Natalie & Ryan: Back to School

The past few days at home have included all three of the crazy Goodrich's. While I hate the circumstances surrounding why, it's been really nice to have Ryan home with me. We get to play with Lilly all day, and I get to take care of him and make him food. Today, I made his favorite, 40 Mile Stew. It's a Goodrich family recipe that I was afraid to try for the first time after getting married. It's supposed to be cooked in a Dutch oven, but I only had a crock pot, so that's what I used. After serving it to Ry's family, they were literally shocked that I had success with the crock pot. In fact, I remember being the talk of the family for a while because of it. Haha! I've since perfected my technique, and enjoy making this meal for Ryan whenever I want to really make him happy. I did, however, find that it doesn't make him so happy when you tell him dinner won't be ready until late. I spent a long time getting the veggies and meat cooked, plugged in the crock pot, and turned it on high, only to come back a few hours later to find that the plug had come loose from the wall and had turned off the crock pot. I seriously hate how loose the outlets are in this place. Nothing stays put!! Luckily I discovered it in time, and dinner wasn't a total loss. I wish you could smell how amazing my house smells. They need to make air fresheners that smell like 40 Mile Stew.

While the house filled with delicious aromas of onions and meat, I tidied up the house for a visit from Grandma DD (my mom's mom). She hasn't seen Lilly since August, so this visit was LONG over-due. Lilly, of course, was super shy, but she didn't cry. She just flirted. She would tip her head down and look up at grandma from under her eyelashes. It was adorable. After her visit, Ryan had to leave for school. He's had the past two weeks off, so when he had to leave, I was super bummed. Dinner was still cooking, so that meant a late dinner for us. While he was gone, I reorganized the living room. I find that I clean better when I watch Disney movies. So we watched "The Princess and the Frog." I always enjoy picking up Lilly and dancing during the big song scene. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. Except, this time the curtains in the living room where open, so the whole world could see us getting our groove on.

All it is, is potatoes, grated carrots, onion, ground beef, and breakfast sausage links. The meats all get cooked before-hand. Just let it cook all day, and the veggies absorb the meat juices. Once ready to serve, add in a ton of cheddar cheese. It sounds strange, but it's WAY good. I'm probably going to get yelled at by Ryan's family for this, but I like to add Ranch to mine.