Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder

It may have been 70 degrees outside today (it's almost November!), but...

it's almost November.

Soup season!

And this is a really good one...

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T flour
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 lb potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 T beef bouillon granules
12 oz Velveeta
bacon, cooked & crumbled

Directions
In a large pot, cook beef, onion & pepper
Drain
Add garlic, cook 1 minute
Stir in flour until blended
Gradually stir in milk
Add potatoes, water & bouillon
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat
Simmer covered 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender
Add cheese
Stir until melted
Sprinkle servings with bacon

Originally printed in Taste of Home magazine, November 2014.

Life in a Jar

Every once in a while, I go through a stage where I just can't get into a book.  I have stacks and stacks and stacks (and stacks, and...) of books, so I'll pick one up, read a page (sentence?) and know that nope, that's not going to do it.

Then I revert to my list of books I want to read, dig one of those out and no, none of them will work either.

That's when being in a book club comes in handy.  Those books I HAVE to read (many times I wish I didn't, but that's another story).

Recently, I was in one of those stages, but a friend lent me a book, and I'm one of those people who feels obligated to read a book that someone loans me.

I am so glad I did.

The book Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project is the story of a woman named Irena Sendler, a Catholic woman living in Poland during WW2.

We've all heard of Oskar Schindler (Schindler's List), who is credited with saving 1,200 Jews during the war.

Irena Sendler saved over 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto, but most people had never heard of her (including me) until a group of teenage girls in Kansas came across her story and brought it to light.

The book is incredibly well written and captures both the best and the worst of humanity.  It's easy to read, but also really, really hard to read.

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman that was made into the movie The Pianist (Single-Sided Version) was also set in the Warsaw Ghetto during the war.  If you haven't seen the movie, DO!

And, read Life in a Jar.  You'll be glad you did.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Good advice.

(And, not just for construction.)

I was recently given a bench, with a perfectly nice cushion...

The cushion, though...

It's just not my style.  I like things a little more girly.

So, I decided to make a pillow sham for it, using this video...

So I measured the cushion, and finally found the perfect fabric (on sale!).

I cut it out on Saturday and realized that I forgot to take into consideration that there are actually two sides to a cushion.

Luckily (knowing how I am), when I bought the fabric, I rounded up generously (like I said, it was on sale, and I know how I am).

And, since it's an envelope style sham, so can only be put on one way, nobody will ever know the bottom is pieced together!

ta da!

Also on Saturday, I tried a new crock pot recipe.  I am an incredible crock pot cook and this recipe for Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken from Cozycakes Cottage was no exception. This recipe requires slightly more work than I like (you have to make rice!), but it was well worth the almost no effort whatsoever that it takes to make rice.

On Sunday, I had to work.  But, as usual, my job was sitting around talking to people and (not quite as usual) hanging out with newborn baby birds.

SO CUTE!

Dubuque, Des Moines & In-between

Each year, the Voices Gallery in Dubuque, Iowa holds a month-long art exhibit and cultural event in the historic Millwork District.

On Saturday night, I attended a reading by Michael Perry, who wrote (among other things) a book called Truck: A Love Story (P.S.) that was HILARIOUS (for the most part).

New York City?  No, Dubuque.

The next day, I had to drive to Des Moines, for a press conference with the governor (yes, that sounds weird to me too).

I decided to take the scenic route.  

Literally.

The Grant Wood Scenic Byway takes me about halfway to Des Moines from the town where I live.

scenic

The Antioch School Grant Wood attended from 1897 - 1901

At the end of the byway, I took the "2-lane" (as opposed to the "4-lane") to Mt. Vernon, a small town between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (two other small towns).

Recently, a conversation broke out on Facebook about how cute Mt. Vernon is (it is!) and how cool the coffee shop Fuel is (it is!!).

I had to check it out for myself (such is the power of social media!), and since I was driving in that direction anyway...

I've never heard of a chanchito, but these were super cute!  They're supposed to bring good luck so I probably should've gotten one but I didn't.

Not-so-bright, but super-early the next morning...

View of the sunrise over the Iowa State Capitol from my hotel room

Hopefully the only time I'm INSIDE the Iowa Supreme Court