PARMESAN NOODLES
1 package (8 ounces) medium egg Noodles
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Toss with onions, butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.
Quick Cooking - Premiere Issue
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup baking cocoa
1-teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1-cup vegetable oil
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
1-cup (6ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Yield: about 3 dozen.
Quick Cooking – Premiere Issue
I think I will be using my lunch break today to enter a few recipes. I never seem to have time at home! Over the entire weekend I only add two to my website! ARGH!!
This is my favorite, but my hubby and children prefer Kraft Mac and Cheese out of the box!
1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces process American cheese, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish; set aside. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; reduce heat. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Pour over macaroni; mix well. Melt the remaining butter; add the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings
Ok, I have finished reading The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples by Larry Burkett. This was published in 1989. I was not terribly inpressed by this book, but did take a few interesting tidbits away from it.
Passages that I found interesting or rang true in my life:
On the topic of spending.....
" More money is not the answer, more discipline is. Until couples decide to live on what they already make, more money will not help. As Solomon said, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity" (Ecclesiates 5:10).
This one is the passage that spurred me to get our wills completed. I don't want my love one to need to pay so much in lawyer fees becuase I didn't take care of doing a will.
"In 1976, three men I knew died in accidents. Two died in a plane crash and the third in a car accident. Of the three men, only one had a will. None had any major assets. Their estates consisted primarily or life insurance that was assigned to their widows, so they felt they didn't really need wills. The settlement from the plane crash was over a million dollars, and the settlement from the auto accident was about $700,00. These husbands had enormous estates and didn't know it.
By the time the estates were cleared and distributed, for the two without wills, it took nearly four years and cost over $300,000. For the husband with the will, it took 60 days and cost about $6,000."
On the topic of Financial Training for Teens:
A Teen having or using your car: Suggest rules:
- They should pay their own insuracne ( I plan on having Josh pay a portion)
- They should pay a portion of the maintenance and upkeep. I suggest a usage rate of 5 cents a mile. ( I am undecided on this)
- They should provide their own gas and oil. (agree)
- They should clean the car after every use or at least once per week (agree)
- They should pay all of their traffic violations, and driving privileges should be suspended for serious violations. (agree)
Checking Accounts - "without hesitation, I can say that by age 16, your children should be using and maintaining their own checking accounts. .......Remember that you're not raising children; your raising future adults, and in our society checking accounts are a basic fact of life. Don't let your children leave home without the basic skills for survival." (agree 100%)
Credit Cards - " I do recomment allowing children to use credit cards. Remember credit cards are not the problem. It is the misuse of credit cads that create problems. .....Credit is a fact of life. So its' best to teach your children how to manage and control it, not vice versa. I would suggest allowing them to have a credit card in their name at about age 17 or 18. The rules for using the card should be clear, written and absolute:
- The card can be used only for budgeted intems -- clothes, gas, tires and so on.
- The account had to be paid in full each month - no exceptions.
- The first month the account isn't paid, take the card back and destroy it."
(not sure how I feel about Josh having a credit card, but these are the new rules we personally live by for our use of credit cards.)
I do plan on getting a checking account for Joshua this summer as he plans on getting a summer job. I want him to learn good money management skills before he leaves home! I don't want him to be in his 20's and need to file bankruptcy due to stupid choices!
I have a few more books on my reading list regarding personal finances. I will share as I can or as they impact me. I wouldn't say this book had a huge impact on me....it was ok.
I just made this Banana Bread of Zvanoizu's and it smells great!!!!!!!!!! YUMMY!! I can't wait to taste it!
Banana Bread
Cream butter and sugar together. Add one egg at a time, beating until smooth. Blend in mashed bananas. In a second bowl, stir flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt and nuts. Add to banana mixture stirring only to moisten. Transfer to greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 ° Fahrenheit for 1 hour until inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cake rack to cool. Wrap to store. Makes 1 loaf.
I just spent my monthly book money. I purchases the Ask Suze Orman Financial Library. It contains 9 books for each stage of your life and 2 cd's. I should receive it in time to read the book on wills before we complete ours with the attorney in the middle of February.
I will share any great insight we have...........I will just add this to the many financial books I have and plan on reading this year. I am learning so much!
I suppose I should go and get busy with some chores around here. Hubby is home from the annual meeting at church. Our church is starting a school this September. We are leaning towards sending Tommy to our church's school for Kindergarten in 4 years. We hope that the school will be all set up and doing well by then! They will offer full day kindergarten, which we both want for Tommy. The tuition isn't too bad either. They will only be having one Kindergarten class of 20 children so I will need to get him on a waiting list. We really want the best for Tommy. If after Kindergarten we decided that private school continues to be the best for him, that is what we will budget for and make happen. I never want to skimp on my child's education. My hubby and I have always really valued our children's education. I had thought of sending Josh to private school when we moved here, but he had never been in private school and I didn't want to start him in 4th grade. He had enough adjusting to do to moving here.
Tommy is already very familiar with the school at our church since we currently have about 175 children in the preschool program and Tommy has attended that since he was 6 months old.
It is sort of funny planning already for Tommy to go to Kindergarten, but if we want him in private school, we have to do it now!
TIMBER LODGE WILD RICE SOUP
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
½ cup wild rice, rinsed (see cook’s note)
¾ cup minced ham
¾ cup shredded carrots
½ cup minced onion
10 cups water, divided
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons chicken base (this doesn’t work quite right for me I plan on using one teaspoon for each cup of water in the soup ( 8 TEASPOONS) next time – See Jen’s Notes)
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1-3/4 teaspoons white pepper
3 cups half-and half
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
To cook wild rice: In a saucepan, combine rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes or until most of the rice has cracked. Drain off the excess water. Set aside.
To make Stock: In stockpot, sauté ham, carrots and onion until tender. Add 8 cups water. Whisk in chicken base. Stir in salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
To finish soup: In small saucepan, melt butter. Gradually stir in flour to form roux. Cook, stirring, until slightly golden. Whisk into large pot of chicken stock, stirring until combined. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cooked rice and almonds. Add half-and-half. Cook until heated through. Serve.
Cook’s note: For a dense soup double amount of wild rice. Combine 1 cup of rice with 4 cups water, them follow directions above for cooking.
Jen’s Notes: There is something not quite right with the recipe in regards to the chicken base. Trust me the recipe does not mean add ½ cup of straight chicken base!! This last time I mixed the base according to the package directions for ½ cup of base. It was a bit weak. I will try again using a bit more. All comments in red are mine and not part of the recipe as it appeared in the newspaper. It is a very good soup, I am just having a bit of trouble perfecting the chicken base.
Off to get my little man to take a nap. I think we will watch Dora the Explorer in my bedroom. Hubby has gone to go to the annual meeting at church. I just didn't feel up to that today, so Tommy and I are staying home. Tommy separated pretty well for Sunday school this morning. It has become difficult for him to separate from me at school and church. Just a phase I am sure....
He slept through the night in his bed last night. Daddy put him in bed with me when Tommy woke up for the day though. He loves to snuggle with mommy. Might jsut be hubby's way of getting me to wake up! Who can sleep sharing their pillow with a teeth grinding two year old!
I am feeling better today, though not 100% yet. Not too much I want to do today luckily. We are home from church. The sermon today was very good about community and the strength in the Christian Community. I so agree with that, I think our faith has grown since we have been more of a part of the community of our church. Instead of being one of those memebers who show up for SUnday service occassionally and that is it.
TO DO
Master Bedroom - (did some)
Control Journal - Make Current Zone List and Next Weeks
Make Split Pea Soup
Go to Sam's Club if I am feeling better (want to get a few things and some shelves to start organizing the basement)
Freezes Well
10 Cups of water
4 cups Split Peas
1 Cup ham, diced (I add a bit more)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon marjoram, crushed
1 bay leaf, finely crushed
1 Cup celery, chopped
1 Cup onion, chopped
1 Cup carrots, sliced
Rinse Peas; combine peas, water, ham, salt, pepper, bay leaf and marjoram in large Dutch oven or stock pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer (don't boil) for 1-1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add Celery, onion, and carrots. Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
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