Comments

I have heard from numerous people that they have tried to comment on the blog and it will not allow them to.  I think I have fixed the problem, so comment away! Also, I know that if I am signed into Blogger/Gmail and have clicked 'Stay Signed In', it will not let me post a comment.  I have to sign out and sign back in.  Some weird quirk, I suppose. 

We do love to hear from you!

Mulligatawny Soup - Seriously AMAZING

Found this recipe online, tweaked it a bit, and holy cow do we LOVE it! It is so easy and full of flavor! I was skeptical of the apple, but holy bajeezes it makes for a taste explosion!

 

I made this in about an hour and a half, but most of that time was spent doing something else and stopping by the pot to stir. 

 

Mulligatawny Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 carrot, diced

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 T flour

3 t curry powder

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 apple, cored and chopped*

1/4 cup white rice

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts**

salt and black pepper to taste

1 pinch dried thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream, heated

Directions:

1.  Saute onions, celery, carrot and butter in a large soup pot.  Add flour and curry, and cook five more minutes.  Add chicken stock, mix well and bring to a boil.  Simmer about 1/2 hour.

 

2.  Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper and thyme.  Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done. 

 

3.  When serving, add hot cream.


* I used a Granny Smith apple because that was what we had in the fridge.  Use what you choose!

 

** Chicken:  There were no specific instructions on how to prepare the chicken, so I cooked them in a fry pan with a bit of olive oil for a bit and then threw them in the oven.  The chicken was incredibly tender and juicy!

 

 

This is excellent reheated as well!  The flavor only seemed to increase.  I can say this with certainty becaue I am writing this post during my leftover soup lunch!  YUM. Also, I absolutely love having a chopper thing for veggies! The onions, celery and carrot were chopped and ready to go in no time!

 

Enjoy!

 

Where in the world. . . ?

I just couldn't stop giggling. . .

Ben and I are currently facing the question, 'Where do we go?'.  Since we can only learn so much from the internet, we are asking you for your suggestions!  Where should we look to live when we return to the States?

 

We both want something/somewhere new that we can make our own adventure.  We want to go somewhere that has much to offer for couples our age, treats their teachers well and has many, many opportunities for outdoor fun!! 

 

We currently are only going off what we already know.  Ben has applied to places in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado.  My personal preferences are currently Minnesota or Colorado, or somewhere else that would fill my ever-present want/need to go kayaking/canoeing.  I really am keeping an open mind despite my current preferences.  What will ultimately be the deciding factor is where Ben lands a job.

 

 

Where can we live that offers:

 

1.  Decent paying jobs and good schools.
 

2.  Plenty of opportunities to be outdoors! Kayaking, canoing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, etc.
 

3.  A fantastic sense of community or a way to nudge our way into one.
 

4.  Any kind of performances.  Plays, coffee shop bands, whatever.  We love them all.  One of my favorite things in summer are outdoor concert series. Know anywhere good for those?! :)
 

5.  Affordable living. 
 

6.  Somewhere that will get us excited about healthy living.  I luh amazing yoga studios!  Especially hot yoga.  Also, maybe a co-op or Whole Foods or some place that has a large selection of organic deliciousness. Or a baller farmers market!
 

7.  Somewhere that encourages people to be 'green'.  We want to recycle!  (No recycling system set up for us here in Dubai. . . I believe they have some places that do recycling, but it isn't as developed as the States.)
 

8.  Dog parks!

9.  A low crime rate is preferable.

10. Opportunities for young couples.


This list is not in any specific order and I could absolutely continue adding things.  These are just some of the first things that popped into my head.  I left out some of the obvious things such as proximity to family/friends or easy access to them because most of you ARE family or friends so I figured you'd likely try and lobby for where you are or close by. 

SO, let us know what you think! Positives and negatives are welcome.  You can either message one of us on Facebook or message us on here.  We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

Traditions

Our most recent cute picture.

 

New things we are going to add to our list of traditions:

 

1.  We are going to celebrate St. George's day on April 23rd of each year.  We learned of the holiday from a friend from Spain.  He said that on this day you give a flower and a book to your special someone.  LUH that idea! SO much better than Valentine's day. . .

 

2.  I am going to make a little jar and Ben and I can write things on small pieces of paper to put in throughout the year.  It can be anything from something funny that was said or something we did.  At the end of the year we will go through all of the entries, read them and take time to reflect on our year.  

 

 

Excitement for the Future!

I have been feeling a lot like this lately. . .

 



 

so to shake my funk, I am going to share a few things coming up that I am excited for!

1.  I have had that picture (^) saved on my computer for nearly a month and I FINALLY found a way to drop it on the blog.  Woooo hooo!  It's just so funny. . . Seriously, look at it.  How are you not smiling at her pain?

2.  Ben's birthday!!  We are going to do something small with our little Dubai family for his big day, then treat ourselves to a day/night spent on the World Island's where we will camp, play games and enjoy the company of our co-workers/friends.  We will likely go to Cucina for supper on his bday which is our fave. You choose which dead fish looks good to you and they cook it.  FRESH dead fish.  It's delicious.

3.  For spring break we have decided to stay in the U.A.E.  Ben has two classes coming up and property taxes are due, so we are going to be responsible.  Boo.  BUT we are going to do some friggin' awesome things!  Most exciting? SKYDIVING OVER THE PALM! We'll also do a romantic date night by going on a dhow cruise, enjoy plenty of time on the beach and maybe throw in a dessert safari!

4.  Since figuring out that I luh being a paralegal, I have looked into what bachelor's program would be my best option.  I'm thinking that a bachelor's in criminal justice would make the most sense and have started looking into it.  I have been in contact with someone at Grand Canyon University and they are currently doing a degree eval so that I can figure out what I'll need to complete and how long it will take.  I think I should have all my gen eds done (I DO have 90+ credits. . . ) and hopefully can jump right into the fun stuff! I was looking at the course list and everything looked AMAZING.  I am excited to start classes in the fall (online)!

5.  Ben and I are going to paint pottery this weekend.  No need to steal one of his man cards. . . Painting pottery is manly.  AND he may be doing it just to humor me.  :)  Therefore, he is working hard on keeping his wife happy which really means he should get like a bajillion man cards.  He is my favorite. :)

6.  While we do not know where we will land in the States, I am excited to come home and settle in! I am a huge nester, so I am already looking into different apartments in the areas Ben has applied to, as well as homes for sale to get an idea of what kind of house we can expect to be able to afford in the future.  I get most excited thinking about when we DO have our own home and the things we will be able to do!  I can't wait to decorate together - painting, furniture, wall decor.  I am excited to host friends and family at our home and have cute food and drinks for everyone.  I am excited for a yard for Grovie to roam free in and for us to have a fire pit to cozy up around and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

7.  My friends are growing up.  One is having a baby (WHICH I'LL BE HOME FOR!!), one is getting married, another is close to getting married. . . SO much to be excited for!!

8.  124 days until I see my family, friends and Ma!

 
And so much more!