First Visitors to Scotland!

We were so excited to have our first visitors come at the end of November. Tim and Katie were in the Cambridge and Leeds area for work and decided to take a train up to see us in ye old Aberdeen. We are so glad they did! It was wonderful sitting across with familiar faces over cup of coffee/tea again!

Tim and Tim catching up in Aberdeen's City Centre

We enjoyed showing them around our little town

Aberdeen houses and steeples

Local Park

Then we got to show them around Dunnator Castle. 

We were able to climb down to the sea since we had a babysitter! We had so much fun being goofy and exploring all the nooks and crannies of the area!

They are just so cute!

Climbing down to the sea

Tossing smooth rocks into the water - quite therapeutic!

After we were finished checking out the castle, we were told by the locals that we couldn't/shouldn't leave the Stonehaven area without first trying the "Best Fish and Chips in Scotland". And oh my word - The Bay Fish Shop was amazing!

The only problem is that they only had take out(the locals were lined up) and we had driven  30 minutes to get there. So even though it was about 40 degrees out, we sat outside and ate every last amazing morsel of our fish! I'm salivating thinking about it right now! It's such a good price too...yum!

Such good memories! I'm so glad we did it!

COLD!

At the end of the week, we drove with them out to Inverness (about a 3 hour drive). 

We toured Urquhart Castle together and got to see Lake Loch Ness - very cool. 

Tim and Katie on the top of the hill looking out at the lake

It was a gorgeous sunny day for it too!

After the Castle, Tim and Katie headed on to Isle of Sky and we just stayed in Inverness for the afternoon and then headed home. We had lunch at a little place called Bella Italia.
 I highly recommend it! Yummy Italian food at a good price!

Maddy got a balloon and to keep it from blowing away we tied it to her pony and it created hours of fun :)

We enjoyed poking around Inverness. It was such a nice little town. Tim checked out the used book store while the girls and I wandered the cobblestone streets popping in and out of shops. It was such a relaxing afternoon!

It was such a nice week. I'm thankful that they took the time and extra money to come and see us. What a blessing to have friends (of 10+ years) here with us when we are so far from family and friends!

menu plan Monday

Monday-  Martha Stewart's Lentil Soup

This one is a new one and I'm looking forward to trying it!

Tuesday - Chicken with Red Roasted Peppers and Asparagus

Wednesday- Beef Taco ring from Pampered Chef

This is super simple and you can add whatever extra veggies you want. I usually have lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa in the middle!

Thursday- Chicken Rice and Gravy with Broccoli
This one is my mom's recipe as well, so very unspecific amounts - she goes by memory. It's basically pieces of chicken in chicken gravy poured over white rice ( I know - terrible for you, but every once in a while I crave it! I grew up eating it regularly, ha! So yummy! Plus I had a side of steamed broccoli, so that evens things out, right?

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast
2 pieces of celery
2 carrots
1 onion
2 T butter
1 cup white rice
3 cups water
2 T flour

Directions:
1. So I boil the two raw chicken breasts in 3 cups of water with the celery, carrots, and onion chopped up in the water. After the chicken is done cooking, the water has magically turned into about 2 cups chicken stock :)
2. Set the cooked chicken aside to cool a bit, in a new pan, melt the butter and mix in the flour to make a roux (actually had to look the spelling of that word up!) - cook for a few min, then add 2 cups of chicken broth (strain out the carrots, onions etc before hand). Let the broth simmer for about 10 min or so to thicken up
3. Tear up the pieces of cooked chicken and place in gravy
4. Scoop Chicken/gravy mixture over rice and enjoy! - oh don't forget to have some broccoli on the side!

Friday- Christmas Party :)

I'm linked up with Orgjunkie

Menu Plan Monday

Monday 
Shepherds Pie

My mom taught me how to make her Shepherds pie and she doesn't really use a recipe. This is how she  makes hers. It's pretty plain, but we all like it :)

Ingredients:
 1lb ground beef
 1 package onion soup mix
 1 bag of frozen corn
 1 bag of frozen peas
 10 potatoes
 1/4 cup water
 1 onion
Directions:
1. brown ground beef
2. mix in onion soup mix and water into the ground beef
3. add frozen vegetables
4. peal, cook, and mash the potatoes (season to taste) and then layer on top of the beef/vegetable mixture.

Tuesday
Mexican Spaghetti and Mexican Pinwheels

“Anyone Can Do it Chicken Spaghetti” (Mexican Spaghetti)  This one is from my sister in law Shannon.

2 (6 or 8 oz.) cans white chicken

½ Cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped bell pepper

2 (10 ¾ oz) cans cream of mushroom soup

1 ½ cups milk

1 can of Ro-Tel

1 (12 oz) package thin spaghetti cooked

8 oz cheddar (mild) cheese grated

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together in order listed, using only half of the cheese. 

2. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and spring remaining cheese on top

3. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees

*Serve with “Mexican Pinwheels” (recipe below) and chips, salsa, and cheese dip

“Mexican Pinwheels”

Mix together:

8 oz. cream cheese

½ can chopped black olives 

4 chopped green onions

½ jar chopped jalapeño peppers

1 tsp garlic salt

Spread layer over flour tortillas. Roll up and chill one hour. Cut rolls in ½ - ¾  inch pieces. Serve plain or with Salsa. 

Wednesday

Stuffed Shells, Salad, Garlic Bread

Thursday
Red Chili and cornbread

Friday
Pasta with Tomato and Blue Cheese
I didn't get to this one last week because we ended up going to Edinburgh to visit 4 of our old college students from the College Ministry  from Chicago. We had such a nice time with them! Picture to come!

I'm linked up with Orgunkie

Britain's Saddest City?

 So Tim shared this article with me today called, Welcome to Aberdeen, Britain's Saddest City.  Nice. Read it if you get a chance. It's crazy! I have to admit after reading it I was kind of depressed. I mean I knew the dark winter would be hard due to the fact that we are so far North, but I didn't think about all of the problems they say that could bring: sleepiness, lack of motivation, depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder), weight gain, higher prices for heat and lights etc. etc.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, on the Winter Solstice, when the earth is tilted at its' maximum degree away from the sun, there are only 6 hours and 40min of daylight!

To flesh that out for you, that means on December 22  the sun will not even begin to rise until 8:47am and will be completely set by 3:27pm! Wow - talk about a "short day".  I'm already having a hard time getting my booty out of bed at 7am when Madison wakes up because it is PITCH DARK out - weird. On the up side, the girls are taking longer naps because by the end of their nap time - yup - you guessed it - it's dark again!

But the weird thing is that on the Summer Solstice, when the earth is tilted at it's maximum degree towards the sun, there are 17 hours, 55 min of daylight!  So that means on June 22nd, the sun will rise at 4:12am and set at 10:08pm! Weird. And because of the angle the sun is in the sky, it seems so much brighter as it's just about always right in your eyes -haha! The little things I didn't think of before we moved here!

So we have quite the adjustment to make with seasons here. To be completely honest, I'm kind of dreading December, January and February. We have no visitors and it's going to be cold and dark.

 If you think about us, pray that we can keep our hearts and minds focused on Christ's faithful love for us. For in Him there is no shadow of changing!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday

 Pasta with Tomato Blue cheese sauce

Tuesday 

 White Chicken Chili, crispy bread

(one of our all time favorite soups!)

1 T. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2-4 oz. Cans Chopped Green Chili Peppers
4-6 Cooked, boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut into bit-zis pieces
3-10oz. cans Chicken Broth
5-6 cans great northern beens(or any white bean you like)
2t. ground Cumin
2t. Dried Oregano
1 t. Salt
1-2t. Cayenne Pepper(this is what makes it SPICY)
2c. Sour Cream (I use light)
1c. Heavy Whipping Cream or Half and Half (in the UK Double cream or single cream),
Monterey Jack Cheese
Directions:
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
2. Add onions and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes or until onion are tender
3. Add chicken, broth, chili peppers, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper
4. Bring to a boil
5. Reduce heat to low and add beans. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until heated thoroughly
6. Before you serve, mix together sour cream and whipping cream until well blended
7. Mix into chili and simmer until heated through again.
Pour into individual bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Yield: Approx 8 servings

Wednesday 

Chicken Oriental Salad 

*Spinach

*Mandarin Oranges

*Almond slices

*Wonton strips

*Grilled chicken

Toss all of the items above and drizzle the below dressing on top

Oriental dressing:

1/3 cup oil

¼ cup sugar

1 season packet from “Oriental Ramen Noodles”

3 T. Red Wine Vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together 

Thursday 
 Quesadillas with rice

Friday

 Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes 
 I found this one on Pioneer Woman and it looks so yummy! To be honest, I'm not sure if It's meant to me a main meal or not. It kind of looks like it would make an amazing appetizer. But I'm going to add garlic pasta to the side and call it a main dish :)

I'm linked up with Orgjunkie

Thanksgiving in Scotland

We had a low key, relaxed day spent with family and some of our new friends here in Aberdeen. It started out with some cooking...

Madison Smashing sweet potatoes for the best ever Sweet Potato Casserole

Rose got in on the action

"The Turkey!" 21 Pounder - my biggest yet. I was nervous, but Martha  Stewart's recipe helped a ton!

Sweet Potato Casserole and Coffee cake- Thanks mom for the best recipes!

We lazied around and had appetizers during the afternoon while the turkey cooked. We also watched "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" - which is surprisingly historic. I forgot about that. I liked it! Oh and we watched "Garfield a Thanksgiving Special" -so fun!

Sparkling grape juice - fun that the girls could even get in on :)

The finished turkey! People said it was flavorful and tender. I was so grateful. It was a butter  herb recipe  where you rub the butter under and on top of the skin. I had never done that before. In fact, after I finished the butter part, I told Tim I would never do it again. But after we tasted it, we decided that I should :)

Aberdeen Student fellowship Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration

Kid's table

Maddy and her friend Luke

Rose and her friend Ian

Baby Lizzie and her Grandma

The guys always seem to find one another to talk theology with

The spread!

The turkey Maddy and I made together. She came up with all of the names to thank God for on each feather.  I was so proud of her. 

We decorated for Christmas! We just did a little tree up on a bookshelf this year to keep Rose out of it and save money. I actually love the simplicity of it!

Menu Plan Monday

    

Monday 

 Baked Chicken

From : Barefoot Contessa’s Cookbook

My friend Joy here in Scotland so kindly brought us this amazing chicken when we first moved and had no food in our pantry :) We loved it so much I got the recipe! It's so easy - even I can do it!

 1 whole chicken

 1 bunch fresh thyme

 1 lemon

 1 whole head clove of garlic

 Salt/Pepper

 3 T. melted butter

1. Place chicken in sink, rise with water and clean out insides of chicken (giblets) if any J

2. Stuff cavity of chicken

   a. with ½ bunch of thyme

   b. lemon sliced in half-add both halves,

   c. take garlic head and slice off of top 1/3 -add to chicken cavity

   d. sprinkle liberally inside with salt and pepper

3. Place stuffed chicken in 8x8 or small glass pan-legs up (if you have kitchen string, tie legs together, to keep moist)

4. Brush melted butter over entire chicken-yes, fat is good.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

6. Place in preheated oven (425 degrees)

7. Cook for 1 ½ hours

8. ENJOY with bar b que sauce! (use leftover chicken for chimichangas, chicken salad, taco salad, bar b que sandwiches, curry chicken-which we like a lot, on pizza, use chicken bones to make homemade stock…)

Tuesday 

 Spaghetti Aglio e Olio 

Wednesday 

 Meatball Sandwiches

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1 cup spaghetti sauce or marinara, plus 2 tablespoons for meatballs

3 tablespoons chopped parsley1 loaf Italian bread or 4 large sub rolls

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, Parmesan, oregano, pepper, paprika and 2 tablespoons sauce in bowl. Shape meat mixture into 12 equal meatballs. Place on a jelly-roll pan.

Bake in preheated 350° oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

Heat the 1 cup sauce in a saucepan; stir in parsley. Divide bread crosswise into four portions; split each. Spoon meatballs and sauce into bread.
Serves 4.

Thursday

bld carbonara pizza 

Friday 

 Thanksgiving Celebration with Divinity students and their families.

 I'm making one of the turkeys, using one of Martha Stewart's Recipes (roast turkey with herb butter) and  Mom Baylor's sweet potato casserole (per Tim's request :)

I'm linked up to Organzingjunkie

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's planning went well, but again, I have a few recipes left over due to busy schedules and changes in plans. I think I've decided to do what orgjunkie does and just meal plan Monday - Friday. That way I have two slush days to move around and do what I want with. That doesn't mean I'm going to eat those exact meals on those days, I usually look at the plan and make what we feel like that night anyways. This way I have some wiggle room for leftovers(a lot of the recipes make way more than we can eat in one night and i hate to waste it) or if we end up being out and about or someone invites us over ;)

So I guess you live and learn, right? We'll see how this works. I never said this was full-proof :)

Monday

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Tuesday

Chicken and Waffles

Wednesday

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

I have to admit, I kind of keep putting this off because I'm a tad skeptical of how good it will be. But I AM going to try it this week. I bet it's going to be great. 

Thursday

 Loaded Potato soup

Friday

Asian Orange Chicken

I'm linking up with Orgjunkie

Advent Calendar Giveaway!

A friend of mine clued me into this Advent Calendar giveaway at-
Amoretti.

Check it out - you just might win (but I kinda hope I do :) - Let me know if you get it though and I swear I'll rejoice with you ;)

Menu Plan Monday

ok - well, last week ended up being a little crazier than we though it would be, so I have a few repeat meals this week. I hate to let food go to waste! Hope you had a good week. Anyone else meal planning with me? Any good recipes or strategies you use in planning?

Monday

Orange Chicken, Broccoli, and rice

Tuesday

Stuffed green peppers 

Wednesday

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Thursday

Baked Mac and Cheese, Salad

Ok, so before you judge me for making this again so soon, a friend is having a baby (*Wink *Wink Emily!) so I always bring a new mom this wonderfully creamy comfort food! And Tim made me promise to make our family some as well :) Oh and I forgot to say that if I am trying to save money or don't have the second kind of cheese on hand, I will use all white sharp cheddar and that tastes fabulous!

Friday

Breakfast for dinner: french toast, bacon and eggs

Saturday

Greek Salad with Chicken

Sunday

Bobby Flay's Chicken and Waffles - 

Our dear friends the Barkers arrive in Scotland on this night for a visit! Woohoo!

Now, little disclaimer here - I don't use a whole chicken like he does,  I uses chicken tenders because it's so much easier to make and to eat! I also usually cut recipe and marinating time in half .  I can't make this meal alone though. Tim always helps me. You really need one person manning the waffle iron while the other does the chicken.  It's AMAZING though!

I'm linking up to Orgjunkie

Maddy Says

Madison is only 2 months away from turning THREE and her personality is really showing. She is a hoot and is always cracking us up. I want to remember some of those hilarious conversation that every mom has with her toddler. Here are a few of her recents.

* Since about summer time, Maddy has developed these imaginary friends (Ariel and Eric, Dora and Diego, and the "Thing"(from this book she read recently). Well, it didn't bother me at first because it was just cute imaginary play, but recently she has been having me do things for them and it's driving me crazy! She'll say things like, "Mom, Diego really wants you to wash his face, get him dressed or get him a cookie(I think she's hoping to get two for herself ;) Like I don't have enough work to do with 2 REAL kids!
It can get kind of embarrassing when we're in public too.
*One day we were out for a walk and a man with a dog walked by and Maddy got to pet the dog and then she yelled, "Mom, Dora wants to pet him too!" I tried to ignore here but she kept getting louder. So I kinda pretended Rose was Dora and then quickly got out of there - ha! How terrible am I?!

*After we had recently had a conversation about the fact that Jesus is everywhere and he is always with us...Maddy(on the tire swing) - "mom, mom, Jesus is sitting right across from me right there. Mom, Mom! You need to stop; Jesus' belly is getting sick because we going too fast!" Oh boy. We have a little more teaching to do on this topic :)

*After a man at the park said Madison could not pet his dog, "Mom, why can't I pet that dog?"
Me - because he might be mean and he could bite you.

Maddy- and he would bite my hand like this (putting whole hand in her mouth) and he would bit my hand off, and I would have to get a new one!  And I would be so sad because I can't  pic up candy any more!!!" (Yes, because picking up candy is the most important thing you do with your hands all day :)

*Maddy - "mom I have a boo boo on my eye, can I have a bandaid on it?"
Me - "no, we can't put bandaids on your eye because you can't see and it will get stuck to our eyelashes."
Maddy - "Then my lashes be gone and I say( yelling at the top of her lungs), "Momma Momma Momma, where my lashes go? (in sad voice) we can't get new lashes!"

*When she was coloring in her coloring book, "Mom I'm doing my work home." haha! We were recently with her cousins who had to do their Homework after school :)