Chicken Pot Pie

Mary Ann asked for this recipe...but I thought I'd do one better than that and show the masterpiece. Jacob and I made this chicken pot pie on Sunday before church and then cooked it when we got home. It turned out pretty well. We tweaked the recipe a bit and I've noted those changes. Doesn't it look like a mmm-mmm good? Sorry I don't have a picture of the innards....I was too busy enjoying my dinner!

This is Jacob's mom's recipe.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust (I used a recipe I have that I love...never fails. You need a double crust. Or you can just use pre-made crusts form the store.)

2 Tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 cans mixed vegetables, drained or one package frozen mixed vegetables (we used frozen)
1 can chicken or turkey, drained (Jacob cooked one large chicken breast and chopped it up)

(Jacob and I also added black pepper, garlic, and a little other spices I can't remember now. Maybe a little thyme...? We also had more filling due to more chicken so we made a little extra sauce.)

Place one pie crust in 9" pie pan. Melt margarine in a sauce pan. Mix in flour and salt and cook for approximately 30 seconds. Add milk and stir in completely and cook until sauce is think and bubbly. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Spoon this mixture into pie crust. Place other pie crust over the top and seal. Cut slits into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Question?

Jacob asked me today after Sacrament meeting how long you have to be married before you are no longer considered "newlyweds."

I think he's ready to be an "old married man" and leave the "newlywed" title behind.

Or it could be something else...

So, when do you stop considering someone "newlywed?"

Fall Surprise

All summer I've been wondering what kind of plants we had on the east side of our home. Earlier last week we were able to finally find out what the blooms look like. They just keep getting bigger and lovelier. And they even survived the cold weather and rain this week.


We had nice, warm, 80 degree weather again today. Jacob and I took advantage of it and went for a little jog. I'm trying to get back in shape and Jacob has been a good sport in coming along. He is probably a more capable jogger but helps to keep me motivated. The weather put a little damper (literally) on the jogging together plans. Instead I had to haul my lazy bones to the gym. I did pretty well and hope to take advantage of the nice weather we are supposed to have this week.

Also, if anyone knows what these plants are and how to best care for them I'd appreciate the advise. Do I trim them back after the flowers have died? I'm not a gardener.

A Little Sprucing Up

My project for the past week has been working on re-painting the bathroom on our main level. It was a weird splotchy grey-blue but I wanted it to be a bit more snappy. Mostly I just wanted it to match the towels we bought. I also hated the blue ceiling. Not a fan of color on the ceilings. Jacob's biggest problem with the bathroom, and also something Scott noticed while visiting, was the painted light switches and outlets. Let's just say, whoever painted the room first was not too careful.

So I spent some time on Thursday and Friday preparing the room and painting the ceiling. Then on Saturday I worked on painting the rest. Jacob helped towards the end when I was growing tired of painting. It was a bit more work than I thought it would be. He also was a huge help in taking down the mirror and patching the wall from the towel rack I no longer wanted in that bathroom.

After I was finished painting on Saturday, and pretty tired, Jacob asked if painting the small room changed my plans about the rest of the house. I think he was sad to find out it hadn't changed my plans at all. I just realize I might have to take things a little more slowly.

I finished up the touch-ups and painting the window trim today. I'm pretty pleased with the overall results of the bathroom. So, here are some before and after photos. Enjoy! And try and ignore me in the photos...I forgot to take pictures prior to taping it all up and didn't remember until I had started on the ceiling.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Meal Options for September

I'm freezing. And bored at work so I thought I would do round two of our menu planning.

We did massive grocery shopping this week and I must admit it was a real good time. We went by Sprouts for some fresh fruits and veggies and chicken on sale for 1.77/lb. But, the trip to King Soopers was especially rewarding.

We had received a "welcome to the neighborhood" coupon mailer. We got $20.00 in free groceries for filling a prescription there (but we had used $11.00 of it already) as well as a $10.00 off coupon when spending over $50.00. They also had the awesome "10 item" promotion going on. Basically you mix and match any 10 items from their list of options and save $5.00 on your overall tab. Plus, I had some coupons (thanks for getting me excited about couponing Kim!). As we were checking out, the cashier asked if we wanted to use the remainder of our pharmacy dollars and we said yes. Somehow she failed to key it in right and a manager had to override it. But the manager couldn't access the amount we had left on our card so she just gave us the full $20.00. And we still have the $8.00 balance. King Soopers is awesome like that. They have pretty great customer service. Plus they double and triple some manufacturers coupons. Anyway, the moral of the story is: We got $75.00 worth of groceries for only 34 bucks! SWEET!

We are pretty well stocked up for the month. So...with that little side note out of the way...on to the meal options for the month:

Lasagna
Hamburgers
Tomato Gravy (Basically homemade soup for those who are thinking that sounds disgusting...it's delicious)
Split Pea Soup
10 Bean Soup
Chicken Pot Pie (Jacob's favorite, homemade of course)
Quiche
Quesadillas
Tacos
Spaghetti
Chicken Casserole (The exact variety has yet to be determined, we are going to try something new from one of our cookbooks)

The other two days of the month we are just going to have to wing it with whatever is in the pantry and fridge...'cause our grocery budget for the month is totally gone.

And all of the sudden I'm hungry.

It's the Little Things

Every Tuesday and Thursday I head to the local court house to make myself available for potential clients to screen for participation in our program. I typically park at some two hour spot on the street but, due to recent road work, those slots have been less accessible. So this past week I've taken to parking in the structure right near the court house. The first hour is free and I'm usually not there longer than that.

So, as you leave the parking structure you have to hand your ticket to the cashier in the booth. I have gone out the same exit each time parking and have had the pleasure of being assisted by a really cute older woman. She punches my ticket and very excitedly, loudly, and in a high pitched sort of way says, "FREEEEEE!"

It pretty well makes my day.

List of What I've Read

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up? Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (X)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (x)--I think I made it half way through, it gets a lower case x
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ( )
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (X)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (X)
6 The Bible - (x)--sadly, not cover to cover
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (X)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ( )
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ( )
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens ( )
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)--I'm pretty certain I read it.
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ( )
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ( )
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (x)--definitely not the complete works but a good share
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier ( )
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (X)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ( )
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ()
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ()
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (x)--I made it half way through, in 9th grade.
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (X)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens ( )
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ( )
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ( )
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ( )
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ( )
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (X)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll ( )
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ( )
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ( )
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ( )
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis ( )
34 Emma - Jane Austen (X)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (X)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis ( )
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - (X)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ( )
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ( )
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ( )
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell ( )
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving ()
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ( )
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (X)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ()
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding ()
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ( )
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ( )
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ( )
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons ( )
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ()
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ( )
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ( )
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ( )
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ( )
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime-Mark Haddon (X)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( )
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (X)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ( )
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ( )
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (X)
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ( )
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ( )
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ( )
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding ( )
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ( )
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville ()
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ()
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker ( )
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ()
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ( )
75 Ulysses - James Joyce ( )
76 The Inferno - Dante ( )
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ( )
78 Germinal - Emile Zola ( )
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ( )
80 Possession - AS Byatt ( )
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens ( )
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ( )
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ()
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ( )
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ( )
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ( )
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (X)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (X)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ()
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ( )
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ( )
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (X)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ( )
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ( )
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( )
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ( )
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ( )
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl ( )
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ( )

I get 20. (I guess I should read more.) What's your count?

To My Husband

I bet you thought by the title of this post that this was going to be some sentimental tribute or something.

Nope.

Just wanted to let you know he also posted about our amazing camping adventure and send you to his blog. He posted in a much more entertaining way.

But let me just clarify that some of those failures were on his part and not mine. I had warm PJ's. That's all I'm sayin'.

He's funny. You should check it out.

Halloween a Little Early

Just thought I would share something Jacob and I ran across in our garden the other night. Enjoy!



I encourage you to click on the picture of the spider so you can see it really huge. It's disgusting.

Communing with Nature

Jacob and I went camping for the first time in our married life. We headed out Friday afternoon for State Forrest State Park up the Poudre Canyon. I had actually never been up Poudre Canyon so it was an all new experience for me. It was quite lovely once you got up a little ways and especially when we got into Roosevelt National Forrest. The leaves were starting to change and it was really pretty.


We got a little confused when we couldn't find the campsite we had originally set out to camp at but like the site we ended up at even more than the one we intended to go to. I think the one we ended up at had a little more space between camping slots and was a little less popular. So we found a spot close to the outhouse (a perk for anyone with a small bladder - read "me") and were not very close to any other campers.


We cooked up some tinfoil dinners after pitching the tent and starting a fire. They were actually really quite good. We also roasted marshmallows, and I learned something new about my husband. He is a pro marshmallow roaster. I know many who consider roasting a marshmallow to be lighting it on fire, blowing it out, and calling it good. However, those who have experienced the delight of a perfectly, slow roasted marshmallow know the true joy that can be had. And Jacob was definitely of the "slow-roasted" goodness camp. I am obviously firmly camped with the "slow-roasters" as well. I'm not sure our marriage could have survived if he was okay with burning a mallow.




After watching the fire die we headed to the tent to play some games. Sadly, it was getting cold pretty fast and I was ready to curl up in our sleeping bag (yes, bag. We zipped two together. Not like Di and Sam who like to share a single bag). So we didn't play long. But I won the game we played...so that's all the info you really need about that.



We then really did curl up into bed. It was pretty cold and took a little while to get warmed up and comfortable. But once we did, we managed okay. I woke up at about 3 am needing to march to the outhouse, but I couldn't bare the thought of 1. waking Jacob, 2. walking alone in the dark, or 3. getting out of the warm sleeping bag. So I continued to try and sleep, rather uncomfortably I might add, until it was light and a little warmer. When I got back Jacob was ready to get out of bed and make a fire. We warmed up nicely then. And, we cooked ourselves a pretty good breakfast of blueberry pancakes.


After eating we packed up camp, cleaned up, and headed for the information center to see if there was anything we were interested in doing before heading home. Turns out it was getting cooler and a bit rainy so we decide to head back down the canyon.



We stopped at a picnic sight near the mouth of the canyon at ate our classic PB&J sandwiches. We continued home and unpacked and showered just in time for the BYU game...GO COUGARS!


Overall, it was a good experience. One we will surely repeat soon enough. But we also learned some good lessons about what equipment we are lacking and what we would do differently.

Good, good times! But I am beat now and really looking forward to a good nights sleep on my nice cozy mattress.

So good night, and sleep tight.

As Requested

So, many of you requested some recipes. I'll give you the ones I am able and refer you to those that I don't want to plagiarize.

"Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole" comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. (Sorry Mare, that's the best I can do. But if I remember correctly you have that cookbook anyway...)

As for the Enchiladas: They come from a Relief Society cookbook I got when I was in the La Grande ward. It was a stake relief society activity where the stake presidency made us food and gave us recipes. It was awesome. The contributors to the cookbook were Nancy Hardy, Mary Lou Barlow, Judy Anderson and Carol Lee Smith...can't be sure who contributed the Enchilada recipe.

Here it is:

Chicken Enchiladas

1 Pkg tortillas
1 Chicken (boiled and diced)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 small can diced green chili's
Grated cheese

(I sometimes use canned chicken for convenience but chicken cut really small or shredded also works. And I pretty well guess on the quantity.)

Combine soup, sour cream and chili's.

Soften the tortillas in microwave for 10 seconds and put some of the soup mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Then put some of the diced chicken and cheese on top. Roll up and put in pan.

Put the remaining soup mix over all the rolled up tortillas, then sprinkle with cheese all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

(I also sometimes add cilantro, onions, and whatever else sounds good to the layering of the enchiladas.)

Kathy, the salsa doesn't really have a recipe. I learned how to make it from my Dad so he would be the one to go to for a better version of the recipe. I'll tell you what I did.

Finely dice tomatoes, onion and green chili's (fresh, roasted, peeled and seeded ahead of time). I don't know what to tell you as far as quantities...you just keep adding until the combination of all three looks right. Season with cumin, oregano, garlic, salt and black pepper to taste. You can also add either crushed red pepper or fresh jalapeno for a little heat.

That's the best I can do.

Enjoy!

Random Ramblings

Jacob and I are trying to do better about our meal planning...meaning there wasn't meal planning and we are now trying to have a menu and stick to it. However, to maintain some flexibility we are creating a list of meal options for the week and shopping accordingly. That way, we can look at the options and decide what we want to eat that night. This is week one and so far so good. It's also helped with having some left overs to bring to work which is really helping our budget.

So...I'm going to share what's on the menu for the week.

1. Nachos with homemade salsa (already enjoyed on Saturday for the big game)
2. Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (made Sunday to use up some of the left over salsa and provide leftovers for Monday and Tuesday lunch...delicious by the way)
3. Chili dogs (Jacob made homemade chili yesterday and I experienced my first ever chili dog (I think). It was okay. And the chili was delicious. Also looking forward to those left overs).
4. Crepes with fresh fruit (peaches and mango)
5. Baked potatoes and chili
6. Pizza
7. Mexican Chicken and Rice casserole

We did forget to take into account that we are going camping this weekend so we may have to bump some of the meals into next week.

In other good news: We inherited a freezer. It has some minor issues so we are still testing it out to see if it will continue working and keep things frozen without costing us an arm and a leg in utilities. I am really looking forward to stocking up on freezer items. Our current freezer has pretty limited space and doesn't allow for bulk purchases of cheap meat and such. So keep your fingers crossed that it continues to work.

P.S. I just dripped that delicious homemade salsa on my shirt while sitting at my desk typing this up. That is going to look awesome when I have to go to court in an hour.

And a few more things from this weekend...

I so appreciate that Jacob enjoys playing games. We played A LOT this weekend. I told him we were having a "sleep over" on Sunday night since we could sleep in on Labor Day Monday. I let him know I expected a game of truth or dare (or as I like to play it, truth or TRUTH) and talking and giggling until late hours of the night. We did manage a game of truth or truth but we pretty well went to bed at 1 am. Not that late. We are old.

But we have this game called "Mr. Jack." It's a really good, two player, game. I recommend it. It's a bit like Museum Caper Clue for those that may remember that delightful game. BUT...I can NEVER win. It's very frustrating to me. I don't like losing. I have only beat Jacob once. Seriously! Once. No good.

This weekend we also took a trip to the furniture store and found a dresser and a sectional sofa that we like. We are going to think on these items a few days, and maybe go back and buy the dresser. We need to continue saving in our furniture budget to afford the sectional.

We did, however, spend a good chunk of money at Bed, Bath and Beyond. We had a list of several things we have been wanting to buy, a stack of gift cards, and a "20% off your entire purchase" coupon. Game on! It was fun adding a few items to the kitchen and home.

I put some tools to use and hung some towel rings in a couple of our bathrooms. I wish I were more skilled but it was actually a little frustrating. They were simple instructions and I wanted to do it all without Jacob's assistance. I had to have his help hanging the first one, just because I wasn't observant and put something on backwards...He caught my error pretty quickly and then I made it right. Hanging the downstairs ring was supposed to be more simple. The mounting design was a little easier so I thought there wouldn't be any problems. I was wrong. The towel ring is currently fastened with one screw as opposed to the two it it should have. There is an issue with a hole...don't ask. I can't talk about it. It stings too much. (I am being dramatic...it's really no big deal and I'll figure out how to fix it.)

Throw in some church attendance, FHE, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, the previously mentioned football game, Pushing Daisies, and a little house work and that about sums up my wonderful three day weekend. (I kinda wish it weren't over).

An Apology

Dear BYU Football Team:

I am sorry I doubted your ability to beat the Sooners. I should have been more loyal, strong and true. I hope you find continued success as the season progresses.

I'll be watching.

---Sandy

My Idea of a Pretty Perfect Saturday

Jacob and I had an enjoyable time today.

We began the day with a trip to the Denver temple. The drive wasn't bad and of course the time spent in Temple service was a great way to start the day.

On the way home from the Temple we stopped by Costco. I really enjoy Costco on a Saturday. Who wouldn't love making lunch of the samples? We picked up a few essentials and also enjoyed a berry sundae.

As soon as we got home I roasted up some peppers to make some homemade salsa. It's the first football game of the BYU season and it wouldn't be right not to have salsa. And I must admit that Dad taught me well. It's a good batch of salsa. We enjoyed it with the full nacho fixins.

And now we are watching the game. I'm sure BYU will get beat, but as two former BYU students who still bleed blue, the game is a must see!


(You may notice the projector in the background. We don't have cable so we had to stream the game over the internet.)

Rocky Mountain Photos

Fern Lake...our final destination


Fern Falls- It was really a lot more pretty than these pictures let on.



"The Pool"- this is the Big Thompson river, not the same river that feeds the water falls. The water fall actually feeds into this river. We crossed this bridge over the Big Thompson on the way to Fern Falls.



Near the start of our hike. There were a ton of ferns along the lower portion of the trail that were fun because they were beginning to change colors.



This elk really was just about this close to our car as we were pulling onto the road leading to the trail head. I'm not sure what made this herd decide they needed to be so close to the road but it was causing major slow down in traffic. It's okay though, Jacob got a great photo utilizing very little zoom.

Hiking in Rocky Mountain

Jacob and I went hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday with our friend Lori. Jacob had an annual pass that was to expire at the end of the month so we figured we better take advantage of it while we could.


It turned out to be a pretty perfect day for hiking. It was sunny but cool in the mountains and we only got rained on for about 10-15 minutes on our way out. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The falls were lovely and the lake was serene. I love the mountains and the smell of the pine/fir trees. I love the clean air. It was refreshing and a much needed break from the city. We hiked up to Fern Lake. Our initial destination was fern falls but then Lori and Jacob wanted to continue on to the lake. So our total trip ended up being about a 6.5 mile hike.


As it happens, I am no in shape for a 6.5 mile hike. Especially one that is up hill for the last few miles. I was feeling pretty good as we were hiking but when we reached the lake and sat down I realized that my feet weren't doing so good. I was wearing poor socks and was getting the beginnings of blisters on my feet. While we were at the lake the rain started moving in. There was some pretty ominous thunderings and sprinklings on the lake. I really wanted to head back down the mountain at that point because I wasn't prepared for heavy rain. And no one wants to get struck by lightning, right?


But again, we lucked out, because there was no heavy rain. Enough to get us damp but not soaked, and it was brief.


However, on the way down I remembered why I dislike hiking down a mountain. It is hard on joints. I have a kind of bad knee as it is from a roller skating injury in years past (Don't ask. It was embarrassing) and going down at a pretty good grade didn't do good things for my knee. I could tell I was going to be sore the next day.


And that is the moral of the story. I am an old women who is out of shape and can't manage to hike 6.5 miles without some consequences. I was sore the next day. And am a little still today. But the good news is my knee is feeling better and I may be able to go for a jog with Jacob tomorrow.


Though I'll probably have to dig out my knee brace and put it to work. I think it is in our garage somewhere....

ADDENDUM: I originally wrote this blog on Monday and was going to upload some pictures and publish it that night. However, I ran out of time. Then yesterday the photos wouldn't upload. So I'm going to publish this post today without pictures. I'll try and post the photos tonight...they are lovely.

And, no, I did not end up jogging yesterday. My knee still hurts some today...so we'll see how it goes.