Summer Wrap Up

The summer is coming to an end which is hard to believe considering just Saturday it was 103 degrees.  It's weird to think it's almost fall when it doesn't start to get cool here til late October.  I still remember wearing sweatpants to the state fair in mid October and regretting my outfit choice the entire time.

New people are gradually trickling into the apartment complex.  Actually, there aren't as many new people here as I had expected.  At the end of last school year our building had 6 empty units and 6 occupied units.  So far one couple moved in but left immediately to go back to Georgia to get married and haven't come back yet, another couple moved in but aren't really new as they just moved from another unit in our neighborhood, and then another unit has a couple that just moved here from Korea.  We haven't met any of these people yet.  I think they're hiding. ;)  Oh yeah, another family moved in at the start of June - when she was 39 weeks pregnant.  Crazy!  So we still have a couple of empty units.  Hopefully we can meet all of these people soon!  I know I hated being new and not having anyone come and introduce themselves to us.  I don't want to be like that to these new people.  We really have tried.  It's just that I'm at work all day, and when I get home nobody's car is here.

This summer has also included rain, rain, and more rain.

Robert officially finished summer school on August 2 - just in time to enjoy two weeks of vacation before starting up a new school year.  He completed six hours of classes this summer which I think is pretty impressive!  I'm thankful that Robert and I are able to make it possible for him to take extra classes over summer and Jan term.

Robert is in full swing with work at Applebee's.  He seems to have gotten into a groove there.  He is primarily working lunch shifts now which we really like because that allows him to be home in the evening while I'm at home.  Hoping his school schedule and work schedule will mesh well for the fall semester.  Robert is also Faith Baptist Church's newest intern.  Holler!  He will be interning for our music minister, and we are very excited about this!

We enjoyed a lovely visit with Robert's grandparents in July.  We also got to meet up with one of Robert's uncles and cousin.  Lots of fun!

Golfing on the course where Arnold Palmer used to golf in college

We've been trying to squeeze in some fun activities before Robert starts up school again.  Last week we had some friends over for dinner, went out for ice cream with another family, and then went to the beach this weekend.  The beach was CRAZY!  Apparently we weren't the only ones trying to squeeze in some last minute fun.  Thankfully, we didn't have much of an agenda so it wasn't a big deal that traffic was awful.  We both managed to get sunburns so I guess the beach trip was a success.  And Robert found a pair of Oakley sunglasses floating in the ocean so that was sweet.

And a shout out to Robert Clark - we marked 2 years since he asked me to marry him on August 8!

What I've Done - Crock Pot cream cheese chicken chili

Who doesn't love a good Crock Pot recipe that you can put together before work and have waiting for you when you get home? This is definitely my old stand by for fall and winter. Here you go:

3 chicken breasts, still frozen
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
1 bag of frozen corn
1 can each of kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
Any additional items to bring the heat like jalapeño or hot sauce, add to taste
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn, the drained and rinsed beans, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder.  Stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the chicken, shred, add back to Crock Lot and add in cream cheese. Heat until cream cheese is melted.
Yields 8 servings (This can easily be halved by only using one can of beans and reducing all the other ingredients. Keeps in the refrigerator well.)

I think it's safe to say that I like this recipe even better than regular chili.  So good!

What I've Done - Kale

Go out and buy some kale right now.  I bought a huge bag recently and froze it in smaller bags and it took forever to go through.  $5 well spent, if you ask me.  My two favorite things I've done with kale so far would have to be making kale chips and using it for a soup broth.

Kale chips:
Spread kale onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt, bake in oven at 300.  Bake for 10 minutes, toss, bake for another 10 minutes or until nice and crunchy.  Easy peasy!  And you can eat a ton of it without filling up and it's so healthy.  One cup of chopped kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a whopping 684% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.  I've now introduced you to your new favorite snack.  You're welcome.

Green Chicken Soup:

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I left out mushrooms because, well...I hate them.)
• 1 cup shredded chicken (optional, though nice)

1. Place chicken stock in a soup pot over medium heat, reserving 2 cups stock
2. Take reserved stock and blend it with kale in a vitamix, until smooth and creamy
3. Pour kale-stock mixture into pot of chicken stock
4. Add carrots and mushrooms (and shredded chicken if you have it)
5. Cook for 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender
6. Serve

Yum yum yum yum yum!