What's for Dinner? Chicken Soup

There's nothing like a bowl of homemade chicken soup on a cold rainy day!

I add celery, carrots, onions, a handful or two of rice and a squeeze of lime just before serving. For the grownups a couple of dashes of hot sauce kicks it up a notch. Nothing like some Tapatio to clear out any stuffy noses!

Sometimes I change out the rice for cubed potatoes (baby reds, or Yukon golds.)

Photography: Vintage Chicken

This picture was also taken during EJ's recent school field trip. I couldn't resist the "retro-ness" of this toy. I love the aged patina!

And here's a little tweaking I did in Photoshop just for fun

Photography: Crayons

This picture was taken during a recent field trip at EJ's school that I was able to tag along on chaperone. I was only able to take one shot before the teacher came around collecting the crayons and such. Lucky for me this shot turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. Even luckier, the focus was spot on and you can actually read the crayon names. I love the colors of the table and all it's nicks and scratches.

Fall table setting

I found this set of 4 orange spice chargers at Target some time last month. They were $5 on clearance. I thought they would add the perfect punch of fall color to the table. I love the way they dress up my table and since they are acrylic my kids won't be breaking these!

I just realized I need to swap out my Halloween black candles for some orange ones for fall {oops.} Just in case you're wondering... I do leave the table set like this all day long {most days} we just move the dishes out of the way when we sit down to eat {yes 3 times a day} and put them back as soon as we're done! It may seem a little tedious but it makes the room look so nice. Thankfully Mr. PD has a lot of patience {I think he's getting tired of me playing "dress up" with the table!} he just looks at me and says something like "You sure like playing with your ____" Fill in the blank with your choice of: dishes, room, decor, etc. etc.

What's for Dinner? Cheese Steak Pizza

Make this Philly Cheese Steak inspired Pizza you will need the following ingredients:

• Left over roast beef thinly sliced or Deli roast beef chopped
• White onions
• Bell Pepper (optional)
  
• Shredded cheese (American, Provolone, or Mozzarella, I used an "Italian blend")
• Baby Portabella mushrooms (optional)
• Pizza Sauce (optional, I didn't use any)

Saute your onions peppers and mushrooms in oil until veggies are mostly cooked. Spread veggies and beef on your pizza dough, top with cheese, and bake as directed as per the pizza crust directions. Enjoy!