I'm the lucky one

Its 10:38 pm Saturday night here. All of my children are asleep, which is rare. I actually have a relaxing minute. My dryer is running, the washer just stopped, and I actually have a minute to catch up on email and post. This moment was made possible by my wonderful husband.

You see, after the early morning soccer game, he spent the majority of the afternoon in the yard playing and running with our children. I mean it, he was out there for a LONG time, with the exception, of course, of the time during which he watched the LSU game. Then, while I was near exhaustion on our couch at 8, he suggested I go see if the kiddos were ready for bed. They weren't. But, with some coaxing, they decided they were ready after all. Who knew???

And now, after my relaxing, and uninterrupted, bath, I am able to sit here and post because he, my wonderful husband, is in the kitchen peeling the fresh Gulf shrimp we bought from 'The Shrimp Man' today so that I won't have to do it tomorrow. Yep, all 5 pounds of them. Why? Because he knows I hate doing it and am not very fast at it so it will take me forever. This would, of course, lead to him having to listen to me griping about having to do it and how much I hate it. Sure, he will benefit from this. I mean, he will be able to have a completely wonderful shrimp inspired meal tomorrow, but he just got up on his own and started peeling. I didn't even have to ask. He's pretty wonderful, I think.

mmmm...roast...

Last night was soccer, so it was a crock pot night. We really love roast, rice and gravy, so I threw it all in and let it go. When we got home, the house smelled like I had been slaving away for hours. mmmmm....

Crock Pot Roast

1- 2 or 3 pound rump roast
1- packet of onion soup mix
1- 14 oz. can of beef broth
1- can of cream of mushroom soup
2- small cans of mushrooms - drained

Cut the roast into bite sized cubes. Place in the crock pot and pour the onion soup mix over. Pour in beef broth, mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup. Mix well. Turn on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours.

Make a big batch of rice (or mashed potatoes, if you'd like) to spoon over and serve with your favorite veggies.

New Schedule

With our new fall schedule in full swing, it has become time for me to update my current recipe inventory. I am looking for crock pot/casserole recipes that require little time and effort but will satisfy my family and still have leftovers.

Here's how my weekly afternoons look:
Monday - dance at 7
Tuesday - soccer at 6
Wednesday - free
Thursday - soccer at 6
Friday - every other week, soccer at 5

We usually eat dinner at 5:30, so you can see how this poses a bit of a challenge.

Tonight, I am trying a crock pot recipe that I found this morning. I don't have a review for this one yet, but I will let you know how it turns out.

Crock pot Chops

6 pork chops - browned
1 onion - chopped
6 tbsp. ketchup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 tsp. Worcester sauce
1 small can of sliced mushrooms - drained

Place chops in crock pot. Mix together all other ingredients and pour over the chops. Simmer 4-5 hours. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes.


I am serving this with mashed potatoes (spooning a little of the 'gravy' over top) and sweet peas.


UPDATE:

This was really yummy. I would recommend using boneless pork chops and trimming most of the fat off because they will fall to pieces. Be sure to make a big batch of mashed potatoes because this works really well spooned over them.

This one's a winner

You have GOT to try this one if you are a sweet potato fan!

Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes - peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
cooking spray
2 tbsp chopped pecans
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp butter - melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Place sweet potato on a foil lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake for 35 minutes, or until browned.
Place pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup and melted butter in a serving bowl - mix well. Add potatoes and toss gently to coat.

Sisterhood

Recent discussion in my house...

Madison - 'Mom, Lauren took my purse.'
Lauren - 'No I didn't.'
Madison - 'Yes you did. You're a thief.'
Lauren - (said defiantly) 'I am not a feet, I'm a good girl!'

Another crazy day

This has been quite the morning. Madison had picture day at her school, so we were up early fixing her hair and making sure the dress was perfect. (one day soon I will post her picture and you will see why it takes so long to fix her hair) Then, we all loaded in the car to drop her at her school and then take Nathan to school. Usually, it is just me on the school run, but this morning was the PTO at Nate's school so Ralph and Lauren went with me. One of the great things about my husband is that he tries to be as involved in the kids school happenings as possible.

After the meeting, Ralph went for a hair cut and Lauren and I ran to get some breakfast. We hardly ever get to eat breakfast together (except on Sundays) so that was fun. Ralph went to work and Lauren and I went to the stores. I ran to Walmart for some outdoor folding chairs and then went on the hunt for caramels. I thought we could make some caramel apples this weekend, but apparently so did everyone else in town. I finally tracked down 2 bags and some sticks, so the kids will be happy. I also bought some magnets and wood cut outs for the kids to paint and glue together. My house seems to be the black hole of magnets, so I thought maybe if the kids made them, they wouldn't be so quick to eat them, or whatever they do with them.

Tonight, we have soccer practice so it will be a quick dinner with no new recipes to post, but I promised I would share some, so here is one of our favorites.


Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

2 lbs asparagus
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place asparagus on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt & pepper over asparagus and toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese and put back in oven for 1 minute to melt.

*This works well with broccoli and brussel sprouts too! If using brussel sprouts, we usually cut them in half before baking. You can leave the cheese off, if you'd like.

About me...

Hi and welcome to my blog. It's weird to me that I have a blog, but it seems that everyone has one these days and I LOVE reading them, so why not? I am going to start out by giving a little info about me.

I am married to a wonderful man, Ralph, and we have 3 children, Madison-7, Nathan-4, and Lauren-2. I am a SAHM who is always looking for new recipes to try. (Feel free to share!!) I live in SE Louisiana, but was born and raised in New Hampshire. I moved to the south 8 years ago when I met my husband. I love the south during the winter, but could do without the oppressive humidity during the summer. :P

I love to read, but hardly ever have the time. I make lists for EVERYTHING. I don't always follow them, but I do make them. I am the person in Walmart who smells every shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, deodorant, fabric softener, etc. before choosing one. Family is the most important thing to me. I am a soccer mom. I love candles - especially vanilla ones. I clip coupons. And, I make a mean lasagna.

I wish that I was: more organized, more frugal, craftier...the list goes on and on. But, I am blessed with what I have and always grateful.

In my blog, I will share: parenting stories, frugal tips, craft ideas, pictures, recipes and anything else pertaining to parenting and home making.

I hope you enjoy and visit often.