Easy Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Crock pots are great. Stew is great. Easy meals are great. And this one is pretty darn healthy too!

Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Assemble Ingredients: 

1 12 oz. can of V8 vegetable juice

onion

potatoes (we happened to have red potatoes)

carrots

garlic powder

beef stew meat (I separate the beef stew meat I get from the store into separate bags and then freeze it for multiple meals)

beef bouillon

1 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup water (not pictured)

Step One: put the flour and the beef stew in a ziploc bag and shake it!

Step Two: heat some oil in a skillet and brown the beef

Step Three: while the beef is browning, start putting ingredients in the crock pot. Start with the V8, 1/2 cup water, beef bouillon cube, and a layer of garlic powder. (I don't usually measure, but it's a 1/4 tsp.)

This is what it looks like inside the crock pot with the above mentioned ingredients.

Step 4: chop up your vegetables! Onion, carrots . . .

 . . . and then potatoes. I prefer to keep the skins on. 

Step Five: Get everything else in the crock pot! I put the beef before it was cooked all the way through, just browned on the outside.

Then I got all my vegetables in. Another vegetable that could be added is celery, but I really just don't like celery. 

Step Six: after 4-6 hours on low, enjoy your delicious beef stew! 

(Also, note that the longer you cook the stew, the more tender your beef will get

This is perfect for us as the days get colder, and the end of the semester draws near. This took less than twenty minutes to prepare, and then just a few hours later, just set some bowls and spoons out and you're ready!

Creamy Southwestern Chicken Soup

Well this is different -- I'm going to post a recipe! After leftovers for lunch today (and they were EXCELLENT leftovers), I decided that this needs to be shared!

THUS:

Creamy Southwestern Chicken Soup 

(from the Lion House "Soups and Stews" cookbook)

Makes 6 servings (my husband and I ate it last night for dinner and today for lunch . . . it lasted two meals for us.)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups heavy cream

3 cups milk

2 teaspoons taco seasonings

2 teaspoons paprika

1 chicken bouillon cube

 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced 

(I just cooked it in a little oil in a frying pan.)

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

1/2 cup cooked rice 

(I used Minute rice = 1/2 cup rice + 1/2 cup water +3 minutes in the microwave!)

1 can corn

1 can black beans 

(remember to rinse so you don't get gross black bean slime all over your soup -- I rinsed the corn and the beans together.)

Step 1: melt the butter in a pan until foamy, then add the flour and let cook for minute.

Step 2: add cream and milk as well as taco seasoning, bouillion cube, and paprika. Stir and let it thicken.

Step 3: add chicken, chiles, rice, corn, and beans. Warm through.

Step 4: eat your delicious soup! I like to eat it with tortillas -- or tortilla chips. Mmm.

This soup is easy -- it didn't take long to make, probably 15-20 minutes or so (which was ideal since we were making it on Fast Sunday). Besides the chiles and cream, I usually have all the other ingredients on hand. Also, I have made this before without the chiles, and it was still spectacular. 

One more note -- this soup gets really thick. If you have leftovers, I would highly recommend re-heating the soup in a pan on the stove since the next day it will look like a solid brick of beans and corn. Wow, I just made leftovers sound delicious . . . but I promise, they're still good! 

And this is how Colten said I should show my recipe:

We are Instruments

This morning I was reading in Alma chapter 35. As I came across verse 14, I read, " . . . having been instruments in the hands of God."

I know i've read and heard this phrase countless times before, but this morning was when it struck me that we are all the orchestra here on earth, and God is the conductor. He has shown us the way we need to go, but in the end -- it's up to us to learn our parts.
With all the experience I've had playing in ensembles, this really struck me. If you don't know your part, you're letting your section down, and ultimately the whole group. Just like us in our families, we want to stay all together as a section -- so that at the end of the concert, we can all look at each other and know that we did well.
Of course, we have to follow our concertmaster: Christ. He shows us all the bowings and fingerings, and as we keep an eye on him and an eye on Heavenly Father, our conductor, we won't get lost.

Holy moly, isn't that awesome!

Thanks for indulging me in a gospel + music analogy, it made my day.

In other news: On Wednesday I am starting a new job! I get to teach an "exploratory" elementary school orchestra class -- basically meaning that the kids will get rotated so they just learn the basics on the instrument. Luckily, everyone gets to learn the violin -- so I don't have to teach the cello or bass (or worse  . . . how to read alto clef! {just kidding [but really]}). I am nervous, excited, and ready to have this experience. It'll only be an hour on Mondays and an hour on Wednesdays, but this is an amazing opportunity that just fell into my lap, an opportunity to be an instrument. Yay!

Why Kids Need to Learn Music

"...music has the power of producing a certain effect on the ethos of the soul, and if it has the power to do this, it is clear that the young must be directed to music and must be educated in it. Also education in music is well adapted to the youthful nature; for the young owing to their youth cannot endure anything not sweetened by pleasure, and music is by nature a thing that has a pleasant sweetness."

--Aristotle, Politics

As a violin teacher of young kids . . . this is awesome! Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to build my studio . . . I adore teaching! It makes me so happy. 

So, I suppose this would be a good opportunity to put a plug in for my teaching. If you or anyone you know in Heber or Orem wants to learn the violin -- I am your woman!

Check out my cool music teachers website: https://sponseller.musicteachershelper.com/

And that is all. Give your children music lessons! Because, like Aristotle said,

 "music is by nature a thing that has pleasant sweetness."

 

Books I Read This Summer

I started school last week. I've found that I have a difficult time reading for fun during the school year, what with having to read textbooks and all (what? Am I implying that reading textbooks ISN'T fun? . . .Uhhh . . . No?) But this summer, I took advantage of a calmer schedule and made a dent, albeit a small one, in Colten and my VAST collection of books (but I'm not kidding).

And so, without further ado,  I will now present you with my summer reading list!

1. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: this is a distopian novel similar to 1984. It's about a society in which it is illegal to read books and a fireman whose job it is to burn people's houses when books are found in them. And of course, this same fireman ends up with some books and chaos ensues.

2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: this is another distopian novel, except I was WAY more disgusted with this one than Farenheit 451. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The main plot is that this society is given jobs and roles and are encouraged to sate their immoral passions. It was very thought provoking, but I know that I won't ever be reading it again.

3. The Quest by O.F. Ursenbach: most of you have probably never heard of this book. It was written by an LDS author in 1945, and I found it at DI. It was a lovely change from the dystopian novels I had just read. In this book, a Jewish Rabbi decides that he believes in Christ and goes on a "quest" around the world to find the religion that he feels most right about. He goes all over the world. I have always loved learning about world religions and this was a delightful and educational read. I loved it!

4. The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber: okay, so I would never have picked this book by myself. It was actually an assignment for my entrepreneurship class. However, for being a book about how to start your own business, it was a surprisingly easy and good read.

5. Saving Fish From Drowing by Amy Tan: I loved this story. I have always been drawn to stories about the Asian culture. . . it's so fascinating to me! This story was about a woman who planned a trip to Myanmar (Burma) and passed away shortly before. Instead, she becomes a ghost and follows the group that went on the trip without her. Because of a misunderstanding, the group gets kidnapped by a tribal group and spends a lot of time in the mountains of Myanmar. While this book has a bit of bad language, it was still a very enjoyable read.

6. The Chosen by Chaim Potok: this was interesting read. It is about two boys who belong to two different sects of Judaism and how they become friends. I learned a lot about Judaism, which was awesome. I enjoyed it.

7. The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: holy heck, I loved this book. It's about a group of sailors during World War I that finds a continent that has never been discovered. There are dinosaurs and cave people on this continent, and so, obviously, there is quite a bit of adventure.

8. The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the sequel to The Land that Time Forgot. This second book is about a friend of one of the sailors that learns of the whereabouts of his friend and goes to rescue him. In this one, we learn more about the people of this continent. It is especially interesting, because on the continent, the people are gathered into evolved groups. At the bottom are the dinosaurs and reptiles and as you move up, you find men and then higher functioning men as you move upward.

9. Out of Time's Abyss by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the final novel in The Land that Time Forgot trilogy. This one mainly covers the most highly evolved people on the continent and a mythical creature called a Weiroo . . . don't ask my how to pronounce that. I absolutely loved this trilogy. It was written around the time of World War I, and it's your basic clean adventure story. I HIGHLY recommend it.

10. Old Man's War by John Scalzi: this was such an interesting story! It's about old people on earth that sign up to fight wars with aliens in space. Once in space, they are given a new body -- basically an improved younger version of themselves. Sci-fi at its best, but watch out for some of the language.

11. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: I've heard so much about this book, but no one told me how some parts of the story are so HARD to read. And the worst part is that things in these book are things that actually happened. Horror stories about the Taliban. I'm glad I read it though, to become more informed about the history in Afghanistan and also to reignite my appreciation for the beautiful freedoms we have here.

12. The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright: this was a fast and sweet read about a husband and wife that pass away together and the children that find the letters their dad wrote to their mom every single Wednesday, and of course about the family secrets that they learn.

13. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card: this is basically a parallel novel of Ender's Game, but told in the point of view of a different character. I read Ender's Game earlier (I had to, since it's one of Colten's favorites and he has almost all the Orson Scott Card books) and so that helps me appreciate another point of view on the story.

While most of these books were great reads, my favorite from the summer is definitely "The Land that Time Forgot" trilogy. I highly recommend it! I hope I get to do some reading this semester, but if I don't get to do much -- at least I'll have a lot of stories to reflect on. And I hope you all get to do some reading too. Yay books!!

Best Date Ever.

 Sometimes you just have awesome days. And yesterday was one of those. It started out with us driving to Heber so Colten could help my Dad haul hay. Turns out, a bunch of ward members showed up and Colten only touched 4 bales. Woohoo! But, to make driving up the canyon worth our while, we went on a horse ride with my Dad and cousin Josh. It was a magnificently overcast day for a horse ride. It was excellent.

 

For quite a while, Colten has been wanting to go to the Gun Show (like real guns, not just his arms.) So, we did! And two amazing things happened: we traded my .38 special for a .22 magnum across the board. Yay! And also, this Winchester 20 gauge happened. YESSSSSS.

 SLAB PIZZA. Yes. We decided to practice our "smolders" while we waited.

 Here we are, watching the sky in Kiwanis Park. It was lightly raining, and we thought it would be hilarious if it just started pouring while we were lying there. But it didn't, so we just talked and dreamed for a while.

 The Swings!

 And you know what, might as well take a model shot by a lonely sunflower, right?

Then of course, we picked up a couple cheap books at DI.

Yesterday, July 27th, marked the year anniversary of our first date. On that original date, I had just gotten back from India and I was super jet-lagged, so after a walk around Kiwanis and a crepe at "The Awful Waffle" I was done. But yesterday, Colten and I took many of our favorite activities and culminated them into a whole day. It was magical to be able to just enjoy one another and have fun. So, I know there's not really a point to this, but I am so immensely grateful that I accepted that date a year ago. How my life has changed since then! Holy moly. 

Oh yeah, and there are quite a few excellent date ideas in here if you didn't notice. :)

Lessons from 4 Months

Today marks four months since I was married. I figured I could celebrate by reflecting on some of the things I've learned since March 8th.

1. It's not about you. Well, sometimes it is, but mostly it's about him, it's about us, it's about we. I find that I am happiest when I am serving, concerned about, or thinking about my husband. It's absolutely wonderful to have someone in your life that you can do that for. It's so much more than any of the family or friend relationships I've had my whole life. It's different this time, because we are a unit, whole and connected. And so, there can be no selfishness, because that will destroy everything. I find myself consulting Colten on everything, from buying a new pair of shoes to more serious things like cars and what's for dinner and . . .  well, everything! It's almost easier accomplishing your own goals for yourself when you have a built in cheerleader for yourself, encouraging you and prodding you along. And you better do the same for him too! It's not about you. It's about him, us, and we.

2. Who cares if he puts the toilet paper roll on the wrong way? There is absolutely no use in arguing about such stupid things. There are instances when your husband does something different than the way you do it. Shocker! For one, he's a man, and also he grew up in a completely different house. So, just because he does the dishes one way doesn't mean it's wrong. I'll probably keep doing it my way, but heck -- why would I change him? He's doing the dishes! You're not there to change him. So, just because he's married now doesn't mean that Colten is magically perfect now, and I know for sure that I'm not either. Overlooking and accepting are handy tools, and so are communication and assisting. It's something I've learned that I know I really don't have the hang of yet . . . But I strive every day to look for all the good in my husband instead of being annoyed at the little things he does that might annoy me.

3. Assuming is the WORST. Communication is the best thing on the whole planet. Be clear! I've found how important to be specific and detailed when asking something of my husband to avoid miscommunication. What, where, when EXACTLY are really good questions. Also, secrets are retarded. He's your other half! Just confess your sins! It probably won't hurt, actually, it never does. Heck, when Colten came home and confessed that he bought a whole bunch of books, to make it even he let me buy a pair of shoes! (Okay, that only happened once. We don't solve ALL our problems like that.) Talk about all of these things . . .  finances, school, important things to remember. If you do this, you'll never hear "I thought I told you . . ." and also you'll have a nifty and incredibly handsome planner to help you remember things.

4. Fall in love every day. I'm serious. Remember every day the way you felt when you first said yes over the altar. The best things to help with this are holding hands when you pray every day, going to the temple often (sealings are the best thing to do when you really need some help remembering), saying I love you every day, compliments and affirmations of the little and big things that each other do every day, long hugs every day, and willingness to solve issues.

I know, I'm not an expert. But with four months of marriage under my belt, I realize that there are a lot of things I never knew I never knew. The only way to really know is to know. Vague, right? It's like being married is this secret club that you don't really know about until you're in it. But if I had any suggestions for people who aren't married yet, it would be things that we've all heard before anyways: serve, look for the best in others, and make sure that you are the kind of person you want to marry. If you're doing those things, have an open mind about the way other people do things, and are willing to talk things through, you'll probably be just fine. These are things single and married people need to work on every day anyways.

Well, Happy Four Months, Colten.