Monday, July 30, 2012
Ward Family Reunion 2012
This past Friday through Sunday, we went to Austin's family reunion in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! We drove with Austin's grandmother and cousin Kayla and had a great time road-tripping! We were the last to arrive at the amazing cabin! My awesome mother-in-law planned everything to every last detail. It was so great! We loved getting to hang out with everyone. We got free tickets to "Ripley's Believe it or Not: Odditorium" and ate lunch with Josh and Brittney at Five Guys! Saturday evening, we took family pictures, watched old family videos and sang karaoke! There are so many talented people in the family! Before we headed our separate ways, most of us went to the Old Mill Restaurant for lunch on Sunday. It was a wonderful time of catching up and strengthening relationships! I'm so blessed to be a part of this family!
What's for Dinner?: Homemade Pizza
The question, "What's for dinner?" can either be a stressful phrase or a delightful one! I'm convinced that its either one or the other based on planning and whether or not you have an archive of recipes you can rely on to be quick, easy and nutritious.
Homemade Pizza:
Preparation Instructions:
Toppings
As I have mentioned before, in a previous post about cooking, I have struggled with consistency in the kitchen. I have known that it is better to eat at home than to eat out for two simple reasons: 1) it is more budget friendly and 2) it is healthier (because you can control ingredients and portions).
For awhile now, I have wanted to share some of my recipes that are relatively inexpensive, (the food budget is the first to get trimmed down during tight months) easy and nutritious! I've decided to share them in a series and post them as I cook them.
In my year and half of having my own kitchen and a very willing husband to try out recipes with, I have found that planning is the key to being successful with cooking dinner every night. Making your grocery list and sticking to it will also help with your budget in this area. Whether or not you plan out each meal per day or buy ingredients and cook based on what sounds good per day is up to you!
Happy Cooking!
Homemade Pizza:
This recipe was given to me by my mom. Growing up, we rarely ordered delivery pizza because this one is so tasty and much more healthy! This recipe requires more prep time than most of the recipes I will share, but it's worth it. If you choose to make it in one day, I suggest making the crust around lunchtime so it has plenty of time to rise. I usually make the dough the night before, bake the crust the first time and then refrigerate it. Then, all that is left to do the next day is add the sauce, toppings and cheese and bake it for 10 minutes. Convenient? Yes! Because this recipe makes two 12 inch pizzas, I usually freeze the second pizza crust and pull it out when I need an easy meal!
Ingredients:
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water (make sure its not too hot- otherwise you will kill the yeast and the dough won't rise)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (you can also substitute wheat flour)
melted butter
dried oregano
toppings (see section below)
tomato sauce of your choice (I like Prego)
mozzarella cheese
Preparation Instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and oil. Stir in flour until dough doesn't stick to hands. Add more flour if necessary. Form into a ball. Cover with a clean dishcloth. Let it rise for 2 to 5 hours at room temperature.
Divide dough in half and spread onto 2 12 inch round greased pizza pans. Let the dough rise in the pans 30 minutes more.
Bake dough 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven. (If I'm making the crust the day before, this is where I stop and stick it in the refrigerator.) Brush melted butter onto the edges of the crust with a pastry brush, then sprinkle dried oregano.
Add sauce and toppings.
Bake an additional 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until done.
Toppings
You can use whatever toppings you like with this recipe! Here is what I like to put on ours:
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/2 chopped red pepper
1/2 package sliced button mushrooms
mozzarella cheese
Saute vegetables in about 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan until onions are tender.
Put tomato sauce on crust and add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Spread sauted vegetables on top, and add another thin layer of mozzarella cheese.
Now its ready to bake for the last ten minutes!
Enjoy!
Cost: $ 1.57 per person
Flour- in pantry
Sugar- in pantry
Oil- in pantry
Butter- in refrigerator
Dried Oregano- in pantry
Water- free :-)
Hunt's Tomato Sauce: $0.60
Mozzarella Cheese: $2.00
Onion: $ 0.69 ($1.38 for the whole onion)
Green Pepper: $0.75 ($1.50 for whole pepper)
Red Pepper: $0.75 ($ 1.50 for whole pepper)
Mushrooms: $1.50 ($3.00 for container)
Cost: $ 1.57 per person
Flour- in pantry
Sugar- in pantry
Oil- in pantry
Butter- in refrigerator
Dried Oregano- in pantry
Water- free :-)
Hunt's Tomato Sauce: $0.60
Mozzarella Cheese: $2.00
Onion: $ 0.69 ($1.38 for the whole onion)
Green Pepper: $0.75 ($1.50 for whole pepper)
Red Pepper: $0.75 ($ 1.50 for whole pepper)
Mushrooms: $1.50 ($3.00 for container)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Wards go to Birmingham
This past weekend, we were so privileged to go to Birmingham to celebrate our friends, Kyle and Melissa, as they got married! This was pretty much the best weekend EVER! Here's the play by play!
Thursday after work (and after packing at the last minute- as always), we hit the road! Kyle's Bachelor party festivities were already in full swing by the time Austin arrived around 10 p.m. Since Austin hung out with the boys, I had a sleepover with one of my best friends and roommate, Cassidy! While the guys played Rock Band and Cranium, Cassidy and I talked about life and the important things in life :-) We both ended up going to bed around 3:30, though!
Friday, after sleeping in, Austin and I met up with Dad at Tazikis for lunch! For those of you who have never experienced Tazikis, you must try it! It has Mediterranean food- I love the Chicken Gyro and Roasted Potatoes! There are a couple in Birmingham and one near Vanderbilt in Nashville! We always make sure we go to Tazikis whenever we're in B'ham.
After lunch Austin had to do some notes (we set him up in Samford's library) and Cassidy and I hung out and went in search of soda (it was sooo hot outside!) We left Samford is just enough time to make it to the rehearsal. We had to change at the church- haha!
The rehearsal went so smoothly and the dinner afterwards was so delicious (lasagna, salad, bread and ice cream- yumm!). It was wonderful to hang out with awesome friends!
The wedding morning came early, as Austin had to be at the church by 7 a.m. He went by Chick-fil-A on the way to the church and his breakfast was the envy of all the groomsmen :-) I rode with Becca Hays, Bevin and Betty- we arrived in plenty of time to get great seats (I feel like I'm always the one running into the wedding before the grandparents start processing!)
The wedding was absolutely lovely! It began at 10:30 a.m. Melissa looked beautiful and her bridesmaids were donned in knee length, soft blue dresses and they carried royal purple flowers. The men wore dark suits, matching white shirts and royal purple striped ties. Austin looked so handsome standing up there! :-)
The reception was equally as beautiful. The hall was in the same shape as the sanctuary, delicious brunch foods lined the walls, the cake was gorgeous (and tasty!) and a harp was playing. The entire wedding was so sweet and joyful- it was a pleasure being a part of it!
After the wedding, we headed to Josh and Becca Hays' house to hang out with a bunch of Union friends, then Dad treated us to an adventure zip lining at Red Mountain! The Zip Line has only been open about three months! It was a blast! Here are some pictures:
Dad treated us to dinner at Logan's and after a looong day, we went to sleep! Sunday we went to church at Dawson and followed with our tradition, Jim N Nicks!
Birmingham is so wonderful because of the people there: our dear friends from college, the Samford community and, of course, my Dad. As long as they are there, it will hold a piece of my heart!
Thursday after work (and after packing at the last minute- as always), we hit the road! Kyle's Bachelor party festivities were already in full swing by the time Austin arrived around 10 p.m. Since Austin hung out with the boys, I had a sleepover with one of my best friends and roommate, Cassidy! While the guys played Rock Band and Cranium, Cassidy and I talked about life and the important things in life :-) We both ended up going to bed around 3:30, though!
Friday, after sleeping in, Austin and I met up with Dad at Tazikis for lunch! For those of you who have never experienced Tazikis, you must try it! It has Mediterranean food- I love the Chicken Gyro and Roasted Potatoes! There are a couple in Birmingham and one near Vanderbilt in Nashville! We always make sure we go to Tazikis whenever we're in B'ham.
After lunch Austin had to do some notes (we set him up in Samford's library) and Cassidy and I hung out and went in search of soda (it was sooo hot outside!) We left Samford is just enough time to make it to the rehearsal. We had to change at the church- haha!
The rehearsal went so smoothly and the dinner afterwards was so delicious (lasagna, salad, bread and ice cream- yumm!). It was wonderful to hang out with awesome friends!
The wedding morning came early, as Austin had to be at the church by 7 a.m. He went by Chick-fil-A on the way to the church and his breakfast was the envy of all the groomsmen :-) I rode with Becca Hays, Bevin and Betty- we arrived in plenty of time to get great seats (I feel like I'm always the one running into the wedding before the grandparents start processing!)
The wedding was absolutely lovely! It began at 10:30 a.m. Melissa looked beautiful and her bridesmaids were donned in knee length, soft blue dresses and they carried royal purple flowers. The men wore dark suits, matching white shirts and royal purple striped ties. Austin looked so handsome standing up there! :-)
The reception was equally as beautiful. The hall was in the same shape as the sanctuary, delicious brunch foods lined the walls, the cake was gorgeous (and tasty!) and a harp was playing. The entire wedding was so sweet and joyful- it was a pleasure being a part of it!
After the wedding, we headed to Josh and Becca Hays' house to hang out with a bunch of Union friends, then Dad treated us to an adventure zip lining at Red Mountain! The Zip Line has only been open about three months! It was a blast! Here are some pictures:
Dad treated us to dinner at Logan's and after a looong day, we went to sleep! Sunday we went to church at Dawson and followed with our tradition, Jim N Nicks!
Birmingham is so wonderful because of the people there: our dear friends from college, the Samford community and, of course, my Dad. As long as they are there, it will hold a piece of my heart!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Healthy Wife, Healthy Life: 3
Since the last blog post about my journey to better health, I have discovered something wonderful: pilates! I found out about a video that is on Netflix called:
It's great because I can do it at home (I feel uncomfortable even doing crunches at the gym because I feel so silly!) and it really focuses on toning and building muscular strength. It burns, but feels so good later!
This is our current workout plan:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Couch to 5K running and weights
Tuesday, Thursday: Pilates (combination of the different 10 minute workouts)
I'm already able to tell a difference in my legs and thighs between running and pilates! It's so exciting to finally start seeing some results! No significant weight loss yet, but that's next!
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Fourth of July
For the Fourth of July, Austin, Mary, Laura (Mary's precious roommie) and I went to Paducah, Kentucky! We stayed with my grandparents and just chilled, hung out with Uncle Patrick and Aunt Sherry and saw Uncle Richard. We gave Laura the grand tour of Paducah in the afternoon before the multitudes of people arrived for the fireworks display that night. Austin and I also visited the Chick-fil-A where I used to work. It was good to see some of my friends there! It was so fun to reminisce, spend time with awesome family (and friend!) and spend time in a place that is so dear to my heart.
In 2010, Paducah won an award for the "Most Beautiful Main Street in America" which it deserves. Paducah dates back to before the Civil War and was a key place to occupy, as it is where the Tennessee and Ohio rivers converge. The historic charm, beautiful landscape and friendly people make you feel as though you are in the America portrayed in Norman Rockwell paintings- an idealistic reality of goodness and patriotism. However, although the America of the 21st Century is far from Norman Rockwell's world, some of those moments do still exist. Paducah on Independence Day embodied that simple life most people yearn for.
Broadway Street, lined with American flags and draperies in red, white and blue, came to life as eager children, with their parents toting chairs and blankets, found the perfect spot on the riverfront to watch the fireworks. The smell of popcorn and hot dogs hung in the air. A young man had his guitar on the street corner and sang a popular country song. The old-fashioned ice-cream parlor's line went out the door onto the street. Passing by the vivid murals on the flood wall depicting various aspects of the city's history added to the festivities. The city's jazz band played Big Band-era music on the stage near the river. A couple got up and danced, and a little girl watched, twirling herself around to the music. An elderly couple in lawn chairs held hands. Groups of teenagers walked by, laughing and trying to "act cool". Everyone waited in anticipation as the sun began to set, drawing a welcome coolness, for the fireworks to begin.
The Paducah Parks Director stepped to the microphone and warmly welcomed the crowd. He asked the veterans to stand, thanking them for their service, reminding everyone that they are the reason we can celebrate our freedom. Thunderous applause and cheers followed. Everyone then stood and put their hand over their heart as the band played the national anthem. More cheers. As John Philip Sousa filled the air, a tugboat started its engine and began pulling the barge containing the fireworks out into the center of the river. After awhile, the band ceased playing and hurriedly packed up their instruments and turned out the stage lights.
Then, the fireworks began. Children "oohed" and "awwwed". Some babies cried. Fireworks lit up the sky and were reflected in the water below. The audience was captivated. I felt so blessed to be there with my husband, dear family and sweet friend. Despite it's imperfection, I am proud to be an American.
In 2010, Paducah won an award for the "Most Beautiful Main Street in America" which it deserves. Paducah dates back to before the Civil War and was a key place to occupy, as it is where the Tennessee and Ohio rivers converge. The historic charm, beautiful landscape and friendly people make you feel as though you are in the America portrayed in Norman Rockwell paintings- an idealistic reality of goodness and patriotism. However, although the America of the 21st Century is far from Norman Rockwell's world, some of those moments do still exist. Paducah on Independence Day embodied that simple life most people yearn for.
Broadway Street, lined with American flags and draperies in red, white and blue, came to life as eager children, with their parents toting chairs and blankets, found the perfect spot on the riverfront to watch the fireworks. The smell of popcorn and hot dogs hung in the air. A young man had his guitar on the street corner and sang a popular country song. The old-fashioned ice-cream parlor's line went out the door onto the street. Passing by the vivid murals on the flood wall depicting various aspects of the city's history added to the festivities. The city's jazz band played Big Band-era music on the stage near the river. A couple got up and danced, and a little girl watched, twirling herself around to the music. An elderly couple in lawn chairs held hands. Groups of teenagers walked by, laughing and trying to "act cool". Everyone waited in anticipation as the sun began to set, drawing a welcome coolness, for the fireworks to begin.
The Paducah Parks Director stepped to the microphone and warmly welcomed the crowd. He asked the veterans to stand, thanking them for their service, reminding everyone that they are the reason we can celebrate our freedom. Thunderous applause and cheers followed. Everyone then stood and put their hand over their heart as the band played the national anthem. More cheers. As John Philip Sousa filled the air, a tugboat started its engine and began pulling the barge containing the fireworks out into the center of the river. After awhile, the band ceased playing and hurriedly packed up their instruments and turned out the stage lights.
Then, the fireworks began. Children "oohed" and "awwwed". Some babies cried. Fireworks lit up the sky and were reflected in the water below. The audience was captivated. I felt so blessed to be there with my husband, dear family and sweet friend. Despite it's imperfection, I am proud to be an American.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
An American Love Letter, 1861
Over the past two days, I have been watching the Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War. For those of you who know me well, this is not surprising! At the close of the first episode, the narrator reads a beautiful love letter from Major Sullivan Ballou of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers to his wife, Sarah. I was moved to tears (which is also not surprising!). Since the Fourth of July is tomorrow, I wanted to share it in the hope we can more fully appreciate the sacrifices made by those who have served so that our country can be free.
Dear Sarah,
Indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more. I have no misgiving about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter.
I know how American civilization now leans on the triumph of the government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the Revolution. And I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down all joys in this life, to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.
Sarah, my love for you is deathless- it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence can break. Yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind, bearing me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all those blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God and to you that I've enjoyed them for so long. How hard it is to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God-willing, we might still have lived and loved together and see our boys grow to honorable manhood around us.
If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you- how thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been. But, oh Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen among those they love, I'll always be with you, in the brightest day and the darkest night, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath. Or the cool air at your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit passing by.
Sarah, do not mourn me dead. Think I am gone and wait for me. For we shall meet again.
*Sullivan Ballou was killed a week later at the First Battle of Bull Run*
Dear Sarah,
Indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more. I have no misgiving about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter.
I know how American civilization now leans on the triumph of the government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the Revolution. And I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down all joys in this life, to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.
Sarah, my love for you is deathless- it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence can break. Yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind, bearing me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all those blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God and to you that I've enjoyed them for so long. How hard it is to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God-willing, we might still have lived and loved together and see our boys grow to honorable manhood around us.
If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you- how thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been. But, oh Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen among those they love, I'll always be with you, in the brightest day and the darkest night, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath. Or the cool air at your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit passing by.
Sarah, do not mourn me dead. Think I am gone and wait for me. For we shall meet again.
*Sullivan Ballou was killed a week later at the First Battle of Bull Run*
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