Eating Habits



My mom sent me this in a foreword and I found it very fitting.

This describes our Smiths' shopping experience every time.  We are the ones in the "10 items or less" line with a cart full of everything from potatoes to toilet paper, trying to pack everything onto the little scale before something topples off.  Until last week we didn't even know you could remove items from the scale before you paid...

Our first meal in Provo was a whole chicken in a crock pot with tons of onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery.  We just threw in a balsamic marinade and let it chill..er...heat, for about five hours and it was perfect!  I am so grateful to our friends and family, all of whom got us crock-pots as wedding gifts (just kidding...but we did end up with four total).  This means more good meals are in store for the future.

--Segue!--

 Speaking of good food....

When I'm not cooking, I'm eating...which means we have lots of time to invent new recipes and get creative with old ones we have.  It's amazing to think that before I was married, the extent of my cooking knowledge was how to heat Ramen Noodles and Hamburger Helper.  Since then one of our favorite activities has become cooking together, especially on Sunday nights.  We had a ward break-the-fast this past Sunday, so I whipped up an Italian dish that we could cook up at the Stake Center.  This Baked Spaghetti was partly my invention...so I'll take credit where it may or may not be due. 

Baked Spaghetti
2 lbs ground beef
1 24 oz can of tomato sauce

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 a green bell pepper

1/2 onion

2 cloves minced garlic

about a package of Spaghetti noodles
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt
Basil
Oregano
1 1/2 cups cheese (I used half cheddar, half a 4-cheese blend)

Directions:
Brown the ground beef on medium then drain excess fat.  Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, and bell pepper and cook, then add the tomatoes and sauce to warm.  Add spices like basil, garlic salt, oregano, pepper, and anything else that you can think of, then cover and simmer for at least 20 mins.  Meanwhile, boil the pasta until aldente, drain and put in a 9x13 pan.  Add half the cheese and then about 3/4 of the sauce.  Top with more cheese then the breadcrumbs then pop in the oven on 375 for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.  Vuala!  Italy in a pan.

We also made a homemade cranberry pie for just us



Sorry I'm on a food kick.  My AMAZING aunt Lisa and uncle Brian took us to dinner last night at Texas Roadhouse....and I will probably never be able to eat again!!  They were opening a new restaurant so the food was free (with a requested donation to a charity) and they constantly circulated hors d'oeuvres for each table to try.  As college students we indulged, and while most of us got stake and potatoes but were full by the time we actually got to the meal. It was such good food and great company.  Thank you guys!

Captain Crunch Robot-Man strikes again on our kitchen counter!  This is how we spend our study breaks