New Recipe…Pasta with Cream Sauce

I made this garlic cream sauce for supper tonight and it was a big hit.  It is very easy to make too!  I served it over tortellini and added a little parmesan cheese to it too.  

Pasta With Cream Sauce

  • Prep: 15 min. Cook: 25 min.
  • Yield: 8 Servings

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Ingredients

  • 1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 8 minutes or until reduced by about half. Stir in cream.
  • Cook, uncovered, 8-10 minutes longer or until sauce is reduced to 1-1/4 cups. Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Yield: 8 servings.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pasta-with-Cream-Sauce

Happy Cooking!!!

 

Catch Up: June 2012, update

2012 – Joyful Noise Concert – 1st time going and we had a great time!! We plan to attend in 2013!

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joyful noise 2012

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Joyful Noise – Toby Mac

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Joyful Noise 2012 – Toby Mac

 

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Bridal Shower for Amy – Amy with her Mom and Mom-in-law to be

 

father's day

Happy Father’s Day to all the Coyan Family Fathers!  What amazing guys! Welcome to the club Bob Miller.  You are in very good company.

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Our Nephew, Kaleb graduates from High School

More June Highlights:

  • Soccer – St Croix Cup – Woodbury June 1 -3rd
  • Joyful Noise Festival – Blaine Sports Center
  • Amy’s Bridal Shower
  • Paul and Jen Weekend Get Away to Redwing for the night!
  • YMCA Camp – this summer Tommy stayed at the YMCA while we were at work. He is not a fan of the YMCA camp.   

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Be Blessed,

Catching Up: May 2012 Highlights

  I am behind again, that is one fact that never seems to change.  Since I don’t scrapbook,  I have tried to record our lives on this blog with tons of pictures.  And once again I am terribly behind.   So bear with me while I try to get caught up once again!!!   Here are some highlights from May 2012.

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Josh and Tommy ran the TC Kids Marathon at Como Park – May 19th

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Tommy at MCS field trip to State Capitol – May15th   

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Battle Creek Field Trip – May 31, 2012

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May 26th – Blessing Ceremony for the Nuss Family – amazing ceremony, great friends!

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Family Photo Booth Picture from Nuss Family Blessing ceremony.

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Dancing the night away with my son, Tommy.  He loves to dance.

 

More Highlights from May:

  • School Field Trips – Pirates Exhibit at the MN Science Museum,  Patrol Picnic, Tour of MN Capitol, Battle Creek field trip to collect water samples. 
  • School Events – Culminating Event and working at Culver’s for School fundraiser.
  • Soccer – played in the Soccer Round Robin in Chisago City on C2 Team 
  • Financial Peace University – presented on the panel and have decreased our debt by $ 30, 447.34. 
  • Josh’s 24th Birthday – went to Manitou Station for drinks and appetizers.  Funny moment – Tommy being stealth to get a candle. Mom freaking out thinking it was a real candle and he would get burned. 
  • Bonnie’s 50th Birthday
  • Lots of fun and dancing at Nuss Family Reception, ending up in cracked ribs for me! 
  • Wedding Planning starting for Josh and Amy’s Wedding – met with the caterer, K & J Catering to decide on menu.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Be Blessed,

 

Light ’em Up – White Bear Lake

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We are getting excited for the Holiday Season in our household. Last year was a very difficult holiday season for our family.  I am excited for the season this year.  I am spinning my wheels trying to figure out how to shift the focus of our Christmas celebration from getting to giving! I have been surfing the net and looking for meaningful Christmas ideas for our family.  We need a new tradition for Advent that will include our adult children as well. 

When Tommy was little we wrapped Christmas books up as gifts and unwrapped and read one each night until Christmas.    I came across a post by Courtney over at Lil Light O’ Mine and another post by Tracie at TSJ Photography about performing Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACK) for Advent which I really found inspiring.  I read the posts and I was so excited, this is a tradition that really spoke to my heart and what I wanted to share with my family.   I talked to my family and everyone was excited to participate.   What a wonderful way to teach compassion and generosity to our children.   What better way to teach our children than to live our faith everyday!!  

DO.  SERVE.  LOVE.

 

We decided to join in Lighting Up our community this Christmas with kindness! We will be spending November in preparation, buying our gifts, mailing out Christmas Cards and baking so we can focus on Lighting Up White Bear Lake in December.

My youngest son wanted to help the homeless and the mission we are working with needed the donated items by December 1st so we have already started Lighting up White Bear Lake!!  He is doing a supply drive for Union Gospel Mission in St Paul.   

I hope by posting about our experiences throughout December we will inspire other families to Light Up Their Communities!!   Thank you to Courtney at Lil Light O’ Mine for providing the list of Light ‘Em Up ideas and printables

Check back in December to watch our progress as we light up White Bear Lake with Christmas Kindness.

Blessings,

 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:16

Tommy Helps The Homeless

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How did this all start??  Each member of our family came up with 5 Acts of Kindness to bless our community. We are participating in Light ‘Em Up 2012 – Families Lighting Up The Community with Kindness this holiday season. While we were driving by the Maplewood Mall, Tommy said, “I want to buy clothes for the homeless.” My initial reaction was to tell him no and have him come up with an easier idea. This isn’t about easy, it is about kindness and helping the homeless was on our son’s heart. 

So we called Union Gospel Mission in St Paul and they said he could help with the holiday kits for the men at the mission. 

1.  Tommy wrote a letter to his school mates. (See Below) 

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Hi,

My name is Tommy Coyan.  I am in the 5th grade at Magnuson Christian School.

Our family is trying to do Random Acts of Christmas Kindness to count down to Christmas Day.

The Random Act of Christmas Kindness I chose is helping the homeless.  I wanted to do this because it seems like the right thing to do.

I want to collect items for the homeless at Union Gospel Mission.The homeless then will get a kit with all the stuff they need.

In the month of November I will be collecting donations.  I have a box in the hallway for donations for Union Gospel Mission.

 

What to Donate?

Razors

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Bar soap

Dental floss

Winter hat

Winter socks

Comb

T-shirt

Chap stick

Nail clipper

Winter gloves

 

Shaving cream

Deodorant

White socks

Candies – Individually Wrapped

Thank You for your Help!

Tommy Coyan

 

Note from Tommy’s Parents:

When our son said he wanted to help the homeless, my first thought was this is too big!  But after talking to the wonderful folks atUnion Gospel Mission, we realized our son could help and make a difference to the individuals he wanted to help.

Union Gospel Mission is a Christian ministry dedicated to serving the homeless, poor, and addicted in our community. By meeting physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational needs, their Mission is changing lives!

Thank you for helping our son to learn that even a young boy can make a difference in the world.

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2.  Tommy makes the donation box for school.

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3.  Tommy works on his poster!

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4.  Tommy sets up his donation drop box at school for Union Gospel Mission.

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This has been a wonderful project for me to witness. Tommy has the kindest heart, which is evident through this project.  That little guy sure blesses my heart in so many way!

 

Would you like to help, Tommy???

Family and Friends have asked us how can they help Tommy.    If you are family or friends from out of town you can mail him a monetary donation and he will shop for items for Union Gospel Mission!!

If you are local friends and family, you can drop something off at our house!!   He will be taking donations until after Thanksgiving.   We need to take the collected items to Union Gospel Mission by December 1st. 

 

Blessings,

Menu Plan Monday – November 10th Edition

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 Menu Plan Monday
 November 10th – November 24th

Week #1

Saturday 10th – Sausage Rice Casserole – Corn

Sunday 11th – Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Monday 12th – Off – Book Group – Rotis. Chicken, Risotta, Corn

Tuesday 13th – Late – Crab Salad Crossiants – Chips (simple Delicious Cookbook – 62)

Wednesday 14th  – Bowtie Pasta with Feta and Lemon Pepper

Thursday 15th – Book Group –  Duggar Family Tater Tot Dish

1 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
2lb bags tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of chicken
Brown meat & place in large cass. dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup & milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes 1- 9”X13” pans

Add Mixed Veggies to meat before doing rest of recipe

Friday 16th – Taco Night

Saturday 17th – Thanksgiving at Josh & Amy’s

Sunday 18th – Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Rice and Green Beans

3 chicken breasts, thawed, halved and pounded
2/3 Cups mayo
1/3 cups grated Parmesan
5 tsp Italian Bread Crumbs

Combine Mayo and Cheese. Spread on chicken then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

 

Week #2

Monday 19th – MPTP – Baked Ravioli

Tuesday 20th –   Easy Chicken and Rice – Corn

Wednesday 21st – Loaded Baked Potato Soup – Biscuits

4 – baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all purpose flour
4 – cups milk
2 – cups chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
12 – slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 – cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 – 8oz container sour cream

Bake potatoes in the oven or microwave. Scoop out the inside of the potato and set aside. Cook bacon in the oven while the potatoes bake at 350 degrees until crispy. Crumble and set aside. Melt butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook about one minute stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and milk while stirring. Turn the heat to medium and cook the soup until it starts to thicken. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, bacon and cheese. Stir well and continue to heat for about 15 minutes allowing the flavors to blend. Mix in sour cream until well blended. Serve immediately. Garnish with green onions, additional bacon and shredded cheese.

Thursday – 22nd (Thanksgiving)

Apple Cidercar – new recipe

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Cranberry Caramelized Onion Sauce – new recipe

Ingredients

1 Tbs. vegetable or canola oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 12-oz. bag fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, rinsed and picked over (3-1/2 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. In a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, a pinch of salt, and a grind or two of pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden-brown and very soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium high, and cook the onions, stirring often, until deep caramel-brown, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Add the cranberries, sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat
  3. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then cover, turn off the heat, and let cool to room temperature

 

Simple Turkey  / Herb Butter

1 14-15 pound turkey
1 stick margarine, softened
Bay leaves
Adobo, to taste
1 carrot, chunked
1 stalk celery, chunked
1 onion, quartered
1 green apple, quartered
½ C. water

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Wash the turkey and pat dry (save the bags of parts for your gravy). In the turkey cavity place all your vegetables. Separate the skin carefully from the turkey and place bay leaves and slices of half of the margarine under the skin. Rub the outside of the turkey with the rest of the margarine. Season to taste with adobo. Place turkey breast side up in a roasting pan. Put water in pan around the bird not over, you don’t want to wash away the margarine or seasoning. Cover turkey tightly with foil, removing the foil about 1 hour before turkey is done to brown the skin. Cook turkey at 500 degrees for 30 minutes, turn oven down to 325 and cook for 3-4 hours or until done, a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh without touching the bone should read 180 degrees when bird is fully cooked. Let turkey rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Stuffing-Dressed Up

2 boxes of stuffing mix like Stove top
1 huge onion, sauteed
4 stalks celery, sauteed
1 lb. sausage, cooked

Prepare stuffing according to package directions, before serving stir in other ingredients.

Green Bean Casserole

Honey Glazed Carrots

Dilly Mashed Potatoes – Good Add To Site!

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2.3 cup 4% cottage cheese
1.3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp butter (I actually used 2 TBS when I made it ..OOPS!)
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt

Cook potatoes in water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender, drain.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, butter, dill and salt. beat until smooth and fluffy. Yield: 6 servings

Sugarfree Pumpkin Pie

Friday – 23nd – OFF – Turkey Stock with Turkey Carcass

Turkey Soup with Egg Noddles and Vegetable

Saturday 24th –  Leftovers

Sunday 25th – Murder Mystery Dinner – Pizzas

Monday – Turkey and Almond Casserole

Tortellini Marinara

Hamburger Gravy over Mashed Potatoes

For more Menu Planning inspiration stop by and visit Laura at Organizing Junkie. and particpate in Menu Plan Monday.

What is on your Menu this week? Wishing you all a wonderful week!!!