Chicken Pot Pie and Blonde Brownies

Last night I made 2 new recipes! I got both recipes from my friend Carlee's blog!http://carleejoy.blogspot.com/ I love reading Carlee's blog and always learn so much from her blog! She is very talented!

Chicken Pot Pie-From Carlee's friend

1-10lb bag Leg Quarters (use 4-5) (**I used 1 Rotisserie Chicken instead)
1-16oz bag mixed veggies frozen (**corn, carrots, peas, green beans)
1-can cream of mushroom soup
1-can cream of chicken
1-box chicken broth (**I didn't need this with the Rotisserie Chicken)
4-cans of small Pillsbury biscuits (**I used two cans for a 13x9 pan)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil chicken in water.
2. Add salt and pepper
3. Add 1 tsp of chicken broth
4. Cook chicken boil slow

(**Steps 1-4 are unnecessary if you use a rotisserie chicken.)

5. Remove chicken and set in a pan
6. Cook veggies in water that was used to cook chicken in
7. Skin and de-bone chicken
8. Dip veggies out and put in the pan (13x9) with the chicken.
9. Add cream of mushroom and cream of chicken10. Mix all ingredients together
11. Cook on 400 degrees until it boils (about 18 minutes for me)
12. Pull out and add biscuits on top
13. Cook according to biscuit directions. (10-13 minutes)


Blonde Brownies-From the very best baking website

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-ounce package) Chocolate chips

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.
Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.
COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla extract; gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in morsels.
Spread into prepared pan.
BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Cool in pan on wire rack.

I was very pleased with how both dishes turned out and they where a hit with the family! I really enjoy making new things and it's even better when they turn out how you hoped they would.

Side note: These are not really Weight Watchers friendly, but you have to live a little :)

Long over due :)

I finally got my pictures from my camera to my computer! Took me a million years, but better late then never right? I wanted to share a few with the blogging world! They are in a random order because uploading pictures to blogger is always a challenge to me.

A few weeks back Ethan had the opportunity to go deep sea fishing with a few friends! He had a great time, and tells me often that he really wants to go again! Tyler, the fish, Sam, and my handsome hubby! Mr.Ned(the man who so kindly took them) was taking the picture!

My sweet nephew James turned 3 a few weeks ago and he had a train birthday party at the park! He rode the train around and around and loved every bit of it! Here he is riding the train and waving at me!
My oldest sister Amber and I(and Katie Joy!). I believe Amber was 28 weeks along in this picture! She looks so great and I can't wait to meet my new niece Katie Joy!

With the birthday boy! He was playing hook!

Ethan and I in New York standing near the shores of the Statue of Liberty!

Riding the tour bus through New York City!

Hanging out at the Gallery Church in New York!

Out to dinner in New York :)

Ethan and I on Easter Sunday!

It's hard to believe that we are already half way through May! I hope that everyone is having a lovely spring!

This is where we are....

My lack of posting has not been because there has been a lack of events. It's been the opposite :) Things are pretty busy in the Crowder household. Most defiantly a good busy!

Ethan is finishing up the spring semester and will be starting his summer classes in 2 weeks. He is almost done and I am so proud of him! We are both looking forward to a little break before he begins Seminary in August.

God has contained to show us His faithfulness over the past few months. We were approved for housing at an apartment complex that is about 5 minutes away from campus! I are really looking forward to having 2 bedrooms :) I have been reminded over and over again that God's plans are so much greater than mine could ever be. I know that He is trying to teach me to wait on Him and His will. This is much easier said than done for me. Both Ethan and I feel very at peace with where we are and where we are heading. God continues to provide for us even when we feel like there is nothing left in the bank account. We have never gone without. He continues to teach us that He truly is all that we need.

I was reading in one of my devotions this past week about how God is our strength, shied, healer, helper, provider, etc. He is the all powerful, everlasting God. The gift of the Gospel is far more than a one time deal. The Gospel is something that shapes us and deepens our walk with Christ each and everyday. We must come to the point of total dependence on Christ and strive to live a life that brings Him honor and glory in everything we say and do. God has been reminding me of this over and over recently and I am so thankful for His grace and His mercy.

As our moving date draws closer and closer the reality of it all is starting to really set in. Ethan and I are thrilled about the move. We are thankful that God has so clearly directed us to where we need to be and we trust that He will continue to do so.

I have already begun to dread the thought of goodbyes. The thought of it makes tears well up, but there is something very peaceful about knowing that this is where God wants us.

Please be praying for Ethan and I as we make the final preparations and that God will provide us with jobs.

I have some pictures that I want to post, but have yet to get them from my camera to a computer. Hopefully I can take care of that this weekend :)

Awesome give-a-way!

Check out this special give-a-way that my friend Kelly is doing on her blog!

I met Kelly through my best friend Kendall. Kelly is Kendall's older sister and when I went to Indiana for Kendall's wedding I stayed with Kelly and her husband Andy! They were so welcoming and I really enjoyed my time getting to know them! They now have an 8th month old son, Tucker, who is such a cutie!

Make sure to check out the give-a-way!

http://thegirlintheblueglasses.blogspot.com/2011/04/very-special-giveaway.html

D-Now Weekend 2011

This weekend we were apart of our first Disciple Now weekend. It a student retreat and our church joined with 2 other churches for the retreat. We had awesome worship led by a band called Lights of Evening. Check out their facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/lightsofevening . They are awesome and did a great job leading us in worship! We also had a great speaker, Dr.Alvin Reid. Check out his blog! http://www.alvinreid.com/ . Dr.Reid challenged not only the students, but also the adults. It was evident that Christ was at work in every ones life and I am excited to see how He will continue to work in our lives. Here are some pictures from the D-Now.

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My sister Apryl, My Mom, and I were the leaders of nine 7th-8th grade girls! We had such a sweet group who engaged in discussion during our Bible studies and all got a long really well! Oh, and don't forget about my parents dog Maggie. She didn't want to miss out on all the fun!

Saturday afternoon we broke off into groups and served our community. We had 2 free car washes going on. One group went and passed out free water bottles in the parks and another group went to one of our local grocery stores to help people load their grocery's and take their carts. It was such a blessing to watch the students serve and to serve along side of them! The group I was with was doing car washes. Ethan and I ended up being in the same group and he took this picture of me while I was taking a break. It was really hot on Saturday and I stood on the side of the road holding signs for a little over an hour so I was in need of a cool down :)

Saturday evening we had dinner and another worship service! Our friend Corey took this picture of Ethan and I after the serve. Ethan and I with our sweet friend Whitney! I tell her all the time that I know she secretly wants to be just like us when she grows up!

On Sunday morning all of the girls went back to their church for worship and breakfast. After church Ethan and I, along with some of our friends went to YoBo. It is my new favorite place to get something sweet and I find myself craving it! I had green apple frozen yogurt with M&M's and gummy bears. Most defiantly not Weight Watchers approved, but that's ok :) You gotta live a little, right?!?!

After our frozen yogurt we went to the mall because Ethan needed some new shoes. We walked into Old Navy and I think Ethan got a little confused. Wrong women, babe.

We are hardcore...... One of the funniest pictures I have ever seen! Cracks me up!

Haha!! I laugh every time I look at it! And just an FYI. We are both still sticking to our Weight Watchers! Moving along in our weight loss! I am still running with my friend Leslie and currently training for a 10k! Ethan is starting a work our program called Insanity this week with some friends and we feel 10 times better then we did in 2010. I am thankful for the changes we finally made to better our health. It is a work in progress, but I know we are on the right track!

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Hope you all have a great week! Hope to post another update soon!

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I got this recipe from my friend Carlee. Make sure to check out her blog http://carleejoy.blogspot.com/ . I met Carlee through my cousins and my brother. Carlee married Jared a few months after Ethan and I got married. I have enjoyed keeping up with her through her blog! On Monday she posted this recipe on her blog and it sounded so easy and so yummy! I am pretty sure that it is not Weight Watchers approved. However, I tried to keep it as low fat as possible :) It was well worth the extra points!

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream 1 can cream of chicken soup

2-3 chicken breast, cooked and cut into cubes

1-2 sleeves of ritz crackers

1/2 stick butter, melted

Directions:

1. Cut up chicken and place in a 9 by 13 pan (spray with pam)

2. Combine cheese, sour cream and soup. Stir until mixed well. Pour over chicken.

3. Crumble up the ritz crackers and spread over top of casserole

4. Melt butter and pour over crackers

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes covered at 350 degrees - then uncover for about 5-10 minutes

6. Serve over rice.

*Instead of rice I cut up fresh grean beans and onions and sauteed them!

Here is my finished product! It was a hit and everyone loved it!

Disney Recap- April 2011

We had another great weekend in Disney with Ethan's Mom, Dad, and sister Shannon! We think that it is our final trip to Disney World before we make our move to Kentucky(which is 98 days away!) and we wanted to make the most out of it! Ethan's mom is the principle of a middle school in our area and her vice principle loves Disney about as much as we do. She is a Disney Vacation club member and used her member points to book us a room at Disney's Boardwalk Resort! It was wonderful! It was a 1 bedroom with a living room and kitchen! We were also right by one of the pools! It was so sweet of her gift of the weekend stay! On Friday afternoon we spend time on the Boardwalk which has some neat shops and restaurants. The sweets shop was my favorite :) After dinner Ethan, Shannon, and I walked around the boardwalk enjoying the beautiful weather! It really was perfect weather. The entire weekend. On Saturday we went to Epcot. It was walking distance from our resort which was so nice! After several hours in the park we headed back to the resort for some R&R. I took a little nap and then we headed to the pool for a little while! After dinner we headed into the Magic Kingdom for a few hours! On Sunday we slept in a little bit and then went to Animal Kingdom! Once again the weather was perfect! We rode a few rides and at a super yummy lunch at a place in Africa! We did and saw a few more things and then headed home! It was a great weekend and I am glad that we got to go one last time before our move!

Epcot

Ethan and I after riding Test Track in Epcot! Hanging out in Norway at Epcot!

My new friends that I met while laying by the pool!Ethan saw this hat while we were in Animal Kingdom so him and his dad got one! I think he looks cute :)