Frost

After the fog, or in the midst of the fog, came frost. It is beautiful! 

We were warm and cozy inside, busy with school and Japanese lessons......and gazing out the windows.

 Michael had a swallow test today. They wanted to do a new one and he is having more trouble. They offered a new therapy, for which he now qualifies. He would go in 5 days a week and they would attach electrodes to his neck and give him "mini shocks." The thought being it would strengthen the muscles needed for swallowing.  

He opted to try "traditional swallow" therapy. We'll get that set up for next week.  We are happy to have speech/swallow/cognitive therapy set up with a VA approved source. The saga began with them saying there were none in Alaska. Sort of like we were told there were no Motion Disorder Specialists either. I think it's the first answer one has to push through to find the right resources. 

 If we could only use one of these for a Christmas Tree this year. We want to buy an evergreen and plant it in the yard.....but I was hoping for  bigger than table-top this year and I assume that's all we'll be able to find. We've been looking but having seen any bigger to buy now. 

Even moose poop is pretty when decorated with frost. 

We ended our day with life group and youth group.  Another full Wednesday. 

Fog

So....what is an Alaskan Fall like? This week it was foggy, frosty and snowy.  It was sort of fun to have this sort of fog on Halloween. LOL  The view from the living room was surreal. 

The fog doesn't bother Bella (18 m). She's recently taken to changing her baby's diaper. 

As for Halloween? I bought a huge bag of candy. We had three groups. That's IT. One of the groups was Cory and Arielle - snuck out their door and came around and rang our bell.

The fog lasted four or five days.  I have no idea if this is normal for the area. We'll find out.

Monday Visits

Poor Bella is a bit under the weather 

Josiah came out for a visit with us and Beth.

We enjoyed lazing around, eating and visiting.....Jared and Larissa came out in the evening and brought Roscoe. What a cute puppy!!!! His bread is trained to fight bears - he'll make a great hiking partner for Rissa next spring.

I was sure there would be snow on the ground for Halloween. I remember that always being the case when we were assigned up here....but no snow is in the forecast for tomorrow.

Beth is Here!

 This Sunday (a week ago) was unlike any other. The kids stayed home and Michael and I headed in to the Anchorage airport.  I have two sister friends from college, Beth and Julie. Beth's sweet mama joined Jesus in heaven earlier this month. I longed to see her and hug her neck. Her sweet daughter works for an airline and encouraged her to use the benefits and come see us. So Beth flew in Sunday and left Tuesday. It was a quick visit - but a great visit. It is always refreshing to touch base with Beth.  As it turned out we got bad news on Monday and it was priceless to have Beth on the ground as we sorted it all out.

But FIRST - we picked Beth up. Jared had texted and suggested we meet up. We met up with him, Larissa and Jamin in Eagle River and grabbed a quick bite and some visiting time.

Beth and I spent the rest of the morning afternoon catching up....and prepping for the family dinner.

Tonight we had a potato bar and an earthquake cake. Sounds simple... except I have a hard time doing simple. I tell myself to keep it simple.....Bre said these were the best potatoes ever. Beth and I rock.

Baby S is joining us soon....

 We had teriyaki chicken, beef and broccoli, fajita steak, pulled bbq pork,  onions, peppers and mushrooms, bacon and all the traditional toppings....and Izaak brought steak and mushrooms! YUM - it was good. It was NOT the easy dinner option I envisioned.

Our little warrior 

Jamin led our devotional tonight as we work our way through Philemon

The joy of having family near was enhanced by the joy having Beth join us too. My cup is full!

Earthquake Cake

While I've seen recipes for Earthquake Cakes all over, I found this one at South Your Mouth. You'll want to visit for photos and a traditional and haters recipe as well.  I made this for dinner tonight using a yellow cake mix and a few chocolate chips on top. I've also done with spice cake and no chips on top. 

Chocolate Works - recipe below

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chopped pecans 

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 box chocolate cake mix

Eggs, oil and water for cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. 

Scatter pecans and coconut evenly into pan.

 Prepare cake batter per box's directions and pour over pecans and coconut.

Combine melted butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl,  beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat on low until smooth and creamy.

Dollop heaping tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture evenly onto cake batter. 

Sprinkle cake with chocolate chips. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until set. (Mine take longer)

Sensational Saturday

I was up very early with my hands...ice, heat, naproxen....I was content to sit in the recliner...until Arielle came up the stairs with the announcement that there were THREE moose in the yard and one was a BULL.  That brings October's count to 11 in our yard.  I tried to get photos, but they were around by the brush pile by the RV. I thought I could go out and get a shot  as I always have....but the bulls are skittish. It took off when it saw me....and the females (are they called cows?) followed. They kept trying to come back, as they have before, but he wouldn't let them. Arielle got a couple of shots. She had snap chatted them to Cory (I guess - I don't know how this works) and he took screen shots and sent them back.  

Izaak got called in to work and came home with a yummy pizza. My pizza dough is still not working well - even though I activated the yeast first. I'm going to try sometime this week with grinding wheat - that's the only other difference. I used to be able to make bread in Alaska. ::snort:: 

Michael vacuumed the back of the fridge and cleaned out behind there before we got everything back into it. Now we keep our fingers crossed that the parts arrive before anything else goes on with the fridge. 

Michael found Stacia's sling....and just like that I'm a sling-wearing-Gemma....

 It was a treat to see Bella and Gideon today. I haven't seen them all week. That is sort of ridiculous as we live a mere driveway apart. LOL Our schedules haven't meshed. 

Stacia finished her Llama Pajamas - and they are great! Unfortunately, the photo I took of her wearing them has disappeared from the phone.

We learned why Ms. Sarah says to remove the pins before you sew over them.  Now we know how to fish twisted pins from the underside AND how to install a new needle. LOL 

There was a magic time this afternoon when life was perfect. Arielle came up and the kids were playing games.

They moved to the kitchen. I love to have people in the kitchen when I'm cooking. Christmas music played, a fire blazed in the woodstove, and I was inspired to create an instant pot 3 "cheese" broccoli chicken garlic pasta.

 All are settled into the living room reading - I'm going to go join them. Maybe they'll want to read a couple of chapters of Narnia.

Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup (InstantPot + Slow Cooker)

I think this was the better of the Tortilla soups. It was FANTASTIC. I found it at Peas and Crayons. 

prep: 10 mins | cook: 15 mins | inactive: 25 mins | total: 50 mins
author: jenn laughlin - peas and crayons
yield: 6 cups

I topped with cilantro, avocado, nutritional yeast, tomatoes....

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup diced onion
1 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2.5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 can (14-15 oz) tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, extra to taste
1/2 cup salsa verde (or your favorite salsa!)
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained + rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto  beans, drained + rinsed
1 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
3/4 cup dried red lentils
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream* (optional - see notes)
salt and pepper to taste

For a thicker soup, feel free to add some corn tortillas (torn into pieces) to the soup or simply swirl crushed tortilla chips into the soup after serving!

Pile on the toppings! crushed tortilla chips - my favorite! shredded cheddar  or mex-blend cheese sliced or diced jalapeños chopped red onion fresh pico de gallo or salsa sliced avocado fresh cilantro sour cream or greek yogurt

Instructions
Below are the electric pressure cooker and slow cooker instructions.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. Chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients.
 
2. Next add everything but the heavy cream your toppings.

3. This includes bell pepper, jalapeño, corn, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salsa verde, and all your herbs + spices. Toss them in and set IP to high pressure for 15 minutes. Walk away; FREEDOM!

4. Allow natural pressure release.

5. Stir in the cream, add all your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

SlOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. First chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients. This will make everything super easy to toss together!

2. Next add everything except the heavy cream and toppings.

3. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, until dried lentils are cooked through and veggies are tender.

4. Swirl in the cream, add all your favorite toppings, and dive in!

Notes * In place of the heavy cream, feel free to use half-and-half or cream cheese. Skipping the cream? No problem! This recipe can be made without it - let your tastebuds be your guide.

Feel free to adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking. The soup can be thinned with a little broth or tomato sauce if desired or thickened with extra cream or beans/veggies! If you add a lot of extra liquid, consider amping up the spices a smidge to compensate. You can also make this as mild or as spicy as you'd like. As written it's on the medium side. The type of salsa used, jalapeños, and cayenne pepper will control the heat factor.

Want it super chunky? Feel free to add extra beans and veggies! Simply amp up the seasoning as needed depending on how much extra goodies you add to the pot.

A NOTE ON SALT AND PEPPER :: I leave salting the dish to the end to prevent over-seasoning. Depending on the brand and type of broth, tomatoes, and beans that you use, the sodium content will vary. I usually don't add any salt until the end once I am able to taste the soup.

Pressure cooker recipes always leave out the details so here's a breakdown of what you can expect time-wise: About 13 minutes to come to pressure plus 15 minutes cook time and 15 or so to release pressure. You won't need to be anywhere near your kitchen for this all to partake, the Instant Pot will handle it all and switch to warm once it's done. So fabulous right? For the slow cooker, simply set a timer and you're good to go.