Bread with the Brisels

After the LONGEST month on record, we made it to the end. And...it's the FIRST What's Up Wednesday of the month! I'm excited to be linking up with  Shay  and  Sheaffer  to share a little bit about what's up in my world. What we're eating this week... Sunday: Chicken Spaghetti + side salad Monday: Chicken Spaghetti leftovers + side salads Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner  Wednesday: Chili, corn bread and fresh veggies  Thursday: Not sure yet! Maybe leftover chili, maybe something different Friday: We'll grab something out 😊 My  chicken spaghetti  was a hit earlier this week! And we LOVED my  Nacho Potato Soup  last week. This recipe is so yummy! What I'm reminiscing about... January is such a long month, and in my town in Iowa we had 5 snow days within 2 school weeks. Insane! Check out this drift in our backyard: Those days at home reminded me of summer break, and the leisurely schedule we followed. It has me ready for all of the... popsicles on the porch... tr

This recipe is creamy, comforting, and perfect to serve a large group. I've added some changes here and there to this recipe through the years and I find it very forgiving. This adaptation is my favorite! It's the definition of comfort food to me.  Chicken Spaghetti Serves: 6-8    Cook Time: about 1 hour  Ingedients: 1 box of spaghetti noodles 2 chicken breasts, fully cooked and diced (You could use meat from a rotisserie chicken as well) 1 red pepper, diced  1/2 yellow pepper, diced 1/2 green pepper, diced 1 small white onion, diced 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 6 tablespoons butter 1 cup half and half  1/2 cup skim milk  1/2 cup chicken broth  8 oz Velveeta Cheese, cubed 1/4 cup garden vegetable cream cheese  2 cups shredded White Cheddar cheese (I love the Tillamook brand)  Salt and Pepper  Directions: Turn your oven on to 350.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook spaghetti to al dente once a rolling boil is achieved. While this is happening... Butter a large baking

Happy Monday! We had such a nice weekend at my house. It was great to recover after a long week! I'm sharing just a little recap here and some pictures about what we did. We arrived home and Jack's diaper subscription had arrived. Sammy was excited to play with his "Jack in the box." 😉 I always place a grocery pick-up order for Friday after school. I love to start the weekend off with my cupboards and fridge full. We stayed in on Friday night and made Maid-Rites for dinner, and some brownies for dessert. Jack goes to bed early these days, so we cozied up with brownies and ice cream and watched Toy Story 2.  We had plenty of play time, and went to church and out to eat on Saturday night.  Jack is getting super mobile! I think I said "that's not where I left you!" about fifty times this weekend. 😅 Sunday was more of the same. Both boys slept in past 7, which was such a treat! We played, played, played, and had a short walk in the afternoon. Spring can

  Hello, Friday...it's very nice to see you. This was our first "full" week of school since before Christmas break. We've had cancellations from weather and our schedule has not been consistent. Needless to say, this teacher is TIRED and ready for the weekend. 😉 As usual, I'm linking up with  Erika  and  Andrea  to share some Friday Favorites from this week.  I've seen this  Overnight Lip Butter on several Instagram accounts that I follow, and was influenced to purchase it. My lips get so dry overnight and I typically use the  Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask . This lip mask has a berry scent/flavor, and slides on really smoothly. I want to give it a week before I report back officially, but so far it is looking like a new favorite.  Thursday morning after I was done exercising I got the call that we had a 2 hour delay due to fog. Two hour delays are God's gifts to teachers. 😉 I was able to enjoy a slow breakfast and quiet time, and some extra play time with m

One of my friends shared this recipe with me after bringing it to a staff potluck at our school building. It's a yummy, Tex-Mex inspired soup that's delicious when topped with sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded cheese and green onions.  Nacho Potato Soup Serves: 8      Cook Time: 4+ hours Ingredients: 1 lb of cooked ground beef (I use 93% lean)  1/2 of a white onion, diced  1 small can of Rotel  1 can of corn  2.5 cups water  2 cups milk (I use skim) 1 box scalloped potato mix 8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp chili powder Directions:  This is how I prepare the recipe so it cooks in the slow cooker during the day. Feel free to adjust if needed based on your needs.  Place your cooked ground beef, onion, rotel, corn, water, garlic/onion/chili powders, and the seasoning packet from the scalloped potatoes in your slow cooker.  Turn your slow cooker to low, and let simmer. I typically start it in the morning before work.  4 hours before servi

Does anybody feel like the month of January is 19458 days long? I saw this the other day and it made me cackle: So true, right? I love January, but I am looking forward to lots in the months ahead. In no particular order, here's what I'm excited for:  1. Fresh Foods  I am SO looking forward to the ease of cooking in the spring and summer months. I feel like dinner prep is so much easier when it's warmer AND requires less ingredients. Many nights dinner is as simple as grilling up a protein with a salad or vegetable on the side. I love the cozy meals during Fall and Winter, but I do look forward to the fresh and lighter meals that Spring and Summer bring.  2. More sunshine June, 2022 I am READY for there to be sunshine after the hour of 5PM and in the mornings. This photo was taken at 7AM in June 0f 2022. Ugh. Pajamas and donuts on our patio in the morning?! I'm ready for that again!  3. Being outside July, 2022 July, 2023 I didn't realize until it got chilly how oft

Jack officially began army crawling within the last week and I have a feeling that life won't ever be the same. 😉 His big motive at the moment are Sammy's toys, and he is getting a little quicker each and every day. He's gotten up on all fours and began rocking back and forth so I'm certain traditional crawling won't be too far behind. Here's a little video of the action: Happy Tuesday! XX

We loved this recipe at our house! French fried onions and BBQ sauce add a nice variation to your normal meatloaf recipe. Meatloaf is the perfect meal for a Sunday evening. We enjoyed ours with sweet potato fries and a green salad on the side.  BBQ + Onion Meatloaf  Serves: 5 Prep: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1.5lb lean ground beef (we use 93 lean) 1 cup of french fried onions 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs 2 eggs 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for topping 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion Powder Salt and Pepper Directions:  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients - ground beef, french fried onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic/onion powder, and salt/pepper. Mix with your hands, using a raking motion until combined.  Form 5 "loaves" of even sizes, and place in baking pan. Top with BBQ sauce and cover in foil.  Cook

  Hello Friday, it's nice to see you. 😊 I'm getting ready to head into the weekend and sharing some Friday Favorites alongside  Andrea  and  Erika . Here we go!  My week started off with 2 "cold" days here in Iowa (following a week with 3 snow days), so naturally my days are completely mixed up. By the time I got to school on Wednesday, I thought it was Thursday. My students thought it was Monday, and everyone was totally confused. Check out that "feels like" temperature. BRR! Even though I was stuck inside with my boys for about 5 consecutive days with the weather, we had SO MUCH FUN. We got into a good little routine and it almost felt like another winter break. Some highlights are... All the couch cushion forts, please.  Several lunches were consumed in the couch cushion forts. It's such an easy "yes" that gets such a big smile in return.  Jack learned how to army crawl and is getting quite good at getting himself around to where he wants t