Crock Pot Ham and White Beans

So this was the scene outside outside my house yesterday afternoon. It may not look like much snow, but for East Tennessee it is.

See, the problem with snow in Tennessee is that it frequently comes on quickly and unexpectedly so we have little time to prepare for it. When it started snowing Tuesday morning Aaron was already at work. The weather report showed snow flurries and maybe a dusting in our area and our roads were not treated. I woke up very late (almost 11:00) and by that time the roads in my neighborhood were slick and completely covered with snow.

Almond Joy Oatmeal

Bailey and I generally have oatmeal at least once a week. Sometimes we add raisins or dried cranberries and brown sugar, other times it's apples and cinnamon. Occasionally we go with Nutella and strawberries. All are great options, but lately I've been wanting something a bit different.

Menu for 1/27/14-2/2/14

What does a mom do during nap time when the house is clean and dinner is already in the works? Besides blogging, of course.

This mom knits. I know it's become popular among the younger crowd lately, but I think I may have been ahead of the trend. I learned to knit when I was in 5th grade. That would have made me 10 or 11 years old. Oh, dear Lord that makes me feel old; it was 18 years ago!

Crock Pot Potato, Barley, and Canadian Bacon Soup

Two recipes from Iowa Girl Eats in two week? Yes, I think that is a very good idea! Oh man, she just can't go wrong. Every recipe on her blog is amazing, and I've tried quite a few of them.

I actually came across this soup when looking for healthier new recipes for January. I kept looking through Pinterest, but all I had pinned were high fat recipes. Most of them were for fried foods or were smothered in cheese or cream sauces. Don't get me wrong, those sound like fabulous meals, just not exactly what I'm looking for right now.

Cranberry and Pistachio Chicken Salad... Salad

It seems like every family has a go-to recipe for chicken salad. I'm talking just a basic recipe that they might use for lunches or to use up leftover chicken. Here is mine. They're usually a simple mixture of chicken and mayonnaise, a little pickle relish and some kind of crunchy veggie.

A Few of My Favorites

I've already shared with you what the reader favorites from last year are, but I didn't get a chance to put my two cents in. I tried approximately 50 new recipes last year, some I liked and some were just okay. I was proud that I only had one total screw up.

I learned a lot about cooking in 2013. I practiced bread-making and now I have it almost down to a science. (I've actually only had one bread failure.) I learned how to cut up a whole raw chicken and how to make stock. I made my first homemade pudding. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to plenty of new recipes this year. (I'm super excited about maybe learning to make cheesecake since Dad's girlfriend is so good at it.)

Menu for 1/19/14-1/26/14

For the first time in 7 years I have to replace a phone before my contract is up. The last time I broke a phone (not including when phones just went crazy and started doing weird things on their own) was when I worked at a gas station and tried (stupidly) to chase a car that was driving away without paying for their fuel. I'm not a runner, never have been, and I should have known better. The phone fell off of my belt and into a puddle and then was run over by a car.

Bath Paint

How do you allow your child to learn about messy things without making huge messes that are hard to clean up?

You teach messy lessons in the tub of course!

Today we had one of those lessons. It's one we've actually had before. I found a recipe for bath paint on Pinterest sometime last year and I've been letting Bailey paint the bath tub ever since.

Margarita Chicken

Has anyone noticed I've never posted a drink recipe? I mean, not counting the one smoothie recipe I posted. I've never posted any drink recipes or even a recipe that included spirits of any kind.

Aaron and I aren't big drinkers. We might have an occasional beer... and by beer I mean hard lemonade. We rarely have more than one each and we usually share one. There was a time when I actually had a liquor cabinet, or at least a box of liquor, but we realized when we moved two years ago that we hadn't had a drink since the last time we moved which was in 2008.

Menu for 1/13/14-1/19/14

It's been a really great week. We woke up to snow Monday morning, Aaron got a new job (well, it's the same job just with a different company) and he starts on Tuesday, and I have an incredibly popular pin on Pinterest.

Also, I discovered a new coffee creamer that I like and I plan on learning to make it at home. I go through a lot of creamer because I prefer a little coffee with my creamer. I am a huge fan of the Coffee-Mate Italian sweet cream and creme brulee. I usually don't care for International Delight, but they have new Coldstone Creamery flavors and they are fabulous.

Beef Stroganoff (or Beef with Noodles)

When I was little we ate Hamburger Helper at least once a week. Sometimes more often. I'll be the first to admit that I actually like Hamburger Helper... well, some flavors anyway. I'm fond of any of the Italian and Mexican kinds, but one that I'm not particularly taken with is the beef stroganoff.

Granny Gallaher's Tea Cakes

Granny Gallaher is my (insert proper number of greats) Granny. She is related to me through my Nana and this recipe was hers a very long time ago.

My Great Aunt Margaret submitted it to her church when they were making a cook book. I use the term submitted loosely as Aunt Margaret actually printed and bound all of the books so she added quite a few of her own submissions to pad the book.

Menu for 1/6/14-1/12/14

You may notice as you read over my menu that I've added a lot of salads. I love salad. I always have. Granted when I was little what I really loved was drowning a small piece of lettuce in thousand island dressing. Now that I'm an adult when I say I love salad, I really mean I love salad. I love all different kinds of greens mixed with all different kinds of lettuces.

Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken

167 posts in 2013 and I still have so much more to share with you. I didn't get to share my doughnut recipe or Granny Gallaher's tea cakes. I totally forgot about all of the interesting chicken salad recipes I use and most of my bread recipes. We have a ton of family recipes that I never had a chance to type up.

Baked Ziti

If you are looking for a hearty meal that will feed an army this is the meal for you!

And what a great post to start off 2014.

Honestly, with only the three of us eating (I usually count 2 1/2 since Bailey eats about half as much as us) our leftovers lasted four days! (I will probably cut the recipe in half next time.) I was particularly pleased with the way this meal turned out considering that Aaron doesn't like chunks of tomatoes in his food and I don't care for ricotta cheese.