Crock Pot Potato Soup.

We love potato soup, it's filling and hearty and oh soooo good!


WHAT YOU WILL NEED.
Potatoes
Butter
Milk OR Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
Onions
Bacon
Shredded Cheese
Saltine Crackers
Water


Chop or slice/dice your potatoes, however many you think you will need, you can do one potato per person. Chop one whole onion, put it in with the potatoes.

I used red Potatoes this time, you can use ANY kind.

   Add water about 4 cups to potatoes/onions. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours OR High  3-5 hours. During the last hour add 3-4cups of milk. You can also mash some of the potatoes if you don't want big chunks in your soup. Remember some of the water cooks out so your crock pot is not holding 8 cups of liquid!!! Add salt,Butter and pepper to taste.




Add chopped cooked bacon or Turkey bacon as a topping.



 Add shredded cheese and Serve with saltine Crackers.

                                  Easy as pie!

Case of the missing Glaze. This could happen to your Family!!!

It's Friday, Some Friday's we order pizza which is what we did. I got the usual, plain cheese for the kiddos, pepperoni with extra cheese for the rest of us, bread sticks and of course you got to have wings!! I thought i would live a little and throw in some cinnamon sticks. Everything arrived looking yummy we ate our pizza, the kids played for a little bit then it was time for Cinnamon sticks......Only when i opened the box there was NO GLAZE. Who eats cinnamon anything without glaze? Its like Thanksgiving without the turkey, Christmas without presents, Bonnie without Clyde, Thelma without Louise, Milk and cookies without the Milk!!! You get the picture?

This was a travesty, so off i went to the pantry to see if i had the stuff to whip up some fast and easy glaze. This could happen to your family and being the nice person i am "ahem" here is what i came up with,

2 cups of Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1teaspoon water (not sure if this is really neccessary but it's what i threw in)
1 tabelspoon Milk

Mix, with an electric mixer (i tried by hand at first to no avail) all the ingrediants except the milk. Then add your milk, i know i said 1 tablespoon but add enough to make it thick to your liking.

Im thinking you could put OJ in it for orange glaze if you wanted.

Trying to show the thickness.

Now thats Cinnamon Sticks!

Our Best Friend.

Nick

My Brother was born with Cerebral Palsy, He lives with us by his own choosing. I think for him it was kind of like leaving the nest and having more independence when he decided not to live with our mom. As hard as his decision was for her she let him make the choice because more often than not in his life choices are made for him. I love having him here, i wouldn't trade it for anything on earth.

My kids are Two and Five And i have often thought about if they even notice their Uncle is different. We had a conversation about him tonight and i have come to the conclusion that they don't notice because in my two year old's words "Him is like us".Why would they notice? to them he is just Uncle Nick same as he has always been they dont know him any other way. Im so thankful. I wanted to share Our conversation.

Beetlebee (my 5 year old) said to me "Mom i love uncle Nick, he always lets me play with his stuff"

LadyBug (my two year old) "Meee too mommy! Mee too i wuv hims too!"

 

I am so glad you love your Uncle! I love him too!



Nick With LadyBug, She was about three months here.



Beetlebee "Uncle Nick is your brother"

Yes he is my big brother.

Beetlebee "How come you can do more things , im sissys big brother but i do more things than her"

Well because Uncle Nick needs help sometimes. Even though im his little sister i help him because i love him. Uncle Nick was Born with something called Cerebral Palsy, some things are harder for him and thats why we help him.

Nick with Beetlebee, He was around 1 year.

Beetlebee "He helps us, he plays with us, and he likes the same movies we do and he is funny and silly"

I know, he is a good playmate Mommy used to play with him just like you play with sissy.

Ladybug "I wuv Uncle Nick"

Beetlebee "Sometimes when he gets sick i come and tell you"

I know you do, that is very helpful.

Beetlebee "will he always be our Uncle?"

Yes he will Always always be your uncle.

Ladybug helping Nick blow out his birthday candles on his 27th Birthday.

Beetlebee " How old is Uncle nick?"

27

Beetlebee "Sometimes he gets mad at me when i go in his room"

Dont you get mad if sissy goes in your room and messes with things when you are not in there?

Beetlebee "Yes"

Well thats why Uncle Nick gets mad at you when you do that.

Beetlebee and his Uncle Nick

Beetlebee "Oh" Uncle Nick walks so funny"

Ladybug "Him walks like me"

Beetlebee "walking funny is fun"

Ladybug "Yeah! I wuv it"

Beetlebee " Can uncle nick come to my class?"

Why do you want him to come to your class?

Beetlebee "Because i dont think anybody in my class has a uncle like mine and he can play with us and everybody will think he is cool"

Ladybug "i wanna go too!"

Beetlebee "I always wanted a uncle like him"

Ladybug "Mee too mommy me too!"

Arent we so lucky to have him? You know before i had you two Uncle Nick would say "When you have babies im gonna be the uncle nick!" I think he always wanted to be your Uncle too!

Beetlebee " I really do love him mom He's my Best friend"

Ladybug "Mee too mommy! I weally weally weally Wuv hims too! Him is my favowite friend"



I do too, I really really really Love him too! My bestfriend since the day i was born.



My Brother and I



A FRIEND LIKE ME

Please don't be afraid of me

I want to be your friend.

And if you get to know me

Your rigid thoughts might bend

Thoughts that I am different

From others that you know,

I really am no different

And this I'd like to show



I live and breathe and laugh and cry

I love to play and learn,

I sometimes do things differently

Which can cause some concern



You see, some say I'm special

I guess this much is true,

But if you were to ask me

I'd say you're special too



We're all a little different

No two are just the same,

It's really something wonderful

that way there is no blame



When things don't go just perfectly

And others get confused,

And say things like "poor child"

and other terms they use



It's okay if you look at me

And might not understand,

It's okay if you touch me

And even hold my hand



My life has many obstacles

Much more than you could know,

But that's not what I dwell on

I'm me, that's all, and so...



Please don't be afraid of me

I want you just to see,

How truly great and wonderful

A friend like me can be

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                               

Easy Apple Dumplings

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

5 Apples, Peeled and quartered

1 can of Biscuits (you can use homemade biscuit dough if you want)
1 cup of Sugar
1 Stick Margarine
1 1/2 cup of water

Cinnamon

 

Grease Baking Dish. Halve each Biscuit. Wrap each Quartered apple with Biscuit. Place in 9 x 13 dish. Melt sugar, margarine and water. Pour over biscuit wrapped apples. Sprinkle cinnamon and Brown sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown.

Parmesan Ranch Roll-ups

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
4 (8 or 9 inch) Flour Tortillas
1/2 Cup Ranch Salad Dressing
1/4 Cup Diced Onion
2 cups of Shredded Lettuce
1 (13oz) Can chunk ham,chicken or Turkey. Drained. (Our fave is chicken)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

For each wrap, spread 2 tablespoons Ranch dressing over the entire surface of each tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons Onions. Place 1/2 cup lettuce in center. Place 1/4 cup meat on top of lettuce. Fold in two opposite sides of tortilla, about 1 1/2 inches, and roll up from the bottom.

Makes about 4 servings (Perfect for lunch!)

Almost Fat-Free Cornbread

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2 Cups Self-rising Cornmeal
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 egg
1 to 2 tbsp Sugar


Combine all Ingredients in a large mixing Bowl. Whisk together until dry Ingredients are well Moistened. Pour Into well-Greased heavy skillet for 20-30 minutes at 425 OR well greased Muffin pan for 20 minutes at 425.

Lemon Pecan Bread

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2 cups Sugar ( What can i say? we like the sweet stuff around here!)
2/3 cup Melted butter
4 Eggs
3 cups Sifted flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp. Salt

1 cup Whole Milk

Grated rind of TWO lemons

5 tsp Lemon extract

1 cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat Oven to 350. Grease Loaf pans. Blend Sugar, melted butter and extract. Beat in Eggs. Sift DRY ingredients together and add alternately with milk. Stir just enough to blend. FOLD in other Ingredients and pour into loaf pans.

BAKE 1 hour at 350.

When bread is done, pierce with a fork and drizzle with warm glaze

For the Glaze: Mix juice of 2 Lemons and 1/2 cup of Sugar heat to dissolve.

STORE in airtight wrap for 24 hours before slicing.

 Makes two 8 x 4 inch loaves or three 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch loaves.

You can freeze this bread for up to 3 months!!!