Category: Winter

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Cheesy Ham & Potato Chowder

Some nights, when it’s reeeeeally chilly outside, when it’s rainy or snowy or windy or all three–nothing tastes better than a steaming hot bowl of creamy, thick, cheesy chowder. Yummmmmm. This lovely little dish will warm you right down to your toes–100% guaranteed or your money back.

Heh, heh.

 

Cheesy Ham & Potato Chowder

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsps onion flakes
1 cup sliced canned carrots
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
3 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups water
2-1/2 cups canned diced potatoes (drained)
1 can whole corn, drained
1 T chicken bouillon granules
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 cups diced ham
pepper to taste

Directions:

In a Dutch oven saute the onion in the butter.
Stir in flour till blended. Slowly whisk in the milk and water.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
Add potatoes, carrots, bouillon and pepper.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Stir in cheese and ham and heat till cheese is melted.

Serve with buttered toast.

 

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First Snow…men

With the very first real snowfall of the year, Rhen was over come with seasonal spirit and promptly went out and made an adorable little snow man. Perhaps this is better described as a snow-ball man–but no matter. We adore him, perched up on top of the car!!

When the family saw our little guy the photos of their snowy creations started flooding the family text group. Miss Chomp and Fluttershy with their frosty fellow–

so cute!!

Miss H with her gigantic snow lady. Check out that hat!!

K & L’s snow chick even has long, lovely hair! Awesome, awesome.

Even my crazy Dane sent in his contribution from 85 degree Texas.

Ohhhh, Dane!  HAAA!

Our silly snow didn’t last long–an hour or two, tops–but we’re pretty good at making the most of what we’ve got…rain or shine.

And loving every minute!

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Lovely Winter Red

A couple of years ago, I had this brilliant idea. I wanted to get fake poinsettias and put them in my pretty little white flower baskets–for the winter. Normally, these baskets hold the most beautiful Ivy Geraniums that you’ve ever seen. Bright pink…always.

But it was a very hard transition from all that color to nothing for the cold months. Hence the fake flower idea. I did tons of research on how and where to buy the flowers and became very discouraged, very quickly. Turns out, fake flowers are actually pretty pricey online and even at the craft stores. I just wasn’t prepared to spend a $100+ just to have a spot of color. As I was about to give up– a friend said, “You obviously haven’t been to the Dollar Store.”

She was right–I hadn’t! So, after correcting that problem–I found all the pretend Poinsettias at Dollar Tree! And the best part? I spent exactly $21.34 for all the red you see here! Wahooo!

I love that they look fabulous up against my little white house–just like I imagined they would. I’m feeling quite clever right now.

Heh, heh.

 

 

PS–If you decide to do something similar and grab some fake flowers like these ones–be sure to shop for them in October or you may not find them till the next year. They’ll be gone.

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At Last, Winter

With all the crazy polar freezing and arctic blasts that are going on across the country this week–it seems odd that I would be rejoicing in the small but lovely smattering of snow that we got here in our neck of the woods.

I seriously can’t help myself.

We are a four season kinda place and we’re very proud of our snow…

if we can get it to fall, that is.

I check the weather every night before bedtime and then again in the morning–you know–in case something has changed while I wasn’t looking, all in the hopes that there will be just a single snowflake on the radar.

Yeah, it’s that big of a deal to me.

This year, even after praying our guts out–

we still had no snow for Christmas.

It was criminal weather behavior and someone should go to jail.

Somehow, we survived that trial and finally–at long last, we had a full day and night of snow. Enough to actually stick this time.

If this keeps up, I might be persuaded to drop the charges against the weather man.

But we’ll see.

 

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When It Snows

When the snow really comes down–well, for how much it ever really snows in Utah–

at least when there is enough to blanket the ground and the trees and the bushes…

I love to go out and stand in the quiet and just turn slowly and look at how beautiful it all is.

It’s like a funny, magical, lovely miracle that I am here, in this place at this time of my life. Sometimes I just stand there for a while, allllll alone and let it take my breath away.

But then I remember, the other sweetness is that we’re never, any of us, ever completely alone…

are we?