Overheard.

"So now we are going to brainstorm three ways that we can make our school No Place for Hate. Go ahead and write down your ideas in your composition book."
"Mrs. Hann, how do you spell tazer?"

Menu Planning Monday

So I didn't end up cooking very much last week. One night we went out and another night I wasn't hungry (due to sitting on the couch all afternoon eating chips and green sauce because I had a stressful day). That will not happen again this week!

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: cashew chicken
tuesday :: roasted pork tenderloin, green beans, salad
wednesday :: "World's Best" Mac and Cheese (we will be adding bacon)
thursday :: link sausage (Tyson got some flavored variety from Buc-ee's...) and zucchini cakes
friday :: dog sitting! (so probably baked potatoes all weekend)

Black Bean & Bacon Soup

So, I wish I had a photo to share with this recipe...but let's face it, black-ish soup isn't that appealing anyways. We also gobbled it up pretty quickly!

Soup
5 strips bacon , sliced (use a delicious thick cut!)
1 medium onion, diced
2 T. diced green chiles
2 cans black beans, undrained
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup taco sauce (can buy in a jar...or you can make it homemade for less money and more flavor!)

Homemade Taco Sauce (makes ~3 cups)
3 cups water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Make the taco sauce first. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir well (in a medium saucepan). Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil on medium-ish heat. Turn to medium-low and simmer five minutes. Let cool. Can be kept in refrigerator.


Cook bacon at medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot until crisp and delicious. Add onion and chiles and cook five minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in beans, broth, and taco sauce; bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) until the consistency is to your liking.

A few of my favorite photos of late...

Super delish breakfast my dad made last weekend (bacon omelet)!

So much Airborne and cheap mechanical pencils are required to work in a school.

New favorite flats...not so comfy though.

Brody Bear!

 New owls in my classroom! Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids and a craft fair. They still need names...I am thinking Winston for my friend on the right.

Scrapbook layout I did while Tyson was out of town! I think this was before I actually finished it.

Poor California all by itself...

Check out that awesome Texas! We decorated our doors at school to promote going to college. Please note the paper at the bottom of the door...a student added that today, intending it to be Montana. Also please ignore the fact that Indiana is bigger than California. I should have added a sign that said, "WARNING: Not to scale!"

Menu Planning Monday-ish

So I'm actually writing this Sunday evening...but I am excited because tomorrow is a day off for the kiddoes and a staff development day for us! I have been enjoying a weekend at my parents' full of great food, plenty of RAIN, quite a bit of reading (for school, not for fun), and shopping (craft show and outlet mall)! Consequently, I am in a pretty excellent mood.

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: baked potato night with the most amazing steak that my dad grilled from central market!
tuesday :: black bean & bacon soup (recipe from the soup bible)
wednesday :: link sausage and zucchini cakes and salad
thursday :: leftovers or maybe the cashew chicken I never made from last week
friday :: out to eat or maybe out of town

Well, I still have to be at school tomorrow morning so I am out! If I can find the battery charger for my phone, I will blog tomorrow! No idea where it is right now though...

When I'm not sure if I should laugh or roll my eyes...

source

"So we have our thesauri that you can use..."

"I think that's a type of dinosaur."

"...actually, it's the plural of thesaurus."

"Are you sure? It sounds more like a dinosaur."

Menu Planning Monday

Well, I officially survived my first six weeks of school! I celebrated by not doing very much work this weekend and eating some delicious food.

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: baked potato (Tyson's out of town, so no protein needed!)
tuesday :: turkey burger
wednesday :: leftovers before small group (I'm making sourdough pretzels for the snack! Pretty excited.)
thursday :: cashew chicken and brown rice
friday :: hopefully celebrating (Tyson is meeting with his committee in College Station on Thursday)!
saturday :: undecided, but I'm making cream cheese sausage balls to enjoy whilst watching the game

I semi-scrapbooked yesterday, but didn't get anything glued down...so hopefully I'll finish while Tyson is out of town (he'll be back Tuesday night).

Hawaii!

Happy weekend! I was able to sleep for almost 12 hours last night, so am not really sleepy yet...thus the blog post. :o) I was feeling nostalgic and reading old posts, and realized I did not post two of my spring break scrapbook pages. So here they are! Simple of course, but that's just how I am.

Tomorrow I'm looking to grade, organize my teacher bag, clean, and get things ready for the next grading period. I would really like to scrapbook, but we'll see!