What? You don't cook when your stomach is upset?

(this was two nights ago....I looked around and laughed at how crazy my kitchen looked while in the middle of cooking this much food....yes, that would be the toilet paper on the kitchen table! I just hadn't gotten that far yet, k!?)

sometimes I wonder if there isn't something wrong with me.

I hate to be sick.

to the point where it would take a truck, literally, rolling over me for me actually STOP and rest.

I just can't.

So, this time, I cooked instead:

(we weren't sure if and when we were going to get out of town for Christmas a few days ago, so I went shopping and stocked up on stuff we could make and freeze just in case we needed it and just in case we got out of town)

I made:

3 batches of Chicken and Rice Soup (and yes, I totally used the yellow food dye!)

I doubled the recipe - that always makes 3 batches for us....for now!

froze one, ate one last night and took one next door to our neighbors, she fell on the ice and had to have surgery on her ankle....see....this is why I don't get you people who 'love' the snow!? I digress....anyway, chicken soup and homemade bread have some sort of magic healing powers - which I didn't know I'd need when planning the meal and which I'm sure the neighbor is grateful for as well - heal away chicken soup!!

(this is what came before the snow, I'll do an 'after the snow' picture....my poor rosemary bush! so sad.)

3 batches of Clam Chowder

my notes:

used 2 c. of 1/2 and 1/2 in place of 2 c. of milk - the other 3 c. were milk (per recipe)

This reminds me of being a kid and visiting my grandparents on the Oregon coast - YUM.

There isn't a better clam chowder than what you can get there - but that recipe was pretty darn tootin' YUMMY!

kept one out for Christmas Eve

froze the other two batches

2 HUGE pans of Lasagna

(if you're checking the links, you are noticing a pattern - yes, apparently I was enthralled with the Pioneer Woman this week)

my notes: used regular sausage instead of 'hot' so that maybe these little girly girls will eat it - ya never know, but I wasn't takin' my chances.

wish I had split this up into 4 pans - really, they are so big for us!!!

2 batches of Quick Minestrone

(no linky link...this one was made up from another recipe)

3- 14 oz cans beef broth (I used Better than Bouillon and just get as close to the amount of broth that I can)

2 15 oz can Great Northern beans - rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 - 10 oz. pkg frozen 'soup' vegetables (mine had: okra, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, corn, celery and onions in it)

1 c. dried rotini pasta

1 tsp sugar

Parmesan to taste sprinkled on top!

mix it all together, bring to boil until pasta is done.

the end.

yum.

and the kids l.OVED it.

weird!?

and last but not least, I got the piece to my blender from when I burnt it out over the last set of major snow days (just in time for the second set of major snow days!)

HOMEMADE HUMMUS!!!

(this is my made up recipe....because they all sounded good, so I just combined them all!)

2- 15 oz cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans - drained

4 tbs. roasted garlic (I used jarred....sshhh....)

1 1/2 roasted red pepper (mine were in brine, in olive oil would work too....or, none at all)

2 tsp cumin

1 tbs. olive oil

saute above ing. for 5-10 min.

place 1/2 in blender, add:

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tbs lemon juice

blend, pour into container and repeat with remaining bean mixture.

stir to combine, serve with tortillas, chips, pretzels, veggies, spread on a sandwich, etc....

this was SOOOO yummy!

we will be experimenting with this more and more.

the cans of chickpeas cost me $.25 each.

1 - 6 oz container of store bought hummus cost us $3-4.

for that same amount we just made closer to 16 oz!!!!

that was all servable with our super duper yummy bread...of course ;-)

which is good because it's all I'm eating right now.