on current food satisfaction

So I'm finding foods that I'm really enjoying that are in line with my food allergies!  And in the interest of being positive about the 9 million things I can't eat, and in the off-chance someone stumbles on this blog that also has food allergies or chooses not to eat dairy, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, peanuts, almonds, potatoes, or onions, here are a few things I'm loving these days...

This recipe that made AWESOME blueberry muffins that didn't taste the slightest bit vegan!  I've found that searching for Vegan recipes is the most useful... I'm certainly not vegan, but those recipes tend to follow most of my allergy guidelines.  Paleo recipes, on the other hand, have way too much meat and eggs for me to try and modify to suit me. So these muffins... seriously delicious.  I chose to use unsweetened applesauce instead of a banana and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil as well as soy milk instead of almond. They turned out great!  I mean, they did have an average amount of sugar in them.  I didn't say they were healthy.

I'm totally addicted to these microwavable bowls from Sprouts.  They have a decent amount of protein and hardly any sugar.  Literally the best microwavable food I've ever had and I am so picky about that stuff!  

Protein is what I struggle to get.  I have been eating the most unusual amount of beans and lentils lately.  Like, daily.  In my pantry at all times are: black beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas, lentils, baked beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, & refried beans.  And I eat at least one of those everyday.  And yes, I hear a sufficient amount of bean jokes from Karl. I eat fish and red meat probably 2-3 times a week and no meat at all anywhere from 1 day a week to 4... depending on how much I hate fish and beef that week.

Breakfast has been a big adjustment because I have to have, wait for it, PROTEIN in the mornings.  Nixing eggs, bacon, & sausage has been rough. So last week I bought meatless bacon.  Gross, right??  It's actually not that disgusting.  It certainly doesn't taste like bacon but I'm not exactly sure what it tastes like?  Regardless, it's fuel and the protein I need to keep me from feeling like I'm going to pass out in between meals.  Also helping? Sunflower butter.  Since peanut butter and the good protein it packs is off the table, I bought some sunflower butter and it's pretty tasty!  I actually think I like the more mild taste than peanut butter.  

I've found a few great quinoa recipes that I have been able to eat-on all week once I've made them during the weekend (like this one) and I bought basically everything at Sprouts that was Hannah allergy approved so I didn't feel empty-pantry-defeated.  Hopefully I don't die of heart disease because of red meat overdose and also I don't gain a million pounds because of all the carboloading that's happening at this house.  I literally have every type of rice and pasta known to man in the pantry right now.

On the menu for this week: lime marinated mahi mahi, my favorite salmon ever, tikka masala, vegan lasagna, and avocado chickpea salad

I'm hoping by posting recipes and sharing more online, I'm slightly more accountable for making good food choices?  I don't know... maybe not.  We'll see.  

Happy cooking and congrats on making it thru the most dry post in the history of DL!

Hannah K.C. Burton

our pictureless lately

We have had such a fun past couple of months!  I went from the most bored housewife in the history of housewifery {that's a word, y'all} to actually having things to do and people to do them with.  Karl and I met the most wonderful couple here thru Karl's work/squadron softball team and we have been seeing a lot of them lately!  I'm praising God for friendship and fellowship!  In other news, we also just got back from an awesome long weekend in Colorado with my parents and Gammy which deserves a whole big long post full of pictures as does my girls weekend in Kansas City and 48 hours at home... all of which happened right before Colorado!

In food allergy news... I have totally given up trying to eliminate all my trigger foods from my diet... until I had a come to Jesus doctors appointment yesterday.  My gastroenterologist told me that my esophagus is as fragile as crepe paper.  Awesome.  This is a problem because if I continue to eat what I want, my esophagus will only get worse and will only get smaller and more tight which will lead to a need to have it dilated which is a major problem for fragile tissue.  So I came home and made an appointment with a registered dietician.  And spent lots of money at Sprouts on things like meatless bacon and sunflower butter.  Woof.  Karl is helping me research food allergies, testing, and EE and figure out how we can really change our diets and lifestyles to accommodate this, which is so helpful and makes me feel a lot less overwhelmed than I have been.  However, I can't continue to cheat and blow this off.  So, here goes my second attempt, and if this is anything like trying to stop cracking my knuckles or stop smoking {which I hear is hard} than this will likely not be my last attempt.

In future news... Karl is on the job hunt in Arlington and we look at real estate literally everyday.  We.are.so.excited.  We spend a lot of time dreaming about weekend trips to Oklahoma, Karl hunting, time in Little Rock and Fayetteville with best friends, babysitting nephews & niece & cousins, helping my parents with DIY projects, road trips that are more than 6 hours away {Air Force restriction}, Karl finishing school... the list goes on.  We know it won't all be rainbows and butterflies and there are a few really awesome perks that we'll miss about the Air Force but we cannot wait for a new adventure {have I said this before??}  We will both be going home in 4 short weeks for Baby Finn's birth and for Karl to have some interviews- it is so crazy to me that we are already planning the logistics of our move and the next year!!  I'm going to attempt to post more frequently, I really want to document this time in our lives well so I don't forget the little details!  

Sincerely,

Meatless Hannah K.C. Burton

Health Probz pt 2

So I'm back with an update to all my mysterious stomach probz.  I had an upper scope... also known as a esophagogastroduodenoscopy.  Say that three times fast.  The result was a diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, or EE.  The gist of it is that I have allergies to foods which trigger acid reflux which causes scarring on my esophagus which in turn makes my esophagus small and causes food to get stuck.  Allergies=eosinophilia cells.  Those shouldn't be in your throat.  Having those in your throat=more of the tiny throat rings.  So really these bad foods are creating this perfect storm/horrible cycle.  More on EE here.

I am SO GLAD to have an answer!!  My gastroenterologist thinks I've had this condition for years, definitely since my stomach pain started in junior high.  EE has only been commonly diagnosed and known about for the past 5 years so it would have been difficult to diagnose when I was younger.  As for the food allergies, I had a dairy allergy as a baby that my parents assumed I outgrew as my symptoms disappeared (skin hives, swollen lips).  My allergist thinks those allergies never went away, rather they just changed how they manifested, now causing reflux instead of hives.

Again, I am SO SO THANKFUL and praising God for these answers!!  I have a close friend with unique health problems too and we talked about what a blessing it is to know what is causing out troubles!  So many people go their whole lives without a diagnosis and a plan.  I am praising God!!

So yesterday I went to my allergist and had skin testing done on my back to determine what foods are causing the problems.  Skin testing, if you aren't familiar with, consists of one-at-a-time allergen-soaked needle scratches to your back... worse than getting waxed, better than dental work {in my humble opinion}. Then the doctor checks to see which ones you react to.  The result was and still is shocking.  Turkey, pork, chicken, lamb, potatoes, onion, almonds, peanuts, milk, & eggs {also the not shocking cat, dog, trees, mold, pollen, etc}.  I am still wrapping my brain around eliminating all of these things from my diet and what that will look like.  This is certainly not a pity party.  I am excited to feel better, to draw strength from God when I am sick of seafood and soy, and to not live in fear of my health issues!  I can't wait to blog about failures and successes in the kitchen while I try new recipes with egg substitute and other weird ingredients.  On the other hand, I also will not let this rule my life.  I won't turn down a piece of wedding cake, a meal at a friend's house that includes a delicious piece of chicken in a cream sauce, and I won't sit by idly during Thanksgiving while my family chows down on ham.  I'm going to give these diet changes my very very best effort but I will not obsess over it, expect others to accommodate me, and most importantly I will not feel sorry for myself.

In bible study right now we are studying Joseph.  He had years, YEARS of unjust suffering in the midst of serving his father obediently, then serving as a slave in Egypt loyally, he cared for prisoners while he was one, he was humble and just once he was delivered from his suffering... he didn't complain, he didn't pity himself.  Most importantly, he relied on God and gave God glory in his suffering and in his success.  I definitely do not have a life comparable to Joseph, however, it has been good to study this lesson this week!

So, that is where I am at.  It is my first full day on the new plan.  I did realize and take full advantage that a McDonalds quarter pounder with extra ketchup isn't excluded from my new diet.  And I also found milk-free chocolate-covered pretzels.  All is well.

almost basically accidentally vegan,
Hannah K.C. Burton

P.S.: Have any recipes that fit my almost-impossible new standards?!  Send me them!!

Christmas & Halloween, in that order

This is what Christmas for 9 looks like.  10 if you count the furry girl on the bottom right.

Two weekends ago was our big Christmas celebration... and 24 hours later we were dressing up for Halloween.  The weekend was wonderful and perfect and I'm so, so, SO glad that everyone in my family chose to celebrate Christmas with us and be joyful at the change in plans this year.  Saturday was Christmas Eve and per our usual tradition, we ate dinner at IHOP and then all spent the night together.  This year, in tune with the chaos, we all stayed at Callie & Jeremy's house since my parents don't currently have a house, ha.  We all squeezed in and fit just right although Matt may or may not have slept in the hall. Karl & I stayed up late that night preparing the dough for some Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls that I've wanted to make for a long time... I'll say that they were time consuming and the 2am bedtime + 6:30am wakeup was a little unexpected, however, the rolls were excellent...like realllly good.  And I'm happy to report there is leftover dough in the freezer.  Christmas morning (Sunday) we woke up to find that Santa had in fact been here and he had come to spoil!  The morning was wonderful, Mr. & Mrs. Clause know how to show these 9 children a really good time.  Karl got me the most insane boots EVER that I have been eyeing ever since Rachel Zoe put them on my radar in a recent ZoeReport... thanks gurlie.  Annnnd Amy & Paul got me home things and clothes galore.  It was just great.

waiting in the hall to see if Santa came...

Excuse my mom's blurry pictures but yes, Santa came!!!

One of the funniest times of the morning: ever since I can remember my sisters & I have drawn names to dictate who we will give a Christmas gift to.  It's way easier on the wallet that way.  So, now that 3 brothers-in-law are involved we started the tradition of them drawing names to gift each other.  Well, obvi it is us girls that wrap the gifts that they give among themselves... so we planted something embarrassing in each bag so that it would look like Jeremy gave Matt Superman briefs, Karl gave Jeremy Batman briefs, and Matt gave Karl "Man of Steel" briefs.  The joke didn't last long but the look on Matt's face when he opened his gift that he knew was from Jeremy was priceless.  He had no idea what to say or do.  Verrrry funny.
After our Christmas morning we all went to church together.  It was wonderful to be led in worship by Matt.  He is so so so talented.  And obvi I cried.  I love worshipping next to Karl.  I will miss that more than anything else, literally anything.  If he could just appear alongside me in church every week for the next year that would be sufficient.
Sunday evening was spent cooking together in The Bailey's kitchen and then eating a wonderful Christmas/maybe Thanksgiving meal.  We had ham, turkey, and all of Karl's favorite sides.  It was DELICIOUS and fun and I can't imagine better company and conversation.

Proof that: Maddie's high school art project named Sarah (that also happens to be a creepy paper-mache dia de los muertos doll) somehow managed to find her way onto Callie's tree per the Cuppett Family tradition (although normally we sing "Feliz Navidad," while Maddie tops the tree with her) despite our family's vagabond status and proof that my dad is always looking to be in a photo.

annnnd I blame The Burton's prom-pose on the fact that I was the camera runner.  Ya know, the idiot running back and forth to start the timer on the camera?  That's me.

You can see more from Sarah the Calevera in a picture from a post a few years ago here... well you can really only see her legs but they are unmistakeable...

Last Monday was Halloween.  Karl wanted to be a T-Rex and I decided I would just dress normally and put a leash around his costume and he would be my pet dino.  Karl fashioned the most incredible costume... I mean, you can't really even call it a costume.  It was just insane.  He is so so so creative and can think so abstractly and is such an artist!  He sketched this on cardboard and then cut it out!  He only worked on it for about 3 hours.  He was a show.stopper.  at the church Halloween function we went to with my family at Park Springs last night.  The kids LOVED it- I mean, they really had a hard time understanding that he wasn't a real dinosaur.  One lady even asked if "it" was one of the rides.

early in the construction process

manning his tail... it had a life of it's own.

I wrote this last week so the tense of the language is not very accurate anymore but...The remainder of the week was spent enjoying more time with family, running some errands and packing things, and enjoying more time together.  I am definitely growing more anxious, nervous, and sad.  This is so surreal to me- that's really the best way to describe this.  Less than a week.  I hope the anticipation is worse than the actual experience will be.  Also feeling behind in life as I pretty much have neglected all my friends and responsibilities as of late as I spend all my time and energy on Karl and Korea.  I really feel like I have had no contact with my closest friends/have no clue what's going on in anyone's lives.  Also have late bills, emails that have been unanswered for weeks (sorry Jesse Mackenzie and Maddie's wedding vendors), and have basically checked out of adult life.  So, that's cool too.  That's not like me.  I'm so sorry.  And sorry that my apology is coming via cyberspace... what is becoming of me!?!?  Woof.
Thanks for thinking of us!  Still feeling like I have so much catching up to do!
Hannah K.C. Burton

a procedure and a recipe

Remember when I ended up in the ER because {like a gross man child} I had steak stuck in my esophagus?  Well that was like the 5th time that has happened, although the first to send me to the ER.  Obvi it's about time I figure out what the dealio is so yesterday I had an esophageal endoscopy so that the doctor could scope out the situation and biopsy my throat.  Delightful.  While he was at it he decided he would go ahead and stretch it out, ya know, just because.  All of this to make it easier for me to swallow.  Which is ironic because here I am the day after and swallowing is mis.er.able.  I feel like there is a giant rock in my upper chest/lower throat.  Maybe I'll lose a few pounds as a result.  I mean, when life gives you lemons, ya know.  Anyways, after my procedure I went home and slept and then Karl & I ran errands because I felt up to it, however, we did end up at the DMV- the best combination of events that could possibly be packed into one day- anesthesia+throat stretching & biopsy + a trip to the DMV.  Just being positive here.  We did wrap the day up with a delicious dinner, which I will share, you're welcome.
I pinned this recipe on pinterest and made a few adjustments so that Karl would enjoy it also...

Stuffed Zucchini
2 zucchini
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup sweet Italian sausage, cooked & crumbled {or whatever meat sounds good to you- ground turkey, bacon, etc. Or no meat!)
1 small tomato {or whatever veggies you like}
1 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp dried thyme {more if your meat isn't as highly seasoned, like the italian sausage is}
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
pepper, to taste
cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook meat and set aside in medium sized bowl.  Sauté diced onion in a splash of olive oil or butter until nice and caramelized.  Right before they're done, add the curry powder and cook for only 30 seconds more.  Add the onions to the bowl with the meat.  If you can multi-task (which I cannot) you can chop the veggies while the meat/onions are cooking- chop tomato and add to bowl with sausage & onion.  Give the zucchini a good scrub and halve lengthwise.  Core out the zucchini, leaving about a 1/2 inch boat.  Chop the pulp that you removed from the zucchini, add to the bowl of sausage/onion/tomato.  In no particular order, add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and thyme to the bowl.  Mix the contents of the bowl until combined.  Grease a cookie sheet or baking dish and lay the zucchini boats down.  Fill with the veggie/meat mixture.  Top with the shredded cheese of your choice.  Bake for about 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler and let the cheese get nice and toasty.  Top with some curly leaf parsley and eat up!

Enjoy!
Hannah K.C. Burton

Weekend Tidbits

warning: this post is lame but I just needed to write about some mundane activity for my own memory... and because I'm feeling super nostalgic these days and don't want to miss a thing.

Labor Day Weekend: fun.  I don't think Karl & I have had a 4-day weekend, just the two of us, at home, ever.  Normally we take advantage of these long weeekends time off to fly home or go visit family or friends in the area (and by area, I mean 3-4 hour radius) but this weekend has been so nice and long and wonderful!  I feel like the funk of being bored in Sumter wore of a few months ago and we have just been determined to stay busy and find something, anything, to do to fill our time and this weekend has been no exception!  Friday was spent preparing for what has been a continuation of the longest anniversary celebration ever- we had anniversary pictures taken at our home on Saturday so obviously I have been cleaning and 'styling' our house all week and tied up loose ends Friday... and baked these little mason jar cake gems after seeing them on my cousin Lincoln's blog and being challenged by her to try them myself.  So I did.

I'll be posting on those little bad boys later this week because a) it was really fun to make them b) they are delicious and c) I learned a darn good many things in the process because the blog where the recipe originated  was ridiculously vague and for an amateur baker like myself (and unlike Lincoln), I need like detailed step by step with absolutely nothing left out.  

Anyways... the pictures on Saturday went swimmingly and Karl & I had a really awesome time with the photographer, however, we are both SO SUPER awkward in front of the camera that I basically put no stock in how the pictures will turn out.  I will certainly blog more on that when I get the photos back but it's pretty much a crapshoot.  I chose a stranger to shoot them in hopes that we would feel less awkward being all lovey in front of someone we know but whatever, we are just really uncomfortable in that situation no matter what.  I do love the photographer and I prayed that I will love the pics so that's what I'm banking on at this point.  After the pictures on Saturday we went on a date... to Red Lobster.  Yes.  Red Lobster, the nicest restaurant that I'm aware of in Sumter.  And thanks to Shane & Allison, it was freeeeeee for us because we had an awesome gift card from them!  YESSSSS.  It was so nice to eat out with Karl after our long hard day of being models.

Sunday we skipped church.  Heathens.  Well, we mostly skipped church because we knew that the sermon would be on Jonah.  For the 8th week in a row.  That's all I'm going to say about that.  We are struggling with church here.  Rather should I say, The Lord is wrestling with us and church here.  And we are either fighting Him or patiently waiting... not sure but if I know myself, it's the former.  We drove to Columbia and enjoyed walking thru a few stores and then enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous fall-ish weather while we sat outside of Starbucks and indulged in a latte... and maybe a pizza and hotdog at Target.  Then to top it all off we came home and played a rousing game of Phase 10 outside while Karl grilled one of my favorite meals that totally reminds me of home (thanks, Mom!)- Turkey Caribe

4-6 Turkey cutlets

  same number of American cheese slices as turkey cutlets

  same number of bacon slices as turkey cutlets... or double, if you love bacon as much as I do.

  1/2 tsp. garlic powder

  1/2 tsp. onion powder

  1/2 tsp. oregano

       mix the spices together in a bowl.  lay a cutlet out on a cutting board.  top with a cheese slice and sprinkle the spice mixture on top of the cheese.  roll up the turkey and cheese, wrap with bacon, and secure with toothpicks.  Grill or broil until bacon is crisp and internal temperature of turkey reaches 170 degrees.

Just an overall great day in general... except at the end of dinner when Karl & I were talking about this little procedure I'm having on Wednesday (related to the little steak stuck in the esophagus + ER visit = esophageal endoscopy on Wednesday) and the hypothetical situation of my dying came up (thanks, Karl) and I asked what he would do and he said he would probably move to Colorado to be by himself to heal and I burst into tears at the idea of him being alone and I couldn't stop crying.  So yeah, it was a super romantic dinner filled with lots of peace and comfort.

Today Karl plans to smoke ribs all day for our big Labor Day dinner tonight and work on a little woodworking project we've been talking about.  Can't wait to see how i turns out!  ANNND I ordered a planner.  That my mom bought me, even better.  I am obsessed with planners, like, every year LIVE to buy my planner for the next year!  Get this, I haven't even had a planner this year.  Ridiculous for me but I haven't needed one.  We have had such a low-key (read: mundane and sometimes boring) daily schedule that I have had no need for one.  BUT here we are facing a very busy year and hopefully a year with a job so I definitely am ready to have a planner again.  I love expensive, beautiful, efficient planners (as seen by the fact that I blogged about my last favorite one here) and cannot wait for my new planner to get here!  I ordered an Erin Condren planner and am going to be obsessed with it.

Back soon with the cake jar recipe ANNND I never wrote about Callie's visit but I want to include pictures so I will as soon as I have them!  I know all my millions of readers are just beating down my virtual door for the post.
Hannah K.C. Burton

Sunday treat

Weekends at The Burton house normally consist of me waking up 2-3 hours before Karl, even before church on Sundays, however I got a special treat this past weekend! Karl woke up when I did and made us one of his favorite breakfast treats before church. It was so delightful to get to spend that early morning time with him in the kitchen and this was my first experience with his homemade donuts, although I swear my dad used to make some version of these (even though he denies it).

 loved him fixing breakfast while I got to sit back and enjoy a cup of this.

Now we're back to the workweek (for Karl, anyway) and me starting my pre-Korea to do list!  Cannot believe it is almost September!
Hannah K.C. Burton

P.S. Couldn't post about weekend festivities without acknowledging that yesterday was August 28th... Karl's fake honeymoon birthday.  This time last year I (and my mom) were freaking out thinking I/we forgot his birthday because I literally thought it was September, not August.  I will never forget that... funniest/most ridiculous 24 hours of my life that included but was not limited to my mom scrambling to plan a birthday party for Karl while we were away on our honeymoon... after our August 21st wedding... how on earth did I think it could've been September 28th already?!?  I am my mother's daughter.

yummmy Blackened Chicken

Karl & I made this the other night and we really enjoyed it!  I loved it because unlike casseroles and stovetop meals, you can more easily control how much you make... and not make food for 6-8 people.  This is basically just well-seasoned chicken so it was a low-fat meal.

{I cut everything in half}...

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 4 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning {we didn't have this... I did have"blackening seasoning" so I added some of that}
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper {I used chili powder}
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves {I pounded them out thin}
• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise {I used fat-free}
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1. In a small bowl, combine paprika, I teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, thyme, lemon-pepper, cayenne and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle {a lot} over both sides of chicken. Set aside. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, water, vinegar and remaining sugar, salt and pepper; cover and chill 1 cup for serving. Save remaining sauce for basting.
2. Grill chicken, covered, over indirect medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with remaining sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.

This was really delicious!  We had it with oven-roasted asparagus {doy, my fave} and I think this will definitely be a go-to meal here from now on!

Enjoy!

Me+the ER+and steak stuck in my throat.

Never a dull moment here in Hannah land.  I've been looking forward to a visit from Allison & The Johns' kids for a couple of weeks now and Karl & I have just been SO excited about it!  I mean like, over.the.moon.  This house needed some serious livening up and they were just the people to do it for us!  They got here at 7ish on Sunday night and Karl & I had dinner almost ready.  That means they were here for less than an hour before I started the worst 8 hours of.my.life.  This story is almost embarrassing.  But I swear there is something wrong (anatomically or pathophysiologically... that has yet to be determined) and I'm not a sloppy eater so keep that in mind and don't judge me.  So... I got steak stuck in my esophagus.  And this isn't the first time it has happened.  But it is the first time I had to go to the ER for it.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It used to happen in college when I would eat microwavable pancakes in the parking lot of UBC but it would last for like 15 seconds, it happened at a Young Life fundraising banquet here in Sumter but lasted less than 5 minutes (super embarrassing), and it happened at my cousin Jade's wedding when I was helping to photograph the event, yeah, horrible timing.  That last time it lasted over an hour but dislodged in the car on the way to the ER.  So, anyways, this was not my first rodeo.  So.... Karl & I left our guests here and headed to the hospital to find a packed ER.  Fortunately, I was triaged back within about 20 minutes (only to find out the triage nurse thought the food was in my trachea- are you serious??  It took you 20 minutes to get me back when you thought it was in my trachea??)  BUT unfortunately, it was another, oh, 1 1/2 hours before I was seen by a doctor.  Lemme describe to you what is happening for the now 4 hours that I have had this steak stuck in my throat... NOTHING can get past it- saliva, water, NOTHING.  So, without TMI, go ahead and figure all that out.  There was LOTS of vomiting going on.  Still not sure how something was coming up but NOTHING could go down.  The doctor seemed to be familiar with what was happening because although it took him an eternity to get to me, it took him all of 5 seconds to make a plan- IV med to relax my esophagus then esophagoscopy to remove it.  After an hour waiting for the nurse to come start my IV and push the med, I was beyond.  Like, wanted to jump out of my skin.  I was soooooo so uncomfortable and felt like I was going crazy.  Worst feeling ever.  So the first part of the plan didn't even work, although the nurse was really nice.  She did, however, also insist on giving me some valium to "take the edge off," which actually brought more edge on because then all I wanted to do was lie down but I couldn't because I had to sit up to keep relieving myself of the saliva that couldn't go down my throat.  THEN the GI doctor had to be called in (READ: wait.) And I was put under for the scope.  Next thing I know I'm awake, I no longer have an expensive cut of meat lodged in my throat, I'm crying uncontrollably, and I feel only slightly better than I did before... my body does not agree with whatever esophagus muscle relaxant they gave me, morphine, valium, and versed all given within, oh, about 2 hours of each other when my fluids were low thanks to profuse vomiting and no IV fluids.  Smart move, county hospital.  Anywayz.  Karl was a rockstar and totally played it cool the whole time while I was an emotional, pained, & irritated mess.  And there's nobody else I would've felt that OK abandoning at our house- The Johns' were so sweet and they are basically family so obviously it was no big deal to them to be left and they were just worried about me.  Literally stumbled to the car (stopped to heave) at about 3 am and then home where Karl claims he had to put my pajamas on me, although I have literally no memory of this.  He also claims that I said while crying, "I'm chasing the beanie dogs, I have to catch the beanie dogs."  You mean weenie dogs?  "No, beanie!! wahhhhhhh."  So, I have a follow-up appointment next Tuesday before Karl & I leave for Little Rock where I have a feeling they'll refer me to a gastroenterologist for a scope with esophageal dilation to figure out what the problem is.  In the mean time, I won't ever lock eyes with steak again.  More on our visit with The Johns' tomorrow, after you have time to digest my drama... pun intended bahaha.  And yes, I do have a pictures of what they saw down the scope and I'm proud to show them off.

Uncle Sam, hold on to your hats.

Karl & I had such a fun weekend! Since we found out about South Korea, we have been trying to do extra fun things and not do much sitting around {because Karl would prefer not to- he gets bored really quickly}. SO during the week I've been researching all the free, fun, & unusual activities going on around the state for the weekend! We are definitely doing a lot of driving, but certainly having tons of fun exploring and this weekend was no exception. We had tons of options for fun Fourth activities but we decided to check out the State Farmers Market in Columbia on Saturday with some shopping and a date night, Pawleys Island near Myrtle Beach on Sunday for a day of sand+sun+surf, & Lake Wateree yesterday to celebrate the fourth! It was a blast and made me realize how lucky we are to live in a place where we can be on the ocean one day and a lake the next without more than an hour and a halfs drive

Sunday at the beach was fun and so relaxing, with the exception of losing my hair barrette and modesty to a massive wave in the Atlantic.  Sorry 'bout that children on the beach, you'll understand when you're older.  The drive to Myrtle Beach really isn't that bad, and it's even shorter to Charleston- Karl & I should make it more often- the beaches are BEAUTIFUL with the most wonderfully soft sand and nice warm water!

Pretending like it looks like I have arms and my hair is a little more calm

 hoping he comes across my barrette...

Sunday while we were gone at the beach, I had dinner cooking in the crock pot- it was spicy chicken ranch sandwiches- all uhmerican.  That's one of our favorites here at The Burton household and it's super easy.  I thought I had posted this recipe before but I can't find it, so here it is {again?}.

-2-3 chicken breasts in the crock pot with a packet of Hidden Valley Dry Ranch and 2/3 of a bottle of hot wing sauce and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until fork-tender.

-Remove chicken from the crock pot, shred with forks, return to the crock pot, and stir- adding in 2T of butter

-Serve on toasted hamburger buns or hoagie rolls with ranch + avacado + whatever sounds good to you!

I also whipped up this bad boy the night before and iced+topped it when we got home from our full day- delish!

-Bake a roll of sugar cookie dough on a jelly pan (I lined the pan with wax paper just to be safe) according to package and let cookie cool

-Top with: 1 package of cream cheese {softened} mixed with 1/2 cup sugar and 1T vanilla annnd whatever fruit your little heart desires!- TA-DAH!

Overnight on Sunday I slow-cooked food for Monday at the lake- sweetened pulled pork for tacos, another of our favorites.  I've posted the recipe before- here. We reheated the pork + heated other taco toppings and tortillas on our camping stove that Karl's parents gave us for Christmas- it was so fun!  Definitely a better alternative to dragging our grill out to the lake and making hotdogs or hamburgers, in my humble opinion.  The lake was really fun!  It's a small area that provides access and a little man-made sand area for military only.  There are nice restrooms, pavilions, and tons of picnic tables.  They had a great band out there and an awesome fireworks show- it was perfect and only about 45 minutes away from our house!  Oh and I can't not mention the people watching- I was in heaven.  All the back tats you could imagine + an embarrassing amount of smoking & drinking + american flag bikinis rampant + southern drawls that were past charming.  More cheetos than I knew could be stocked in one state.  I imagine pray it is much classier out there on a regular/not holiday weekend... 

So thankful for Karl's servant heart and service to the grand 'ol USA & to everyone who has served, is serving, and will serve!  Praising God for how He reigns in this country
Hannah K.C. Burton

Wordless Wednesday: things-that-have-been-making-me-happy-this-week-edition

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Beer Cheddar Soup

Karl & I enjoy watching The Food Network show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate."  The show is normally a theme {like "in a bowl," or "cake walk," etc.} and they interview lots of different Food Network stars to find out what their very very tippity top most favorite is of whatever the theme is.  It's such a fun show.  It definitely makes me feel like I haven't 'lived' as far as food goes.  Annnnd it makes Karl & I verrrryyyy hungry and gives us super powers- like the impression that we can cook anything, like the things on that show.  As in, we can cook Bobby Flay's "most favorite thing in a bowl."  Well, we can't.  But we try sometimes and normally we think it's decent.  So on this show someone loved a beer cheddar soup and holy cow it looked good.  Karl and I thought about it for weeks.  Plus the fact that we have a garage-full of sub-par tasting beer was some motivation to make this and get rid of some of it too {remember this post?}.  So I found a recipe that looked similar and we made it last weekend and it was really good!  I know, not a summery recipe at all, but I've been trying to eat more affordably for lunch and stuff while Karl is at work and having this soup to eat with a sandwich this week has been awfully delightful!  So if you love the flavor of beer and cheesyness then this is totally for you!

• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots {we left this out and added 2 large, peeled, cubed baking potatos}
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups diced celery {we left this out too, add whatever veggies you like}
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beer
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups milk or half and half
• 6 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese {I think using 4c sharp, 1c extra sharp, 1c white cheddar would be great}
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

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  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together veggies and garlic. Stir in hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Pour in chicken broth and beer; simmer {or kind of boil if you used potatoes like we did} until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Stir in flour with a wire whisk; cook, stirring until the flour is light brown, about 3 or 4 minutes {or if you're an amateur like me, this may take more like 7-8 minutes}. Gradually stir in milk, whisking to prevent scorching, until thickened. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in cheese {like really gradually so it doesn't all clump up}. Keep warm.
  3. Stir beer mixture into cheese mixture. Stir in Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Adjust for hot pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Serve!  You could top with bacon or avocado {mmm, summery!} or toast or croutons or my current obsession, prosciutto. The original recipe recommends serving with lots of popcorn on top!
  Bon Appetite.
  Hannah K.C. Burton