What a Great Weekend

Sorry its been so long since I last blogged. Time has just flown by and I didnt realize it had been that long. So sorry to all of my readers.

What a great weekend. What can I say. After a long work and home week I set out Friday Night for a night out with some of the girls. It was a much needed night out and we all had a blast. Then Saturday we set out for our first motorcycle ride for 2009. Who would have thought in the first week of February that we could be toodling around town on the bike! It was a little cold but Matt and I were all decked out in our boots, chaps, jackets, hats, gloves. So our faces got a little cold but that was about it. I have definitly road on colders summer nights. So after the long awaited bike ride we headed to Granite City to start off our "Date Night".

I just love this place. If you have not been there yet you must make a date for it. Their microbrew is the best. I love the Brothers Bock (Who would have thought I would like dark beer) and Matt likes the Two Pull. Matt had the Chicken Alfredo and I had the Chicago Style Italian Beef. Both were awesome. Oh and then we shared the Big Cookie. Yumm-O!

So after a delish dinner we headed to the movie theater to cash in on some gift certificates we received for Christmas. Matt's pick was Paul Blart Mall Cop and it was HILARIOUS. I am so glad we saw it. I laughed so hard.
Then we headed back home to watch a movie we had rented and we did not get passed the intro. We were both fast asleep probably by 10pm. At least we were able to take advantage of a good nights sleep.
Lastly I have to share the recipe for the Cheeseburger Soup that we had for dinner. This was a new recipe I tried and it ROCKS!

Ingredients
cooking spray or 1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium celery rib, chopped
1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth, divided
1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
8 ounces kraft Velveeta reduced fat cheese product, cubed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
24 baked corn tortilla chips, crumbled
Directions
1) Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds.
2) Add garlic, onion and celery to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3) Coat a 3-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray; spoon in vegetables.
4) Place same skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes; pour off any liquid and add meat to slow cooker.
5) In a small cup, combine flour and 1/2 cup of broth; stir until lump-free.
6) Pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth.
7) Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, and then pour into slow cooker; stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper.
8) Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 2 hours.
9) Serve soup topped with crumbled chips.
10) Yields about 3/4 cup of soup and 3 tablespoons of chips per serving.
11) Note: If the soup cooks too long, the cheese could separate.
12) If that happens, combine 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup of soup in a cup; stir to a paste.
13) Stir flour mixture back into soup in slow cooker; cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 15 minutes

ENJOY and have a great week!