hamburger soup... the easiest soup you will ever make!

This is a recipe my mom has made for years, and has always been one of our family favorites... an ultimate comfort food! I like to think of this as a MAN soup... as it seems to be one of the more satisfying soups for the men in my life! :o)

The simple name and ingredients hardly give a hint of the amazing flavor in this easy soup! Thanks Mom!

Hamburger Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds ground beef

2 large (48oz) cans V8 juice

3/4 of a head of green cabbage, chopped into large pieces

2 cups frozen corn

various spices, to taste (i.e. onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, etc.)

Directions:

Brown the beef in a large skillet and drain off fat.

Place cooked beef, V8, cabbage, corn and spices into your crockpot. Cook on Low for 8-12 hours. Serve with a little shredded cheese on top, if you'd like! :o)

I usually use Spicy V8, because my family likes spice, and that decreases the amount of extra seasonings I need, but feel free to use any!

cloth diapering?? Help please!!

We're starting a new adventure in our family. Or rather, I'm starting a new adventure in our family! :o)

Due to many factors, our finances being the most pressing - of course, we are about to begin...

cloth diapering. (duhn duhn duhn duuuuuhn...)

I never thought in a million years, that I would be saying those words. I am not a green mama. Don't get me wrong, I love our planet (or rather - the God that created it!)... I prefer to feed my family as much organic, natural foods as possible and I try not to take what God has given us for granted. I'm just not that into weighing every little thing I do with how it will affect our planet.

Honestly? I believe that He will come long before the earth dies from our mis-use. But that's beside the point. I am not a green mama. Never have been, never will be. Hate me if you want. It's not gonna change.

I am, however, a money-conscious mama. And life is hitting us hard right now. I just can't stand spending $20+ a week on diapers anymore! Now, I'm not saying I will never use disposables. In fact, I will use them at least a few times a week, I'm sure. But I will not depend on disposables. I will do my very best to use cloth as much as possible, so that I can help save every penny possible for our family!

The hardest part so far? Ordering the diapers. I understand that you have to take a hit in the beginning in order to see the savings down the road. But this $100 I have spent so far hurts. Bad. And I'm pretty sure I'm not done with the initial spending for this new endeavor in our lives.

What did I decide to use? These fabulous gDiapers! I have used them a few times (with their original flushable-liners) and am excited to try their cloth version. I ordered them today, so have yet to try this whole thing out, but I am excited! (I think?!)

Now, I need your help. Please please PLEASE give me any and all advice you can think of!! What more do I need to buy? How do I store the dirty dipes between washes?? How do I best wash them? What was I thinking when I decided to do this?!????

Thank you and Goodnight!! :o)

blackberry cardamom scones

I ate half the batch in less than an hour. I had to take a special trip into my husband's work, to take him some, so that I wouldn't eat them all!

Now, I don't normally post recipes that are not my own, but I am so in love with these scones... I just had to share them!

I wish you were here eating them with me. Seriously, I plan to make these every time I have company for the rest of my life!! (I know, I know... "The best laid plans...", right?) :o)

Anyways, here's the link (oh and I used blackberries instead of blueberries because that's what I have in my freezer!):

Blueberry Cardamom Breakfast Scones

Enjoy!!

My version:

• 2 cups Flour
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• ½ cups Butter, Cold
• 1-½ cup Frozen Blueberries
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 1 whole Egg
• Sugar For Sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.
2. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cardamom.
4. With pastry cutter, cut in cold butter, until it is the size of small peas..
5. Stir in frozen berries.
6. In small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine buttermilk and egg.
7. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined.
8. Using a little extra flour if necessary, knead dough 10 times. Dough will be sticky.
9. Shape into circle on lined baking sheet and press into a 12 inch circle with fingers, sprinkling with a little more flour if necessary in order to shape it.
10. Using a pizza cutter or large knife, cut into 12 wedges.
11. Sprinkle top with sugar.
12. Bake for 20 or 25 minutes until top is golden brown.