~ Potato Cheese Soup ~

One of the hardest things I've found about cooking for 2 is following recipes correctly!  For years I've be so used to doubling or tripling recipes that my mind just does it automatically, especially with recipes that I've made so many times before!  One recent time while I was making this yummy soup I accidentally doubled the milk (only the milk) in the end - not a great idea. :)  It ended up being much to watery (milky, I guess is more like it :).  This is an all time favorite recipe and I hope you'll enjoy it!! This recipe doubles easily and freezes well (unless you put too much milk in it and no one wants to eat it because it tastes funny... :)).

~ Potato Cheese Soup ~  

1 cup (small) chopped carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

5 cups peeled and chopped potatoes

1 cup chicken broth

3 Tablespoons butter

6 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dill weed

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 cup milk

3 cups cheese  (I generally only use 1cup)

Simmer carrots, celery & onions in as little water as possible, until tender.  (They should be covered.) 

While vegetable are cooking, boil the chopped potatoes, until tender (potatoes should be covered) Note** the water for the potatoes should just barely cover the potatoes, if you put too much water the soup will be watery**

When potatoes are tender add  the chicken broth & whip with potatoes & water.

Pour vegetables into potato mixture & simmer together.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter; add flour, dill weed, salt, & pepper.  Cook until this becomes a paste.

Add the flour mixture to the potatoes & vegetables.  Cook until bubbly.  Add milk & cheese.  Bring to a boil & serve.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite soup?  Did you find cooking for 2 a challenge when you got married?


**Remember to enter my Scrapbook Software giveaway while you are here! :)

Earning Gift Cards By Using Swagbucks

Being a wife and homemaker I strive to help my family save money every way possible.  I still have much to learn on being frugal but every little thing is one step.  We eat freezer meals and leftovers often to help save on our grocery budget.  I try to use our oven as least as possible to save on propane and electricity - our oven is old and makes our house very warm; good for winter not so good in the summer time. :) I try to keep on only lights that are needed to save on our electricity, etc.  I try to only do full loads of laundry (at this time there's only 3 of us dirtying clothes - so laundry doesn't add up quite as quickly as many families) to save as well.  I love cloth diapers, for health reasons mainly, but also for the huge savings it brings my family!

One recent way I've learned to help our family's budget is by earning reward points using Swagbucks and then cashing them in for Amazon gift cards.  I've had a swagbuck account for about 1 1/2 years but I just recently started using Swagbucks as my main search engine and I have been trying to earn more points daily!

Swagbucks is a free search engine you can use to search the internet and earn reward points.  You can download Swagbucks toolbar and you will get 30 points today just for signing up!  You will also get rewarded 1 swagbuck a day just for using the toolbar!  I've been able to earn about 10-15 swagbucks a day buy simply:

Using the toolbar - 1
Taking the Daily Poll - 1
Daily going through the NOSO offers. - 2
Online searching - 8-10

By earning 15 points a day you could easily earn 1 $5.00 Amazon gift card a month!  If you do more of your searching with Swagbucks and spend more time at it you could probably easily get up to 2 $5.00 gift cards a month!

Many people love earning through taking Swagbucks trusted surveys but I found that they took up too much of my time and that I disqualified for almost of them.  So, it wasn't worth it for me.

Swagbuck points can be cashed in for Amazon gift cards and then used towards your orders!  As everyone knows - Amazon has many great products for great prices and often run sales! :)  I'm saving my amazon cards right now for an inside laundry drying rack; 1 less thing that won't have to come out of our monthly budget!! :)

Swagbucks also has a great referral program!  For every new person you refer you get matching swagbuck points to theirs up to 1,000!  So, if you sign up for swagbucks using any of the links in this post I will get matching swagbucks in my account for every one you earn up to 1,000! :)  I signed up under a referral link and I'm so happy to know I helped her earn points! :)

I do want to assure you that Swagbucks is a safe search engine; it's not nearly as good as www.google.com (Google will always be my favorite) but swagbucks is safe.  At first I was not so sure about it but after doing a bit of reading and research I felt comfortable trying it!  I've been very happy with the outcome and I hope you will be too if you try it!

P.S. - Today is Mega Swagbucks Friday - you'll often win more in your searches on Fridays! :-)

Cloth Diapering Mommys Wanted for Reviews...

Midnight Mommy is looking for cloth diapering Mommy bloggers to review & test out some cloth diapering products!  Go here to sign up!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Program {Giveaway!}

I'm super excited about this giveaway!  I was so happy when Liz @ My Memories contacted me about reviewing their scrapbooking software!  I love to scrapbook!  I love pictures!  I had never used a digital scrapbooking software before (besides making photo books on Shutterfly, etc.) but I love this program!  

It's super easy to learn and takes almost no time to create fun, exciting, creative, & beautiful scrapbook pages!  This is a scrapbook program but you can do a whole lot more than scrapbook on it.  You can make cards, calenders, invitations, and so much more!

 

~ A card that I made ~

 

One of the best features of this program for me is that I don't have to get out any supplies - just open the program on my computer and within a few minutes have my precious memories scrapbooked and ready to print.  All you moms out there know what I mean - I have an always happy-to-help 15 month old and he would just love to "help" with all those papers, stickers & most importantly the pens and scissors! ;-)  I could just imagine what my house would look like! :-) Because I truly haven't wanted to find out what it actually would be like I haven't even tried to take out any of my supplies since my little guy has gotten active! :-)  This is so nice in that way - in March we'll be having another little one and having the time and energy to keep up with both babies and to take out scrapbooking supplies doesn't sounds very easy.  Now I can get my pictures scrapbooked without much time and any mess! :-)

 ~ A spring page ~

My Memories has loads of paper packs in their store!  You know the best part about these paper packs???  You can use them over and over again!  Unlike buying a paper pack at the craft store and then using all your favorite papers up and having to buy more or never get the same papers again - you never run out of these papers!  I think that's another great part of digital scrapbooking!  My favorite part of My Memories paper packs is that they have lots of free ones and they often have great sales!!! : ) 

My Memories also has many embellishments that you can add to your pages!!  Cute stickers, brads (again that you can use over and over again and never run out - or have your baby play with and ruin! :)), ribbons, boxes - everything! : )

 ~ I love the simplicity & fall-ishness of this page ~

You can make a digital scrapbook slideshow with music and all with My Memories too!  Isn't that fun!  Then you just burn it to CDs and you don't have to print anything.  You could make digital scrapbook slideshows for family and friends and give them away too! : )  I'm sure grandparents would love those!

One tiny complaint I have is that the program comes automatically with several paper packs - really neat ones too but it doesn't come with a baby boy pack.  It has a baby girl pack. I have a boy and I would have really loved to have gotten a boy pack as well - still working on trying to pick out my favorite baby boy pack to purchase as they have so many really cute ones! :-)

I got the My Memories V2 and just upgraded to V3 so now I'm looking forward to finding all the new features! :-)

Do you want to try it???  My Memories has offered to giveaway one My Memories Scrapbook Software to one of my readers, a $39.97 value!  (To enter fill out the Rafflecopter form below - comments will not count as entries, unless stated in the Rafflecopter.)

 

If you can't wait to try out this program all of my readers can use this code (STMMMS93581) at checkout.  You will receive $10.00 off your My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software and an additional $10.00 off coupon for the My Memories store (that's $20.00 off!!)!!!!! 

*To avoid typos copy and paste the code.*   

Hope you win! :-)

Lilla Rose Flexi Clip Winner!!

The winner for the Lilla Rose Flexi Clip Giveaway is: Entry #179 - Heather R!  Congratulations!

Remember to enter my BabyLegs Gift Basket!  Today is the last day to enter!

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits {Recipe}

On those cold mornings these make a fast and easy - not too sweet - tasty breakfast!  Going perfectly with a warm cup of tea.  Best part of this recipe is how much these turn out like 'regular' cinnamon rolls without all the time needed to make them! :)  That's a *big* plus for me as the 'morning person' in me is gone after becoming a Mommy! :)

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits
Makes: 1 dozen

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon
cinnamon/sugar for topping

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Blend dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add milk. Roll out and spread with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Roll up and slice. Place in two, round greased baking pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Blend sugar and milk for glaze and pour over warm biscuits. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these if you try them and leave a comment! :)

 

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