Author: Nurture Mama

A chicken soup recipe worth repeating

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Monday night for dinner we had White Chicken Chili. Living in Florida does not lend itself to many cozy, warm, soup-making days, so I haven’t made this recipe since last winter. I have to say, it was delicious and enjoyed by all (well, except for the Sweet Bee, but she really only eats frozen bananas and pink sandwiches. Although she actually ate some of the chicken from the soup, so that was positive). The soup/chili is easy to make and one of my favorites, so even though I have posted it before, I thought it was worth repeating today.

White Chicken Chili
1 small onion, peeled and chopped fine
2-3 medium garlic cloves, peeled/chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1- 4oz can chopped green chilies
30 ounces (2 cans) white bean undrained (great northern, cannellini, or garbonzo)
1 can chicken broth
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt and a couple shakes of pepper
2-3 chicken breasts (can be frozen-shred them once they are cooked)
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice from 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in crockpot pot except for sour cream and cheese. Let simmer for 4-6 hours on low. Add the sour cream and cheese for the last hour.We like to eat ours with taco chips, and usually a big green salad to go with it.

You can find my other favorite winter soup recipes here. Up next on my list to try is Meck Mom’s Easy and Delicious Chicken Soup recipe.

What’s your favorite soup recipe?

Sixth Birthday

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Happy Birthday to the Ant Bug!

I am so glad she is part of our family and my sweet girl!

Happy Holidays

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From my family to yours, wishing you much joy this holiday season!

A Christmas Eve Menu

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I’ve been little absent from this blog this month. December is always the craziest time of year. Ward parties, school parties, work parties, piano recital, and all of the hustle and bustle of shopping and gift giving. I’ve been making a number of gifts this year (details to be posted someday), so a lot of projects have kept me busy. And my to-do list hasn’t been helped by a crazy injury to my eye that keeps relapsing and causing me periods of near-blindness.

But Christmas is this week, hurray! And I am almost ready for it.

So today I’m menu planning. In our family, Christmas Eve has become the time where we traditionally plan the big feast with yummy food. The menu has varied from year to year, but the dessert is always Crunchy Ice Cream Balls. We love ice cream at our house, and the crunchy recipe makes a nice once-a-year variation on a good theme. This year I’m in the mood for Chinese! We feasted on typical Chinese food 6 years ago with my husband’s family and it was delicious. Below are the recipes I will be featuring.

Pork Chow Mein
(recipe courtesy of the Barnwell Cookbook, via my sister Deanna)
1 lb. pork or chicken
12 to 14 celery stalks
1 lb. bean sprouts
1 large onion
1 pkg. chow mein noodles
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
dash of pepper
Wash vegetables and drain. Rinse and drain bean sprouts. Cut celery into lengths (1 1/2 inches). Slice them thinly, lengthwise like match sticks. Halve the onion or slice thinly crosswise. Cut pork into thin strips. Heat large skillet, add 2 Tbsp oil. Fry meat well, add celery, onion, bean sprouts and mein noodles. Add seasonings. Do not stir. Cook at medium heat covered for about 15 minutes. Remove cover and mix well. If noodles seem a little hard turn off heat, replace cover and let stand for a few minutes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
(to go with the chicken we will get at Sam’s Club, still to be purchased—that’s the plan. Or whatever yummy chicken we can find at the store that is already prepared, I’m making things simple and realistic for myself to put together 🙂
Juice from a 15 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 Tb. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all together and cook over medium heat until thickened. May be prepared in microwave in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave about 4 minutes on high until thick, stirring every minute.

Fried Rice
I haven’t ever made this before, so I’m looking for a good recipe. Anyone have a great one to share? Here are a few recipes I’m considering: Our Best Bites and Epicurious.

Crunchy Ice Cream Balls
(recipe from the Tanner Family Cookbook)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups crushed cornflakes
Vanilla ice cream
Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon. Stir until well blended. Stir in cereal, spread on cookie sheet to cool. Crumble and store in air-tight container. Roll vanilla ice cream balls into the mixture. Refreeze these until ready. Serve with chocolate, caramel, or strawberry sauce. Top with whipped cream and a cherry. These are sort of like fried ice cream, except without the extra fat. This recipe makes enough to cover about 30 ½-cup ice cream balls. You can substitute peppermint ice cream for vanilla during the holiday season, if you can find it at the store.

Hmmmm, my mouth is watering already. What’s on your menu for the holidays?

Seeking Christ

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“Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, He came forth from heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. During His earthly ministry, He taught men the higher law. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick. He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. To us He has said, “Come, follow me.”

As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always.”

Thomas S. Monson (source)

December Readings

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“At this time of the year my family knows that I will read again my Christmas treasury of books and ponder the wondrous words of the authors. First will be the Gospel of Luke—even the Christmas story. This will be followed by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and, finally, The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke. I always must wipe my eyes when reading these inspired writings. They touch my inner soul, as they will yours.” (President Thomas S. Monson, source).

Our family has a tradition of reading Christmas stories in the month of December.  First, we like to read the stories of Jesus. We use the reading program from the December 2008 Friend Magazine (I wrote about it here last year). This year I got fancy and made a color copy of the study guide and laminated it for durability. We’re using stickers to mark off each day’s reading, then when we are finished we can peel off the stickers and use the chart again next year.Second, we like to read stories about Christmas. Some that are funny (How Santa Got His Job or Mooseltoe or Olive the Other Reindeer), some that make you believe in good things  (The Polar Express or How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Bear Noel or A Christmas Dress for Ellen), and some that are just all around beautifully written and illustrated stories (Drummer Boy).  You can see our complete list of favorites last year here.

Admittedly, our permanent collection currently consists of 6 Christmas picture books (we try to add one book each year). So we make good use of the library and the ability to put the good books on hold.  I’ve got 11 books waiting there for me to pick up tomorrow morning! We will be trying a few new titles this year, thanks to the recommendations from No Time for Flashcards.

As an adult, for your own personal enrichment this holiday season, you might take President Monson’s suggestion and read one or all of the following:

1) The Gospel of Luke

2)A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

3)The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke

I’ve read #1 and #2 previously (multiple times) but I had to resort to inter-library loan to get a copy of The Mansion this year. I’m looking forward to it. When I was searching for The Mansion, The Other Wise Man by the same author was also given high reviews, so I’ll be giving both a try this month.

“Take my hand.”

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“For children all over the world, we say: “Take my hand. Hold on tight. We will stay on the path together back to our Heavenly Father.”

“Parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, Primary leaders—each of us can reach out to hold on to the children. We can stop, kneel down, and look into their eyes and feel of their innate desire to follow the Savior. Take hold of their hands. Walk with them. It is our chance to anchor them on the path of faith.

“No child needs to walk the path alone so long as we speak freely to our children of the plan of salvation. Understanding the plan will help them hold to the truths that they are children of God and He has a plan for them, that they lived with Him in the premortal existence, that they shouted for joy to come to this earth, and that through the Savior’s help, we all can return to our Heavenly Father’s presence. If they understand the plan and who they are, they will not fear.”

Rosemary M. Wixom, “Stay on the Path,” Ensign, Nov 2010, 9–10

My Thanksgiving links

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Ant Bug “What kind of key doesn’t open any doors?”

Me “What?”

Ant Bug “A Turkey.”

Ha ha ha (thanks to the morning news at the Ant Bug’s school today).

Thanksgiving has really crept up on me. I have to admit that I dropped the ball on this one and neglected to check out any Thanksgiving books from the library. Yikes, shame on me.  And other than our Family Home Evening lessons on Gratitude we haven’t done any Thanksgiving related activities. Luckily, I still have a few days to get in some turkey time.  Here are my favorite Thanksgiving links and ideas for 2010:

Pinecone Turkeys from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Thanksgiving Literacy Fun, here and here at Pre-K Pages (thanks to The Activity Mom for the link)

Lots of Thanksgiving game ideas at Prepared NOT Scared

Tot School Turkeys at Little Page Turners

Favorite Thanksgiving Crafts at No Time for Flashcards

What are you thankful for? picture and frame at No Time for Flashcards

This is the song I will be teaching to six little 3-year-olds at our Thanksgiving party on Tuesday. (Thanks to the Ant Bug for teaching it to me)

Sing to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”

It’s November.

Let’s give thanks.

Family at the table.

Thanksgiving is great.

(and add a gobble, gobble for fun)

Sunday evening I had a craving for something pumpkin-ish and sweet. My willing husband obliged me by making Pumpkin Bars. Delicious, and I wanted to eat the whole pan (pumpkin is healthy-right?!). Ours turned out more like cake instead of bars, so we ate it with a fork.  I had to share the recipe, because they are really yummy!

Pumpkin Bars (from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

4 beaten eggs

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

1 cup cooking oil

*Cream Cheese Frosting

In  a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and oil till combined. Spread batter in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Bakin in a 350 degree oven 25-30 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours on a wire rack. Spread with Cream cheese Frosting; cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

*Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together 3-ounces cream cheese, softened; 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened; and 1 tsp vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Be known as a woman of God

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“Bear in mind, dear sisters, that the eternal blessings which are yours through membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are far, far greater than any other blessings you could possibly receive. No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks which influence lives for good.”

Spencer W. Kimball, “The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Nov 1979, 102

Christmas Cards 1,2,3,4,5

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After 8 years of married life, I think we’ve got the Christmas card tradition down pat.

Step 1: The Family Photo

Always at the top of my to-do list in October or November is our annual family photo shoot. Being graduate students on a limited budget, we are “do-it-yourselfers” when it comes to a lot of things, including family photos. We load up the kids and our camera (with a timer and a tripod) and head to a nearby park or green area (plenty of those in Florida).  We headed out last weekend on a beautiful day, and we got some great photos of the family and each of the kids.

In 2009 we showed off our Gator pride. This year we’re a family of 5!

Step 2: The Christmas Cards

We have done some type of Christmas card each year, ranging from homemade, to store bought, to digital (read: email). Last year was our first year ordering photo cards online and I’ve been sold to the merits of photo cards ever since.

This year, we’re shopping at Shutterfly for our cards. They have so many great products for preserving and sharing memories through photos (like calendars, ornaments, and puzzles) and their photo card designs are excellent. I started browsing through their card section and here are a few designs that I like:

Gifted Tag

O Mod Tannenbaum

Joy & Love

Retro Tree

Snowflake wishes

Polka Dot Wishes

Really, I could go on and on here.  So much fun, I’m going to have trouble picking just one! Do you want to pick one out too? If you’re a blogger, you can get your cards from Shutterfly too-FREE! (!)

Step 3: The Annual Letter

Drafting the letter is usually the hardest part.  Just the right amount of news and accomplishments without bragging can be a little tricky, but I think the letter is an important record when it comes to preserving our family history. Most years we have followed a traditional letter/newsletter format. In 2009 we shared 9 things we did that year, and in 2006 we shared a “Family Timeline”-a few bullet points highlighting each month. I’m still searching for some brilliant way to share 2010 with our family and friends.

Step4: Address and Mail

Definitely involve the kids in this step. The Ant Bug loves to add the stamps and address labels, and if she wants to lick the envelopes I’m happy to let her do it! Otherwise,  I usually just use a damp washcloth to seal things up.

Step 5: Enjoy

I love to get the mail during the month of December, because receiving a Christmas card from a family member or friend is so exciting. We always post the pictures on the wall and enjoy them throughout the month.

Do you send out Christmas Cards each year? Remember: !