spring break

Last week was our spring break (thank goodness--I really needed a break!). We actually got an early start because Thomas had a conference to go to the Thursday and Friday before break started, and at the last minute I decided to go with him. It was in Omaha, which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from here. We didn't do anything too exciting while we were there--mostly just watched movies in our sweet hotel room, went swimming in the pool, and went out for a couple nice dinners. And, of course, Thomas had his paper presentation (over the ever exciting History of Leo the Deacon), which went very well! It was a very relaxing start to the week.




We were home for just a few days (a few frantic, homework-intensive days) before we set off on another road trip, this time to Chicago. While there, we stayed with Kris and Rachael, Thomas's friends from Tulane. The main reason for the trip was so that Thomas could check out the University of Chicago, which is one of the schools he's looking at for his PhD. It's a very pretty school and he had a chance to talk to some people in the history department, which was good. Who knows if we'll end up there, though--he's looking at a lot of schools, and the competition is pretty tough. Other than that, we didn't do much in Chicago itself, both because it was pretty cold and because it was the weekend before St. Patrick's Day so it was kind of crazy. Instead, we hung out and talked with friends, played games, and took a tour of the Jelly Belly factory that's near Kris and Rachael's suburb (and in Wisconsin, which added another state to the list of those I've visited). We drove back on Sunday and then had to scramble to finish getting ready for the week. We are now yet again bogged down with homework, papers, grading, and lesson plans...How long til summer??

potato soup

My mom gave me a cook book when we got married that has a recipe for pretty much the best potato soup I've ever had! I made it again last night and thought I would share the recipe.

Ingredients:
6 bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes (I usually actually put more than this)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 small carrot, diced (again, I usually put more like 4 or 5)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
3 cups milk
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed

Cook bacon until crisp; drain. In a large saucepan, combine bacon, potatoes, broth, carrots, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.

This should easily feed 4 or more people. . .We always get stuffed and still have plenty of leftovers.

new blog

We decided to start a blog, so here we go! We intend to use it to keep our friends and family up-to-date on our lives and maybe share some good books/movies/recipes along the way! Happy reading!