Sunday Dinner- Cheesy Vegetable Chowder!

I have officially decided that I am going to try a new recipe every sunday for Sunday Dinner at the Copper Castle.  This is exciting!!!

So before I go into the details of my chowder, I would like to explain why I'm going to do this.  I've been having a hard time finding time to just sit and think.  I'm too wrapped up in my job and my homework and everything else around me, I just need some time to relax.  So I had a thought today: Cooking.  I always used to love cooking at home on the weekend.  Making some cookies or a cake or even better, cupcakes with Bridget.  So I'm going to spend my Sunday afternoons cooking Sunday Dinner instead of whatever else I had in mind.  This will be good.  (Plus, I'm hoping it will make me actually post every week instead of when I randomly find time!)

Today I woke up at 7:19.  I was wee bit irritated that I woke up so early on my only day to sleep in for the week (I went to the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes event on Saturday morning with Bridget and Mim, but I'll post about that later this week hopefully).  So instead of actually getting out of bed and being productive, I got on Pinterest and began looking through all the yummy recipes that I've pinned.  And the Cheesy Vegetable Chowder was the winner.  

A fellow pinner/blogger actually had the recipe posted on her site, so you can see it here (since it was her idea and all): Lulu the Baker

But  I'll also share it with you here:

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 celery stick, finely chopped (feel free to add more celery if you like)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth (I usually use a mixture of low-sodium chicken broth and broth made with chicken soup base because it gives it such a nice flavor)

2 large baking potatoes

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

So of course I made some changes, duh.  I do have the tendency to eat like a herbivore.  Instead of chicken broth, I used vegetable stock, and I added about 1/2 cup more cheese.  I also didn't peel my potatoes, just because I forgot. Oops.  And of course I added more celery, along with carrots and onions as well (what can I say?  I love my veggies!)  Other than that, I did everything else according to the recipe.

Here's the process:

Chopping all my veggies with my teeny, tiny knife.

My wonderful substitute. 

Boiling away..

The broccoli is for real going to be my favorite part.. except for the cheese. :)  But it also took the longest to get tender... and the recipe made me add it last.  I was a little irritated.

Dinner rolls to serve warm with it!

And, drum roll please..................... 

The finished product!

And I just tasted it.  I want to marry this chowder.  For real.  

All in all, I would say it was a very productive thinking and cooking session.  Especially since the blog said it would only take my 40-60 minutes, but it took me about 90 minutes.  Oops.  Dinner is going to be delicious and I had an epiphany about my life as well.  Good job, Kelsey, good job. :)

Happy reading.  Stay excellent, Me.

I almost forgot!

I almost forgot that I wanted to share this cute little tune with you all:

Cue tears now...

Now go cry yourself to sleep thinking about your childhood. You're welcome.

Another one of those things called posts...

Welp..

I just had another one of those moments where I write an entire post about something and then realized at the end that it was pointless and no one cares about what I tweeted this morning.  Oops.

So yea.. My life.  It's definitely interesting I guess.  Nothing really to note right now though.  (I'm really just stalling until I think of something really cool to talk about.. or have to go to class.  Whichever comes first.)

OH!
I got one.

This past weekend we, meaning my roommates and I, hosted a Beer Tower party!  It was a blast.  Seriously.  And not to toot my own horn, but TOOT!  I won!  Well, sort of.  I technically tied with the neighbor boys and maybe I started a few hours before everyone else.. and maybe I stayed up later than everyone else as well... but hey, I made some sacrifices!  I even paused to make cookies with Pat (S/O to Pat for putting up with me.. I faintly remember dropping A LOT of things. Oops.)

We also managed to get our clock stolen by one of my brother's friends.  It's still missing.  And I'm salty about it.  GIVE IT BACK DYLAN.

........  So that definitely wasn't as exciting or as long as I thought it was going to be.  But at least I attempted to entertain you all (which basically includes Marisa, Bridget, and my mother.  Hi Mom.)

The End.

Happy reading.  Stay Excellent.  ME.

P.S.   I hope you all thoroughly enjoy the fact that I share every thought that runs through my mind as I post.  I find it quite humorous when I proof read.  :)

La la la.. :)

I just really love this song.  A lot. So I thought I would share it with all of you. :)

I Won't Give Up- Jason Mraz

Stay excellent, Me.

A little thing I like to call MAJOR Catching Up.

Oh goodness.  I need to write an outline or something for this post.  It's about to be rough. So bear with me, and hopefully no one gets lost or left behind. Cross your fingers.

Ok, so I guess I'll begin where I left off last; Camp.

I met the most amazing people at camp.  I never thought I would connect with people from all over the world in such a short period of time.  The first show, The Wizard of Oz, went very well.  It was a little rougher than expected, but the kids had a blast so I'm happy about it.  The first 4 weeks of camp went by so quickly that I was shocked to have to say goodbye to my campers!  They were like my little sisters who I adored and led day by day.  They even taped me to my bed after The Wizard of Oz, just to be silly!  The next session began and it was off to a rocky start.  The directors decided to move me to the 2 week camp so that I would have more time to work on our show, Snow White.  I had to start completely over with making friends and connecting with my co counselors and supervisors.  I adjusted as quickly as possible and made another great connection with this group of people; too well of a connection I'm afraid.  As some of you may noticed, I was home from camp a little early.  When our 2 week campers left, some of my new friends and I decided to celebrate.  Well, long story short, it was a big mistake that got us in a lot of trouble.  So five of us were sent home from camp 2 weeks early.  But I wouldn't change a thing.  It was my decision to behave that way; yes I regret making those decisions, but everything happens for a reason.  I had the best last night at camp ever.  That's something I'll never take back.  My first co counselors were Kate and Jesse.  I absolutely adore them!  We had the best time ever!  So many great memories and stories to remember forever.  Kate taught Jesse and I the ropes of camp and the three of us had the happiest, most easy-going cabin in camp!  Kate was even there for my first and only incident of being pulled over (nothing came of that, just a nosey cop who pulled us over because I was "swerving within my lane", bologna.)  My second set of co's were Shelby, Bec, and Jaclyn.  Loved them!  And then there's this odd one named Sarah that taught me tennis, and supported my awkwardness.  Love her as well.  Enjoy the following photos: 

2 week co counselors (l to r): Shelby, me, our counselor in training Juliet, Bec, and Jaclyn

We mustache you a question, but we'll shave it for later.  Jesse!

Knit one, pearl two, Kate Tamer this is for you.  Where's there a jungle, you'll find a monkey.  Kate Tamer, chase that donkey! :)  Me, Kate, and Sarah. 

Our cute little cabin, all packed up and waiting for campers to leave after 1st session.

Sarah, my tennis playing lover.

Lauren and I, in our Katniss moment at the archery range. 

Yes, we loved the food there. :/  

Camp entrance!!! With Lauren, myself, Sally, and Hannah.

Love Kate. A lot.

Sarah and Jesse. :)

Pretending to be Snow White. 

After my campers taped me to my bed.. little turds.

Last but certainly not least, I would love to comment on these two weirdos that somehow became the highlight of my summer.  They kept me entertained while road guarding, kept me filled in on gossip, and kept me sane during the show!  Sarah and Amanda, you are literally the best things ever!  Don't ever change.  Be yourself and reach high!  Sarah, go after Umans.  I support that.  Amanda, keep your eyes on those Shawnees!  :)  (P.S. this photo captures their personalities so well)

Also, enjoy these wonderful looking men doing some weird dance that I can't remember.  It's something they use to intimidate their opponents, or something.. ?

Ok, so after camp, I basically came home to tell the embarrassing story to my family and friends (happy Marisa?) and to spend time with everyone!  Alumni tournament was the weekend after I got home and I enjoyed every minute of that!  Seriously, best time ever.  Especially our night at Eric's filled with grilling pizza, taking jeep rides, and some serious sleeping issues. Ha! 

Lauren, my partner in crime. 

Now I'm back at school, in my big girl apartment, with a big girl job, and big girl responsibilities... But we all know I'm still having fun! Here's an insight into my first two weeks at BG: basically, some friends from good ol' Versailles came the first weekend, and this past weekend I ran into my APhiO brothers out and about! Great time.  

Eric, Amanda (way back there), Aaron, Shelby, Me, Brett, Brian, and Eric (way back there).

Alan, Ashley, Amber, Me, Jenn, Sean, Kara, and Haley! 

And I think that's a pretty good description of the rest of my summer.  I loved it.  All of it.  And I hope you enjoyed hearing all about it.  That's all. 

 Happy reading, stay excellent.  Me.

Oy Sugar...

So I can sit here and type up a long list of reasons why I haven't posted lately, but I think in the end I would consider myself lying to you all.  Here's the truth: I'm exhausted by the responsibility of 14 eleven year olds.  Along with the responsibility of making the production of Snow White a success in approximately 2 and 1/2 weeks.  Yep.  So more later.

Happy Reading, stay excellent. Me.

Campers! :)

Hi again!

The campers have arrived! Yay!

So here's the situation, Monday was our first day with the campers.  Some arrived around 11am with their parents in cars, some arrived around 1pm on a bus from Chicago, and then our last two campers arrived at 1:30 or so on the Detroit bus.  It was soooo exciting!  All the girls are so sweet and adorable! I had to leave on Tuesday morning for a family thing back home, but when I returned Wednesday afternoon/evening, the girls had made me a cute card that said welcome back and they sang a song to me at dinner saying welcome back and they missed me.  It was so cute.  I made it back just in time for my last activity period on Wednesday so I got to teach an acting class for the first time.  It was great! I'm so excited for the summer to get rolling and for all the campers to really get excited for the play!  

Happy reading! Stay Excellent, Me.