Wednesday, January 31, 2024

what's up Wednesday

 


Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm joining in with Sheaffer and Shay for today's blog post. I'll jump right in! 


What we're eating this week


This week is hit or miss with our meals. We've all been sick, and things just don't taste the same, you know? I made skyline chili on Monday night, an old favorite of ours. Todd loved it, and I felt kind of meh about it; maybe it was just because my throat hurt and it felt like that set it on fire? I'm not sure, but regardless, he can have all the leftovers. Last night I made a giant stockpot of chicken and rice soup. Nothing tastes as good as this to me, when I'm sick. I'll be eating this for the rest of the week, most likely. I also bought some baking potatoes so that we can have baked potatoes with all the toppings one night. 




In case you're not familiar with this, you eat skyline (Cincinnati) chili over spaghetti and with shredded cheese on top. You can also top with onions to make it four way. (How we ate ours was three way.) I think there are five ways? 




On that same night, I made Dorito chicken casserole for the guys at home. I lightened it up with less fat cream of chicken soup, and cottage cheese. Don't tell them! They devoured this over rice.



This is my Dutch oven ready to boil the chicken and to put that amazing homemade stock to good use in the chicken and rice soup. I like to use cilantro lime rice to liven the flavors up. After this, I drain all the stock over my stockpot, I cut up the chicken, add the cooked rice, and let it simmer to combine all the flavors for another ten or fifteen minutes. 



What I'm reminiscing about


I'm not reminiscing in the sense that I miss being like this, but yesterday at work I was thinking about how far I've come in my job. I have messed up a couple of times recently on the register when I was distracted, but both times I've been able to correct the mistake. This could be me missing a credit card slip when I'm totaling up for the weekly deposit, or me entering in the wrong denomination or form of payment. I feel so much more confident in my abilities than when I first started! 


What I'm loving


I loved seeing the sunshine yesterday! It felt so good to sit at my kitchen table and write this post with sun streaming in on me. I am glad to see our yard drying out, too. After all the snow that stuck around for so long, it essentially rained all of last week, and though we're still not letting the dogs into a certain area of the yard, it's looking much better than it was a week ago. 


What I've (we've) been up to


I feel like I've been cooking a lot this week, and maybe it's because I have! I've also been keeping up with the other things at home and trying to maintain somewhat of a semblance of a clean house. I'll be honest here and admit that my nerves are getting frayed in this area. Tonight someone else is going to do the cleaning and vacuuming!


What I'm dreading


Isn't it wonderful to say that I'm not dreading anything? I've been looking back on memories of this week last year, and I was just starting my new full time job. I loved it so much, but over time, I was dreading more and more with it, because I was falling behind in every other area. I'll never forget one morning in my third or fourth week, that I had a major panic attack. I was being let loose in terms of making my own lesson plans, and though I did alright in this area, I did come to dread that. I also dreaded all of the state testing! I only mention this to say how thankful I am that I am not dreading anything in life right now. I don't take that lightly! 


What I'm working on


I need to be working on our house! So many spaces need to be cleaned out and organized, but I can't seem to make myself do that. I have no idea why! 


What I'm excited about


I am always excited about a new month. I am also looking forward to a family night soon! I'd love to cook, but we have a couple of gift cards that we need to use as well, and I can see us doing that sometime soon. 


What I'm watching/reading


I'm watching new Hallmark movies and old episodes of Friends and Grey's Anatomy. Yesterday I posted about the books I read in January. Click here to see it! 


What I'm listening to


Currently, I'm listening to dryer run, Jonah eating an early dinner, and Todd watching a show on Netflix.


What I'm wearing


This week it's been a lot of comfy clothes. It was warm here yesterday, so I was struggling to find something to wear. I took a picture of what I wore, but it wasn't my favorite. 


What I'm doing this weekend


Hopefully not what I was doing last weekend! I'm hoping to feel better this weekend, and get back to my normal weekend things that I love. 


What have you been up to lately? I'd love to hear! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!




19 comments:

  1. We still haven't seen the sun - I think it's been about 10 days? It is very much UK weather here lately. But, that also makes me kinda chuckle and makes me happy. I was reading about someone from England drinking her tea and got teared up thinking how lucky I was to get to go. I was also at that time of the month and extra emotional!
    I really hope you feel better this weekend! That soup sounds amazing. I am going to do a white chicken chili this weekend and continue my soup Sunday for just a few more weeks. I love eating seasonally!

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  2. Hi Jennifer :) I hate that you've been sick! We were all doing great until this week when something must have blown in and now we're all sniffling again. Tis the season, I suppose.

    I can't believe you haven't felt well and yet you've made some great food lately! It all sounded delicious.

    I hope you get to feeling better soon! Have a wonderful week :)

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  3. I’m missing the sun big time. The snow has melted and it’s just so gray. Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry you’ve been sick. Gosh darn. Prayers for healing and feeling yourself again.

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  4. Hope you are feeling better Jennifer. Love cooking in the winter- it keeps me warm. Your meals look and sound delicious!

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  5. Great post! I hope you're all feeling better and I know you will be happy when the ground is completely dry. Snow and rain = muddy paws!

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  6. Sorry you've been sick. Here's hoping you are 100 percent soon! And congrats on settling into your job and progressing so well. What a blessing and such a good feeling! Eat all the soups:)

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  7. I hope you're feeling better soon! I always make chicken soup when someone in our house gets sick too. There is nothing cozier than homemade chicken soup with freshly baked bread.

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  8. Amy, that's so long to not see the sun! I really do miss it when it's gone. Thanks for that! I am sure your white chicken chili will be amazing; you can never go wrong with that kind of thing.

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  9. Debbie, it's definitely a season for sickness for so many of us. My "sick season" is usually in November, but that wasn't the case this year. I've been wondering when it would be my turn; it happens each year! Even though I haven't felt my best, I have still carried on with life, so cooking something that sounded yummy was just part of that. Life goes on, I suppose!

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  10. Thank you, Andrea! I hope you see some blue skies soon, my friend.

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  11. Thanks, Pamela! You are so right. I've given up on my floors for now. Ha!

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  12. Thank you, Jennifer! Oh, I plan on doing just that, my friend. Starting with tonight!

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  13. Thanks, Joanne! Homemade bread would be so good with this. That actually sounds so good to me right now!

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  14. Hello, my friend. I am so sorry you are sick. It seems as if there is so much sickness everywhere. Chicken soup always helps! And I love your idea of cilantro lime rice! Have a cozy evening!

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  15. I'm so happy the sun is shining here this week! It really makes a difference in my mood. I'm glad to hear things are going better and better at work.

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  16. Thanks, Billie Jo! It's like that here as well; so many people I know are sick. There are definitely some viruses going around! You are right about chicken soup helping everything! You should try the cilantro lime rice sometime. It's delicious!

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  17. Thank you so much, Tanya! I am so glad for that very same thing, and I am like that as well. Even the dogs are affected by it!

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  18. I love a dreary winter day ---but we had so many in a row that when the sun finally came out at the end of the week --and then this whole weekend, I've realized what a mood booster it is for me. This week, our temps are mid-50's and sunny...so it will feel like spring! The chicken/dorito casserole sounds like one my family would enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

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