Menu Plan Monday – January 17th

  
I have a recipe index, just for recipes that you can find on my blog. You can also get to it by going to the food tab above.

Here's the plan for this week:
Mix-it up Monday (something new) ~ Linguini with Italian Turkey Meatballs 
Taco Tuesday (Mexican or Oriental) ~ Mexican Lasagna 
Wow Wednesday (Date night or something like restaurant food) ~ Cheesy Hamburger Soup 
Simple Thursday (Crockpot or less than 30 min prep)~ Basic Casserole 
Favorite Friday (A family favorite) ~Cheater Chicken Pot Pie 
Lazy Saturday (leftover buffet) ~ Leftovers 
Saucy Sunday (Italian) ~ Hamburger Helper

I also would like to get better about cooking interesting things for the kids, especially for lunch. I get a little tired of preparing the same 4 meals, and I would guess they get tired of eating them. Kahlen is pretty picky, though, and Nate is impatient, so it’s a little tough. What do your littles like to eat?

Come visit me for Tasty Tuesday for some more deliciousness.
So, what are you having for dinner this week?
Link up at Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie or leave me a comment!
~S

Daily Photo – January 15th

Kahlen and her patterns…this time it was a *big* pattern with four colors :)

~S

Daily Photo – January 14th

Nate loves playdough

~S

{embrace} the camera / Daily Photo – January 13th

Mmm, beer…

~S

(I realize it’s supposed to be with my kids, but this is the first one, and no planning was involved. Better luck next week!)

Book Review – Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright

From the Publisher:

A clear, in-depth biblical explanation of the origin, history, and significance of the Middle East conflict.

The current conflict in the Middle East began long before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. It originated when Abraham sinned, distorting God's promise that he and his heirs would make a great nation and inherit the land now called The Holy Land.

A historical and political account, Seeds of Turmoil clearly explains the biblical story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar and the ensuing sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau, whose choices formed the world's three most influential religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

This fascinating insight into the beginnings of the conflict also explains what about the land is so important today. In addition, Wright sheds light on the conflicting Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives and answers the question, Does God play favorites?

I was really looking forward to reading this book when I received it before Christmas. I think the historical roots of the conflict in the middle east are very important to understand what’s going on today, but I don’t have any great knowledge of it, or so I thought. I started reading this book, and got to thinking maybe I know more about it than I thought. I read through the first half or so of the book, waiting to learn something new. Didn’t happen. Kept reading; still nothing that I hadn’t already heard.

What I did find was a lot of conjecture about how this person or that person would have been feeling or thinking, but it a sarcastic kind of way. I have to say, I did not appreciate the author’s dry sense of humor. I felt that it didn’t fit the story and didn’t do justice to the characters that he was discussing. The book went through the biblical stories in the book of Genesis, but did not provide any depth or insight that I had not heard other places.

Conclusion: Read this book if you really truly know nothing about the biblical history of the conflict in the middle east (i.e. the story of Ishmael and Isaac). Otherwise, don’t waste your time.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tasty Tuesday – Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup with Orzo

Welcome to another week of Tasty Tuesday here at The Young'ns!
There’s a recipe index under the food tab above if you’re ever looking for a recipe I’ve already blogged.
Every Monday, I plan on trying a new recipe. If it goes well, that’s what I’ll be posting on Tasty Tuesday. If not, I’ll post a tried and true (i.e. something I don’t have to think about too hard) ;)

I’ve been making this recipe for years! It’s a nice, easy, and very tasty soup. The title is long, so usually I refer to it as “chicken orzo soup” or something equally short. It’s amusing when my mom, my sister, and I bring up this recipe, because we all pick different words out of the looong name to describe it :)

Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup with Orzo

{Ingredients}

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup orzo small noodles usually found on the top shelf :)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup lemon juice about 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp parsley I generally forget about this ingredient, oops
• salt and pepper, to taste

{Directions}

• Spray a large soup pot with non-stick spray. Cook chicken in the pot over medium until cooked through.
• Add broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo. Cook for 20 minutes, or until noodles are tender.
• Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs while pouring the lemon juice into the bowl. Add zest.
• Whisking soup continuously, slowly pour in the egg mixture. The soup should thicken slightly.
• Add parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

~S

Linking up at

Wordless Wednesday / Daily Photo – January 12th

Aunt Robin and Kahlen reading (and reading and reading and reading…)

~S