad has done such an amazing job making sure I feel comfortable here and that it is our home, not just his. Its been so fun deciding how to decorate, what we want to change, and all the construction projects we want to take on. I'm going to take you on a mini tour of the house and tell you all of our big plans. I'd love to hear your opinions and ideas and I hope you can all see the house in person soon!! 

This is our dining room and kitchen, it is my favorite part of the house probably because it requires the least amount of work, ha! We plan on getting a new table and new light fixtures for both rooms. The overall theme for this room is Starbucks coffee shop meets Restoration Hardware (if you've never heard of this store look it up, it'll change your life). Basically an industrial feel with dark woods and metals with feminine touches. 

Next is our downstairs bathroom. My favorite part of this space is the mirror and pedestal sink, they're both so darn cute! We're going to keep the black and brown color pallet and get rid of that hideous sailboat wallpaper! Also, we're going to cut wooden pallets and create a back splash behind the toilet, shout out to Betsy who gave me the idea! (see bottom pic for the inspiration)

This is technically our formal dining room but neither of us feel the need for formal dinners so we've decided to turn it into an office/library/craft space. Currently it is a dumping ground for everything that would go in an office or for things we don't know where to put. I'm not quite sure how to decorate this room yet since it has to appeal to both male and female taste so I'd love your opinion! 

This is the dreadful mess we call the living room. Aspen has taken over but we have big plans for this room. First, we want to re-stain all of the hardwood floors to a really dark brown, next we will get all new furniture that resembles a modern farmhouse. The colors will be browns and neutrals with pops of different shades of blue. The couch will be accompanied by two end tables, on either side of those will be matching chairs creating a semi circle. In the middle will be a coffee table and to complete the look lots of throw pillows! There will be another seating area to the right of the couch near the windows and along the left windows will be a long, narrow table to hold books and chachki's. Lastly we want to get a pretty storage piece for all of the dvd's and cable boxes, I just hate when you can see everything! I think this might be my favorite room to redo!! 

Clearly this is our staircase. Not too many plans here except to stain the railings to match the hardwood floors and put lots of pictures, cool wall hangings, and window panes (like the one from our wedding) on the wall leading upstairs....very Pinterest of course! 

Next is our guest bathroom. We're going to keep the yellow paint and that adorable mirror and add touches of gray to make it super cute and shabby-chic! We want to get a new shower curtain to match and, if we can, put in a claw-foot tub and change the floor tiles, but that's just a dream.

I had to find a place for all of my Paris stuff, you didn't think I was just going to give it away did you?? So behold, the Paris room. The colors are black and white with a damask pattern. First and foremost that terrible lime green is going to go! We're going to paint the room a pearly white except for the back wall behind the bed which is going to be all black. We want to find a pretty chandelier to replace the ceiling fan and find some great nightstands that just scream Paris! I'm so excited for this room!!

This is our other guest bedroom we affectionately call the Indian/Moroccan room. This is my bed and bedding from college and I'm just so in love with it. I've always been intrigued by these two locations and love all of the vibrant colors and elements that come with it. This room will be filled with candles, lanterns, elephants (not real of course, but that would be cool) and big, colorful pillows. The wall color will be a light mint to match the bedding and allow for all of these bright colors to shine. I want to replace the ceiling fan with a really unique light fixture but I haven't decided what yet. I feel this room has endless possibilities and I'm so ready to transform it into an exotic space. 

The last room is our master bedroom. It will require the most paint as we want to do the room and bathroom. The overall theme for these rooms is art deco, 1920's all centering around our bedding. The wall color for both rooms will be a cream color with just a hint of gold. Where the desk is will be a seating area with 2 chairs and a little table. We plan on getting a neutral headboard and nightstands that mirror that 1920's feel. I would love to change the ceiling fan to an amazing chandelier that will be the focal point of the whole room, but I have yet to convince Chad on that one  ;) We definitely need a dresser and more storage in the bathroom but we're excited to find some awesome antique pieces that complete our master retreat! 

Last and honestly least is the basement. We never go down there unless it is to do laundry or find random junk a place to live. It gives me the creeps and I avoid going down there at all cost. It is either too cold or too hot and there's bugs! Ah! Our plan for this space is to gut it! The walls were build a foot off the foundation so we want to maximize the living space and re-wire the electrical. We're going to turn it into a man cave, workout area, laundry space, and storage area. It will be decorated with all different sports teams we love and become a friendly and comfortable space to relax. 

We don't know if we'll actually get to do everything on our list and God only knows if we'll even be in this house long enough to complete it all but it's fun to plan and create our little home together. I hope you enjoyed seeing our pad and being apart of our plans. I can't wait to show you the progress along the way! xoxo

Maddie