Meat Potato Quiche Recipe

Howdy!

This recipe is originally from an old cookbook of my mother's. It was a favorite when I was growing up, and I've since added a few things to make it even yummier. It's beauty might be in it's versatility-- it's perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. 

  
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive (or vegetable) oil
3 cups coarsely shredded raw potato
1 cup grated cheese (swiss or cheddar)
3/4 cup diced/shredded meat (ham, browned sausage, cooked chicken--this is perfect for using holiday leftovers!)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
Optional:
sweet onion
frozen corn
red bell pepper
black olives

Directions: 
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2) Begin cooking meat (if needed). Once meat is cooked, add in onion, etc, and a dash of black pepper. Saute.
3) Skin and grate potatoes. Mix with oil and form to pie plate or skillet
4) Bake potatoes for 15 minutes (until lightly browned)
5) Layer in meat, veggies, and cheese over potato "crust"
6) Beat together the evaporated milk and eggs; pour over meat/veggie/cheese mixture
7) Return pie plate/skillet to oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes (until lightly browned and knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean). Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.

Bon Appétit! 

 

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

 

(Slow Cooker) Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe

Welcome back!

I was thinking about this blog all morning, yet when nap-time came, it completely escaped my mind as I got lost in knitting and drafting a new stationery design. So many happy projects!

Without further ado, a recipe for yummy, comfort food, keep-me-warm-and-nourished-on-a-winter-day soup!

(Slow Cooker) Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
Large soup pot (or slow cooker)
Large skillet
1-2 lbs ground beef (or turkey)
1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 large white potato (or 3-4 red potatoes)
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion (or 2 small/medium ones)
4 cups beef broth
28 oz diced tomatoes
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Sea Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Bay leaves


Instructions:
1) Brown beef in skillet
2) Chop onions and garlic
3) Add onions, garlic, and spices to beef. Stir and simmer until onions begin to become clear and soften. (A note on spices: I purposefully neglected measurements because I rarely measure them, a technique referred to as "throwing flour" by our friend Stuart. I tend to be passionate about garlic and stingy with salt. Season to your preference)

4) Dump the contents of the skillet into the soup pot or slow cooker.
5) Add remaining ingredients and stir.

6a) Soup pot: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally
6b) Slow cooker: Cook on low for 4-5 hours (until potatoes soften)

7) Serve with your favorite crackers, crusty bread, or pita

Bon Appétit!

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK

Rebirth of the Blog

Hey y'all!

Wow, it's been awhile, huh? 

I spent November working in my shop which was absolutely wonderful. Now I'm trying to regain that momentum because...

Baby boy was born on Christmas! Jem is 8 weeks old today and absolutely wonderful (even if he does need 487 diaper changes per day. ;-) ). 

As you may recall, I took a blogging "sabbatical" because, well, I wasn't blogging anyway and felt like I needed to give myself permission to not worry about it, take some time, and come back with an actual plan. No joke, it took me this long to feel like I had enough ideas to confidently reenter the blogosphere without total fear of neglecting this space all over again. 

For now, I'm going to blog once per week on one of four topics: 

I really hope to "build up" over time as I get the hang of this thing-- it is, after all, about my adventures, and I have a lot of those, so I should theoretically have endless fodder, right? right... 

Please, please, please write in the little box below and leave a comment-- things you want to hear about, things you never EVER want to hear about, your latest adventure... Speaking of which...

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK

2014

Happy New Year!

As you may have seen on Twitter or Facebook, the Hubster and I celebrated fairly simply and had a lot of fun with just the two of us and the two dogs we're petsitting. We played Monopoly (he won), sipped champagne, watched The Fall of Sam Axe, and hid under the table with the pups when the fireworks freaked them out. You think I'm joking:

Yesterday we dutifully, and delightedly ate our pork roast, kraut, black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread. I was very pleased that I managed to cook all of the above--four first times in one meal was a bit daunting--especially the greens which I bought fresh! I was glad I had saved some of our Christmas ham in the freeze for flavoring the beans and greens, too. yummmm.

Anyway, I also spent some time reflecting over the past couple of days, looking back at 2013 and ahead to 2014. I thought a lot about the "hats" I wear. 

I became a wife in 2013--a role that I love and am still growing into. 

I learned a lot about being a daughter, a friend, an adult. 

In light of two of my best friends' moms dying this past year, I have been both mourner and comforter, prayer and prayed for. We carry that weight with us into 2014--a weight of grief and a weight of the hope of glory. We're all hoping that this year brings renewed joy and peace as we weave memory and hope into our hearts. 

I continue to be a student, and, for maybe the first time in my life, I struck a healthier balance between schoolwork and the rest of my life. I was astonished that, other than in French which is really hard, my grades didn't change that much even though my quality of life did. 

I started a business, too--something that maybe surprised me as much as anyone else. Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. started as an art shop about place and has already morphed a bit to be about all kinds of life adventures--big and small. With this rather big leap I became an entrepreneur/ small business owner and, of all things, a professional artist. 

I don't ever remember not wanting to be an artist. Whatever else I was pursuing, I always seemed to add "and an artist." in my head and heart. But after about age 6, it was always like that--a sort of afterthought. 

And yet, here I am, a newlywed in 2014 (another thing I didn't see coming ;-) ), who has decided to take a break from the education required for all those other pursuits (after I finish my B.A. this semester), to encourage and grow the "afterthought." 

But now that I "really am" an artist, I find myself paralyzed with fear of my own inadequacy. 

I didn't go to art school--I'm a lit student, teacher, and budding linguist by training. I find myself spending plenty of time thinking about art and much less time doing it. I want that to change. I don't want to just pursue the idea of art or creativity. I want to embrace and act upon them. 

So, a couple of days ago, I sat down with journal and tea to make a plan. (Just ask April: I love plans. She can tell you, too, that things rarely go according to plan.)

 Across one page I scrawled the words of Andy Warhol:

"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if its good or bad whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art."

That's where I'm heading this year. As I create, I know my skills will improve, as will my focus and routine. 

Maybe by the end of 2014 I won't feel so sheepish when I tell people I'm an artist. ;-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

That Old, Comfy Sweater

I was in a rush this morning. I don't know how the time got away from me, but one moment I was puttering happily along, and the next I was running late. I needed a jacket, a sweater, something to run out the door wearing. It was drizzly, and I wanted something more casual than my leather jacket but nicer than a sweatshirt. I grabbed that old, comfy sweater. 

I got this sweater in 7th grade. Unless my memory is dreadfully mistaken, it is the oldest item in my closet. If you could see it in person, you'd be doubting my judgement that it's nicer than a sweatshirt--I really need to buy a sweater shaver....

I got it on sale one weekend, wore it to school on Monday (somehow it was allowed by dress code), and was delighted to discover that my math teacher had bought the same one in gray (and probably a size smaller). Now, I am not fashionable, but at that moment, I thought there might be hope. "Miss S" is pretty much a walking Banana Republic model, she believed I would be a good teacher someday, and today she has two beautiful children (and I chose my college largely because she went here, too). Bless her. To this day, I smile every time I think about her. 

Anyway, all of that helped make this sweater special--in addition to the fact that it is warm, comfy, and, at one time anyway, looked pretty nice. And so, I've worn it every winter since (9 years, in case you're counting). 

I want to draw some sort of thoughtful analogy from the sweater, but I'm not sure I have one. I do know, though, that it's made me a bit reflective today. What else has been in my life for 9 years? That's a long time after all. A lot has happened: I'm a lot different, and hopefully a lot more mature, than I was then. I have some books that have been around for 9 years--though my library was a lot smaller then. I might have a pair of flipflops that I've had that long (that's a bit embarrassing); some paint brushes and beads, maybe some yarn... but, mostly, it's relationships that stick around over time. Stuff comes and goes, but friends, real friends, last awhile. 

I am unusually blessed in the friend department. I am part of a group of girls that was in the church nursery together. I was looking through photos of them today, and I was reminded of all the ups and downs we've walked together (and how much blackmail we have on each other. Photos from middle school--yikes!). Sometimes we don't touch base so much--we're a bit scattered these days and life gets busy. But when we're all home, dinner dates happen. And when push comes to shove, we show up for each other. It's kind of like having a half dozen Diana Berrys. 

There are newer friends, too, special ones. One's from high school and a couple who only showed up in the last year or two. But I forget that they haven't been around just as long. Fristers are Fristers, man. (haha. I just made that up: Friend+Sister. I'm going to go giggle at myself...). Just last night one of these newer additions to my life joined me for supper at the Burrow. Those couple hours cooking, eating, and talking about life--they kept me warm all the way through today's drizzle.

It's not just time and camaraderie though. These are the girls who push me to grow. Who call me out when I cross the line, encourage me when I'm down, and remind me to laugh at myself when I say things like "suBtle" and "Oh, like cardstock?" By God's grace, I hope I am the blessing to them that they are to me. 

So what's up with the sweater? Nothing, I guess. It's just a sweater. It's not magical traveling pants or anything like that. But it reminded me today to be thankful for the blessing of these ladies in my life. I am proud and delighted to have called them friends for as long as they have been in my life, and I'm glad we've all grown and are growing up together. 

So, my girls--I love you!

Adventure well; Live fully...with good friends in old, comfy sweaters. 
HAK

Fun Facts...

How about a little "behind the scenes" tour at Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. tonight? 

Let's see...you already know that I'm a newlywed finishing up an English undergrad, but I guess that's just about about it. For starters, here's ten fun facts about me:

1) I live on top of a mountain. My school is the highest point of the mountain accessible by car. Yes, by Georgia standards at least, it is colder up here than in the valley.  

Covenant College. Lookout Mountain, GA. 

 

2)  I love fish. Yes, I enjoy eating them (remind me to post about how I bake fish sometime), but I'm talking in general. Not eating, not fishing, just fish. I'm absolutely in love with the Tennessee Aquarium. Also, I've had 5 goldfish, a betta, and a tank of guppies (that was for quite a few years). I tried to get another betta this summer, but it turned into a cat. That's a whole 'nother story, though. 

The Proper Care of Guppies

by Stan Shubel

Don't ask how many times I've read this. 

3) I'm mostly a self-taught artist and knitter. I've had a lot of nudges along the way and some good tugs to get me un-stuck at times, but I don't have an art degree, and I've never been to a knitting class.  

Many thanks to whoever created this little 

gem of brilliance! 

4) I love Burn Notice. a lot. I would say "too much," but I'm in denial. If you don't believe me, go back a couple months on my twitter to the time of the season 7 finale. In a perfect world, Fi would be my alter ego. 

5) Speaking of Burn Notice, I don't look like Gabrielle Anwar when I paint, but I wish I did. 

6) I really enjoy cooking. And the best part? So does the hubster. He makes awesome bread that looks like this: 

 7) This is harder than I thought, y'all... let's see... I've been to 46 states and 45 state capitols. We have Utah, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii left. Which state do you think I've been to but not been to the capitol? 

 

 Thank you, Robert Quigley of geekosystem.com.

8) Most of my overseas travel has been to South East Asia: India (3 times), Indonesia, and Cambodia (I've also been to Guatemala and the UK). 

 9) I have far more books than the average person. You thought I was exaggerating.... Those wood shelves are 6 feet tall, built by the hubster (and this doesn't include the majority of my children's lit books...).

10) I'm a Christian. That may be kind of obvious if you a) know me or b) have been reading these posts regularly, but it's something y'all should know. If it bothers you, I'm going to do my very best not to make you feel uncomfortable on here. If you want to challenge me, please, I'd love to talk. But I'm not going to avoid it. I'm going to be real about my faith, just as I would expect you, dear readers, to be honest about yours. This is a safe, fun place. Let's be honest with each other. 

WHEW! Ten things was more of a task than I expected! I don't know if that means I'm super interesting or super boring...hm... 
Anyway, I was going to also share about our little Burrow, but my list ended up being a bit longer than planned. Maybe next time! :-)

Until then, Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK 


PS Pretty please leave your comments below! (Like what you think the answer to the question in #7 is!) :-)

PPS Bonus Fact: 11) I speak French, well, a little. I'm taking classes. I love it more than I am good at it. haha.