Soup-er Thursday

We had a great time at the first Soup group meeting. We had Lasagna Soup and Baked Potato Soup. There were many requests for the recipes so here they are:

Lasagna Soup Mary H
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups egg noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
In a large pan, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well. Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt into cooked meat mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender.
Optional: Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Baked Potato Soup Shannon L
1 Small Onion Diced
5-6 Strips of Bacon, Cooked and Crumbled
1/2 Cup Flour
5 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
5 Small/Medium Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed
2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Cup Sour Cream
4oz. (1/2 of a bag) Shredded Cheddar Cheese
In stock pot, dice Onions and sautee in some butter (or in left over bacon grease). When onions are soft/transparent, add Flour, Bacon, and Broth. Stir with whisk consistently and bring to a boil. Continue stirring mixture until it is thick and bubbly. Add Parsley, Salt, Pepper, Potatoes and Heavy Whipping Cream. Boil for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, stirring FREQUENTLY! (The potatoes tend to stick to the bottom of your pan if you don't!). When potatoes are tender turn heat off and stir in Sour Cream and Cheddar Cheese!
*This meal is GREAT left over and only takes ONE pot! I love it. Also, if you are a little short on Heavy Whipping Cream you can use some milk in it's place, which will make your soup a little thinner!

Our next Soup Group meeting will be this Thursday the 27th at 11 am. The place and soups will be announced later. 

Getting to Know Shannon L

My name is: Shannon L
My favorite dinner is: A huge bowl of overly sauced spaghetti with a side of garlic bread!
My favorite dessert is: I’m a sucker for sweets and of course anything CHOCOLATE!
My favorite flower is: Gerber Daisies are nice. I’m also a fan of Calla Lilies!
My favorite hobby is: Hanging out with my family – We enjoy movies, golfing and fishing!
My favorite restaurant is: Nonna’s (an Italian place in FL) and Red Lobster.
A game I like to play is: Well my husband hates games so I don’t play many, but I love Boggle and Yahtzee :)
The music I listen to most is: Country
My favorite thing to buy is: Clothes and baby stuff!
A book I highly recommend is: 1776 (if you like American History).
A movie I watch over and over is: The Proposal and Harry Potter of course!
A smell that makes me pause is: Um? I love the smell of book stores and libraries.
The city I would most like to visit is: London. I have been there a few times before and always leave wishing I had more time!
My favorite thing to do on a date is: Go to a great restaurant and to the movies! We also love fishing and golfing together.
The best vacation I ever had was: My husband and I went to Savannah, GA this summer and LOVED it! It’s gorgeous and had so much history to explore!
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Someone in Harry Potter so I could clean my house with the wave of a wand!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I would love to be able to sing.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? DISHES!! Bleh. Thank goodness for a husband who does them often!
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Going for a walk or watching something on TV.
What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? I suppose I am quick to forgive.
What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? A car. I am a forgetful person and always find myself having to “run” back and forth to places. – I couldn’t do it without a car!
What is your dream vacation? At the moment I would have to say Hawaii.
What's the coolest thing you've ever done? I am not a super adventurous person, but I have traveled all over Europe and feel blessed to have seen some awesome things
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? We met in VA when we were 13. We liked each other, but he moved away for High school and we didn’t meet back up until college. He proposed on a walk near the BYU stadium
The best thing about being married is: Coming home to your favorite people in the whole world, every single day!
What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Give each other the benefit of the doubt, and always try to find ways to serve each other/make each other happy!
What story does your family always tell about you? I had a rock collection in elementary school, and one day on my super long walk home from school I found a HUGE rock that looked like a dog, so I hauled it all the way home. My family STILL uses it as a door stop. My Mom still thinks it is so amazing I could carry it all the way home from school, and just can’t part with that stupid rock!

Getting to Know Sarah L

My name is: Sarah L
My favorite dinner is: Everything I touch turns out perfect and is my favorite (her husband wrote this, fyi) But I like mexican a lot!
My favorite dessert is: Anything that is chocolate :)
My favorite flower is: Gerber Daisies
My favorite hobby is: Cooking, and doing crafty projects!
My favorite restaurant is: Texas Roadhouse
A game I like to play is: Phase 10
The music I listen to most is: Country! But I like rock also
My favorite thing to buy is: Food, Clothes
A book I highly recommend is: Book of Mormon
A movie I watch over and over is: Just Like Heaven
A smell that makes me pause is: desserts, bacon, and rain
The city I would most like to visit is: Rome, Italy
My favorite thing to do on a date is: Be with my Hubby!
The best vacation I ever had was: going to Disneyland when I was little
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? I'm not sure... too many to choose from
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Fly
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Homework
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Be with my hubby, facebook, do the things I need to do
What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? My smile and bubbly personality
What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? my testimony
What is your dream vacation? Australia
What's the coolest thing you've ever done? I was inside a bubble once
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? I met him at ward temple night, and he proposed to me on the beach at Lake Tahoe :)
The best thing about being married is: Being with my best friend all the time, and knowing I'm going to be with him for forever! :)
What do you and your husband like to do together? eat and do everything together, but especially eat
What would be your perfect day? My wedding day was my perfect day
What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Someone told me to always realize that my husband is doing the best that he can, and to always recognize that in every situation, and that I need to do everything the best I can.
What story does your family always tell about you? The time I pooped the bed

Getting to Know Kristin S

My name is: Kristin Sumbot
My favorite dinner is: Grilled cheese and tomato soup!
My favorite dessert is: my homemade Key Lime Pie!
My favorite flower is: Sunflower
My favorite hobby is: Baking! or bowling, or snowboarding.
My favorite restaurant is: PF Changs
A game I like to play is: Card games
The music I listen to most is: Mat Kearney or the Goo Goo Dolls
My favorite thing to buy is: colored Nike Running shoes
A book I highly recommend is: To Kill A Mockingbird
A movie I watch over and over is: Pirates of the Caribbean
A smell that makes me pause is: in a good way? Fresh baked bread. In a bad way? probably toots.
The city I would most like to visit is: Venice
My favorite thing to do on a date is: Color Me Mine! or just hold hands.
The best vacation I ever had was: going on the Disney Cruise
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Harry Potter
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Fly!
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? pulling weeds
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? play guitar or look at recipes on food blogs
What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? umm, teeth?
What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? LIFE
What is your dream vacation? Going to Fiji and staying in one of those huts out on the ocean. Or to go shopping in Paris
What's the coolest thing you've ever done?  Having a Make-A-Wish and being able to take my family on vacation to the Caribbean
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? We met on campus in BYUSA. We both worked in the office together in Communications. I asked him out first :)
Proposal: I was in Reno (my hometown) for a week before fall semester and he was supposed to be in Utah. My mom took up me to Lake Tahoe to our friend's mansion of cabin right on the lake to "take care" of something inside. I didn't want to go, I was tired. When we got there, Mom told me to go around the back of the house and get the key from under the mat. I turned the corner and 20 feet from the house, standing on the dock as the sun was setting, was my soon-to-be-fiancé. Then he shoved a rose in my face and popped the question. It was so cute!
The best thing about being married is: Waking up next to my hubby in the morning and making memories everyday
What do you and your husband like to do together? Watch spongebob, eat pizza, bowl, and cuddle
What would be your perfect day? I'd win the lottery.
What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Not to let the little things bother you. And to trust in the Lord.
What story does your family always tell about you?  My fight with cancer. It's a long story :)

Getting to Know Bree T

My name is: Bree T
My favorite dinner is: Cafe Rio homemade salad
My favorite dessert is: lemon bars
My favorite flower is: sunflowers
My favorite hobby is: Doing something creative.

My favorite restaurant is: Zupas
A game I like to play is: spades... A card game
The music I listen to most is: Adele, Regina Spektor type music

My favorite thing to buy is: trail mix... Anything with almonds!
A book I highly recommend is: The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands.. Ha
A movie I watch over and over is: The Notebook or The Holiday
A smell that makes me pause is: a volcano candle
The city I would most like to visit is: New York
My favorite thing to do on a date is: something involving competition
The best vacation I ever had was: Cancun Mexico with Aaron
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Little Mermaid. Only because that was my favorite movie growing up. She has pretty hair and she is always in the ocean which I wish was always at!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?  an actress!
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Dishes
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Window shopping or getting on pinterest

What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? I'm usually very even tempered
What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? This gospel
What is your dream vacation? Italy

What's the coolest thing you've ever? Snorkeling in Hawaii

How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? We met through his roommate freshman year and then dated for about 5 months and he left to California before his mission... We didn't talk for 2 years and then when he got home we met up and began dating again. He proposed in a park called the Celestial Park in Dallas, Texas where he was selling for vivint!

The best thing about being married is: not having to say goodbye at night and sharing our own home:)
What do you and your husband like to do together? We do lots of fun things together. We both like sports or extreme sports so we like going wakeboarding, snowboarding, hiking etc. We both love vacations!

What would be your perfect day? Getting up early.. Going for a run.. Going to a spa and coming home to something sweet my husband has done for me!

What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Try to let little things that bug you go... Communicate as much as possible with things that bother you because if you don't they have no idea what to fix. Be happy and learn new recipes
What story does your family always tell about you? They don't really tell stories about me.

Getting to Know Christina H

My name is: Christina H
My favorite dinner is: sweet & sour chicken
My favorite dessert is: orange sherbet with chocolate pieces
My favorite flower is: peonies, sweet peas, ranunculus, tulips
My favorite hobby is: music
My favorite restaurant is: Cha Am - Thai restaurant in Berkeley, CA
A game I like to play is: Set
The music I listen to most is: indie
My favorite thing to buy is: clothes
A book I highly recommend is: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer
A movie I watch over and over is: My Neighbor Totoro
A smell that makes me pause is: cinnamon
The city I would most like to visit is: Stockholm
My favorite thing to do on a date is: be spontaneous
The best vacation I ever had was: Vermont (many times)
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Wall-E
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? speak all languages
What chore do you absolutely hate doing? none, but I don't like dishes
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? read
What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? laughter
What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? thinking, reading, writing, speaking
What is your dream vacation? Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
What's the coolest thing you've ever done? study abroad and internship in France, honeymoon in Scotland
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? We both lived in the French house of the Foreign Language Housing for 2+ years.
He proposed on the Golden Gate bridge on our one year dating anniversary.
The best thing about being married is: Getting to do everything together, and not having to say good-night
What do you and your husband like to do together? Sing & play music, talk politics, make yummy dinners
What would be your perfect day? A fall day spent outside with delicious food ending with blankets, books, and cuddling
What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? All the marriage advice I got was depressing (what is it about marriage and babies that let's everyone tell you how life sucks and will suck??)
My advice is to not be afraid to do what's best for you as a couple, regardless of what others think is best. Only you know what's best for you.
What story does your family always tell about you? When i split my lip open and got stitches.

Getting to Know Collette A

My name is: Collette Arens

My favorite dinner is: Steak with onions or roast beef.

My favorite dessert is: Cookie Monster!!!

My favorite flower is: Not a single favorite, but I love wildflowers.

My favorite hobby is: Horse-back riding on a sunny summer day.

My favorite restaurant is: My favorite does not exist. My favorite would include fried mozzerella from Olive Garden, steak from Pantrucas, fries from Sammy's, pork burritos from Costa Vida etc etc. I'm picky. However, one of the best all around restaurants is Das Duetchman Essenhaus--a German Amish restaurant in Indiana.

A game I like to play is: MarioKart and ConnectFour and MadGab :)

 

The music I listen to most is: Think Depeche Mode, Enya and then the Scorpions. I like either really chill music or rock with a great melody in the vocals and guitar. I also like music that makes me feel like I'm living in an 80's movie.

My favorite thing to buy is: Food. It is my weakness. I don't like shopping for anything else.

A book I highly recommend is: For guilty pleasure the Fablehaven series, for intellectual enlightenment Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and for spiritual nourishment The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox or The Great Divorce OR Screwtape Letters OR Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. By the way, I love to read :)

A movie I watch over and over is: I don't like to watch things usually more than once every year or two. Lame I know, but it's no fun for me if I remember everything. Although lately I've been dying for Gladiator to show up on TV because I love it and TV edits it for me :)

A smell that makes me pause is: bacon

The city country I would most like to visit is: For pleasure: Iceland. To do something meaningful: Ghana

My favorite thing to do on a date is: eat and sleep :) mostly because they are my two favorite things to do in general.

The best vacation I ever had was: Ya know, I really enjoyed going to Zions last year and hiking the Narrows. We hike quite a bit but that was probably my favorite.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Wow this question has me stumped! Peter says he would be one of the X-Men but that would be a little too much adventure for me. The serious answer to this will take much too long to decide, so I'll go with Tarzan because only wearing a loincloth and talking to gorillas, among other things, would be pretty awesome.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I would love to learn to not be afraid. I'm afraid of water, bears, broken bones, blood... To rid my life of fear would be awesome!

What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Dishes.

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? If I havn't read my scrips I do that, if that's done I blog or turn on the tele. I'm all for passive entertainment.

What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? I'm teachable, which has really helped me in everything I do.

What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? Good food.

What is your dream vacation? It's not the place that matters it's the amount of comfort. I don't want to be tired or hungry or too hot or too cold. Haha I just realized that probably means I should just stay home :)

What's the coolest thing you've ever done? I had a concussion from a slip and slide and don't remember an entire day of my life.

How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? We met at EFY in 2002. No, we didn't like each other. He proposed in a mountain, but almost didn't because it had snowed, but I insisted that we "go on a drive" hehe I was sick of waiting :)

The best thing about being married is: having a companion with the same eternal goals to work with them on every day.

What do you and your husband like to do together? Play ConnectFour and go hiking and camping. And eat :) Mini golf. Swim occasionally

What would be your perfect day? 77 sunny. Open field with yellow flowers. Me and my hubby on horseback. Of course, there would be good food included.

What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Quite a few said "remember, the wife is always right" which was actually the crappiest advice although I wish it were true :) I would say that perspective is important. Remember, celestial marriage is requisite for exaltation because it is what refines us. Don't give up because it's hard! Realize that we all have developed unhealthy habits and that now is the time to turn them over to the Lord and change.

What story does your family always tell about you? Well my oldest siblings like to talk about how I was a siren and if you inflicted any pain on me your consequence was to hold me while I wailed :) My dad likes to tell me about one particular day at the beach (I grew up on Lake Michigan). I was jumping the waves--my favorite beach activity--all alone. My pops came over to me to jump with me. I looked at him and shouted, "No! You're messing up my waves!" This is important because we now use the phrase to describe a lot of situations that still upset me. For example, I had a mission call when Peter decided to marry me and I told him he was messing up my waves. The end.