A Few of my Favorite Things

 It's been a few weeks since I've done a "Favorite Things" post so this is what I'm loving currently. 

I was bored one day and binged watched through a season of "Ugliest House in America" which I thought was a dumb show but ,  ,, it was not HA!  I just watched the season finale and it was fun.  These houses are truly, well, ugly.  I find the host very funny and it is always interesting to see what Alison does when she transforms the house that wins. 

My sister-in-law introduced me to two things this summer and they have both become favorites - one a sweet treat and one a salty snack.  

Nerd Gummy Clusters - I love nerds, always have, and now to enjoy them stuck on a sour gummy ball of goodness is just amazing. I just like to grab a few of them when I'm in the kitchen just for a "kick in the mouth".  HA 

Crunchy Roasted Edamame Beans - I tried them thinking I would hate them but they are oddly satisfying.  They are a little earthy but yet remind me slightly of eating pistachios (which I love but boy are they expensive!).  When I'm craving a salty snack, a small bowl of these crunchy beans are just the perfect snack!  

From the time I started this blog I've always shared about books I want to read and books I've read so what am I loving right now with books?  This series by Julie Klassan has been really good.  A few years ago I read through all of Julie's currently published books; I came across this new(er) series on Libby and have really enjoyed them.  

Finally, I love lights . .. especially little twinkle/white "Christmas" lights that just bring a little joy to a corner.  I currently have three strands in my house - and they bring me such joy when they click on each evening.  I love the most in the darker winter months - they click on around 6:00p when it is dark outside and yet they bring warmth to the rooms they are placed in.  They are (obviously) lights with a timer and yes, they do take some AAA batteries but I have found that the batteries last about 2 -3 months before needing to replaced (the lights get dimmer but I like to get the FULL use of batteries LOL) . 

TobyMac, CeCe Winans - Oh My Soul (Psalm 103) (Official Audio)

Our weekly snapshot

 Here’s a Quick Look back at our week : 

Last Saturday I picked Nate up from camp.  He had a great week! 

We attended an open house for my friends daughter. 

On Sunday we took Josh and Nate to camp and they had a great week! 

On Tuesday I met a couple of friends for coffee. 

We played games on Wednesday at my mom’s. 

On Friday I picked the boys up from camp. 

And then attended my Uncle Jerry’s funeral and was able to see some cousins.  

It was a fun but busy week. 

Weekly Menu

 As I sit here and look at the calendar, I feel like I can maybe take a little breath and enjoy a slow down with everyone home.  Don't get me wrong, as I've said before, I love that my guys are doing what they love and what they want to be doing along side so many great friends BUT I also love when everything slows down to a speed that is better associated with the slow summer feel!  Here is the plan for the next week. 

Friday - My guys are home!  We are attending a funeral in the evening so it’s a grab and go at home dinner. 

Saturday - We are planning to have dinner at my moms

Sunday - tacos 

Monday - beef and pasta Soup and Crescents

Tuesday - dinner at my moms with my brother and sister-in-law

Wednesday - Youth Groups? Maybe.  Otherwise Waffles and Sausage

Thursday - Broccoli cheesy noodle soup, ham, and biscuits 

Recipe Fun - Asian Beef with Mushrooms and Snow Peas with Butter Rice

I used to post a recipe almost weekly.  If you recall, recently I went back through my blog and tried a few recipes from years past.  I also found that we tend to always revert back to the same favorites even after all of these years.  In another endeavor to ward off meal planning boredom, I recently cleaned out and organized my recipe file and have been working on planning meals a little better with a little more variety.  

A week or so ago, I brought out an old favorite that I haven't made in quite a long time and parred it with a brand new recipe.  I wasn't sure how they would go over now but, considering the fact that there was absolutely nothing left, I think they were both a hit.  

The first recipe is Asian Beef with Mushrooms and Snow Pea which can be found HERE. I love good Chinese food but it is honestly hard to find and often times expensive (especially when it is REALLY good).  This recipe is so flavorful and really quite easy.  One trick I learned through other recipes is to dust the beef in cornstarch before cooking it and it will get nice and crispy on the outside.  Another great thing about Chinese influenced recipes is that vegetables can easily be switched out or even left out.  For example, if you don't enjoy mushrooms, feel free to leave those out or substitute onions or carrots.  Next time I make this recipe I will add more meat and veggies and, well, we all wanted more and it was gone! BUT, the recipe itself makes plenty of sauce (at least in my opinion and I'm a saucy girl LOL).  

The second recipe is Stick of Butter Rice and can be found HERE. Quite a few years ago I found a basic Baked Rice recipe (HERE) that I have used often for meals like stir fry.  It is super easy and the oven does all of the work (Instead of needing to watch a pot).  This particular recipe has shown up either in Pinterest or on Facebook quite a few times over the past few months so I decided it was worth a try and I am so glad I tried it!  It is easy, makes the house smell amazing, and tastes just so good!  It is full of beefy flavor and really added to the Beef stir-fry.  I cooked it in a 9x9 pan and it turned out perfectly but other recipes mentioned using and 8x8 or even a 9x11 and they all turned out.  I did not slice the butter - I just laid the whole stick right on top. When you take time to stir the rice at the 30 minute mark, the butter is melted and can be fully incorporated at that point. Now, here's my "sneaky" moment - there is one person in my household who doesn't care for chunks of onion in things but this recipe calls for 1 can of condensed French onion soup which is full of (wonderful) onions.  I drained the soup into the rice so I still had all the flavor but none of the onions!  

These will both become more frequent residents in my menu rotations!  They are both so tasty and also easy to throw together!  

Megan Woods - I Believe You (Official Lyric Video)

Our Weekly Snapshot

 Here’s a look back at our week: 

On Monday, Nate left for a week of camp!  He loves camp so much!  

After dropping Nate off, Josh, my mom and I met long time friends for lunch! 

Joshua got a haircut this week too.  

Here are a few more photos from Nate’s week of camp and, yes, he is in every photo if you search. 🤣