Honey Chicken Magic

I recently found a gem in the blog realm:

http://fun-with-sharps.blogspot.com/2012/10/well-you-cant-say-i-never-cook.html?m=1

I am so impressed by these recipes that I couldn't find one I didn't want to try!!

Tonight I tried Honey Chicken. The recipe is a little large so I only cut it by a third. I found a website that you can calculate recipes if you want less or more!

The recipe:

The beginning:

The middle:

I added water when it was done because I had to wait to eat it and didn't want it to get too dry.

The end result:

I made red potatoes and broccoli! For the potatoes I dropped the rack as low as I could and preheated the oven to 450 degrees. While it's preheating cut then up and mix with a 1/4c oil and desired seasoning. Place the potatoes face down on a cookie sheet (I put tin foil down first).

After 10 min I put the broccoli in (it was prepared similar to the potatoes)!

Here it is:

With this wonderful meal we ended it with a bowl of ice cream and now have two days+ Of leftovers!!!

I consider this another win for the cookbook :) Rico enjoyed it too; he was proud of me!!

Happy Valentines! How I get to celebrate <3

I'd like to take a moment and just share my experience with Valentines. You can go back in history and view it as a historical holiday or you can think it's a retail holiday but I was raised differently. My family had a candlelit steak dinner every year (until we decided eating in the dark wasn't worth the ambiance). My mom would give us a small box of chocolates and we would share quality time with each other. I've decided that it's a holiday to be celebrated! With coffee...

And I embraced it today at work and decked myself in hearts:

You can't see them but I have heart earrings on too :)

After Rico and I have celebrated the cliche way with flowers, the movie Valentines Day, gifts, chocolate covered strawberries, we chose to stay in and make a meal. Rico's favorite meal is meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and baked broccoli. I made it and for the first time everything was ready at the same time!!! Here is how it turned out:

I seasoned the potatoes and broccoli with our usual spices, lawry salt and garlic powder. I added sour cream and butter to taste to the potatoes! Here is the recipe:

February 13: Spaghetti

I have decided that it is time to start a food diary so that I can help anyone who is newly married and needs ideas or helpful tips on cooking beautiful healthy (semi-healthy) meals for most nights.

Tonight we didn't have a lot of time to prepare our meal so Spaghetti was our best option. BEST SPAGHETTI NIGHT EVER!!!

Every time we make spaghetti it gets monotonous and boring. Well tonight was different. We were introduced to brown rice pasta and I wanted to try it out.

We used:

1 lb of Ground Turkey

1 jar of Traditional Prego (added: Ketchup, Heinz 57, lemon juice, pinch of sugar, Frank's hot sauce)

1/4 C Green Pepper (diced)

1/4 C Onion (diced)

1/4 C Red Pepper (diced)

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Lawry's Seasoning

Brown Rice Spaghetti (the amount is up to you)

1 Package/Can Corn

It took us 30 min. and we ate it in 5 :)

This recipe is great because it makes leftovers for both lunches the next day.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya!

Hi all,

My apologies for not writing sooner!

I have my coffee in one hand and my Euro playlist soothing me into writing!  It's a great way to start a morning, ps (or rather continue a great morning)!

I will start with Rico's update.  He was done working last Saturday which was a nice surprise! He was told that night that he needed to be ready to leave the next day to go to a different base for a couple of days.  Which meant he was leaving a day earlier!  It has been pretty wild with how many times they changed his itinerary! He is currently in the air on a 17hr flight to South Dakota.  Tomorrow morning I will reunite with my wonderful husband! :) I am so excited but you might not be able to tell because I've been holding it in so that when I see him I just burst! :) His trip has been an interesting experience for him and it's made him realize that his term will be the last no matter what the re-enlisting bonus may be! He misses home too much for the money to be worth it.  By the end of the deployment he was working 12 hr to 14hr days so they didn't have to come in on their day off.  Not anyone's cup of tea!

I am so impressed with him for withstanding so much that he really didn't to put up with.  He has a strong personality so it wasn't that hard :) He is my hero for being away from home for so long and not going crazy!  When he gets home we have a sweet few weeks before life gets a little crazy! Who has two thumbs and is excited for a second honeymoon? This girl! :)

That's a tid bit of what's going on with him :)

An update with me?

Why yes, there is a lot going on in Mrs. Roddy's life (I will probably love that until the day I die) (Ok the excitement that my name changed might fade but I'm enjoying every bit of it!).  I have been praying for a full time job since before Rico left.  I knew I had to be supporting us when he goes back to school for his last year!  There have been a lot of interviews but only one seemed like a clear answer!  I am sad to leave my current job at the wonderful Gap but I know what I have to do for my family.  I will be starting as a team leader at a SuperTarget in a little less than a month!  Rico is so funny.  I've been worrying about having to get a job that I hate but once I got this position he said, "See what did I tell you, I knew you'd get a job you'd actually want!" What a sweetheart :)

I am so excited to finally start my life with my new husband!  It has been a long 6 months and anyone who knows me knows it hasn't been an easy 6 months.  I have been surprised that I haven't sat and watched Over the Hedge! (Whenever my roommates and I had a bad time with boys we would watch this to feel better!)  There really is no remedy like hammy the squirrel!  I think a big part of what got me through other than the Jesus is my support system.  You know who you are! You've been available whenever I'm sad or mad or excited about something like a new job!  I've appreciated it more than  you know! Or when we went to JB's movie on his birthday! Or going out for dinner/coffee/dessert wherever and whenever!

I do want to take a moment (not to have a pitty party!) to encourage those who are in a relationship/almost engaged/engaged/newly married/married for a long time!  Things to cherish with a special someone:
1. Valentine's Day
2. Weddings (whether your lady or man is in them or not!)
3. Graduating college
4. Getting a promotion
5. Coming home after a vacation with your sister
6. 4th of July fireworks
7. His and her birthdays
8. Experiencing a whole new world (Europe or Dubai!)
9. New job!
10. MY last spring banquet
11. Miss Robbinsdale Coronation (His sister/my sister-in-law won!)

I have enjoyed my time with family and friends while he's been gone but I've definitely missed him more than anyone could imagine.  Experience is one thing but when you have someone to share in the special moments never take it for granted! It's a great feeling to be able to talk to them through Skype about any great time but in person is better.  I have learned a new meaning for the word cherish.  I will cherish my husband more than I had originally anticipated!

Always remember that you can get through anything if you've spent any length of time apart! Long-distance forces one to communicate more than if you were in person.  I thank God for this time to get closer to him and realize my role asa a wife.  I am called to take care of my husband but to also be independent within my marriage.  It forces me to find out what I like and to know my true identity in Christ rather than looking for everything in my husband. I've learned that God has his own place in my heart and Rico can't fill that.

Needless to say, I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE MY HUSBAND BACK!!!!

I am proud to say that my first deployment as a reservists wife is reaching an end and if any new wives of the military need any encouragement, I'm here!  I hope that my experience will help a lot of people know they can get through a deployment with strength and endurance!  I have a lot of respect for those families who have sacrificed their family time with their husbands or wives because of active duty and longer deployments.  I can't imagine going a year without Rico.

Thank you all for your support!  It hasn't gone unnoticed :)

3 years of bliss

So today is my husband and I's anniversary of dating.  I know that is a little silly but we like to find any reason to celebrate our life together.  We started dating June 6, 2008.  Everyone that knows us can tell you that it hasn't been all bliss with all of the long distance but I wouldn't change any of it for the world.  We have been able to work through some really tough things after being apart for months at a time.  It has made us stronger and I'm so thankful for that! God knows how long I can be away from Rico and he won't make it any longer!

At the mini golf course :)

Our first date we went to Benihana's and had one of the best meals I have ever had.  We will be celebrating my birthday this year there and I'm so excited!  Our first year anniversary we went to Tum Rup Thai for lunch and ended the evening at a body building contest with his dad and fiance.  And our 2nd we went to a mini golf and go-kart place in Coon Rapids then ended with my brother and sister in law at Macaroni Grille.  We have had many memorable dates and I'm so thankful that we have similar tastes so we can always find a place to celebrate.  Another part that's really fun is that we have incorporated family into almost all of our anniversaries (even though it hasn't been that many.  This year we will have a wonderful Skype date and our gift to ourselves is a headboard set that we have been talking about for a while and ending it by going to the movie bridesmaid by myself :) Honestly no hard feelings because movies by yourself can be fun sometimes! :)  I know Rico would LOVE to see bridesmaids with me (JOKE) so he will be with me in spirit! :)

I love y husband with all my heart and I long for his return.  I'm thinking about you and praying for you baby! Next month I get to hug you and see you in person! I'm so so excited! Thank you Jesus for a fast 2 months!

So Rico has been playing video games to pass the time.  He has been able to bond with some of the guys which has been really good for him! I'm still on the look out for a job but am still making some money in the mean time!  We're both so excited for his return! Keep us in your prayers!

So...I graduated and become an auntie all in one weekend!

Day 114/174

Well I graduated from Northwestern College with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing.  I'm very proud of my accomplishments as is my support system :) Especially my wonderful husband who sent me flowers and chocolate with a really sweet note :)

I'm so thankful for him and my family and friends.  Also, I'm so proud of all my fellow graduates this year!

I had an eventful weekend! My sister-in-law and brother had their baby on Friday morning.  Adeline Rose Plantage is a perfect little baby girl who knows she's loved because their are always arms to hold her.  She is content and cries very little; I know that might not always be the case but it was nice for the weekend.  

My family (mom, dad, sister, and grandparents) were able to come up and stay with me in our little apartment :) It was so sweet and we had such a great weekend!

I am now a college graduate who has employment looking for more permanent work.  I have a few possibilities but I'll be in prayer until God feels fit to open up some doors! 

An update on Rico: 

He just finished a week where he had to work over night and the last half normal days.  It was hard for his body but they got a lot done that they needed to be done.  Now he is back to his normal schedule.  He desperately wants to come home.  This last weekend was really hard for him because there were so many things happening.  The good thing is that we're almost to 2 months left.  It's hard to imagine it coming up but I'm praying that it goes by faster than slower! It seems to be going slow for Rico because it's getting more and more slow.  Pray for more work orders for him!

Keep us in our prayers as we will keep you in ours.  Thank you for all your support!  We love and appreciate all the love! :)

Over the halfway mark!

Day 100/174 about 10 weeks left!

So I want to apologize for not writing in almost a month! SO much has happened!

We had a baby shower for my beautiful sister-in-law, Easter with half of the in-laws, senior business banquet, a personal shower for one of my best friends and final presentations! So, so busy but happy to get everything done. Everything went well so what a relief!

So I only have a few pictures from the two events: business banquet and the shower :)

I just had a job interview with an insurance company that could be the start of a great career! I'm really praying that God gives us what we need and wants if it is His will! I am trying to find a good full time job so that I will be able to support us while Rico finishes his last year at Northwestern!

Rico is doing well, the news about Osama is great but hasn't affected Rico so we need to keep him and everyone overseas in our prayers!  He is still doing well but it is still boring.  I am happy that there isn't much actions but sad for him that it makes the time go by slower.  He recently started helping one of his new friends with working out.  He takes after his dad in that way.  It is really sweet to see him doing what he's passionate about.

He has been receiving packages from the pre-schoolers/kindergartners which is really sweet!  It's precious to see the little ones sending a troop their gifts they have some sweet questions for him too, next post I will include them!