It's Soup Weather, Y'all!

It's been raining for two days with more to come.

But we really need it, here in the south.

It's been dark, dreary and chilly...

...and I am lovin' it!

It's time for some soup, I'd say!

Lately, I've had a hankerin' for some broccoli-cheddar.

Recently, I've been eating low-carb and this fits the bill perfectly.

I looked online at some recipes and actually took a little from three different ones.

~

Here's my recipe:

*1 large head of broccoli, chopped small(ish)

*3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

*2 T. butter

*1 cup heavy cream

*1-8 oz. block cream cheese

*2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

*1 garlic clove, minced

*1 small onion, chopped

*salt and pepper to taste

Place chopped broccoli, garlic and onion in large kettle with the chicken broth. 

After it begins to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until tender.

Next, add butter, and the block of cream cheese. 

I used cream cheese made from Greek yogurt but any will do...

...the yogurt contains more protein, as you see by the label.

When the cream cheese has melted, add the cheddar and stir, stir, stir...

...making sure the heat is on low so it doesn't stick to the kettle.

 Add salt and pepper according to your personal taste.
It's ready to eat after the cheese has melted.

HEY MA.......IS IT SOUP YET??

YOU BETCHA!

And of course, you'll want to garnish with a little added cheese on top :)

 It was the perfect lunch on a cool, rainy Saturday!

I also baked some low-carb blueberry muffins after lunch.

I'll be having one of those with another bowl of soup for supper :)

~

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

 

Happy New Year Hodgepodge

It's a brand new year and a brand new Hodgepodge!
Even though I say this every year, I hope to make this year better than last year,
not that 2017 was a bad year by any means...
but if I am able to step it up a notch at any one place where I am lacking,
and there are too many to count,
I will have accomplished that...only with the Lord's help.



So let's get down to the business at hand...the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.
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1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are- 

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy
Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

Oh my, there are so many to choose from...some I've not really paid much attention to and others that are just plain silly. Of all that are on this list, I'd like to see "fake news" disappear...and not just the term...but the real thing, which sounds like an oxymoron. Remember the days when we used to be able to trust what we heard on the news and respect the people who brought it? I hope that day will return soon. Right now I can't think of another word to add to the list, although there surely must be more floating around out there.

2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

Many, many things but mostly this one...



3. Where do you feel stuck?

Worrying too much. I know better.

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

If you consider Brunswick Stew soup, then that's my answer and it was on New Year's Eve at Aaron's house that he made from scratch. Click on the link if you northerners want to know it's origin and a little more about it. To tell you the truth, it's not my favorite but there is Brunswick Stew and then there is Brunswick Stew...

...and this was Brunswick Stew! 

It's a thing here in NC and large gatherings are usually held when folks are "doin' a stew". The taste is wonderful but it's the consistency that is my least favorite thing about it since you cook it so long that the meat is in strings. Some cook it even longer and the vegetables are no longer recognizable. That's when I say, "No thanks". Aaron's was actually very good! My favorite soup right out of the can would be the one and only Campbell's Chicken Noodle (with crackers) and my favorite from scratch on a cold winter's day is either chili or broccoli cheese...but any homemade soup on a cold winter's day hits the spot!

"I don't usually open my mouth this wide when I am eating Brunswick Stew,
but when I do, it's because I'm posing for the camera." 😉

5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

Country living.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Well, I hope that the first few days of 2018 have been goods ones for you
and that the next 362 are even better!

Love,

Sisters at the Beach

Well, I've returned from my little birthday excursion to the sea shore and it seems to be taking me a while to get back in the swing of things. I have been trying to get this post ready for days and I've barely looked at a blog since early last week. I've missed ya'll! Being away from my regular routine for several days can certainly make life a little crazy. I must also tell you to be prepared for photo and narrative overload! Consider yourself warned :)

 

The Lord was blessing our little get-away right from the start and at 64 years young, Sister Barb experienced flying for the very first time! Oh, but I'm pretty sure it won't be her last...she thoroughly enjoyed it and she had a wonderful experience. Any fears that she had were quickly put to rest as she sat next to a pilot who flew for Amazon! His calm assurance made her feel quite secure and she was really able to enjoy her time in the air. She had no doubt in her mind that her pilot friend was Hand-selected to be her traveling companion...put there just for her.

We had been planning this trip for a year or more and we had an absolutely fantastic time together. Barb is one of the most selfless people I know and she is always putting others before herself. Since she retired a little over a year ago, she has found herself possibly even busier than she was before, taking on many "grandma" duties, helping out her two working daughters. If there was ever anyone who needed a little time away, it would be her.

 

There's something kind of wonderful about celebrating getting another year older but behaving as if you've actually gotten younger! There were moments when we laughed so hard we could barely stop. There were other times when we reminisced about the old days and spoke of serious matters.

I beat the pants off of her in a game of 500 Rummy and we decided to go to 1000 and she turned the tables on me! We took more selfies than we ever have and I even invested in a selfie stick! I said I'd never get one of those...lol! How can you pass up a $6.00 selfie stick, especially when it's 50% off and especially when you have short arms?? Never say never! It was just great sister time.

Tropical Storm Julia was looming overhead, stirring things up a bit and she created the most dramatic sky show. What started out looking like a wet four-day weekend, became a beautiful mix of clouds with brilliant blue skies with stunning cloud formations.

We sat on the deck watching a passing rain storm,..

...intensifying it's appearance with a little help from my "UV filter":D

Cooking together played a big part in the fun as well. We had been scanning Pinterest and Facebook for yummy things to cook for months and as it turned out, we only ate out one time during our stay. Our first morning started out with a breakfast pizza....

...it had a hash brown crust topped with bacon, sausage, cheese and eggs. It was so good and we had the leftovers for breakfast the next day. That was Thursday, my birthday, and we spent the afternoon just sitting on the shore watching the show. There were very few crazy ladies others on the beach and at times it seemed to be just us and the seagulls. 

It was very windy and we knew the beach umbrella didn't stand a chance. There wasn't any sun to keep off of us anyway and then it started to rain. There we sat through about three different showers, getting pelted and soaked. We both agreed that it was reminiscent of times when we played out in the rain as kids. Then it finally stopped raining and this happened....

...oh it was just a glorious sight and we both agreed that only heaven could be more beautiful.

Afterwards, it was blue skies for the rest of the day. Between the wind and a short stint in the pool, we got a little....umm...pink. On our way out for my birthday dinner, this majestic sunset stopped us in our tracks.

Barb treated me to a fabulous dinner...peppercorn seared tuna with caramelized onions and balsamic glaze, the "house" mashed potatoes along with a great salad and home baked bread. The tuna was cooked to perfection and oh so delicious.

We had baked a pumpkin/pecan dump cake earlier and it was waiting for us back in our room. 

Who needs birthday cake, anyway??

The weather was much improved and the next day we headed out to ride the ferry to Southport. The island is loaded with cool little shops so we browsed a few of them and had some ice cream. Riding the ferry was so relaxing and the skies were brilliant blue.

Before we headed out out, we put our dinner in  my little vintage crock pot that I brought from home. We decided to make a simple chicken and broccoli dish...chicken breasts in the bottom, fresh broccoli added, seasonings and cream of mushroom soup poured over the top. We ate it over a multi-grain rice mix and it was delicious! The lovely aroma of eau de broccoli about knocked us down when we got back, as it permeated every nook and cranny our room. How is it that broccoli tastes so good but smell SO bad???

 

That was also the night of the Harvest Moon

 and it was a beautiful thing to see as it rose over the ocean.

A few miles down from Carolina Beach is Kure Beach and Fort Fisher, one of my favorite places to visit. I've shared photos of this area before in another post and I always look forward to coming here to this lovely part of the sea shore. It is also quite rich in history as it is the site of a major battle in the Civil War. There is a museum that tells all about it. We have brought the grandsons here many times over the years and they could probably tell you every detail :)

Yes, another selfie :)

So Sunday morning we had a little worship time on the deck before going out to get our feet wet once more before our departure. It had started out cloudy and rainy but soon the sky was blue with white billowy clouds. I recorded this video of us singing a chorus of "How Great Thou Art", a song which always comes to mind when I witness the vastness of the ocean.

We only waded in ankle-deep because the sea was quite rough, but we definitely got what we came for...and a free pedicure to boot! Sand does wonders on those rough heels :)

You know what they say about all good things. It was time to pack up the Jeep and head for home. We had a little more time to visit since her plane didn't fly out until Monday. It was one of the best birthdays I can remember having and I'm so thankful that God blessed our time together.

I'll close by adding these panoramic shots taken from my iphone.
~

Now that she's got that first flight under her belt, we may just have to make a habit out of this.

Same time next year, Barb???

So now I better get busy and see what everyone's been up to...
...OH...and Happy Fall, Y'all!

Sharing at...

Mosaic Monday

This Hodgpodge Will Floor You

Hey everyone...

It's HUMP DAY and time for HODGEPODGE...

...where Joyce asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.

It's been a busy couple of weeks and in the words of my dearly departed mother,
my house "looks like it's been hit by a cyclone".
Does anyone use that term anymore?
Oh well, more about that later...here are this week's questions.

~*~*~*~*~*~

1. What's the last thing you did that someone else thought was super? 

Maybe it was the chicken noodle soup that I made over the weekend. Do you think the words "really good" might translate into super...or soup-er??

 2. The last thing you ate that tasted superb? 

Even though the soup was pretty darn good, I wouldn't describe it as superb...but the meal that we ate after church this past Sunday was. We went to the Longhorn Steakhouse and I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Maple Roasted Spaghetti Squash.... Oh. My. Goodness.  Jim had a steak and said it was one of the best he's ever had. It had been years and years since we'd eaten there but we had a gift card ...so glad we did! They give you a whole split breast and I ate the other half for my dinner on Monday with broccoli :) Do you have Longhorn Steakhouses in your area?

3. Supersensitive, superstitious, superwoman, superambitious, supercilious, supervisor, superficial...pick a super word from the list and tell us how it relates to your life in some way recently or currently. 

I will say superambitious AND superwoman...and this is why my house looks like a cyclone hit it...I have been getting the house ready for new flooring...throughout. This means that EVERY closet has been purged and emptied of it's contents, EVERYTHING has been removed from the hutch and corner cabinet and among other things, EVERY nook and cranny has been dusted so the installers don't see all of my dirt! It will be bad enough when they start pulling up that 30+ year old carpet...I can only imagine what they might find. There is still much to do...all electronics, including TVs and/or anything else that is breakable must be moved off the furniture, etc., etc. They will be here Friday morning but we do have to live here until then. So for the past two weekends, Superwoman has showed up to do her thing...and she was only ambitious because she had to be! Here's just a hint of what she's been up to...

...and she'll be returning this weekend as she goes behind them, getting everything back in place. She's already exhausted just thinking about...BUT...it will be way more fun! Another post for another day.

 4. Do you love easily? If you're comfortable doing so, explain why you think that is. 

Wow...this isn't easy to admit...but not always. Not like I should. Not like I want to. Not like I need to. I'm so glad God is not finished with me yet.

5. Valentine's Day lands on a Tuesday this year. Will you mark the day in some way? If you're celebrating with a dinner out somewhere will it be on Tuesday or will you celebrate over the weekend? 

By the time Valentine's Day gets here, I will probably feel like I got run over by a Mac truck. Jim is never off on Tuesdays (he stays at the group home when he's working) so no chance of going out or doing anything special. The flowers he got me last weekend are still looking quite beautiful. 

I am taking Monday off to get the house back in order but will be back to work on Tuesday. When I get home, I just may eat my dinner off of my shiny new floors. Needless to say, they will never be clean enough to eat off of again...never. I might even share a bite or two with Oscar and Tasha :)

6. What's something you are loving right now? 

The thought of having new floors :)

 

 7.  Write a three word (or less) phrase you'd like to see on a Valentine candy heart.

God loves YOU!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'm between overwhelmed and excited right now...but it's gonna be SO worth it! And you just don't know how glad I will be to get rid of this ugly green kitchen floor.

If I don't get back to Blogland before next Tuesday,

I want to wish everyone 

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥♥♥