Recipe Wednesday

Before going grocery shopping Monday evening, I did some browsing on one of my favorite recipe sites, allrecipes.com, and did a search for lasagna recipes. Came across some great things, but opted instead for a lasagna soup! Made it tonight and it was, in the words of Rachael Ray, DELISH!



And now for the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (and fresh garlic if you choose)
  
• 4 cups of Seasoned Beef Broth
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or corkscrew-shaped pasta (I used Mini Fusilli)
  
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook beef with garlic in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
2. Add broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Heat to a boil.
3. Stir in pasta. Cook over medium heat 10 min. or until pasta is done. Stir in cheese. Serve with additional cheese if desired.

...and here are my extra add ons...I also cut up about a quarter of an onion and added that in. In addition to this, I also used fresh chopped garlic with the meat, not just garlic powder. And instead of mixing the cheese in as it was cooking, I grated it and put it on top before serving. And as you can see from the picture, enjoy with some garlic bread and a nice glass of red wine.

This meal really was easy and yummy! Enjoy!

Tuesday = Scrapday

It seems that Tuesday nights are becoming my scrapbooking night. I have more time than most other nights, and I am already laying around watching TV. Got two LO's done tonight, but also uploaded a bunch of older ones to flickr. Really proud of the two I did tonight because I did a lot of things that I wouldn't normally say are part of my "style". Lately I have been trying to try new things on my LO's and I am pleased with the way they turned out tonight.

The title page for my vacation album Hammocks and Relaxing on vacation

Just realized today that I only have 3 weeks after this week until spring break. That's only 18 more days! And the Friday of our last week is a work day, so no students, which really means only 17 more days till my break begins. A break will be much needed by then.

ScrapBuzz

One of my favorite ladies over at AMR, Anne Marie, has started a great new blog, ScrapBuzz. It's a one stop resource for all things scrap related and full of great links and ideas. She has wonderful links to challenges, freebies, sketches, and all sorts of other neat things. Check it out!

a solid day

Paid a few bills, went on a field trip with the 3rd graders, ate some yummy leftovers, and then topped it all off with 2 layouts. A very solid day, if I do say so myself!

Layouts

I have loved having today off! Here's what I have been up to...

a long weekend

In honor of the 43 great presidents in this country's history, I have today off. And I am enjoying every moment of it. I enjoyed waking up later than usual, some shopping, and meeting my fiancée for a wonderful lunch. Not much more you could ask for. I have wanted to scrap all weekend, but I've been visiting my parents and didn't have the chance. However, I did get to visit the LSS near them and picked up a few cute things. We also bought some great paper that matches my wedding invitations and I plan on wrapping a small strip of the paper around the invitations. When it's finished, I'll share some pictures!

I got home yesterday and found these waiting for me in my mailbox...I love both of these magazines. I sat down last night and started looking through Real Simple and plan to get cozy on my couch with some tea later and read some more.

Took these this weekend. They were from my dad to my mom for Valentine's Day.

I also met with my florist while I was at home, and picked out what I want for my bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets for the wedding. They're going to be gorgeous! Cannot wait to see how it all comes together!

Layla Baby

A rough day at work, but at least my puppy is still adorable and makes me smile! According to the vet, she is one year this month. Since she is a pound puppy, I don't really know her birthday, but I've taken it upon myself to pick out a birthday for her. I am not really a Valentine's Day person, but I figured it could help me remember when her birthday is if I celebrate it on a holiday. Here she is in her new collar from etsy, looking like a big one year old :)

a little scrappy

I didn't get much done (too much time watching tv!) but I did complete 1 layout. I can now go to bed feeling like something has been accomplished on my lazy day off!

Sick Day

A runny nose, a pounding headache, and some sore joints was enough to make the call for a sub last night. I get 10 sick days a school year and I have yet to use one, so last night I decided (with some help from the fiancée) that it was in my best interest to stay home today. I slept till 10, watched silly morning talk shows, made peanut butter cookies, and watched Netflix on the couch for most the day. It was relaxing and peaceful and just what I needed. A day to get my body back in good shape and a day for my sanity. Oh, and around mid-day, I missed all the people when I went to vote in Virginia's primary.

I thought about scrapping today, but the motivation was never really there. I think after dinner tonight I may try to get some done. I am feeling so inspired after seeing so many pretty pictures of new things at CHA! Can't wait to start seeing them in the store!

bridesmaids!

Bridesmaid dresses have been picked!


One of my darling bridesmaids was here this weekend and we went out and did some browsing and found the perfect dress! So nice to have this done and off of my wedding checklist. Looks like the rest of today will be devoted to school things...grading papers, writing lesson plans, and getting ready for 100s day tomorrow! Can you believe it? I've already made it through 100 days of school. Only 80 more to go!

mail goodies

After a very rough day at school yesterday and a car ride home full of tears, I came home to this in my mailbox...


This was from Stacey at AMR. I was drawn as the winner of a challenge last week on the message board over there and this came in the mail. It totally made up for my crappy day. And best of all, it's all lovey-dovey and lots of brown and pink...my wedding colors! She couldn't have sent me anything more perfect :) Thanks Stacey!!

Guac!

I know I am a few days late, but I just want to share this wonderful recipe. I made some of the best guacamole ever for Sunday's Super Bowl. It was delicious and so easy to make.

Lime-Drenched Guacamole

This guacamole doesn't include tomatoes, which makes such a difference. Instead, it's fresh, tangy and absolutely delicious.

Serves 4

juice of 3-4 limes
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
½-1 jalapeno, minced
4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced thin
3 large avocados (or 4 smaller ones)

Mix the first five ingredients in a small bowl.

Halve the avocados, remove their pits, and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. Using a fork smash the fruit until you have the desired texture. Add other ingredients to avocados and mix.

my Saturday night

I've done a few layouts using some of my goodies from the new scrap store I found today AND drinking a few of these...

I love Blue Moon, so you can imagine how excited I was to find a spring addition on the shelves at my local grocery store. A very pleasant surprise, and a little reminder that spring will be here before I know it!

wedding bells are near

Pretty proud of this....

Our Knot Page

Only 175 days to go!!

This is from our Save The Date photo session. Our Save The Dates are like photo booth pics, each one has us holding a different sign. Maybe I'll try to post a picture of 'em later :)