Grab bag!

I love, love, love, ChicoBags!  I have them stashed in the family vehicles, in our luggage, and in my desk.  I have used them for shopping, traveling, hauling, and storing.  

They are handy, fold up into little bags for easy storage, and can be used over and over again.  

The mission of the ChicoBag Company is to reduce single-use bag waste by offering compact reusable bags and packs that are designed to be unforgettable.  ChicoBag specializes in offering fashionable, environmentally friendly reusable bags and totes.  ChicoBag has been a leader in the reusable bag movement since 2005.

Check out their website:  ChicoBags

Maybe, you will fall in love too!

http://www.chicobag.com/

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Took my new running app for a test run today while my chicken was in the oven.  While I was jogging, being followed by six wild turkeys, I was thinking about what to do with the left over chicken from tonights meal.  I always cook a few pounds of chicken breasts and use the left overs in salads or soups.
It may have been the freezing rain or the thoughts of chips with cheese that brought Chicken Tortilla Soup to my mind; I am now prompted to share one of my families favorite soup recipes.

Ingredients:
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 2/3 cup milk
16 oz cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 can enchilada sauce
1 4oz can green chopped chilies

Put the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

The Super Bowl is next weekend!  

Serve a spicy buffalo chicken soup to warm up the event.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter3 stalks celery, diced1 small onion, diced1/4 cup all-purpose flour3/4 cup half-and-half cream3 cups chicken broth3 cups cubed cooked chicken1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (can add more to taste)1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheesesalt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook the celery and onion in the melted butter in a large pot over medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and allow to cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir the half-and-half and chicken broth. Stir in the chicken, buffalo wing sauce, and Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, allow the soup to simmer until the the cheese has melted completely, about 10 minutes.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and sour cream.

Butter Beer

Hello Harry Potter fans!  If you have had the opportunity to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you have probably had the opportunity to try butterbeer!  It is a great tasting cold drink!  Now you can use this recipe to satisfy the Harry Potter fans at your house.

Ingredients:

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup butterscotch syrup
32 oz of your favorite cream soda

Directions:

Place 4 (16-ounce) glasses in freezer and chill for at least 20 minutes.  Mix ice cream, butterscotch syrup, and cream soda in a blender until combined.  Divide between the frosted glasses.  Serve with spoons and straws.  Enjoy!

Monkey around with cupcakes!

Planning a birthday party?

I planned a birthday party for my son and prepared the menu, games, and party favors around a jungle theme.  Cake???  We decided to create personal sized cakes.  The cupcakes fit in nicely with the theme!  The smiling monkey faces were a great finish to the party.  Make your favorite cake, I used a yellow cake recipe.  Frost cupcakes with your favorite chocolate frosting.  Use mini Nilla Wafers for the ears and a regular Nilla Wafer for the nose and mouth area.  Decorate with black and red icing to create the eyes, nose and mouth.  In no time at all, I had the cupcake ready!  I even had time to monkey around and play party games with the kids!

Snowman craft

Snowman magnets that are fun and easy to make with your kiddos.

Supplies:
Cosmetic cotton rounds (found by the cotton balls)
Toddler socks (new or gently used)
Black and orange fabric paint
Tacky glue
Craft magnets
Fabric stiffener (or equal parts white glue and water)
Winter charm as an ornament for the hat

Place cotton rounds on wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Dab fabric stiffener on the front until it is wet and flat.  Then repeat on the other side of the cotton round.  Have an adult place the cotton rounds in the oven at the lowest possible temperature, until they are hard and dry.  
Cut the foot off the toddler socks, just above the heel. The circular tube that is left will be the snowman's hat.  Glue the top (finished end) of the sock to the cotton round.  Tuck the top of the sock inward and glue in place to finish the hat.  
Using fabric paints, make two black "beady" eyes and five beads for the smile. Add an orange carrot nose.  Let dry.
Glue a winter charm or a cute button on the hat.  Finally, glue a the magnet to the back of your snowman.

Potato Soup

A brisk North wind is blowing across the plains today and I have a chill!  

Ingredients

• 8 cups diced potatoes
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
• Minced chives, optional

Directions

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender.
• Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts).

Wild Rice Soup

More snow fell today, mixed with a nasty wind!  Again, thoughts of warm soup...


Fry, drain and crumble 1 pound of bacon Saute celery (about 4 stalks), garlic (2 cloves, minced), onion (one large, chopped) and shredded carrots (4 to 5) in a little of the bacon grease

Put bacon and vegetables into a large soup kettle
Add 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3 cans of cream of potato soup
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups half and half
4 cooked and cubed chicken breastsCook until rice is done
Can serve with toasted sliced almonds