Potato Salad Supreme

Potato Salad Supreme Recipe

• 7 cups cooked, sliced potatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp grated onions
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 diced cucumber (optional)
• 3/4 cup sour cream, or plain greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

Combine chives, salt, pepper, green onion, grated onion, oil, and vinegar. Pour over warm potatoes and stir to coat. Combine celery, cucumber, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Combine with potatoes. Chill.

Favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup

Favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
4 quarts boiling water
4 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups flour
1 16 oz.cheese whiz
3 10 oz. box frozen broccoli or 1 fresh bunch

Directions:
Boil water, add bouillon and broccoli. Cook till tender. Melt butter or margarine in sauce pan and add flour, stir till smooth. Add to water mixture. Add cheese whiz. Makes over 4 quarts.

My favorite Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

Biscuits & Gravy
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/flaky-biscuits/
	Amount	Units	Ingredient
	3	cups	flour
	1	Tbsp	baking powder
	1	Tbsp	sugar
	1	tsp	salt
	3/4	tsp	cream of tartar
	3/4	cup	butter or 1/2 cup butter & 1/4 cup shortening
	1	cup	milk
	For Sausage Gravy
	1	lb	sausage
	1/4	cup	flour
	2	cups	milk
	Instructions
	Preheat oven to 450°. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, & cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir until mixture is moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for four to six strokes, or just until dough holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter; reroll scraps as necessary and dip cutter into flour between cuts. Place dough circles 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm. While biscuits bake, cook sausage in large skillet until completely browned & season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle in the flour 1 tablespoon at a time until all the oil is soaked up. Brown for 3-5 minutes. Add milk, and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat & serve over warm biscuits.

A Groove-y Halloween {Handmade Costumes}

We had a pretty fantastic Halloween, complete with handmade costumes. My girls went as Love-a-lot (pink Care Bear), and a gray wolf. I purchased pink and gray sweats for their outfits, and added the belly badge, the wolf tail, and a little pink tail for the Care Bear. I also made a pretty awesome felt mask, and the pink ears were made of felt, hot glued to alligator clips. For the tail, I braided a length of white yarn, then looped in lengths of gray yarn, untwisted the ends, and brushed them with a hair brush to make it more "furry."  I went as Emperor Kuzco and my husband went as Pacha, both from Emperor's New Groove. I found the perfect colors of sheets at Goodwill to make my outfit, as well as his poncho and "skirt." I used the same material for his hat. I also made myself a crown out of yellow foam, and earrings out of turquoise foam. We had a blast, & I was happy with how many kids actually knew who we were, as opposed to last year's Waldo & Wenda costumes that hardly any kids recognized.

Pacha & Kuzco Halloween costumes

Simple Pleasures {Vacation Photos}

Sometimes, I look back through the folders of photos on my computer, reliving the special moments, admiring the beautiful vistas, and realize that I am extremely blessed. Beauty is everywhere, and I love to discover it with my family around me. Here are a few of my favorite photos from our vacation to Bear Lake, Idaho over the summer.

Chili Soup

This is my favorite recipe for Chili Beans. It comes from the Amish-Country Cookbook Volume III.

1.5 cups onions
4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 tsp salt
1 lb. browned hamburger
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 cups kidney beans

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook all day on low heat. (Or, I like to pressure cook my kidney beans for about 30 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook until warmed through)

An emotional post

Be ready for a bit of an emotional post. I needed to post this, just so I can remember my feelings through this entire experience.

November 5, 2015 - I went to my women's well check appointment feeling a bit defeated. The main thing I wanted to discuss with my doctor was getting tested for PCOS and possibly starting birth control to help manage the symptoms. It was an emotional appointment, and my main feeling was grief as I gave up on my dream of having another child in the immediate future. But I felt that this was the right course and wanted to go ahead. She said they would have to do a pregnancy test, just as routine before prescribing birth control. The odds of that test being positive were extremely slim. A couple of hours after my appointment, the nurse called and said, "I just wanted to let you know that the pregnancy test came back positive!" My reaction was complete shock, "WHAT! You're kidding! How is that even possible!?" She said she'd done the test twice because she couldn't believe it either. I was so completely shocked! I bought an at home test after my class that night and took it the next morning. It was positive, too! I had a blood test that day so they could measure my levels and I told Ammon the next day. We were so happy and excited!

Two weeks later - November 20th
I started bleeding. I called the doctor and they got me in for an ultrasound that afternoon. There was definitely a pregnancy, though I wasn't as far along as I thought I should have been. The doctor said that at this point there wasn't much to be done if I was miscarrying, so it was just a wait and see situation. I did receive a rhogam shot (for Rh- people) and then just went home to wait and grieve, because I was about 90% sure that I was having a miscarriage.

November 30th - I went in for my scheduled ultrasound and exam, just to be sure. The ultrasound tech was a different one than the woman from my first appointment and she didn't know what had happened. She started out by saying, "So we're going to take a look and see how much baby has grown." I let her know that I was 90% sure there would be nothing to see. It was a very quiet ultrasound. She did a thorough check of everything, but even I could see what was missing.

Am I sad that I miscarried? Of course. Was there anything I could have done to prevent it? Not at all. I know that we received so many blessings throughout this whole process. When I went to the temple, soon after finding out I was pregnant, the only prayer that came to my heart was that I would be able to understand the plan and be okay with it. The day I started to bleed, before my husband even know what was going on, he had a feeling that morning that he should go to the temple. Before I left for the doctor's appointment he gave me a blessing and I heard words of peace, comfort and love that calmed my turmoil and eased my pain. My husband told me he felt like everything would be ok. I knew that he was right, because even though things wouldn't be okay with this pregnancy, I would be okay, and I still have my beautiful family and the gospel in my life. I felt prepared for this loss, and even though it's been hard, I only feel gratitude for the fact that at least I know that I can get pregnant without medication. I am so grateful for what I've learned through my miscarriage, and I'm looking forward to the future with hope.

Last of 2014 Catch Up Pages

2014 Catch Up Pages

iPhone scrapbook pages

December 2013 Scrapbook Pages

November & December 2013

October & November 2013 Pages

Scrapbooking

2013 Scrapbooking

Scrapbook Pages

2013 Scrapbook Pages