Slowly but Surely

I won't lie.

I'm tired of feeling like this -

 

But time is passing.

Here I am at 32 weeks:

 

At 34 weeks:

 And Walt took this picture of me just this week,

at week 35 before I headed off to court:

As the last few weeks of this pregnancy approach

time seems to be moving very slowly,

pictures like these prove to me that time is actually passing.

The end is near!
And we're getting very excited to meet this little peanut.

M&M Cookie Bars

I recently checked my Pinterest dessert board,

grabbed some ingredients -

and these two helpers -

 

and mixed up a batch of M&M cookie bars.

These kids got things done so fast,

all I had time to snap a photo of was the vanilla going in!

Here's our dough.

We poured in some M&M's 

and then spread the dough out in a pan.

Then we sprinkled some more M&M's on top,

and pressed them down a little bit -

before popping the pan into the oven for about 25 minutes.

These little babies are quick and easy

and didn't last long in my house.

M&M Cookie Bars

2 1/8 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 Tbsp butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 12oz bag M&M’s, divided


Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch pan and set aside. In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients of flour, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of M&M's and spread dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining M&M’s on top and press in slightly. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the top of the bars turn light golden brown. Cool before cutting.

From 4 Wheels to 2!

This little four-year-old accomplished something big last weekend.

 

We took off one training wheel and
he took one trip down the driveway

before stopping back to demand we take off the other one.

 

 He's been riding all over the neighborhood
without any training wheels ever since!

 

Looks like it's time to get him a big boy bike.

Creamy Chicken Soup

I pinned a really great soup recipe that we've already made twice.

Here's a look at some of the ingredients -

To start,

 you need to make the roux - 

 it's just a thickening agent made of butter, olive oil and flour 

that you make first and then add to the soup later.

Once you've got that set aside,

chop up your potatoes, carrots, celery and onion.

 Throw the potatoes in a small pot to boil until soft.

Next, grab a large pot and saute the carrots and celery

in butter and olive oil until almost softened.

Then, add in the onion because it doesn't take as long to cook.

Pour in the chicken broth and half & half -

and add your parsley, bay leaves,

and rotisserie chicken.

Stir in the roux and bring to a boil.

Then let everything simmer for about a half hour
and continue stirring frequently
to ensure the soup doesn't burn to the bottom.

Finally, toss in the boiled potatoes just prior to serving 

and top with some fresh Parmesan cheese.

Serve your soup up with some crusty bread
and you've got a great meal!

Creamy Chicken Soup

Roux:
4 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter

Heat the oil and butter in pot then sprinkle in flour. Whisk together until fully absorbed and turns almost golden. take off the heat and set aside while combining other ingredients.
 
Soup:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 stalks carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed and boiled
4 c. chicken broth
3 1/2 c. half & half
2 Tbsp chicken flavored Better than Bouillon
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp dried parsley
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 c. rotisserie chicken - cubed or shredded
Shredded Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of each bowl


Make the roux as directed above and set aside. Chop the vegetables and saute the celery and carrots in a large pot in olive oil and butter until almost softened. Add in onions. In a separate pot, bring potatoes to a boil until soft. Add all other ingredients including the roux to the soup pot and stir well. Bring soup to a boil and then turn down heat to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until soup thickens to the desired consistency.
Stir every 3-4 minutes. Do not leave the soup unattended - it can burn quickly. Add in the cooked potatoes prior to serving and remove bay leaves. Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.