Tuesday, July 17, 2012

July Top 10

It's mid-July and it feels like the past few weeks have gone by in a flash. So here's a quick top 10 to share the highlights of our July so far.

1. We took a family trip to Dayton/Cincinnati to visit Landen's Uncle Ryan, Aunt Katie and cousin Hayes. While there we visited the Newport Aquarium. It was a cooler alternative to the zoo or waterpark in the 100+ degree heat. Landen LOVED the "fishies", and was just old enough to get some enjoyment out of all the different varieties of aquatic life, etc. 

2. Scott had the week off work, so we spent a couple of days trying to get some things done around the new house that we've been putting off. The biggest events included hanging curtains in the living room and Landen's bedroom, painting the upstairs bathroom, and deciding on a decor theme for the kitchen. 

3. My belly is getting bigger. Bigger and squarer, I should say. Not sure why, but it gets a flat part right on top, so when I look down I just see a square-ish, weird looking belly. I don't think it's as noticeable to others, but I see it!

4. Speaking of baby...I haven't bought ONE thing for the little guy/girl yet! I think this may be one benefit of waiting to find out the gender...it curbs my spending. Scott is happy.

5. On the other hand, tomorrow will be 20 weeks (1/2 of the pregnancy, 4.5 months - for non-mothers/parents). I'm starting to get a bit anxious because all I've done for the baby's room is pick out a paint color and narrowed the crib down to three choices. That's it!

6. Landen told me yesterday there were two babies in my belly. This has me slightly concerned that she's having some child premonition that I'm actually having twins. She's not the first either! My elderly neighbor thought the same when we met a few weeks ago. Let's just say, I can't wait until the ultrasound in August to deny these claims. 

7. Speaking of Landen...she's potty training herself. We haven't been encouraging it too much because I wanted her to be cognitively ready for it and not rushed. She sees the potty at daycare so it has her interested. They've let her try several times with no result...but today, at home, we had RESULTS! Again, her choice, not mine. But that's a good thing. :)

8. She has also been paci free for a month! If you ask her about her "uh-oh", she'll tell you a story about how daddy took them to work (at the hospital) to give them to the babies. Very cute.

9. She's growing up so fast, it has me happy and sad. Sad because my baby isn't a baby anymore. But happy because it's so much fun to see her experience and enjoy so many more things. 

10. Finally, we spent the long weekend at Deer Creek State Park with Scott's extended family for a reunion of sorts. We do this every year, so it's a family tradition. We get to see family that live right here in Delphos along with those that live in other states. It's always fun to catch up with family, and this year Landen got to see some "cousins" that she only sees a few times a year. Here are some photos from the weekend.

Playing with daddy at the pool.
She just LOVES Bailie and Kestley!
Hayes, taking up golf?
 Landen, Annabelle, and Emery (all within about one year of each other) bonding and being goofy girls together.  :)  I like Landen's face in the bottom one.



Thursday, July 5, 2012

Easy Recipe: Chicken Tetrazzini

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe. After moving into our new house it took awhile for our appliances to be hooked up and operational, so there wasn't a lot of cooking going on around here. Recently, we had a delicious chicken tetrazzini dish at one of our weekly family gatherings. My aunt and uncle, Eileen and Chad, were in charge of this main dish and, wow, was it delicious! It's one of those recipes that you can really play with, and measurements aren't really that important. (Love those!) 


Instead of making a full batch (full box of spaghetti), I decided to cut it back a bit for our family. Leftovers are fine with me, but I didn't want too much in case I royally screwed things up. Lucky for me, I think that would be difficult to do with this one.


The original recipe calls for the following:

  • whole cooked chicken (keep the broth)
  • box of spaghetti
  • can of cream of mushroom soup
  • can of cream of chicken soup
  • block of white cheddar cheese (shredded)
  • block of colby cheese (shredded)
  • butter (a lot - like, a stick)


Here's what I used/had:

  • precooked, frozen fajita style chicken (from Schwann's)
  • about 1/2 box of spaghetti
  • can of cream of chicken soup (I figured I just needed one can for 1/2 the recipe, so I picked my favorite)
  • 3/4 block of white cheddar (shredded)
  • 3/4 block of colby (shredded)
  • about 2-3 tablespoons of butter

Preheat your oven to 350. Plan on baking for 30-45 minutes depending on how much you make and if it's been refrigerated or frozen previously.

First, I sprayed my dish with some non-stick cooking spray. Then I boiled the spaghetti (you can do this in the broth as the original calls for it, but I did not), and heated the chicken. Once these were complete, I drained/rinsed the spaghetti and cut the chicken into smaller pieces (to better hide them from Landen). Next, I placed these items in the dish.

Then I added the can of cream of chicken soup to the dish - I just dumped it in and spread it around some. Next, I added the shredded cheeses and sliced the butter on top of everything.

I prepared this late in the morning, so I covered it and put it in the refrigerator until it was time to heat it up. I think I ended up baking it for about 30 minutes (covered), and that was plenty for this amount. Sorry, I didn't take a photo of the finished product - it basically looks like a gooey, cheesy mess.

And it was a success! We gobbled it up (even Landen), and had some leftovers that didn't make it to the weekend. :)

Enjoy!