recipes!

Ok. So there are many of you who have been asking me for several different soup recipes. here are a few of my favorite ones of the year. Please, note that i don't really measure when i cook, unless i am baking. So, this is the best i could do. I guess i always add a little more flavor than it asks for. I just fix recipes the way i think it would taste good. That way it is more my recipe. So, feel free do the same and make it your yummy recipe!



This is a picture of the little guy eating his first teething cookie. He is cutting 6 teeth all at once so, i thought he deserved a little messy fun! I had so much fun with it and cleaning up to. I guess this is a pic of things to come when he finally gets to enjoy my soup dishes!

Crock Pot Curry Vegetable Soup

4 med carrots (sliced)

2 med potatoes (1/2 in. cubes)

1 can tom diced with juice

1 can garbanzo beans drained

1/2 lb. green beans (cut into 1 inch pieces, 1 1/2 c)

1c coarsley chopped onion

3-4 garlic cloves

2 TB thickner ( quick cooking tapioca, or arrowroot, maybe flour)

2 tsp curry powder ( i use more)

1 tsp ground coriander( or more)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

salt to taste

1/8 tsp cinnemon

1 1/2 c veggie broth

2c hot cooked rice

In a 3 1/2 quart crock pot or pot put everything together besides the tomatoes and rice. Start with potatoes, then carrots and so on. Pour the broth on top over all of it, seasoning too.

Cover an cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 3 -4 hours. If you are not using a crock pot just cook till desired tenderness. Add tomatoes to crock pot and stir , cover and cook another 5-10 min. Serve over hot cooked rice. I like to make is a little more indian and have a side of cucumber yogurt dressing and some Naan Bread. I get the bread from Whole Foods or an Indian restraunt. I have tried to make it...never turns out for me.

OPTION 2 for this soup:

Make plenty, cook half way so that potatoes don' t get soft yet. And put half in the Freezer. Cook the other half as recipe above tells you for dinner now. For another dinner bring out the one you froze. Add Chicken ( bite size peices), 1 TB Cardamon seeds placed in a filter or tea bag thingy. 1/4 tsp chili powder or more. 1 tsp of tumeric or more. maybe some green and red peppers chopped. A little lemon juice or lime. And the thickest part of coconut milk ( not light!) about 1/2 a c. Some garlic salt. HMMMMMmmmmmmmmm GOOD! This is a great way to "updo" your left overs!

Then for an even yummeir change. Cook your rice in the other half of your coconut milk. The part that was more watery. Add enough water to make the difrerence for the correct water/rice ratio! I credit this idea to my good friend Jenny. check out her unique and inspirational blog @ www. jenfindingherway.blogspot.com

Wala!

Again serve with Naan bread and yogurt sauce.

Fall Sausage and Kale Soup (EASY!)

1 TB oil

1 L onion diced

4 c Kale- bite size

2 (14 oz) chick broth

4 plum tomatoes

2c diced potatoes (red skins)

1 tsp rosemary- fresh

1/2 tsp ground pepper

12 oz cooked chick sausage ( halved lengthwise and then sliced)

1 TB cider vinegar

Heat oil, cook onion for about 5 min. Add Kale for 1-3 min. Stir in broth, tomatoes, potatoes, rosemary and pepper. Increase heat to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook till veggies are just tender. You don't want potatoes to be too mushy. 10-15 min or so.

Stir in sausage and vinegar and cook for 2 more min.

Serve immidiatly

Fancy Butternut Squash Soup ( slightly more involved, but YUMMY!)

this is not my recipe, but my friend Nita Ellis gave it to me!

Butternut squash -peeled with pot peeler, cut in half and remove seeds. chop in 1/2 "cubes. Put in a bowl with sliced onion, toss with olive oil, cinnemon, nutmeg & allspice. Spread on a cookie sheet (may add sliced apples- optional) Roast @ 35o dg. Flip occasionally until carmalized. You could just stop here and serve as a side dish!
For soup: Take the above and place in a blender or food processor with the chick broth and blend. This is your soup base.

steam some cubed potatoes. Stir fry any veggies you like ( brocolli, carrots, garbanzo beans, etc.) add the stir fried veggies to soup base, adding more chicken stock if needed.

Season soup with curry, coconut milk and lemon grass. The best is if you can put a couple of fresh lemon grass stalks in it. Otherwise use whatever you can find at store.

optional to Serve over basmati rice and garnish with any of the following:

yogurt, grated lemon grass, shredded coconut, mango cutney, dried cranberries, and bananas.

I used all of the above and served this as our thanksgiving meal! It was absolutly amazing!

I hope you all enjoy!

Here is to an incredible 2007, a brand new niece and a wonderful mormor!

On December 26, 2007 Jon David's Mormor, (grandma) Hannah Rotbaek, passed away. Flew away really, to meet the one she has only dreamt of all these years! How excited she must have been to finally meet her first love!

Today, is January 3, 2007, (although, I won't post this till later) the day of her

"Life Celebration"! Most call it a funeral. I just can't see why. Maybe, if I broke it down in a Greek, Latin or Hebrew text I would understand it better. Seeing as how i don't know it's origin, I am not off to a good start. Anyways, it turned out to be a real great "Life Celebration"!

This is a picture of Jon David with his Mormor when he went to visit last Easter. One thing about her that was pretty awesome, is that she could light up a room with the light in her eyes when anyone would mention Jesus' name, read scripture to her or tell of His goodness. I love this picture because that is just what Jon David intended to do on that trip. Light her all up inside with the Word of God. At that time, it would only last for a moment. Now, it will last for Eternity!

Here is to you sweet Mormor,Hannah! And Here is to you, sweet Maker of Heaven!

On a very BIG side note. Several hours after Mormor's burial, her great granddaughter was born. Jon David's sister, Hanna-Gudviet, had a baby girl at 5:30 am the next morning.

When a chapter is ended a new one begins! And from her very line and her very name! INTERESTING!!!!! Hmmm, God IS good!

The pictures below are the events that took place just before Jon David left for Norway this New Years day.

My uncle, Archie Adams and his wife, Barbra Adams, came for a visit. We had a blast! Ever since Ethan was born I feel like our house has been like grand central station with visitors coming to meet my prince. You can not know how much I love that, not to mention showing off my little babe! This visit was the "Grand Finale" of them all and of a fantastic 2007! New Years Eve turned out to be a ton of fun! We Played Settlers, our favorite game that I got Jon David for Christmas! Had great fellowship and toasted to the New Year with a great bottle of Champagne! Oh, and the glasses we are wearing are a trip to look through! Each one of us had a different pair. Mine were angels, some dancing snowmen, christmas trees, stars, snowflakes, and santa's. Really great fun!

A kiss good-bye to my love on his last night before he left for Norway, New Years Day! He's a prince of a guy!

So, I am bringing in the New Year alone...but not, I have Ethan. And I really quit enjoy it. It is so peaceful and sweet after so much hustle and bustle. The downer is that i have no way to get all the Christmas stuff put away. I guess it will just have to stay up for now!

Happy New Year to all of you and may it be fuller and richer than the year before!

So much for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...Hope it was full for you all! Here is a summary of ours!

We made this video as a Christmas DVD stocking stuffer for the fam. Turned out to be a big hit. So, then i just added a few moments of our x-mas time! Hope you enjoy.



I am going to let the stories of our Christmas and New Year trickle in bit by bit. See you soon!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

Here he is ladies and gentlemen! Our beautiful baby has cut his very first, two teeth. I guess he wrote in to Santa early! He really was a good sport about it. Either those "Hylands" tablets really are incredible, or he is like his mama and has a high pain tolerance!

I have been working really hard to get some good photo's of his teeth. After some hard work it really is time for a nap don't you think?
Good night, love bug!

PS. Who can guess where the title/quote on my last blog come from?

"Now, why don't she write?"

Some of you have been asking me when i am going to update my blog. It could take pages to truly explain that. I will give you the short end of it. With a lot on my mind....

I am in love!

Who wouldn't be with a face like this one, smiling at you every day? He is nearly 6 months ( Tuesday, to be exact) and he has stolen my heart. Yes, he is turning 6 months this week and i feel as though half his life is already gone. When you think about it we really do have 2 lives. The life of an infant that ends as they begin to enter toddler hood. And the life of a person (from toddler hood on). This is my new found theory. So, honestly, he is entering the second half of his little baby life. I am so excited...but, not really. I am more sad. Where did the time go? I find myself reminiscing these last few days, of the first days of his life. How he use to eat for an hour or more at a time. So, on Saturdays, I would watch a movie, like "dreamer". He would sleep at the foot of our bed in his cradle and make the loudest noises by snorting and breathing so loudly. I would watch him lay on his back at play time and he would always kick just one leg (his left), over and over again very rapidly. He is as much serious as he is humored.

It is funny that you don't get a do over. Why not? I didn't know what i was doing? I didn't know how fast it would all go. I was stuck in the whirlwind of it all, feeling how hard the transition was more than the bliss of his precious little existence. Now, i realize how normal it is for him to cry and be uncomfortable. I could do this whole thing over again and sit back and enjoy the transition. I was too worried and stressed that i was not handling his transition perfectly. I just needed to be more laid back and now that i know him better, understand his personality and body language better, i would be able to just take it all in and relax.

So, that is where i have been. Just trying to take it all and save it all up for ME! It is an effort in vain. Although, we purchase cameras, video cameras, and other gadgets of the like, so that we can store it all up. It almost seems in vain. Like God knew, and he has made it so that we can't. No matter how technologically advanced we become, our inner chips get wiped clean as we move on to be rewired for the next season in our lives. yes, we remember. But, even though we were there, we could taste and smell and feel and see. We can never really be "there" again.

My grandmother past away years ago. I find myself thinking of her like everyday now, since Ethan was born. How she would have loved and adored this time in our lives. Hmmm, the sweetness...I was able to be there with her over many years, and it is stapled in my mind forever. Yet, every year it gets further and further away. I can't really go "there" any more. Just like this moment this place and this time will be a place i can never go to ever again! Treasure it; I do. Remember it; I hope to. Live it again; I will always want to.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are doing things different this year. No turkey, no dressing and I am even going shopping on THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING! Never thought I would do that. I guess I just want to experience it. Leave myself behind, (the self that only feels like Ethan's mom and has no other identity except cooking and cleaning, of course) and plunge myself into the great beyond! Watch other people flying around with their own agenda. I won't really have one of my own I just want to pretend to exist in the "norm". I will just love feeling what it is like to be around a lot of other people bustling about. I want to let the world irritate me again, as i get pushed around and wait in long lines while possibly having to deal with an employee clerk who has no idea how to work a register.

Something about being in chaos makes me feel comfort. Twisted huh. I know it is, because I feel less chaotic while in the middle of chaos that is all around me but not within me. And of course, I love it because I sit at home in a very peaceful and calm environment with very little activity happening outside of baby nap time, baby changing time, baby play time. Believe me, I would not change my sweet world for anything, EVER! Not even a little. My little snow baby and all his tiny activity and existence is all this mamma could ever want. I love my life and being at home all day. It still amazes me that i get to wake up every morning to his smiling face and spend the whole day with such a precious being. However, for those of you who know the demands of the small sweetness in your own home, understand how excited I must be to have a day to myself!!!! YIPPY! A day to do what I want no matter how crazy!

Every year, for Thanksgiving, the women in this family are cooking and cleaning all day. How is that exciting. Not only do I get to do that everyday at home, but I get to do it even more on Thanksgiving. So, if there are people to fellowship with, or a parade to watch, or apple cider to drink while sitting by the fire, movies or otherwise, we are not doing those FUN things! We are in the kitchen! Isn't this holiday for fellowship and fun! I am just happy to be here and not spending the day cooking! Hanging with my family is all I care about. Jon David is home and we are having a lot of fun working on projects we have always wanted to do around the house! Yet, we are still having dinner at my house tonight with my parents. Dinner= soup! Yep! We are having soup. Not just any soup, but a butternut squash soup that has been caramelized with apples and onions and then pureed with chicken stock for a base with stir fried veggies, curry and coconut milk, served over basmati rice with garnished with either bananas, dried cranberries or mango chutney. Yum, huh. I don't even kinda want turkey this year. Besides, we just have it again for Christmas dinner in a month.

So, I am very Thankful this holiday season and very happy too, in this special season of my life. I feel full, rewarded somehow and incredible grateful for the simple things, the things we often take for granted (even being able to make a list, let alone check them off and have some time to shop alone!) So, here is to the simple things!

Blessing and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Food will tell...

This is my sweet Aunt Jessica, who came all the way from Aspen, Co, just to meet me. She's pretty, don't you think?
Who is this crazy girl? I guess she thinks I'm pretty cute!
I think she is pretty funny!

These are my friends Julianna and Isabella. Finally, the whole Frank family together again in Nashville.

A time we will remember in our taste buds and in our hearts!

So, my sister just left and to finish up the trip we decided to record on a calender all that we had accomplished on her month stay here, in Nashville. It became a "food recall" event as we struggled to remember each morning, afternoon and evening. They all ran together, especially since we were all sick for much of her stay. As Jessica processed the day beginning with what we ate and ending with what we ate...it all started to come back to us. It was proof to her very fine tuned taste in food. She eats well, always has. Now, having lived in Aspen for about 4 years, she has become accustomed to eating only the best and most gourmet. To her, fine food starts with time, energy and patience (of which, she has a small reservoir set aside for just this purpose) for all the flavors to be expressed, pulled, marinated and added. There are no short cuts! That is to be rule number 1!
So, I give you a list of the most delightful yummies we shared!
*Slow roasted "drunk chicken" with a pecan mixed greens salad
*The most Delicious homemade pizza you have ever had! Which was a margarita pizza with pesto and prosciutto added along with some special touches!
*Homemade cabbage rolls served with potato pancakes ( i did not have the pleasure to taste)
*Homemade BBQ chicken sauce served over grilled chicken and Jessica's made up couscous with veggies. Who knows how she made that ordinary dish so extraordinary!
*Thai chicken soup...pressure cooked whole chicken, (spent forever pulling it till it was in fine shreds). Fresh cilantro, green onions, and lime with spicy chili sauce on top. Mom cooked the soup with her home grown lemon grass, then we added mung beans, mushrooms, rice noodles and other ingredients. YUMMY!
*Black bean and chicken soup (also from whole chick and pulled with extra time involved)
*Delicious Finger licking Good Peanut Pasta...pulled chicken, rice noodles,homemade peanut sauce, shredded carrots, snow peas, mung beans, peppers, cilantro etc. with chili sauce. AMAZING! (My special dish, by the way)
*Fall soup... sausage, sweet potato cubed, onions, mustard seeds, cabbage etc. served with corn bread
*Enchiladas with arugula salad (again never ordinary)
*Mom's homemade and famous chili

Well, that is a rough draft and since i don't have a copy of that calender i am just trying to remember it myself! I just had to share it all with you.
We lived, we laughed, we did busy body stuff, we got sick, we took care of each other and we ate like Kings and Queens...as we should!
Isn't it funny how life really does revolve around food. Makes you realize how much more so food should revolve around a table and friendly faces. Unfortunately, especially in America, we have strayed away from this beautiful design.
God gave us The Banqueting Table! We are meant to break bread, fellowship, eat, drink and be merry. Ever since Jessica came i have wanted to bring the "Table" back into our lives here, at Adnevik Lane! Lately, we have been able to accomplish just that and I love it!
Thanks, Jess, for your inspiration. I had a blast with you and I am still savoring every taste we enjoyed together!