Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a combination of 3-4 different tortilla soup recipes… All of them sounded super delicious, but had ingredients I didn’t have on hand.
Or something a person (or persons) in my house wouldn’t eat care for :)
The other thing is, I always have a few cooked and cubed chicken breasts in the freezer and these recipes all required cooking the chicken at the time of making the soup.  It cuts down on prep time SO much to have the chicken already prepared in their little containers or zipper bags!
This soup is mildly spicy… if you like more heat be sure to add in chopped jalapenos and/or hot sauce.
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken breast
3 cups chicken stock
1 can of corn (no need to drain)
1 can pinto or black beans (I use freezer beans)
1 jar/can of meatless spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
16 ounces grated Colby-Jack cheese
Combine all ingredients except the cheese in a slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Near the end of cooking time, add the grated cheese and stir until melted. 
***If you don’t have 4-6 hours before mealtime, it can also be made more quickly on the stovetop:  Combine ingredients in a Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add cheese and stir until melted.
Serve in bowls with any (or all) of these toppings: Tortilla strips or chips, additional cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, green onion, cilantro, etc.
Enjoy!

The Lord is good

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

There were several mint cookie recipes on Pinterest over the holidays and I really wanted to try one of them out.  And I’m sure they are all delicious.
The problem was, these recipes called for either Andes Mints, mint chocolate chips or mint M&M’s… none of which I had on hand at the time.
So… I altered our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding green food color to the dough and replacing the vanilla extract with peppermint extract.  The results were so yummy and required no extra trip to the grocery store!

I made the dough up to the point of adding the chocolate chips and then added green paste food coloring a little at a time, until it reached a minty green shade.  Then I replaced the 1 teaspoon of vanilla called for in the recipe with 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.  I would recommend starting with slightly less peppermint and then adding more if it isn’t minty enough.

Here’s our recipe, but you certainly can use your family’s favorite:
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: 
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla or 3/4 –1 teaspoon peppermint extract**
Mix together in a large bowl until light and well blended.
**To make Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, at this point mix green paste food coloring into the dough until it reaches a minty green shade.  Replace vanilla extract with peppermint extract, starting with less and adding more if it isn’t minty enough :)
Stir in 12 ounces of chocolate chips (about 2 cups).  Add dry ingredients:
3-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Drop on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Homemade Hand Cream

Wanted to share our time-tested recipe for hand cream.  I started making it when my 20-year-old daughter, Lacey, was 2 and had eczema.  Not only was it was a miracle for her skin, but we all loved it and have been using it ever since!

Here us our recipe, so you can make some too.  The original recipe calls for baby lotion.  We have found it works well with any lotion and not just the baby kind.  Just make sure to use the same number of ounces :)

Homemade Hand Cream:

2 (15-16 oz.) baby lotion
8 oz. Vaseline
2 jars (8 oz.) Vitamin E Cream

First, whip the petroleum jelly with a mixer, then add in the remaining ingredients:

Whip until fluffy.

It will look something like this:

I wash and reuse the jars from the vitamin E cream and petroleum jelly (and any other empty jars from creams, butters or lotions that I can find).  Any plastic container with a lid will work just fine.  No need to purchase fancy new jars…. unless you really want to :)

Use a rubber spatula to get every last bit of cream into the jars:

Don’t forget to fill a couple travel size jars to keep with you in your purse. 

It seriously looks like a LOT of hand cream, but we use it so quickly!  There is now only 1 jar left and it will be time to make more soon.  I am going to try using coconut oil instead of petroleum jelly in my next batch… I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Yellow + Gray Blankets

These pretty blankets were special ordered by a proud auntie… of twins! 

I think her idea is GENIUS -

Both blankies are yellow and gray, but one blanket is granny squares:

and the other is a hexagon blanket:

They coordinate and are so similar, yet each baby will have their own special blanket!

Aren’t they pretty together?

Sunday words

 

Image credit

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!


Give thanks to the LORD,

call on his name;

make known among the nations

what he has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8