Make My Day Camp: January 2026

Made this lightened up cheeseburger soup for the family meal and it was a hit. I followed the recipe exactly other than adding more parsley and mustard powder and I added some dried thyme. I also added a splash of half-and-half because I didn't have much left in the fridge and wanted to use it up.

The recipe says the soup will thicken considerably as it cools - look at these pictures and you can see how much thinner the soup was while on the stove (top picture is after it cooled).

Georgie does a review at the end of this post - not sure she's grasping the whole '1 to 10' concept yet LOL

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 t. salt
pinch of black pepper
4 cups peeled and diced Yukon gold or russet potatoes
4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. mustard powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
chopped green onions or chives, sour cream, shredded cheese, for serving

In a 6-quart pot set over medium heat, add the ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink. Off the heat, drain excess grease.
Return the pot to medium heat and add the potatoes, broth, parsley, and mustard powder. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
To a blender, add the milk and flour and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the soup and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the soup has thickened.
Off the heat, add the cheese a handful at a time and stir until melted.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed (important!).
Serve with chopped green onions or chives, sour cream and additional shredded cheese, if desired. The soup will thicken considerably as it cools.

yield: 6 TO 7 SERVINGS

prep time: 35

cook time: 25

total time: 1

NOTES

Ground Beef: for a less meaty soup, the ground beef can be decreased to 1/2 pound.

Gluten Free Substitute: for a gluten-free version, sub 2 tablespoons cornstarch for the 1/4 cup flour (blend and add to the soup per the recipe).

Cheese: 1/2 of the cheddar cheese can be subbed for shredded Monterey Jack cheese, if desired (the cheese flavor will be less pronounced and the soup will be slightly creamier).
recipe found here at melskitchencafe

click here to see G's review of cheeseburger soup on youtube or go to this link:

Sunday, January 25, 2026

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 4)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

1/18: 🔥 week 3

1/19: MFIH chicken spaghetti (note: I didn't realize I posted this exact recipe in 2017, totally forgot!)

1/20: TT handy oil dispenser

1/21: string art heart

1/22: closet play room

1/23: hockey rink lap blanket

1/24: words (let's stay home)

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.25.25: words (turn up)

1.25.24: safety pin bead bracelet

1.25.23: chipotle bbq meatloaf

1.25.22: thru the years

1.25.21: beaded mask leash

1.25.20: cauliflower parmesan

1.25.19: spirit gloves (pompoms on glove fingertips)

1.25.18: anniversary card

1.25.17: Kyle's sausage stuffed acorn squash

1.25.16: stamped floor mat

Saturday, January 24, 2026

1/24 ~ Words

1.24.25: penne alla vodka updated

1.24.24: copycat in n out animal style fries

1.24.23: TT - laundry symbols

1.24.22: thru the years

1.24.21: 🔥week 4

1.24.20: candy cane hearts

1.24.19: DIY body wash

1.24.18: side table re-do

1.24.17: egg and avocado toast

1.24.16: citrus scented lamb stew

Friday, January 23, 2026

Hockey Rink Lap Blanket

For all my people who aren't in Michigan today - it's cold here. Like really really cold!

Yep you're reading that right, the high will be 2' today. And at 9:00 tonight it'll be -7' (feels like -20).

We have a hockey game tonight, and don't get me wrong I LOVE hockey...but we have to walk quite a ways between parking and the hockey rink and it's pretty bad that the walk outside is going to be so much colder than sitting in an ice rink for 3 hours LOL.

So I made myself a blanket.

A very simple reversible fleece tie blanket that literally took me 2 hours to put together - it's a rush job for sure but it turned out cute and will absolutely come in handy tonight (and future nights in a hockey rink haha). Click here for instructions on how to make one! Or just Google it, instructions are limitless online.

Not including the fringe this finished lap blanket is 36" x 42" (I cut 6" fringe all the way around).

Nothing you haven't seen before hahaha, but it's what I made today so I'm showing you :)

GO GREEN!!!

1.23.25: cranberry paloma cocktail

1.23.24: TT copycat in-n-out spread

1.23.23: deck planter box

1.23.22: 🔥 week 4

1.23.21: cord mask leash

1.23.20: tbt southern spoon bread

1.23.19: buttermilk drop biscuits (apparently not like Dave's mom used to make, insert eyeroll)

1.23.18: attempting to organize my life

1.23.17: heart and Scottie string art

1.23.16: Dave's cosmopolitans

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Walk-Thru Closet turned Kid Play Space

We have a walk-thru closet that connects the guest room to my craft room and it's held some toys and a dollhouse on the floor for years - it only recently occurred to me that I could easily make this a little play room. We have a table that was originally built to go overtop 2 dog crates but it hasn't been used for that in a long time and has kicked around in various rooms - I put it in the play closet and set up the doll house so Georgie can now stand or sit on a stool and play (and Aunt Jill doesn't have to get up and down from the floor a hundred times LOL). On the other side of the closet I put half of a metal shelf to hold toys, blocks, stuffed animals, etc. at her level and she can help herself to what she wants to get out.

The room was done until I had the idea that if I hung a curtain in front of the table we could have a fort and I think she'll love it. I hung command hooks at either end under the table top and one in the center. Took a piece of fabric that used to be a curtain someplace (I'm not really a lace person and have no idea where this lace curtain came from which means its been in my stash for a very long time hahah). It has a pocket across the top for a curtain rod, I ran a piece of white rope thru it and knotted the ends, then hooked onto the command hooks. Finally I cut a slit up the middle creating flaps where she can enter the fort. I might add tiebacks to hold the sides back but first I'm going to see if it's necessary. Oh, and I used the lace thinking she's only 2 for now and being see-thru might be a good idea so she isn't scared - later, if she likes it, I'll probably switch to a solid material.

Play room is now ready - I just need the kid to come over and play with me!!

1.22.25: spinach cheese pinwheels

1.22.24: felt football field runner

1.22.23: 🔥 week 4

1.22.22: whiskey sour lite

1.22.21: cauliflower crust pizza

1.22.20: jam crumb cake

1.22.19: kale salad

1.22.18: skillet chicken and veggie pot pie

1.22.17: reserved signs

1.22.16: pencil holder by B

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

String Art Heart (re-run)

This is a re-run of a couple string art projects that I did years ago - my sis's anniversary and the upcoming Valentines day made me want to show this heart again.

Original post from 1/2017:

I love making string art! This is pretty simple, hard to mess up, quick, fairly inexpensive, and a different pretty gift - what's not to love?

Here are two projects that I've done - a Scottie (I made for myself just 'cuz) and a heart for my sister who got married yesterday! On hers I stamped the date, it looked good before I added that but I wanted to make it more personalized.

Supplies:
-piece of wood: for the Scottie I bought an unfinished wood plaque from the craft store and painted it using craft paint; for the heart I bought this wood pallet board with attached hanger at the craft store.
-embroidery floss: for the Scottie I used solid black, for the heart I used 3 different colors (light gray, blush, metallic dark gray)
-small nails: scottie is gold, heart is copper
-hammer
-paper template of the shape you want to make: I found a free Scottie outline on line and adjusted the print size until I got the size I wanted, for the heart I just freehanded a 6" heart and cut it out.
-ruler if you want to measure the spacing between the nails, they don't have to be exact if you want to just eyeball it.

Directions:
-lay out the template where you want it to go on the board. make dots on the paper where you are going to put the nails. for the scottie I didn't measure as carefully, just tried to follow the shape putting the nails where they would create the best outline. for the heart I did about 1/2" spaces between the nails. how close or far apart you put them will depend on the size and simplicity of your pattern.
-lightly tap in the nails around the outermost edges of the paper shape, try to keep them at a level depth.
-after all the nails are in gently remove the paper. if any of the paper gets stuck around the nails just carefully pick it out with a sharp object.
-tie one end of the string around a nail then just go back and forth, up and down, winding the string around different nails to create whatever pattern (or I should say non-pattern) that you want. If you don't like how it's looking just undo the string and start again! To get a nice finished outline I wound the floss around every nail in a row around the outside edge. You'll want to pull the string taut but not so tight that the nails move, and be careful about letting go before tying off because it unravels easily!
-when you are done stringing the floss between the nails tie off the end on a nail and trim the excess.
-I left a tail on the heart because I liked how it looked! For the Scottie I trimmed the end off close to the final nail.

cut out whatever shape you are making, mark dots where the nails will go

nail all around the edge of the shape to create the outline, then remove the paper

wind the string back and forth around the nails, go in all directions to create an almost cobweb look

this is with one layer in light gray. next I did a layer of blush and then finished with a layer of metallic dark gray.

1.21.25: TT how-to pipe Christmas trees and wreaths

1.21.24: 🔥 week 3

1.21.23: phone case and cute story

1.21.22: mushroom potato soup

1.21.21: Natalie's butter curry chicken

1.21.20: making plarn

1.21.18: greek pork, lemon rice pilar, tzatziki sauce

1.21.17: Jen's stuffed spaghetti squash

1.21.16: painting a side table

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Tip-sy Tuesday: a handy oil dispenser

I just read this tip in the old book I got at a garage sale ('Rodale's Book of Hints, Tips and Everyday wisdom') and I think I'll try it - maybe not with a dish detergent bottle but I have lots of squeeze bottles that would work.

"Put your cooking oil in a clean, well-rinsed dish detergent bottle. You'll find that the squirt top makes pouring oil cleaner and easier than having to deal with a screw-on cap."

I already decant olive oil into a glass jar with a spout and we use it every day; it actually is cleaner and easier to use this way, I've never thought to do that with the canola or vegetable oils I use less often.

1.20.25: craft room update

1.20.24: words

1.20.23: shrimp scampi by Macey

1.20.22: smoothie tips and treats

1.20.21: mixed fruit crisp

1.20.20: transplanting from pot to ground

1.20.19: 🔥week 3

1.20.18: broccoli apple salad with creamy Italian dressing

1.20.17: loaded cauliflower

1.20.16: dry erase message frame

Monday, January 19, 2026

MFIH: Chicken Spaghetti

This week's family feast is chicken spaghetti. It's very easy to put together and we really liked it - Macey added that she put hot sauce on her and I can see doing that, the flavor is good but you might want to punch it up a little (I'm a weenie tho and kept it plain haha). The recipe from Pioneer Woman isn't written great tho and you have to read her whole post to get better information than is included with the recipe. Click here for all of her additional info - I'm giving you the recipe as written but here's a couple things to note if you don't read her post:

- *you are poaching the chicken in a pot of water until it's cooked thru. I boiled chicken breasts by covering them in water and added poultry seasoning, pepper, kosher salt, and a big scoop of chicken bouillon (I like 'better than bouillon'
). She notes you could also just use rotisserie chicken already cooked. If you go that route I would then boil the pasta in chicken broth.

- if you poach the chicken yourself, do not drain the pot. You'll boil the spaghetti in the leftover liquid from the chicken.

- ** do not drain all of the liquid once the spaghetti is done, you need to reserve 2 cups for later. To save some liquid I set a colander over a large measuring cup, dump the cooked pasta in the colander and let the liquid collect in the measuring cup underneath.

- I sautéed the onion and pepper in a little oil, along with some fresh mushrooms, before adding to the mixture. You could add other veggies as you like

2 cups cooked chicken*
3 cups spaghetti, uncooked and broken into 2" pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimentos, drained
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot**
1 t. Lawry's seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook 1 cut-up fryer chicken, and pick out the meat to make two cups.

2. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except 1 cup reserved sharp cheddar cheese.

3. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining cheese. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350' for 45 minutes until bubbly. If the cheese on top starts to get too browned, cover with foil.

1.19.25: 🔥 week 3

1.19.24: office in a closet

1.19.23: peach mustard barbecue sauce

1.19.22: 12 week workout plan

1.19.21: TT Teri's baked chicken tenderloins

1.19.20: 🔥 week 3

1.19.19: tri-color veggie saute

1.19.18: carved watermelon helmet

1.19.17: color coded keys

1.19.16: chopping vegetables (and not your fingers)

Sunday, January 18, 2026

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 3)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

1/12: tiny train scene

1/13: TT meal prep with GF concerns

1/14: MFIH: slow cooker chicken tortilla soup

1/15: thru the years

1/16: thru the years

1/17: words (cute coffee cup)

What's Cooking ~

marinated salmon filets (frozen at Costco), rice blend, creamed spinach
grilled chicken, pasta with creamy tomato sauce, roasted broccoli
potpies, wedge salad with blue cheese dressing
dry-rubbed pork tenderloin, roasted butternut squash, spinach salad with beets and feta
chicken spaghetti, green salad

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.18.25: words (today...)

1.18.24: omelet wrap

1.18.23: ham. potato, and bean soup

1.18.22: healthy-er potato soup

1.18.21: chain mask leash

1.18.20: avocado fries

1.18.19: meat lovers pasta sauce
1.18.18: birthday card gift box
1.18.17: cinnamon roll fail
1.18.16: parachute cord dog collar

Saturday, January 17, 2026

1/17 ~ Words

not actually true haha, but I do love a cute cup!

1.17.25: salmon wellington

1.17.24: hot and sour soup

1.17.23: ham stock

1.17.22: sliding side lunge

1.17.21: 🔥 week 3

1.17.20: fried cabbage with bacon

1.17.19: how to clean a fan

1.17.18: baked eggs in avocado

1.17.17: tuna-egg salad

1.17.16: best meatballs e ver

Friday, January 16, 2026

1/16 ~ Thru the Years

I forgot about crocheting this cat basket, it's so cute!

1.16.25: Christmas punch

1.16.24: TT buttercream frosting fix

1.16.23: MNIH: gluten-free poke brownies

1.16.22: 🔥 week 3

1.16.21: crochet cat basket version 2

1.16.20: TBT: potted ham

1.16.19: removable wallpaper

1.16.18: beading basics

1.16.17: unfinished projects

1.16.16: whiskey sours

Thursday, January 15, 2026

1/15 ~ Thru the Years

We were just talking about Dave's cosmopolitans - P ordered a cosmo the other night and said it tasted terrible, I said she should try her uncle's! They are really good (it's funny that a cosmo is now kindof a retro drink, we used to drink them all the time but stopped for some reason - I think he needs to bring them back. I've said the same exact thing in previous posts about cosmos hahah and still haven't had one in years).

1.15.25: hunter's schnitzel sauce

1.15.24: indoor treasure hunt

1.15.23: 🔥 week 3

1.15.22: Dave's cosmopolitans

1.15.21: skinny chicken parmesan

1.15.20: spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

1.15.19: chocolate chip marshmallow cookies (the worlds ugliest cookies!)

1.15.18: bird cage slipcover

1.15.17: Mimi's neighbor's fish tacos

1.15.16: dipped shortbread cookies

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

MFIH Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is from an hgtv magazine - I have no I idea why tortilla is in the title, the only place they are used in this recipe is as a garnish, there's no tortillas in the soup. Hmmm...I renamed it 'Mexican Chicken Soup' just for the family meal this week, call it whatever you want hahaha. I got good feedback from everyone but no review from Georgie this time (boo).

I changed the recipe a little bit because of my gluten-free people, it calls for cheddar cheese soup but I couldn't find a GF version so I made a roux using GF all-purpose flour, butter, and milk (basically I made milk gravy). Then stirred in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese - I didn't think it was cheesy enough after I added it to the soup so once it was done cooking in the crock pot I added 1/2 jarred queso cheese dip. Also I couldn't find tomatoes with green chilies so I just added a small can of mild chilies along with the diced tomatoes.

I really thought I took pictures but I can't find them 🤷‍♀️ Here's the photo that accompanied the recipe:

Here's the original recipe:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (10.75 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
2 cups chopped carrots
8 oz. frozen corn
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 T. chili powder
handful of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

garnishes:

shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend)
sliced avocado
tortilla chips

1. Combine all the ingredients except the garnishes in a slow cooker

2. Cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, or on LOW for about 8 hours.

3. Ladle into bowls and top each with garnishes.

1.14.25: TT grocery list

1.14.24: 🔥 week 2

1.14.23: sweet tea swagger

1.14.22: t-shirt rag quilt

1.14.21: dog crochet basket

1.14.20: TT: cleaning your mattress

1.14.19: bath salt cakes

1.14.18: west coast chili

1.14.17: Janis's chicken soup

1.14.16: fringe and chain necklace

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Tip-sy Tuesday: meal prep with GF concerns

Quick tip if anyone is preparing meals at the same time that are for gluten and non-gluten people - I have been trying to be so careful and mindful to not cross-contaminate the dishes and have been following the habit of making all the gluten-free dishes first, and then continuing on to make the dishes that contain gluten. It's too easy to stir pots with the same spoon and I don't want to make the mistake of forgetting which pot is gluten free and accidentally stick my spoon in it.

For example I made chicken spaghetti (recipe to follow) for this weeks MFIH meal (My Family Is Hungry), one batch using gluten-free spaghetti and one batch with regular spaghetti - well they look the same and I'm very forgetful so I boiled the GF noodles first and made the GF sauce; then put it in a baking glass dish, labeled and wrapped it up. Then I boiled the regular noodles and made the sauce following the regular directions. Getting gluten free in a gluten dish is no big deal, but getting gluten in a gluten-free dish is a no-no!

If I wasn't making 1/2 of the meals gluten-free I would just double all the ingredients and split them in half accordingly; but since we have 2 gluten-free family members I need to make sure that one batch is kept completely GF, you can't even use the same pans or utensils unless you make the GF one first.

1.13.25: unsubscribe from emails

1.13.24: words

1.13.23: vegetable parmigiana

1.13.22: chicken parmigiana stuffed mushrooms

1.13.21: lemon honey dijon chicken

1.13.20 - crocheted messy bun hat

1.13.19 - 🔥week 2

1.13.18 - lentil gravy

1.13.17 - bath bombs

1.13.16 - cover a side table

Monday, January 12, 2026

Tiny Train Scene

I got Dave a teeny-tiny train set for Christmas and decided he needed a 'scene' for it - the track is just a small oval and the train going around and around in a circle was kinda boring haha.

So I covered a board with paper and then gathered things from around the house to create a landscape for his train to drive thru. There's driftwood stacked up with a tiny billygoat standing on top; a lake with floating people and a moss covered cave for a 'monster' fish; a cornfield with tiny farm animals; a cardboard tube tunnel I covered with wood-looking paper; a windmill; and naturally a dinosaur in the trees behind a fence looking in. Super silly but so fun to put together! Most of the supplies were things I had on hand - small pebbles, 'trees' I just clipped pieces off artificial plants, sheet moss, fence and dinosaur - I bought the mini farm animals and people, the cattails and cornstalks.