Katie's High School Graduation

I initially was going to title this entry "Mushu's Graduation" but Mushu doesn't seem quite the right name to be put together with 'graduation.' Which is sad to me. If I had my way, Mushu would stay baby Mushu forever, but it cannot be and this is just one step closer to her really growing all the way up! I was so happy to be able to go home for the occassion and only wished Alex could have been there too! I was able to visit the Oregon Coast, take advantage of no sales tax by doing some shopping at the outlet malls, Mom made sure I am well stocked up on hair products (thank you Mom!) Katie and I got our toes done, I was able to meet my new nephew Blake for the first time and visit with all our sweet nieces and nephews, visit with my Aunt Kim and Uncle Jim a bit,also with the Wales family, go to Church and the movies, out to many dinners with different family members and of course help in the celebrating of Mushu's graduation! (There, I put the two together and it didn't sound bad at all in a sentence! Maybe it's just the title where it just doesn't fit?) It was a great time home and thankfully, the time in between our next visit is short! Only 2 short months! Yay!!!

 

 

 

Last night Alex and I tried a new recipe from Rachael Ray! With the weather being hotter than the hubs, the only things that sound too apetizing are salads and anything BBQ! We tweeked it a little to make it more flavorful and to our liking and it turned out healthy and delicious! Here it is:

 



 

 

 Asparagus and Sticky Chicken with Rice:
8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 bunch of asparagus
1 bunch of green onions
long grain brown or white rice
For the marinade:
2 Tbsp honey
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce

Let chicken thighs sit in marinade overnight. Grill chicken until thouroughly cooked. Boil asparagus for 2 minutes in 1 inch of water in a sauce pan. Shock asparagus by immediately removing from boiling water into an ice bath. Next, grill asparagus. Slice Chicken into strips and place with asparagus onto rice. Thinly slice green onions at an angle and sprinkle on top of chicken.
Optional: Top with slivered and toasted almonds.

To Korea We Will Go!

 So much has happened the last couple of months and I feel like time is going by so quickly! Our most exciting news is that we are going to be headed to Korea! Our tentative timeline is August 22 Alex graduates from Flight School (hooray!!!) then the day after we plan to fly home for a couple of weeks to visit, then head to our new home in Korea, which Alex must report to by September 22nd! There are so many things we have yet to find out and the process changes from day to day. We won't know which duty station in Korea we will be going, either the largest post, Camp Humphreys, or the smaller K-16 which is closest to Seoul. We must ship most of our household items 60 days in advance, so in about a month we will be packing up the house! We also must find housing, once we get to Korea we hopefully will be able to find something we like within a couple of weeks (I don't know if this is wishful thinking or not!). It will more than likely be a high rise apartment, as that is mainly the only type of housing available. I am still waiting on my "command sponsorship" which will allow me to travel with Alex to Korea, and it also allows us to ship more of our household items. I already have my government issued passport required to be able to live in Korea, so right now, we're just waiting for paperwork to be approved! We are both so excited about this new adventure, and looking forward to learning all sorts of new things while we are stationed there! It truly wasn't at all where we thought we would be going, since it wasn't even on the list of possible options to choose from for the aircraft Alex flies, but we know this is a blessing in disguise as it will allow us to be together more since it is considered a "deployment" and hopefully Alex will be able to get plenty of practice flying!

This entry's recipe is another pinterest find! Loaded Potato Buffalo Chicken Casserole! It's not the healthiest, but it was a big hit with my Meals on Wales customers and Alex (who typically does not like spicy food, but approved of this dish) Here is the link to the recipe: http://cooklisacook.blogspot.ca/2012/03/loaded-potato-buffalo-chicken-casserole.html

Our Trip to Disney World and Universal Studios!

Ever since Alex and I found out we would be moving to Alabama, we have been looking forward to traveling and seeing more of our beautiful country! Turns out, flight school keeps Alex very busy, with not much time for leisure, let alone travel! We have jumped at just about every chance we have had to see more of the South and its surrounding areas. In the last year, we have seen visited the gorgeous, sandy Panama City and Destin Beaches in Florida, visited the Georgia Aquarium and Coca Cola World in Atlanta, Georgia, and Pebble Hill Plantation in Georgia. We still have on our list Nashville, Tennessee and Louisiana, but what we were most squirmy to visit was Disney World and the Harry Potter World in Orlando, Florida! It had been many years since either one of us had been to Disney Land, and neither of us had been to Disney World! Alex's only memory of Disney Land was their churros sticks (he would remember the food out of everything!) Alex found out his start date for his Blackhawk course was 2 weeks away, so we immediately put in for a long weekend leave so we could take our hopeful trip to Orlando and it was approved!
Since Orlando is 6 hours away, we brought along some study material for Alex and I quizzed him on his 5 & 9's (which is how they refer to chapter 5 and 9 in his training manual that he is required to memorize for every type aircraft he flies) and we had a great time driving to our destination!
We arrived at our hotel in the evening and relaxed at the hot tub before we started out for Disney World in the morning!

We took the shuttle to Disney World and decided to start out at Magic Kingdom (the most iconic of all the parks) with the castle and characters. We rode rides, watched a show, grabbed some lunch and then headed to the next park, Animal Kingdom. There I convinced Alex to ride the water rafting ride where the warning reads "You WILL get wet, and you MAY get drenched" Alex was very hesitant, since although the weather was beautiful and nice, (about 70) it would be cold in the water, but I convinced him to go and we did in fact get drenched. Actually, there were so few people going on that ride that the "cast members" (Disney calls their employees that) told us that if we wanted we could stay on for another round without any more wait. Again, I convinced Alex to go again! And we got doubly drenched! It was so much fun, but so cold too!

Next we went on the safari, which was neat to see so many exotic animals. After the safari, we were both still very wet and very cold, and since it was getting late, we decided we should get a cab to our hotel. We couldn't believe how tired we were! Later for dinner we went to Red Robin for burgers.

The next morning we headed to Disney World's Epcot Park. We loved getting to visit all the different "countries" they had and visiting all the cute little shops. Since it was Spring, Disney World goes all out with their flower and shrub designs. All shrubs were shaped like  different Disney characters, it was beautiful. In the evening we went back to Magic Kingdom and watched the electric parade, light and firework show- it was spectacular!

Our last day we went to Universal Studios and I was aching to go see Harry Potter World! It was better than I could have imagined! They recreated the movies sets and shops! It was magical and the rides were exciting and fun. Hogwarts was just like it is in the movie- with the paintings coming to life and all! It also inspired Alex and I to have a "Harry Potter" movie marathon when we got home:-) Oh, and the butterbeer was delicious! Tasted like cream soda and butterscotch and ice cream, but better and more buttery!

We had such a great time, and so thankful we were able to take a little vacation but were also happy to have such a nice home to come home to- our sweet home Alabama :-) One last picture of Alex getting a Churro! It cost twice as much as it did back when he last visited Disney Land, and was much shorter than he remembered :-) Also, you can probably tell that I convinced him to ride another water ride in Universal Studios:-)

I am going to post a recipe I haven't tried as of yet, but plan to for when Alex and I watch the final Harry Potter film! I can't wait to try! I found this recipe at The Huffington Post:

BUTTERBEER
Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)
Servings: 4
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda
In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.
Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.



Army Aircraft Selection

The day we had been waiting for since we found out Alex had been accepted into the Army's Warrant Officer "street to seat" program finally arrived! Wednesday, February 27, 2013 was Aircraft selection day for Alex and his classmates.
The "OML" (Order of Merit List) determines each soldiers class standing. The OML combines your grades for academics, check rides and the PT (physical training) test, and ranks you and your clasmates.  In each class, they are asked a couple weeks prior to selection to write down their dream list for aircraft. The four choices being the Chinook, Blackhawk, Apache and Kiowa helicopters and then the day of selection the amount of each aircraft available for selection is revealed, as is their class standing. Those higher on the OML get first pick of the available aircraft and from there on goes down the list until the last aviator chooses what is left.
The day before selection, Alex's class had their PT test. The PT test consists of 3 parts and in order to recieve a perfect score, you must accomplish 80 sit ups in 2 minutes,75 push ups in 2 minutes and a 2 mile run in under 13 minutes. Alex has always done well on PT tests, but has always been within 2 points of recieving a perfect score, and this PT test was worth a lot of points on the OML, so it was Alex's goal to make a perfect score when it really counted- he was VERY motivated to be able to be high enough on the OML to select the newest model of Blackhawks (the Mike model) In the early morning we had breakfast together and I prayed for him all morning. We also were very aware and thankful for al the prayers back home! His stats are the following: 86 sit ups in 2 minutes, 80 pushups in 2 minutes and 12:58 for the 2 mile run. I am SO proud of him! Woohoo! Beyond a perfect score!

Day of selection revealed there were 0 Chinooks, 5 Blackhawks, 4 Apaches and 3 Kiowas. Alex was high enough to be able to have his pick of any of the aircrafts, and ultimately decided (yes, you guessed it!) a Mike Model Blackhawk!!!

The Big, Beautiful Bird Alex gets to fly!

First Day of the Blackhawk course is March 19, 2013 and we couldn't be more excited! Along with selction, we were also able to put down our top 3 choices of where we would like to be stationed next. The 5 places we were able to choose from were Germany, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Drumm in New York. We put down

1. Germany 2. Fort Drumm, New York, and 3. Fort Campbell, Kentucky. We should know sometime around June where we will be headed! The expected graduation date for Alex is early August if all goes well. We are so excited and thankful for all the well wishes and prayers! We are feeling very blessed!

Garlic White Sauce Chicken Pizza

I made this a short while ago and it turned out great! I was thining of Papa Murphy's White Chicken Pizza. The roasted garlic used to make the white sauce is a must-do since roasted garlic and fresh garlic differ so much in intensity of flavor. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for Pizza:

Pizza dough (home made or store bought, I like Pilsbury pizza dough)

Chopped roasted, seasoned chicken (I bought this from the deli meat department because of convenience)

Mozarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

3 green onions, finely diced

1 whole tomato, finely chopped

Ingredients for roasted garlic white sauce:

1-2 whole heads of roasted garlic (to roast garlic, simply chop the tops off, drizzle with olive oil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes) the garlic will be browned at the top and popping out of its casing. Peel remaining casings off of garlic and blend in a food processor until somewhat smooth.

2 Tbs. flour

1 Tbs. butter

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. 1/2 & 1/2

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 c. parmesan cheese (or more)

1/4 c. mozarella

Start by melting the butter and adding the roasted garlic. Let sautee for a minute or two then add the flour. Followed by the milks and seasoning. While whisking, allow mixture to thicken then add cheese. Set aside.

Spread white sauce over partially baked pizza dough. Sprinkle cheeses generously, then add the chicken and veggies. Followed by another lighter sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven at 425 or until cheese is slightly browned, hot and bubbly. Voila! I hope you enjoy!

Mom & Dad's Visit to Alabama!

Hi Dad! (and Mom) Sorry I have been so absent on the blog! We've been on Alabama time for almost a year now, and the pace in the deep South is a bit slower than the rest of the world! ;-)
In January, Alex and I were lucky enough to get to have Mom and Dad visit our sweet home in Alabama for a few days and to experience a little bit of what Army life is like at Fort Rucker!

The first full day here, we spent the afternoon at the Aviation Museum and in the evening we were able to celebrate Mom's birthday with dinner and cookie cake for dessert.
That night, Mom and I made ourselves some hot tea, and I introduced her to the fabulous British drama "Downton Abbey," poor Dad had to retreat to his room to read for the rest of the night and Alex was stuck studying. By the end of the week we finished the first season, and watched a couple episodes of season 2!

Mom and I made a trip to the nearest town, Dothan, and we went to one of my favorite stores- Hobby Lobby, we spent a couple hours sipping coffees and browsing through all of the neat household decor and craft items there. For the remainder of the time, we went out to dinner, gave a tour of the post and visited the helicopter airfields, had some DQ blizzards, watched movies, played "Loaded Questions" and went to the church we go to here in Alabama. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend together and are already looking forward to the next time we will get another visit! Love you! 

There have been some rumors going around in the family that I could be the milkman's daughter, I hope these two pictures put that rumor to rest. I am and forever will be the mailman's daughter. :-)

For this post's recipe, I want to share what I made for our Valentine's Day Dinner, Pioneer Womans Asian Noodle salad. Alex and I both loved this recipe! It has plenty of fresh vegetables and a wonderful homemade sesame lime dressing. This recipe could literally feed an Army, so next time I would halve the recipe. Also, I wouldn't leave out any of the ingredients, as they all blend excellently together! Your tastebuds will thank you for making this!

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• 1/2 head Sliced Napa Cabbage
• 1/2 head Sliced Purple Cabbage
• 1/2 bag Baby Spinach
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped (Make sure to wear gloves!)
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in extra large bowl or platter.

Christmas Season 2012

Happy, Happy Christmas 2012!

Being our first year away from Oregon, family and winter weather, this year didn't feel very "Christmas-y" until about the week before the 25th. Now, those of you who know me well know that I begin to listen to Christmas music in September, and in late October it is my main genre of music. Alex loves it too! We are really a couple of Christmas elf's, but even for us, Christmas just doesn't feel quite like Christmas when it's 80 degrees outside.
 The day after Thanksgiving we purchased our Christmas wreath, poinsettias and tree from Lowes (gasp!) but it was real, and the only place that we found that was selling them. It felt a little odd going to a lot and not a Christmas tree farm, and the tree lost half it's needles on the way home, but it was a real American Christmas tree. (I am a firm believer that fake trees are unAmerican and stick up my nose to people who have them, ESPECIALLY in Oregon where there is an abundance of beautiful, fresh trees for CHEAP!) We decorated our little house together and the next day while I was away at a cookie baking party with some of the wives, Alex and a friend put up Christmas lights on our house! Thanks to Rob and Nancy for sending us left over twinkle lights from our wedding!



On December 15th we had a Christmas Party at our house! We have met so many great people, and wanted to share some Holiday cheer with them before everyone left for Exodus (what the Army refers to for Christmas break) There was plenty of scrumptious food and drinks and we had a White Elephant gift exchange, which people from the South call "Dirty Yankee Swap" or "Dirty Santa" and many other names. I think each State calls it something different. It was a lot of fun, and there were some crazy gifts! A lawn gnome, the hose that grows, a machete, sea monkeys, Nerf guns, Tiger shirts, toilet seat covers, just to name a few.  The party was a success and the couples that stayed late got to partake in a Nerf War (husbands against wives) Want to take a guess who won? :-)

Alex and I weren't sure we would be able to fly to Oregon for Christmas this year, but Alex was able to take leave and we booked our tickets the day he found out!  We drove to Atlanta, Georgia on the 19th late at night along with our friend Phil Schwoob (it's about a 31/2 hour drive) and flew out early in the morning, with a layover in Denver, CO and met Mushu and Shawn at PDX. I couldn't stop squealing when I saw Mushu and we got a lot of bewildered faces (even from Alex and Shawn) We got to take a couple hours nap when we got to my parent's since we had been up over 30 hours, and then In the evening our families had a potluck style dinner so we could see everyone!

The next day Mom and I got to bake together while Alex went to finish Christmas shopping with Shawn. Together we made fudge, truffles, toffee, snicker doodles, and sugar cookies (Mom doing most of that!) Everything turned out sweet! Wish I would have remembered to take pictures! My dear friend Ginny and her two sweet kiddos came to visit for a little bit too! I was so happy to see them!

Later that evening, Alex and I went to David and Aurora's Christmas Party! It was so nice to get most of the siblings plus some other great friends together! Aurora had set up a "photo booth" with props and everything this year and we were able to get some really cute pictures! I love the reindeer antlers!

We love our siblings!

Saturday we had the Wales Family Christmas since Kendra and Ben had to be back to work on Christmas Eve! Oh how I had missed that sweet family! It was so much fun getting to see them again! Emmerson showed me how to turn a "cutie" (the tiny oranges) into a "grosie" by showing me the cutie, chewing it up and then showing me the "cutie-turned-grosie" and Peyton made Alex and I the best Christmas card we have ever received! Alex and Hunter built a Lego helicopter and had a nerf war together!

The next morning we were taken to breakfast by my Mom and Dad before we made our way to Florence to get together with the Perry side of the family, with only a few members missing.

Monday was Christmas Eve at the Wallaerts, and again, there were some family members missing, but we still had a good time with all who could make it! The "Night Before Christmas" was read, poppers were popped and we had a gift exchange. Something else to note was that I tried, for the very first time, blackberry cordial! I have only read about it in "Anne of Green Gables" where Diana drinks 3 tumbler fulls and gets drunk. It was good, and I could easily see where you could drink too much because you really don't taste much of the alcohol in it!

Christmas Day and evening was spent with the Brecht family where we shared dinner, exchanged gifts and the guys got right to playing their Risk game! The stats for the previous 6 years are as follows:

Dad: 1st Place 2 Years

Justin: 1st Place 2 years

Alex: 1st Place 2 Years

Jerod: 2nd Place 1 Year (1 year played)



The competition was fierce, but in the end, there could only be one winner. One champion to rule them all. The game was over 3 hours long and in the end, there was only one first place winner...

Looks like the trophy will be back in Alabama for another year!!!



The day after Christmas we were able to go on a double date with Mushu and Jerod and went ice skating! It was so much fun and I was also happy to get to go into the city! I didn't realize how much I would miss visiting a big city, the closest one to us is over 3 hours away! 

Later in the evening, we were able to go out to dinner with the Wales, Stanbros, Justin and Katie and Jerod in Wilsonville. I never like goodbye's and just try to think how blessed we are to have such nice people to say goodbye to. The next time I am home, I will have a sister graduated from High School, a new nephew and who knows what other surprises will bring in our next trip home! It was a PACKED few days, and we wish we could have seen more people, and spent more time with every family member. We love you all so much and are so happy we were able to spend Christmas with the ones we love most!
Here is a new family recipe for Toffee I received from one of my Meals on Wales customer's Aunt. I'm not very good at making candy, and the fist attempt at this recipe was a complete failure, but the second time turned out superb! This toffee tastes just like Almond Roca. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the toffee I made, it was all gobbled up by a certain someone, which must have meant it was good and I should save this recipe and make it for that certain someone again and again. Maybe a new Christmas tradition? :-) Love you Dad!

Toffee

From Aunt Sheri

1 pound good quality BUTTER

2 ¼ Cups sugar

2 cups chopped almonds (unsalted raw almonds)

12 oz. pkg of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter over low heat, add sugar and stir into butter well (I used a whisk for this part) so that the butter doesn’t separate from the sugar (if it does, just keep stirring).  Stir constantly over low heat until sugar starts to dissolve.  Bring to boil over medium high, stirring constantly for five minutes.  Then, add chopped almonds (keep some of the almond crumbs in the cup for sprinkling on top of chocolate at the end).  Stir constantly to 300 degrees (now I switch to a spoon to stir—wooden is best, but sometimes they will burn, so I do use stainless steel too) and/or until you start to smell burned sugar smell (but don’t let it burn) and it looks like translucent caramel color. *** Pour onto a cookie sheet—it’s very hot, be sure to protect your counter.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and when they melt, spread smoothly over the candy and sprinkle with reserved chopped almond crumbs on top.  Cool completely (I usually wait about 12 hours) and break into bite-sized pieces.

Thankful

 

November is such a wonderful month- Mushu's birthday on the 9th,(I can't believe my little lambie is 18!) Alex's on the 14th, (yes, I'm a month older) and I'm sure there are many, many more kindred spirits that were born in November:) Then of course, there is Thanksgiving!!! A day set aside to first be thankful, spend time relaxing with family and eating delicious food!
 This year was the our first married Thanksgiving we were able to spend together- just a year ago Alex was in basic training, head shaved, eating crispy crunchy turkey, unable to come home for the Holiday. In case you forgot what Alex looks like with his head shaved, I'll post a picture for you (he'll pay me back for this, but it's worth it!!)

Although we were unable to travel home for Thanksgiving this year, we were happy to be able to spend it together! We had friends over for a FEAST! The Schwoobs, Dave Reynold and Mike Murray all got together at our house for an old fashioned Thanksgiving. We made all the dishes from home, like Grandma Charlaine's cranberry sauce, Aunt Renee's spoon cornbread, my Mom's green bean casserole and stuffing, my red mashed potatoes and gravy, and Alex and I successfully cooked our first turkey (all 17.4 lbs of it). The Schwoobs also cooked and added another 17lb. turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice casserole,  and crescent rolls. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, apple dumplings, pumpkin pie and brownie/cookie bake.

 

After dinner, we played an intense game of Monopoly (which was Alex's Birthday gift from me!) and watched a little football and just visited with one another. It was a great Thanksgiving, and we are especially grateful to have friends to share the Holiday with when we can't be with family in Oregon.
We hope you all had a Great Thanksgiving too and are so looking forward to traveling back home for Christmas this year!!!

I'm going to include my favorite recipe that makes use of all that leftover turkey! Turkey Tetrazzini! The turkey can easily be swapped for chicken if you don't happen to have any turkey lying around. I love that this recipe doesn't have any "cream of" soups like a lot of tetrazzini recipes tend to have.  It is a little bit of effort, but worth every minute! It's hearty, creamy and makes your whole house smell like a fancy restaurant! Enjoy!

 

 

Turkey Tetrazzini

• 1 box of thin spaghetti
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 pound White Mushrooms, Quartered (I use a little less)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup White Wine
• 1/3 cup Flour
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 block 8 Ounce Cream Cheese
• 3 cups Cooked Turkey or chicken, Shredded Or Diced
• 1/2 cup Frozen Green Peas
• 6-8 slices Bacon, Fried And Cut Into Bits
• 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Extra Broth For Thinning
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until not quite done - al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.
Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.
Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don't be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile; it'll melt eventually!) Add the leftover turkey,  the peas, the bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.

Family Day and Meals on Wales!

I would say this blog is due for an update!!!
October 15th was my 25th Birthday! I had told Alex that what I wanted was for him to cook me a dinner on Saturday- sweet potatoes (my very favorite!) chicken cordon bleu (his specialty) and asparagus. So Friday night was just going to be a quiet night in with pizza and a movie until our two good friends (and my first "Meals on Wales" customers) Phil and Dave unexpectedly came to the house dressed up, and announced they were going to take us out to dinner and dancing!
Now before they came, I had gone into our bedroom and thought to myself "What are the comfiest, cozies I have in my closet?" so I put on my comfiest cozy camoflauge flannel pajama pants, a sweat shirt, adorned thick fuzzy socks on my feet, took off my makeup, slipped on my glasses and was prepared for a most relaxing night in as an old married lady! They convinced us to go out, and I just couldn't say no because they had gotten all dressed up for the occasion, and I am so glad we did!

Here we are at the Restaurant! (Phil Schwoob, me, Alex and Dave Reynolds) They took us to a Hibachi style dinner (like Benihanas) It was my first time, and the food was great, but not as great as the company! Those guys are the best!

Afterwards we went to "Cowboys" where they had a live country band and dancing. The band was actually really good! They played mostly covers of popular country songs, and a few of their own.   It was a genuine "Alabama" experience :) I will confess I am beginning to like (in moderation) country music. It is just fitting for Alabama, and the words to a lot of the songs are very sweet, I'm still hesitant to say I'm a fan, but I just feel more patriotic listening to it in the South, and that's all I'll say about that for now. :)

The next day, Alex and I had our night in, Alex made a scrum-diddily-umptious dinner and chocolate cupcakes with nutella frosting. He lit 25 candles and sang for me and it was a perfect Birthday :)

 I want to thank you Mom, Dad, Mushu and Grandparents and in laws, and just everyone at home for making my Birthday special from afar! I was so happy to get the packages, cards, texts and voicemails I felt so loved by you all even though we can't be together, I am so thankful for you in my life!

On Thursday, October 18 Nancy and Rob were able to come visit us! They arrived around 7:30, and we picked them up at the airport, got home around 8:00 and I had a delicious stew in the crock pot waiting for us when got home. I had also made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting so we could celebrate Nancy's Birthday early, which was on the 22nd.

October 19th was an exciting day! Family Day is the first opportunity given to watch your soldier fly! Families of the soldiers in Alex's class met at the Museum and all drove to the airfield, where we had a BBQ lunch and got to finally see what the hours, and weeks and months of studying has been all about! It was so cool! Rob loved the control tower where he got to hear Alex over the radio, and just observe hovering, flying, etc.  We met Alex's Instructor Pilot (referred to as an IP) who has over 28,000 hours of logged Flight time (which is absolutely incredible) and his stick buddy, Andres, who is from Norway.

Alex's primary phase of training is coming to an end! It seems like he just started, but this Thursday is his last check ride (where he is graded) and then he is on to the next phase, "Instruments" where he will be taught to fly relying only on using his instruments, and he will not be able to see out the windows of his aircraft (basically blindfolded). From what many other people have said, this is one of the toughest phases of Flight School, but he is up to the challenge!

On Saturday we made the trip down to Destin, FL to go to the beach and do a little shopping! The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, 80 degrees in October! We visited some of the shops, and then ate at "The Crab Shack" on the beach and then hung out on the sand and dipped our toes into the ocean as the sun set! Absolutely beautiful! And the water was warmer than the sand!

In the morning Rob and Alex had just enough time to play a round of golf on the course on post before they had to catch their plane back home, now that Alex has been golfing,  I am going to try and convince him to take and teach me! :) One of these days...

We loved getting to have family visit and are already looking forward to the next time we'll get to visit and/or have visitors!

Since most of my posts are about Alex and what's going on with him, I thought I would share maybe a little of what I've been up to! I've kind of got into a little routine where I've been doing Zumba every Monday and Friday mornings with another one of the wives, which is actually fun (well as fun as exercise can possibly be!) ...and then there's Meals on Wales. :) Yes, I've started a little cooking business for the soldiers on post. It is basically a personal chef service. How it works is I go grocery shopping for my customers, pick up the groceries they need for the week, items such as bread, lunch meat, etc. along with the items needed for making their dinners and side dishes I've planned, then I spend the day cooking them meals for the week. It works out so they can just come home and already have their menu planned, and all they have to do is pop their dinner in the oven.

 I love cooking, and there is such a need for so many soldiers on post who don't have enough time (or imagination, or skills) to cook for themselves. I love cooking, and trying new recipes, so it has been a perfect fit for me! Right now I cook for 3 sets of room mates, and all of them are so thankful and easy to please, and it's also nice that I can make a little extra money! So that is how I spend my Tuesdays and Wendesdays! I visit the commissary about 3-4 times a week, and am getting an "in" with the produce man considering how often I frequent there!!

I'll close this post with a pretty great stew recipe I have made a couple of times! It is perfect for Fall and fills all the right places in your heart and stomach. It is... what a stew should be. Hearty, filling and warm. It pairs great with crusty french bread and salad!

Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, I used Boston lager
• 4 cups Beef Stock, 1-2 cups water if needed
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
• 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
• Minced Parsley (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
This can also be made in the crock pot, with potatoes and carrots added 1.5-2 hours before serving time. Make sure to brown the meat in a pot before adding to the crock pot!