Fwd: Recipe of the Week

I allow myself one frivilous magazine subscription a year.  In the past I've tried O (i hate to even admit that, it wasn't my style),  Real Simple, and Everyday Food.  For the past three years I have loved receiving Cooking Light. . .and find it my monthly inspiration for trying new things like Black Bean Burgers and Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers.

   This was our favorite recipe of the week!

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

Chicken soup flavored with coconut and curry make this Thai a reader favorite. Snow peas, spinach, and chicken breast give the soup flavor, texture, and a wealth of nutrients.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients

• 4  cups  water
• 3  cups  fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2  pound  snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
• 1  (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced shallots
• 2  teaspoons  red curry paste
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  curry powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 6  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 1/2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  fish sauce
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 4  small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 7  lime wedges

Preparation

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

2. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

315 (22% from fat)

Fat:

7.8g (sat 3.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.3g)

Protein:

29.3g

Carbohydrate:

30.9g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

62mg

Iron:

3.2mg

Sodium:

841mg

Calcium:

78mg

Tina Washburn, San Diego, California, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Sledding

I have GREAT childhood  memories of sledding.  My dad always had a stash of the rubber tire tubes that when inflated were all different sizes.  Solo rides were fun and exciting but nothing matched the thrill of piling four or more of us on one of the big tubes and clinging to each other for dear life.  I can still vividly recount the time when we hit a jump at the bottom of the run, and all of us went flying .. . i ended up face down on the bottom of the wreckage with one of my sisters on my head .. . that experience alone has redefined the term "white wash" for me.

Then there was the year that Kari and I had chicken pox.  I remember we were baned to the station wagon.  I can't remember what was more difficult to bear. . . the idea of being locked in the car with Kari (love you sister) or missing out on sledding.  

Sledding in Alaska is an entirely different adventure.  The snow is so dry that you need a monstrous hill to get any type of speed.  Last year we discovered the Loretta French Sledding Park.  We've gone there several times this winter and the boys trade off between snowboarding and sledding.   Mudge even made his first [and last] run down the steep hill in Eric's arms.  While the thrill lingers somewhere between fear of getting snow plastered on your face and the actual excitement from hurling yourself down a steep mountain side, we are definitely have a love for sledding in our blood.

UnAlaskan Alaskans

We don't fish.

We don't hunt.

We don't have a time share in Hawaii.

We don't own Snow Machines.

We don't chop or own wood or even shovel our own driveway (thanks neighbor Kay!!!).

We don't wear flannel.

We definitely don't own a gun, let alone a 2 year supply of ammo.

We can barely Cross Country Ski.

Most of our kids have never seen a bear in the wild.

Some would argue WE are BARELY Alaskans.  

sensory overload

Eric loves to tell this story  . . . When we first got married we lived in this teeny tiny studio apartment.  It was perfect for us.  We didn't own a single piece of furniture between the two of us (dare I say we even rented our bed from the University).  Our home decor was even more sparse.  When my parents came down in December they brought our Utah wedding gifts.  Amongst the presents was this little snowman garland which I hung in the kitchen where I also happened to stock the cupboards with pyrex and measuring cups and gadgets galore.  Weeks went by and I felt unsettled.  Something was definitely wrong.  And then it clicked.  It was those silly snowmen.  Their red and purple scarves clashed.  I opened the trash can, threw the garland in, and never looked back.  It was like I could breath again. 

You think time would melt that disorder.  I have kids that put together some ghastly clothing combinations.  I have yet to buy a set of towels that match.  Don't even get me started on my own apparent lack of fashion, seeing as though I'm wearing three different shades of gray and one very ratty and very much loved Ricks College sweatshirt.  There is plenty color clashing going around here, I just choose not to see it.

Last month though, my color obsession, came hurling back into my bones.  I had no idea that picking a paint color for our house would be so overwhelming.  13 samples later, we final settled on Sudan Sand and Water Chestnut.   If you thought I was color OCD before, I think I even surprised myself by rising to a new level of obsession.  

 Check out my walls.

Spring Break

Nancy Lake, Willow, Alaska Public Use Cabin #4

While pulling our sleds filled with food, sleeping bags and firewood, our chests swelled with a little Alaskan Pride. Where else in the world is this Spring Break?

While the weekend was filled with normal life events (like crying cold kids--all 3 and under, boys on the tops bunks sleeping in their underwear because it was so hot, sleeping on a wooden platform, and nothing says real life like using a outhouse in -10 degree weather), it was at the same time spectacular. My favorite moment, hands down, was standing on the frozen lake around 9PM and looking up at the dancing Northern Lights while we could hear the ice cracking around us and wolves howling in the distance.

Bacon Boys 1st Scout Campout

Christian and Tanner's 1st Scout Campout.

Snow Cave.  Lots and Lots of Digging.

Dinner:  Tinfoil Dinners.  Breakfast:  Sausage and Hot Chocolate.  Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Honey.  (As their phenomenal 11-year-old scout leader said, "It's not gourmet but we've got to start somewhere.")

Hiking down the River.  Campfire.  Smores.  

OH, and did I mention. . . It was . . . 

44 degrees BELOW freezing.  

Turkey Bacon

I grew up eating Turkey Bacon.  Oh how I wish it had been this.  Doesn't Bacon make EVERYTHING taste better?

Hyrum was invited to a friend's birthday party last Saturday.

The mother of the birthday boy overheard him reviewing the contents of his goodie bag to himself.

"Fruit Roll-Up Yum.

"Granola Bar. Oh give me a Break."

This morning at breakfast, while trying to encourage our boys to eat bite sized pieces of their German Pancakes with their mouths closed, our conversation included this comment from Eric:

"Boys we may be Bacon but we aren't Pigs."

Will the Bacon jokes ever stop? No. This is why I petitioned to be the Bacners or the Wacons (Bacon & Warner mixed). It was futile. I lost and the Bacon jokes continue. Ironically it is Mr. Bacon himself that distributes MOST of the Bacon humor.

While I'm the first to say that Bacon is delicious, it does have it limits. Our good friends, the Holts, came by the other night to deliver their White Elephant Gift to us. It was Bacon Flavored chapstick and Bacon Flavored Soda. I've put both away. Who can claim to have either of those in their food storage? We can. It will truly take desperate times for me to tip back the Bacon Flavored soda. Bleh.

My Fellow Americans Video

My Fellow Americans

Previous to this video Mudge was giving me some serious "angry eyes."  He was mad that I wasn't sharing the camera with him.  He's quite the temper tantrum thrower and will scowl and hit to show his frustration.  

A very "Mudge-ish" motion is what we have termed My Fellow Americans.  For months he would, at random moments, just raise one of his hands in a Presidential type greetings.  We would add our dialogue/commentary always beginning with "My Fellow Americans_________ (then fill in the blank)."   Our only rule is it has to sound Presidential Proper. . . for example, My Fellow Americans it is with a deep heart that I inform you of the lost sippy cup, or My Fellow Americans, I greet you today with love in my heart and sweet potatoes on my face, or My Fellow Americans, ask not what you can do with a diaper but what you can do in your diaper. . . you know something totally silly.

While Mudge typically refuses to perform on command he WILL almost always respond to "My Fellow Americans" by grinning and raising one of his hands.

Brothers

Messenger Bags 2

Here are all four bags.  (yes, Warner has a bag too, he just didn't hang his up after church last week)

I love how they are all unique.  

Messenger Bags

This year the boys sing SCRIPTURE POWER each Sunday in Primary. It is cute to hear little Warner give his own hearty rendition.
My older boys have wonderful Primary teachers that are encouraging them to read at home, bring on Sunday, and mark their favorite parts of the New Testament.
I looked online for a masculine messenger scripture bag and couldn't find anything (the boys need their hands free because they are usually helping me bring in Talmage or Warner or a bag of toys for the Nursery). From a Modge Podge of resources I created this and LOVE how they turned out.

Outdoor Decor Fabric from JoAnns 50% off.

I let the boys pick their fabrics. Each boy wanted something different which was great.

I wanted them to be just big enough for the scriptures but not much else. I'm always amazed at the contraband (lego guys, notebooks, etc.) that make their way to church. In this case, less is more.

Pencil/Pen pocket.

Room with a View

This is the view from my bedroom window.  Alaska has LONG sunsets and I find myself really enjoying the colors and contrast of the trees.

Me.

Grocery List

Bacon Family Monthly Grocery List. . .just the basics:

12 Gallons of Milk

10 dozen eggs

12 loaves of bread

6 bunches banana

10 lbs. apples

5 dozen flour tortillas

3 dozen corn tortillas

4-50oz. canned chicken

8 boxes Chex cereal

40 cups of Oats

30 cups of Rice

10 lbs carrots

5 lbs. broccoli

4 lbs. frozen berries

6 large OJ concentrate

4 zuchinni, yellow squash

6 lbs. tomatoes

10 lbs. potatoes

We went to the pediatrician this week.  The four oldest all had visits.  Our Doc was just guessing from growth curves and such and thought that C&T would be 6'2 or 6'3 and that Sam would be taller at 6'4 or 6'5.  Yikes.  We haven't even hit the growth spurt/eating years.  

Little gifts I gave out to a few girlfriends here in town.

The boys and their Hero, I mean Dad, playing Dungeons and Dragons together.

20 More to Go

1 Merit Badge Down. 20 more to go.
On Saturday, the boys and I went out to find snowprints of 10 animals. It was a BEAUTIFUL winter day and were enjoying the wonderful [for us it is heavenly] 35 degree weather. I didn't even bother to wear a coat or gloves.

While searching in the snow we saw this. . . probably about 150 meters away.
The boys thought it was a rock . . . I knew it had to be something. . . ALIVE.


So we went and snuck up on it . . . as much as you can with three boys and snow boots. We were delighted to discover that it was a Beaver who happened to slip into this hole before we could get a picture of him.

False Alarm

[warning: the pictures below are horrible]

This year I dragged my feet on putting up the Christmas tree. I was sure that Captain Destructo [aka Mudge] would destroy everything. I had visions of finding him pinned underneath the Christmas tree that he has pulled down on himself. I was just sure he would try to take a bite out of ornament or two. . . or at bare minimum that he would try to pull off the lights. And when Eric mentioned, in response to our kids pleading, pulling out the train I laughed. If the tree couldn't survive there is no way that the train would.

I'm happy to report, on all counts, that I was wrong.

Mudge didn't even seem to notice the tree at all. And he loved the train but respected it, for the most part, as a "no touch." It was really cute to watch him do a little excitement dance every time it came around the corner.

The boys always decorage the trains with "good guys."