Cooking Rut...Resolved!!

Do any of you gals get into cooking the same old, same 'ol every week? Ok, well this week I branched out and tried some new recipes. Healthy, inexpensive, AND delicious. So here they are!

This is one of Justin's favorites. I haven't made it in a while but I did have all the ingredients today so, voila~~ It's a bit spicy, but we like it that way. I think I always throw in more garlic and red pepper than the recipe calls for.

Garlic Chicken w/ Orzo Noodles
serves: 4 (or 2 hungry people!)


1 c. uncooked orzo pasta
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 boneless chicken breast halves- diced
Salt
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 c. fresh spinach
Parmesan Cheese

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes.

2. Heat oil in skillet and saute garlic and pepper. Stir in chicken, season w/ salt and cook 2-5 minutes till lightly browned. Reduce to medium heat and mix in parsley and orzo. Place spinach in skillet and cook till spinach is wilted. Sprinkle w/ Parmesan.

3. Enjoy w/ your family!!

This is a Middle Eastern recipe, I think. My meat-loving husband actually enjoyed this!! He didn't realize they were made out of chickpeas till after he told me it tasted really good. Ha..HA!! (I was cracking up b/c he had so many condiments on his "burger" I'm surprised he could even taste the real thing!)
Falafel:

1 lb canned chickpeas (drained)
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 tbs. finely chopped parsley
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½-1 cup breadcrumbs or fine bulgur
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried hot peppers
1-2 cloves garlic minced
Olive oil

~ Combine chickpeas and onions. Add parsley, egg and spices. Mix in blender. Add crumbs till mixture forms a ball. Form into small patties and fry in olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve as a sandwich w/ sliced tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and mayo. Delic!

I enjoy making salads and here's a new twist for something a little different! It's really good as a salad, pita pocket filling or even a snack! Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad of bulgur wheat tossed w/ lots of fresh parsley, mint and lemon juice.
Tabbouleh:
6 servings

1 cup bulgur (pre-soak in 1 cup of water for 1 hour or until water is absorbed)
3 cups chopped fresh parsley
Finely shredded lettuce or spinach
2 large tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, minced
½ cup. Chopped cucumber
½ cup chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. pepper

~Toss bulgur, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber and parsley together.
~Combine other ingredients and pour dressing over the salad. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Sorry about the absence of pictures...my camera needs batteries! The boys and I are heading up to see my grandparents next week! I'm sure I'll have a boat load of pictures to post when I get back!

One on one

Mommy and William
This little guy is 12 weeks old today! Time flies when you're having fun. I was getting ready to put sheets on the bed and William was in such a giggly mood. We had fun tickling and laughing together...just us. :)

11 WEEKS

Memorial Tribute

Here's a link to D. James Kennedy's Memorial Tribute...spoken by him!
Click here: http://65.240.226.104:8080
I consider him to be a great hero of the faith!
M~

Naptime!!!

It's naptime for the kids! I should be laying down too, but invariably as soon as my head hits the pillow, someone will wake up. So, I'm just enjoying the quiet house for a few minutes!

Hey ladies! A friend of mine sent me this site about homemaking and home management: www.thefamilyhomestead.com I was so encouraged about being the best home manager possible...it's actually quite a challenge sometimes! I was excited to find a recipe for graham crackers. I don't like buying the store ones b/c of the refined ingredients and hydrogenated oil in them. So, I'm going to try making those soon!

Ok, now don't laugh, but I'm going to try the recipe for homemade laundry detergent too! Beachy's Bulk Foods (a local Amish store) carries all the ingredients, so that makes it easy! I can't believe how cheap it is! For 64 1/2 cup loads it's $0.71 (2 gal. of detergent), which translates into $0.01 per load. Plus it doesn't contain all the chemicals that reg. detergent does. Hmmm...I'll let you know how it goes.

~M~

Wowzers!

Talk about a photography challenge!!! Getting 5 kids under 3 years old to look at the camera is virtually impossible! Amazing that most of them were, since these were the only 2 shots I took! Photography isn't the only challenge when you're watching this many little ones!

We're excited to announce that our friends, The Schouts, just had their 4th baby yesterday afternoon! Patrick Joseph was 6 lbs. 11 oz. Elia and Baby Patrick are doing well...trying to get some rest before they come home! Nellie, Isaac, and Joshua are the proud big sister and brothers. Congratulations!!

Two Photograph Subjects

The beauty of photographing two children under 2 years: you get a dose of reality recorded on film. No two pictures look the same, both children make a variety of expressions, neither of them are necessarily looking at the camera, and half of the photos are off center. Hmmm.

My Computer Bud

How'd you like this little guy to be sitting next to you as you type?? Cute, huh?! Here's William sitting up like a big boy in his Bumbo seat. Almost 11 weeks!

Love this!!

"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God...that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ..."

1 Peter 4:8-11

Playground...

Here's the new swingset...the project the boys were working on a few posts ago. It was Samuel's birthday present. He enjoys having his uncle and aunt over to play. :)

Interruptions...

Ok, well I started that last post and was interrupted and just got back online to finish. I didn't even get to re-read it. It's a wonder it makes sense! Well, now I have no idea what my train of thought was, so I'll just leave ORGANIZATION 101 POST as is. My brain has been thinking of way too many things since then. Off to go put away 0-3 month clothes and bring out the 3-6 month! Boo hoo! My baby is growing so fast! I love "box" clothes...loved 'em when I was 7 and I love 'em now that I'm 24! ["Box Clothes" is our family's affectionate term for "hand-me-downs", in case you weren't sure of that term]

~M~

ORGANIZATION 101

Does organizing or cleaning ever thrill you? Funny thing you may not know about me, is that I love to be organized and have a place for everything. I like to get rid of miscellaneous items...clutter seems to clog the internal workings of my brain, or something! I inherited this from my mom and grandmas. So my satisfaction last night was the long past due dusting, organizing, and restocking of my office bookshelf.



TA-DAaaa!!!

Bathtime~

I think they're gangin' up on us!

"Whoa!"

"This is pretty serious"

Surprises!

Sometimes life brings surprises...some in sets of two!! Our friends just had twin girls and didn't know until immediately before delivery! Wow! The fun thing, is that the girls share Samuel's birthday--August 18th!

We were pleasantly surprised when they stopped by for a visit yesterday. It was wonderful to meet little Abigail and Bethany. They are absolutely beautiful! We had dinner together and a fun time chatting about family and parenting.

William~~

Look at me...I'm 10 weeks old tomorrow!

Labor Day Weekend!

Last weekend was a refreshing time with family! We enjoyed dinner together, George and Krista visiting, camping at the cabin, and biking several miles to a nearby State Park. Justin and Samuel braved the outdoors in a tent!! Samuel had a blast. I wished I would've left the cameras w/ Justin so he could've documented Samuel's 1st camping experience. Mommy and William aren't quite ready for camping. Just give us a couple months...ha!

New Tractor~!