Do you see what I see?

It's an opening, in my freezer!

(Next to the ice cube trays. I didn't say it was a BIG space!)

Ryan and I joke about the perils of opening our freezer. I'm quite proud of how much I'm able to shove in there. I had to rearrange stuff tonight to fit in some chicken I bought on sale, and not only did I make room for the new stuff, but I even had space left over! My dream is to someday live in a house (as opposed to an apartment) and have my very own chest freezer. I don't really know how to make small batches of anything, so I usually end up freezing about half of whatever I make. That is, I would freeze half of everything, if I had room. There are some things that freeze better than others, so the stuff I know freezes well (lasagna, Runzas, soups, etc...) generally get freezer space over the "I wonder...." stuff.

So what was for supper tonight?

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

Not the most appetizing picture, I know, but I was so giddy that my camera was functioning again that I decided to take a picture, anyway. This would have been better had Ryan stirred it better and not allowed it to burn, but it was still pretty tasty. I got the recipe from someone's blog, but of course I can't remember where. I'll post the recipe at the end; if it's yours, give me a holler and I'll credit you. I probably won't be making this again soon (we are rapidly approaching July, after all), but come winter I think I'll give it another whirl.

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(I wish I were better at creating segue ways....but I'm not.
So I use decorative symbols, instead.)
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Tonight, as I was cleaning the kitchen, I was waxing poetic about one of my favorite pieces of cleaning equipment. And it was one I never thought I'd buy:

(Clorox Ready Mop)

I have issues with things that I consider "cheating"*. This is an example. I always felt that if you were going to scrub your floor, you should do it right--on your hands and knees. Anything else--including the Ready Mop or Swiffer Wet Jet--was "cheating". Then I moved out on my own, and I started working full-time. Slowly, I am realizing the world is full of shades of gray. If I only cleaned my floors with the Ready Mop, yeah, that'd probably be cheating, and definitely wouldn't leave my floors all that clean. But to use in between proper, hands-and-knees scrubbings? Well, that's something different all together. I do scrub my floor the "right" way at least every-other week. But in between times, I've realized that "cheating" isn't all bad. In fact, it's sometimes the difference between presentable and horrifying :)

*I could do an entire series on things I consider "cheating". Perhaps I will. Stay tuned!

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I'm not good at writing conclusions, either, so how about a couple pictures of the kiddos, instead?

This is how Darren was sleeping this morning.
When we got this crib, we had to put a bumper up, because he
kept getting his feet stuck in the slats. Silly kid.



Leah's finally starting to develop a personality.
Ryan is happy she's moving out of the "loaf of bread" stage.

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Philly Cheesesteak Soup
(this recipe is written so you can freeze half of it)

3/4 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (it calls for fresh, I used two cans)
6 c. milk
1 (10.5 oz.) can beef broth
3/4 c. cooked beef or rib eye, diced
8 oz. provolone cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Melt butter in large stock pot. Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms; saute until tender (about 5 minutes). Add flour and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until soup thickens. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in broth, salt, and pepper. Slowly stir in provolone until all is melted and incorporated into soup. Remove from heat and stir in beef.
To freeze: Prepare soup and allow to cool. Place in rigid freezer container. Seal, label, and freeze.
To serve: Thaw in fridge. Reheat in microwave or on stove top, stirring to recombine the soup.