Some pictures and a couple of recipes

There's not really much to update tonight, but you know me...this will still end up being long. Someone I love dearly recently said to me of my blog, "You write well but you write A LOT." What can I say? :)

I have not been giving Benjamin formula, just nursing him for longer periods of time. He is already gaining more weight. I have the baby scale until Tuesday. He's already gained about five ounces in five days, so I'd say he's doing fine. :)

Tomorrow is my younger brother's birthday so we're all going out to eat. Should be fun. And yummy.

Speaking of yummy, Thanksgiving is Thursday!! I have two delicious and fattening recipes for you. You only *think* your green bean casserole is good. Try this one. The sausage balls recipe I use more at Christmas, but it's the season!

Not Your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole (I made up that title b/c it's a lot different. I actually found it in a random Ingles' grocery ad in 2003 and have cooked it every Thanksgiving and Christmas ever since!)

4 cans green beans, drained very well (I prefer Del Monte French Style, but you could use the cut ones, too.)
1 cup shredded parmesan (Not grated, but shredded)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cans French Fried Onions (You can just use one, but let's be honest: this is the best part of g.b. casserole!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine soup, sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Fold in green beans (uncooked). Stir in one can of French Fried onions if you prefer to use lots. Then top the rest with the other can. (Or if you're just using one can, top it with that one.) Cover with foil in a 9x13 dish and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until warm.

This recipe is actually doubled but fills a regular-sized baking dish just fine. If you're only cooking for a few people, you could probably half it. This is the only dish I was personally responsible for this year at Thanksgiving, and we had nine people. I made one on Thanksgiving and then made one the next day to eat with the leftovers. (It's so easy to assemble that I just made it fresh the next day; I don't think it would be great to make ahead of time b/c of the onions.) :) Warning: This dish is cheesy and fattening and creamy and delicious.

Sausage Balls (I know that at least down South everyone makes sausage balls and though I love them, most people's I've had are too hard and dry and the pieces of sausage are too big. I found this recipe a few years ago and it's much better than the standard one I used to use. I think it's the added water and that the sausage is broken up really small. Oh, and I don't overcook them.)

1 lb. sausage
3 cups Bisquick
4 cups shredded cheese
3/4 cup water

Brown sausage; drain and cool. Combine all ingredients. Roll into small balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 11 minutes. Reheat at 350 for 20 minutes.

The key to getting these perfect is three things:

1. Break the sausage up super tiny after you cook it. We're talking itty bitty pieces here. I actually cook it normally and then after I drain it I put it in a big bowl and add my Bisquick. Then I spend forever with my hands in the sausage and Bisquick, breaking up the sausage into miniscule little pieces before adding the cheese and then the water.

2. Add all the ingredients and then the water. It should roll together well. If it's too sticky, add a little more Bisquick. If it won't roll, add some more water. The consistency has to be right.

3. Don't cook them too long!!! Things tend to harden when they're on the cooling rack. The sausage is already cooked, so you're not going to get sick if you take them out when they're not quite done and then they finish cooking on the rack.

PICTURE TIME!!! Sorry some of these first ones are grainy and blurry b/c they're pictures of pictures.

My parents' family Christmas card this year. Matthew and I are on the left. Andrew and Benjamin are pretty easy to spot. My younger brother Justin is standing in the back, and my older brother Michael and his wife Edie are on the right. Edie's daughters are Abbie (blue) and Ashlyn (gray). Davis is in front of Edie. Oh, and Michael and Edie's unborn baby is in utero. :) They find out the sex of the baby on December 3rd!!!



Ummm.....my siblings and me. This was Justin's idea. LOL They had all kinds of props in the room. He said, "You on the pony, Michael with the corn, and me coming out of the chimney." Hilarious!!!!!!!



My precious boys



The Amick family 2008

Today at church, Andrew's teacher said he didn't have any diapers in his bag so she had to use a Care Bears pull-up. There actually were three diapers in there, but she must've only looked in one of the pockets. But that's okay. It was worth the photo op. I have added it to my blackmail file.

My mom and me goofing off at the portrait place. I took this with her camera. It weighs about thirty pounds, so it was hard to get a good shot. :)

Andrew going in to give Uncle Justin a kiss.

Andrew eating with my family at Tres Amigos after the pictures. Matthew, Benjamin, and I went home. It's just easier not to go out to eat with a baby. Plus, it was nice and quiet at home with Andrew gone for awhile. This was actually on the day of our eight-year wedding anniversary (last Wednesday) so after both boys went to bed, Matthew went out and got us take out from Tres Amigos. Yummm....

I love this picture!!!

Sweet baby

These were taken back in October when we were at Vanderbilt.

This is Andrew and his horse Brownie in my mom's kitchen.

Bathtime at Namma's

Yampa's birthday ice cream

Blackmail photo #2 of this post. Angry tub demon

Entertaining a toddler is easy. You just need a laundry basket and some stuffed animals.

Here is Andrew in his Santa hat yesterday.

Woah. Blackmail for Matthew. Scary Daddy Santa

Matthew and Andrew hanging out at (and on) the table.

This last picture is of Andrew dancing during the movie "Polar Express." He is dancing to the song "Hot Chocolate." We have been listening to this soundtrack for several weeks and finally got out the movie. He really likes it. It is at our IMAX 3-D theater and I think we're going to go next week!! He will be so entranced! I think he's airborne in this picture!!!