Just Because

And just because she is one of the loves of my life...Taffy!

Egg Drop Noodle Soup

Egg Drop Noodle Soup

• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3 package(s) ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
• 10 1/2 cup(s) (84 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 piece(s) (2 1/2-inch-long) ginger, lightly smashed
• 3 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tablespoon(s) soy sauce
• 6 small scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon(s) sesame oil

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Directions

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. Rinse pot.
2. In the same pot over medium-high heat, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce to a simmer. Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons scallions, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove ginger and garlic.
3. In a medium bowl, lightly beat together eggs, sesame oil, and salt. Gently stir broth, then pour seasoned eggs into pot. Let sit undisturbed until eggs are cooked, 40 to 60 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up eggs. Return noodles to pot and cook for 1 minute. Divide soup among 6 bowls and garnish with remaining scallions. Serve immediately

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Since winter is seeming that it is going to last a gazillion years, I thought I would post some of our favorite soup recipes from this past winter! 
First off, from one of my favorite blogs (Sixsisterstuff.com), Coconut Lime Chicken Soup.  I am a huge coconut fanatic, so right off the bat, I was intrigued.  B...well...not so much.  However, he is a true believer after trying it and you will be too!

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs rotisserie chicken
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)
3 medium carrots, thinly-sliced diagonally (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup of sweetened, shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
3 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions: 
Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken. In large saucepan combine shredded chicken with coconut, broth, lime juice, sliced carrots, soy sauce, the 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, garlic salt, salt, and fresh cilantro.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.
To serve, sprinkle bowls of soup with additional Italian seasoning, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Sneak Peak

Drum roll please...here's a new 2014 sneak peak at our new bathroom....
We tried to stay true to the 1924 feel of our house.  Before pictures to come later.

Before and After: Chair and Door

Remember this post?  Here is what that dusty old chair has turned into.  I cleaned off all the years of dirt and dust and then painted it with the same outdoor paint we painted our front door with.  Much better against our white house!

Also, this summer I got tired of staring at our old white door...and decided it was time to give that smudgy door a nice update. You can see from the picture above, that it has turned out quite nicely!  It took about 3 coats of this very heavy duty paint to finally cover it up!

Favorite Things: House Edition

As I was cleaning up the kitchen last night, I was thinking about some items that are staples in our house.  I love reading other blogs about products they love, so I thought I would do my own little version.

1.  Parchment paper.  I use this all the time.  It eliminates using cooking spray on pans in the oven and makes cookies crispier in the oven.  It also makes for easy clean up.

2.  Epsom salt.  This has unlimited possibilities. My chief use of it is for cuts.  I get very dry hands and then subsequently have a lot of hang nails.  You know those times where you have a really sore hang nail?  Heat up water, as hot as you can stand, and mix in a tablespoon of Epsom salt.  Soak the your finger in it and the pain and infection goes away.    No joke.  It's amazing.

3.  Borax.  I use this as a laundry booster.  It's all natural, fragrance free and revitalizes laundry and colors.  I put just a little in each load of laundry I do.  It really helps.

4.  Wool blanket.  Okay, so this one isn't necessarily a product.  My mom always put a wool blanket on our beds growing up in the fall/winter and now I do the same thing.  Amazingly, it adds so much warmth to our bed.  You might immediately think that it would get very scratchy, but the wool blanket is one top of our sheet and microfiber blanket.  Makes our bed so warm and cozy on those chilly nights.  Come spring, I wash it, dry it on my clothesline, and store it away for another year. 

What's For Dinner?

I could not wait to post these two recipes!  All throughout November, I have been trying out different/healthy recipes to see what we like and don't like.   I've had about 85% success.  A few tweeks to the recipes here and there and we've got a nice stash of new recipes!
Here is what we had for dinner last nice and it was delicious!  I am a big fan of coconut and broccoli, but B not so much.  We were surprised how much he liked both of these recipes!  We haven't done much with fish before, besides salmon and tuna, but it's nice to branch out.  **We didn't have Tilapia, but had Flounder, so that is what we used.  Enjoy!!

Coconut Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients: 6 Pieces of Tilapia, thawed
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers, crushed
1/3 cup egg whites
olive oil spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place foil on a cookie sheet and spray with non stick spray.
Combine coconut flakes, Italian crumbs, and crackers in a bowl. Put egg whites in another bowl.
Dip the Tilapia in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Then place them on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until Tilapia is done. (Check Tilapia at about 15 minutes and watch it so it won't burn)


Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Dump the broccoli into a large bowl and drizzle oil on top. Toss broccoli to coat with oil. Sprinkle garlic salt on top and mix to incorporate.
Spread broccoli on a large baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown (you want it to caramelize, but not burn!).
Dump the broccoli back in a bowl as soon as you pull it out of the oven and mix with cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-4.