2 packs of yam noodles
3 chicken thighs
6 potatoes - baked, cooled, cut into small dice.
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1 medium bell pepper
1 large bag of peas (frozen)
salt to taste
dried spice mix - see soup seasoning recipe previously posted (can use Bragg's seasoning if safe for you)
1 cup celery chopped.
stew chicken thighs in crock pot for all day on high with water and spices.
Pick chicken into stew pot. Add crockpot broth. Add enough water to fill pot. Add all other ingredients. Cook on medium low for 40 minutes.
Makes about 9 quarts of soup.
NOTE - YAM NOODLES DO NOT FREEZE. SO, can do all the other stuff but the noodles and freeze it. When re-heating, add noodles and simmer for 30 minutes.
http://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Noodle-Ingredient-Potato-Starch/dp/B007AWOBLU - these are yam noodles.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
New Year's Eve
I suppose it says something about me - I get more excited about the turn of the year than I do about all other holidays and events combined. Birthdays - no big deal. Religious holidays - joy and stress. Family holidays and national events (4th of July)... mainly stress. No, for me the biggie is New Year's.
It is not the ball dropping or any of the glitz. Hey, I do not even have a television hooked up to cable (my TV is for DVD purposes only). There are no television channels in my life. No, for me it is the potential that hangs with great presence over the turning of the year.
Season's change do the same for me in a small degree. But, it is New Year's Eve that makes me all shivery with excitement. Much the same as Christmas did when I was small. Now, I review the previous year and find great anticipation of the possibilities of the coming year.
And, New Year's Eve has a wonderful present ... the first day of a new calendar. I find such delight in looking at the blank squares and knowing it is up to my choice as to how I fill those days. Sometimes, I seek to rectify poor behaviors of the past. However, I find more and more, as I grow older, that I seek to focus on where I am going instead of where I have been. The past has relevance - it would be foolish to imagine that it did not. However, it is the future that thrills me. Each moment of that expanse of time can be written by choice and by action. And, what a wonderful, heady thought that is to me.
So, my wish for each and every one is this:
May your New Year be the one you write for yourself. May it see you become a better person than you were yesterday. May you find joy and happiness and meaning. May you be the blessing on the world that you have the potential to be. And, when looking back upon the year, may you find peace and certainty that the year could not in any way have been lived to a better or fuller degree.
It is not the ball dropping or any of the glitz. Hey, I do not even have a television hooked up to cable (my TV is for DVD purposes only). There are no television channels in my life. No, for me it is the potential that hangs with great presence over the turning of the year.
Season's change do the same for me in a small degree. But, it is New Year's Eve that makes me all shivery with excitement. Much the same as Christmas did when I was small. Now, I review the previous year and find great anticipation of the possibilities of the coming year.
And, New Year's Eve has a wonderful present ... the first day of a new calendar. I find such delight in looking at the blank squares and knowing it is up to my choice as to how I fill those days. Sometimes, I seek to rectify poor behaviors of the past. However, I find more and more, as I grow older, that I seek to focus on where I am going instead of where I have been. The past has relevance - it would be foolish to imagine that it did not. However, it is the future that thrills me. Each moment of that expanse of time can be written by choice and by action. And, what a wonderful, heady thought that is to me.
So, my wish for each and every one is this:
May your New Year be the one you write for yourself. May it see you become a better person than you were yesterday. May you find joy and happiness and meaning. May you be the blessing on the world that you have the potential to be. And, when looking back upon the year, may you find peace and certainty that the year could not in any way have been lived to a better or fuller degree.
Quick and easy mashed potatoes: The perfect use of a Ninja...
When your hands hurt - or you have a stomach bug and allergies enough you cannot take advantage of instant potatoes... Here is a great way to make quick and easy homemade mashed potatoes.
Rinse several potatoes.
Put on glass baking dish. Set into oven. Turn onto 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let bake at least a hour. Done when soft to the touch.
Pull glass dish with baked potatoes out of oven. Using silicon mitt to protect your hands, split the potatoes and squish out the insides into a bowl. Either set the skins aside later for baked cheese skins or dispose of the skins.
Into Ninja (I used the small pitcher and the dough blade), dump the tater insides. Add butter and milk to taste. I used about 1/3 cup milk, 3 medium potatoes, and 2 tablespoons butter. Put the lid on and process like you would dough. Scrape down the sides once or twice if needed. Add salt, garlic, sour cream, etc. to suit yourself.
The actual work time for this - about 6 minutes all told. The total time from start to eating... about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. For me, with a stomach bug today... I took a nap for the time it was taking to bake the potatoes.
Even better - the dishes all went into the dishwasher... so no fuss, no mess, and something gentle on the tummy.
Rinse several potatoes.
Put on glass baking dish. Set into oven. Turn onto 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let bake at least a hour. Done when soft to the touch.
Pull glass dish with baked potatoes out of oven. Using silicon mitt to protect your hands, split the potatoes and squish out the insides into a bowl. Either set the skins aside later for baked cheese skins or dispose of the skins.
Into Ninja (I used the small pitcher and the dough blade), dump the tater insides. Add butter and milk to taste. I used about 1/3 cup milk, 3 medium potatoes, and 2 tablespoons butter. Put the lid on and process like you would dough. Scrape down the sides once or twice if needed. Add salt, garlic, sour cream, etc. to suit yourself.
The actual work time for this - about 6 minutes all told. The total time from start to eating... about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. For me, with a stomach bug today... I took a nap for the time it was taking to bake the potatoes.
Even better - the dishes all went into the dishwasher... so no fuss, no mess, and something gentle on the tummy.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
A quick update :)
Well, it has been a while since I last blogged. My life changed significantly and I had to take time to adjust to the changes.
I graduated from Capella in October. I now have my Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling degree. I got a job at EHS Support Services providing mental health support services to clients in Giles, Christiansburg, Radford, and areas in between. Currently, I have 7 clients. I really enjoy what I do and the people (both clients and coworkers) with whom I work. I find my clients to be challenging, changeable, and delightful. My coworkers are supportive and professional. It is nice not to have to do politicking when I am at the office.
The transition from student to employed person required more adjustment than I had ever imagined. I am working a 40-55 hour work week. I was trying to take a Capella class also in order to obtain a certificate in Addiction Counseling. However, I simply could not find balance between work and school and life. So, I dropped the class. Just recently I decided to drop the certificate program entirely.
Brian and I moved. We now have a lovely little place. However, the difference between communal living and independent living was unlike my expectations. Brian and I have a huge backyard (a bit over 2 acres) in which the dogs love to run and play. It is peaceful here with gorgeous sunsets.
We have Chai Chi (a rescue pup). Chai is probably about 7 months old and is probably some sort of whippet mix. Being young, Chai has more teeth than brains. He loves to chew - so on days Brian and I are out of the house for long periods, Chai and Inky go to my parents' house for pet-sitting.
Brian had a sleep study done. He was diagnosed with circadian rhythm disorder and restless legs syndrome. While he does not stop breathing enough to meet criteria for sleep apnea (have to stop 5 times per hour), he does stop breathing (10 times in 6 hours). We have a follow up appointment to see what that means. Until then, he was prescribed Ambien for the sleep issues. Since starting that, his sleep is normalizing a bit.
Brian has been struggling with his mood disorder (officially mood disorder NOS, I think he has bipolar I disorder with rapid cycling). He had a moment of catharsis and epiphany. Those changes plus the medication has resulted in his moods stabilizing for the first time in 7 years... a HUGE RELIEF for us all.
Working has me out and about in the community. Exposure to allergens is common. So, I am working on ways to minimize my exposure. Fortunately, I am not reacting as badly to each exposure, but by the end of the day I am definitely having some allergic reactions. So, I am taking benedryl each day and minimizing what I can. This is letting me work... and I am hoping the trend continues.
I am still creating recipes and doing beadwork. And, as I find balance with my new life structure, I am starting to return to the things most important to me - friends, blogging, reading, learning. Life is good!
I graduated from Capella in October. I now have my Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling degree. I got a job at EHS Support Services providing mental health support services to clients in Giles, Christiansburg, Radford, and areas in between. Currently, I have 7 clients. I really enjoy what I do and the people (both clients and coworkers) with whom I work. I find my clients to be challenging, changeable, and delightful. My coworkers are supportive and professional. It is nice not to have to do politicking when I am at the office.
The transition from student to employed person required more adjustment than I had ever imagined. I am working a 40-55 hour work week. I was trying to take a Capella class also in order to obtain a certificate in Addiction Counseling. However, I simply could not find balance between work and school and life. So, I dropped the class. Just recently I decided to drop the certificate program entirely.
Brian and I moved. We now have a lovely little place. However, the difference between communal living and independent living was unlike my expectations. Brian and I have a huge backyard (a bit over 2 acres) in which the dogs love to run and play. It is peaceful here with gorgeous sunsets.
We have Chai Chi (a rescue pup). Chai is probably about 7 months old and is probably some sort of whippet mix. Being young, Chai has more teeth than brains. He loves to chew - so on days Brian and I are out of the house for long periods, Chai and Inky go to my parents' house for pet-sitting.
Brian had a sleep study done. He was diagnosed with circadian rhythm disorder and restless legs syndrome. While he does not stop breathing enough to meet criteria for sleep apnea (have to stop 5 times per hour), he does stop breathing (10 times in 6 hours). We have a follow up appointment to see what that means. Until then, he was prescribed Ambien for the sleep issues. Since starting that, his sleep is normalizing a bit.
Brian has been struggling with his mood disorder (officially mood disorder NOS, I think he has bipolar I disorder with rapid cycling). He had a moment of catharsis and epiphany. Those changes plus the medication has resulted in his moods stabilizing for the first time in 7 years... a HUGE RELIEF for us all.
Working has me out and about in the community. Exposure to allergens is common. So, I am working on ways to minimize my exposure. Fortunately, I am not reacting as badly to each exposure, but by the end of the day I am definitely having some allergic reactions. So, I am taking benedryl each day and minimizing what I can. This is letting me work... and I am hoping the trend continues.
I am still creating recipes and doing beadwork. And, as I find balance with my new life structure, I am starting to return to the things most important to me - friends, blogging, reading, learning. Life is good!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)