And Then There Were Three...

That's right!  The Kendi Haus is expecting!  We are so excited to be welcoming our first little one this summer.  Stay tuned for all the drama of our journey, starting from day 1!

Cheers!

Lent 2014

It's Ash Wednesday!  For all the Catholics out there, this means the first day of Lent.  You've had your packzis and now you are ready to go through 40 days of some sort of fast.  This year, Kevin had a great idea.  He heard that the new pope was trying to encourage more charity.  He then read about this man that gave up his six figure a year job and downsized to a one bedroom apartment and is happier than ever.  Kevin put both of those things together to come up with our goal for Lent 2014.  We are going to donate one item from each of us every day.  This helps us in two ways: we get rid of things we've hoarding (cuz really, two people don't need this much stuff), making our lives easier and we give to those who need.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate Lent.  I'm so proud of Kevin for coming up with it.  

To make it more like a fast, which should be difficult, we are also doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Fast.  This basically means that we buy food and gas and that's it, unless we absolutely need it.  So, no more eating out for us, no more shopping for me.  THIS is probably going to be the hardest Lent I have ever done, but I think it will be the most rewarding.  getting healthy physically and financially will help us get healthy mentally and emotionally too.  

We didn't really plan for starting today, which was our bad.   We got off to a rough start, both of us needing breakfast since we had cleaned out our supply at home.  I think we will be better prepared next week.

Wish us luck and I'll keep you posted!

Cheers!

Dear FedEx,

I hate you.  Once again you have managed to screw over my schedule.  When someone pays for overnight shipping, which is a service you provide and charge for, they mean they want the package there the next day.  Not two days or three days, the NEXT day.  If you can't get a package from California to Florida in a night, then don't charge people for that service.  I get that things are tricky with weather and holidays and all, but California and Florida are pretty sunny right now and I don't think that you have to go through problematic snow in order to get to Port St Lucie.  And there is no holiday.

You failed.  Again.  And it's only a $10,000 sample.  Again.  

I'm sure you will get the package here, I have no doubt about that.  I'm not sure it will be worth anything once I start processing it in the lab.  And the person who gave up their time and went through a not-so-pleasant procedure in the name of science also appreciates that you sat on their sample for two days, thus rendering it with the possibility of being useless for our project. 

Oh, and because of your inability to get the package here when you agreed to, I have to cancel being a judge in the school science fair.  Something that I was looking forward to for months.  Something that was incredibly important to me.  This country already has no appreciation for science and technology.  I think it's important to nurture the next generation if they show an interest in those things.  So thanks for that too.  Ripple effects are a bitch, huh?

You suck.

That's all. 

Mandi



(In case it wasn't clear, I am very upset over how my day is going.  The sample, while important, is not what has me almost in tears.  It is missing out on the science fair that has broken my heart.  I hate not being able to follow through with a promise.  FedEx has turned me into a liar and I have put the school district in a bind.  Plus, I will not be able to show the kids how cool science can be.  Encouraging the next generation of American scientists has been a goal of mine for years, and now I have missed a direct opportunity to do that.  I will not be using FedEx for any of my shipping needs in the future and will encourage others to do the same.)  

December in Florida

So, this was our December.  How was yours?  :-P

Cheers!

Kendi's Kitchen: Crock Pot Potato Soup

I tried a crock pot potato soup recipe I found on pinterest once before.  It did not go well.  It actually killed my stick blender, well, Kevin's stick blender.  So when my BFF, Kimmy, posted a picture of the soup she had just made on IG, I immediately sent her a message asking for the recipe.  She sent it to me and I set out making it for dinner Sunday night.  It. was. FABULOUS!  Just like the kind you buy in the restaurant.  And it was super easy.  Be warned, it's not healthy.  But its nice comfort food.  Now if I can just make a bread bowl...


Crock Pot Potato Soup (original recipe here)

1 bag frozen hash browns (30oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth (I use the powdered bouillon)
1 diced onion
1 pkg softened cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 tbsp of pepper 

Optional:  green onions, bacon, shredded cheese

In your crock pot, mix cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, onion, pepper and hash browns (use the whole bag!).  Cook on low for 5hrs.  

Here's what I used.  I'm a "no-name brand" girl

It should look like this when you start to cook

After 5hrs, stir in the whole block of cream cheese.  Stir it enough to see it melt pretty well.  Continue cooking on low for another 30 minutes.  Here's a Kendi tip: I only added the equivelent of one can of broth for the 5 hrs by mistake, so I had to quickly add the second.  Since it was bowling hot when I poured it in, I think it helped melt the cream cheese and really make the consistency what you see in the picture.  I will probably keep making it that way.

It should look like this when you are finished cooking.  Nice and creamy!

Now, you can eat it just like this, which is very good.  Or you can get restaurant fancy with green onions, shredded cheese and bacon and make it "loaded baked potato soup".  :-D

Mmmm...fancy...

Cheers!

Stats:
Time: 6 hrs
Cost:  around $7
Servings:  4+
Leftovers:  yes

Meanwhile, in the Kendi Haus...

Yeah.  Cones of shame.  Freeman is the one with the infected butt, but since I know Chester won't leave his butt alone, he gets a cone too.  Can't have one feeling special and not the other one.  :)

National Pie Day 2014

I learned about National Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day) last January and threw together a pie baking contest with my co-workers. The prize for the best pie was a diet book that we were going to sell in a garage sale. When we moved to Florida I thought it would be a great idea to continue the tradition with my new co-workers. This year we had prizes in 5 categories: Best Dessert Pie, Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, Most Visually Appealing Pie, and Pie of the Year. While we only had 4 official contestants (store-bought pies were ineligible), my co-workers didn't disappoint. I found an apple pie recipe on the Food Network website. I was going to make Alton Brown's apple pie, but it was a little complicated and required to many ingredients that we didn't have on-hand. Ning brought in an Oreo ice cream pie, Ronald made a shepherd's pie, and Jennifer made a sweet potato casserole in pie form. Elias planned to make a pizza, but he ran out of time Wednesday night. Ronald's shepherd's pie was the clear winner of the day taking home the Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, and Pie of the Year awards. I'll admit, the healthy pie award was a bit of a stretch, but the shepherd's pie was the closest thing we had to healthy. I took home the Most Visually Appealing Pie and Ning won the Best Dessert Pie. The prizes this year were pie servers.

All the ingredients assembled.

Fresh out of the oven.

All of the pies assembled for the tasting.

The prizes.

The aftermath.