Busy Mom Lasagna Soup

Busy Mom Lasagna Soup (original recipe by Paula Dean, tweaked a bit by Kalani)
-1 lb ground chuck -1 onion, chopped
-1 green bell pepper, chopped -3 cloves garlic, minced
-(32 oz) box chicken broth -2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
-1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce -1 Tbs Agave (optional)
-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning -1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups broken lasagna noodles -grated Parmesan cheese
-2 cups shredded mozzarella -1 chopped zucchini
-2 grated carrots
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook over medium-high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well. Stir in broth diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve and top with mozzarella.

THE BEST GARLIC BREAD EVER
-1 clove garlic -1 stick butter
-1 loaf French bread
Heat the oven broiler. Unwrap room temperature butter and place in dish. Push garlic clove through a garlic press and mix into butter with a fork. Cut bread in half length wise and butter each side with a spatula. Place under boiler for a few minutes. IMPORTANT: always watch your food when it is under a broiler. Slice and sprinkle with salt.

I never have the time to cook, even though I love to do it, so when I found this recipe by Paula Dean I fell in love instantly. Not only does it combine my love for lasagna with my love for soup, it only takes me about 1/2 hour to throw together!
I did tweak it a bit to suit my fancy for vegi's, and the agave makes it suitable for my mom, who's a diabetic, to eat. We generally do it with a whole wheat pasta so's not to throw out the "healthy" label. The cheese in it is full fat parmesan but who cares with all the vegi's and fiber. I say poo-poo to the low fat freaks out there. A little junk in the trunk to fill out your jeans never hurt no one!

Who can resist

I broke down and bought a dress for Beck at the Farmer's Market a week or so ago. It was more than I would usually spend, but it is homemade by the lady there at the booth. Her website is Cade&Co. Her specialty is the little leather booties, but I loved the clothes with leather appliqué.
I was shocked, however, at the prices on the website. Definitely go for the Farmer's Market deals.

It's a Jolly Holiday

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My Thai

Seriously the best curry chicken I have ever created! It's a hybrid. David and I came up with it when we found a little Thai place in Springville. Here's the recipe:
THAI CURRY CHICKEN
-1 rotisserie chicken
-2 lg. onions, diced
-1 lg. green bell pepper
-10 lg. tomatoes peeled, diced (out of season use canned tomatoes about 2 quarts, diced or crushed)
-1 can chicken broth
-2 Tbs. garlic
-2 Tbs. ginger
-1 can bamboo chutes drained
-1/2 cup agave nectar, or sugar
-2 cans coconut milk
-4 Tbs. coconut oil
-red curry paste
-fish sauce
Shred chicken and set aside. Peel and roughly chop tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little salt and allow to weep. Roughly chop onions, slice pepper, mince garlic and ginger and saute in coconut oil until slightly translucent. Add chicken stock to just cover the onions. Add tomatoes and bamboo chutes. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 min. Add coconut milk, curry paste, agave, and fish sauce. Allow to simmer for another 10 to 15 min. Add chicken and heat through being careful not to boil. May be thickened with corn starch.
Toppings:
-shredded green cabbage
-thinly sliced white mushrooms
-bean sprouts
-grated carrots
-thinly sliced celery
-honey roasted peanuts chopped
Serve on rice, I like basmati best but white is fine. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Let Freedom Ring!

Happy July everyone! This is my favorite summer month. I love the family time, the B-B-Que, the fireworks and the flags but most importantly I love the freedoms that we all have in the good old USA! I was recently reminded that not everyone in the world shares these same freedoms. I am continually grateful for the people who sacrifice their lives to uphold those freedoms. I am grateful for Gods hand in the development of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights and how beautifully he has orchestrated our government. Keeping these things in mind, I ask you to support those in office who will remember that it truly is God who has blessed us with this life and only in obeying his laws will we continue to be blessed. So God bless the USA and happy Fourth of July. Here are some of the freedoms that I enjoy.

Materfamilias

I'm a lot like my mom. I'm glad of that usually, but it has come out recently in an unexpected way since I've had a kid--I'm talking like her, and I don't just mean the classic "You are driving me up the wall!" -type comments. My mom had a lot of little phrases and names, and I've been thinking of them lately since I caught myself calling my daughter a "poky little puppy." Here are my recent mom-isms:
1. la-zee or la-zee may (I have no idea how that might be spelled)
2. honest to pete
3. criminy
4. sweet pea
5. home again home again, jiggety jog
6. bedtime for bonzo

Confessions of a Food Addict

I don't think there are many people in the world who love food the way that I do. I would rather eat food than have sex. Does this make me an addict? I watched a special on Oprah where these people would go into the kitchen and consume the entire contents of their refrigerators in one night, all while they were asleep. I sat there wondering, "what's the problem?"