Crockpot Taco Soup

Hello,

So I was completely re-inspired to start posting on my blog again after I reader sent me an email encouraging me to keep on going. Thank you so much reader!

Soup is my favorite diet food. Usually for the volume you can have more of it than most other foods. Taco soup has become a weekly staple at my house. This recipe is so versatile. Please remember that you can make this your own!

Here's the finished product:

Here are the basic ingredients that you will need:

• package of chicken - this one is probably 1.5 pounds or 3 large breasts. Any kind of chicken will do. Fresh or frozen. 
• chicken broth - 1-2 cups? I usually put the broth in last so I can see how soupy (or not) I want to make it
• can of tomatoes (or rotel) - again any kind will do. I like the petite diced and normally I'll put two cans in. It's just personal preference!
• can of corn - fresh or frozen will work too!
• onions/peppers - I had a bag of both here. Fresh or frozen and as much or little as you like! Usually around 2 cups.
• garlic - approximately a tablespoon...again your preference
• salt/pepper/chili powder/taco seasoning - this is one of the first times I made this and I followed a recipe that said to use salt and pepper and chili powder. Now I just use 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning which I prefer.
• can of black beans - not pictured here but it brings texture and flavor
• can of fiesta nacho cheese soup - not pictured here but that stuff rocks! You could also just use plain cheddar cheese soup or none at all if you really want a slimmer version.
• rice - sometimes I put rice in...normally just the pre-made stuff. Usually about 1 cup.
• small can of green chiles or jalapenos - whole can of green chiles or half a can of jalapenos. A whole can of jalapenos makes it pretty spicy but not unbearable.
• optional additions for the finished product: sour cream, cheese, tortillas, tortilla chips

Now just dump all that stuff into the crockpot and mix it all together. Don't drain any cans. Put your broth in last to see how much you want to add. I usually add 1-2 cups. And yes I put the chicken breasts in whole and frozen. Put your crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. I prefer to do it low and slow but if you're in a time crunch do what you gotta do.

When the 8 hours is up I will take the chicken breasts out and shred them with forks and then put them back in the pot and stir it all up. 1 cup is usually around 120-150 calories which is awesome!

I have to admit the soup is even better when you add the cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips though!

Have fun and play around with this recipe. Happy cooking, crockpotting, and couponing!

Wrapping Paper Cone Christmas Tree

Hello,

A few weeks ago a friend and I decided to make this wrapping paper cone Christmas tree craft that I had found on Pinterest. Here is the website I used:  http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/paper-cone-tree.html They looked so cute and sounded pretty simple. It ended up being a pretty time consuming project and not following the directions exactly proved to be our downfall. Here's what we ended up with:

They're pretty cute little trees. If I decide to do this craft again I will definitely devote more time and follow the directions more precisely. For a paper towel sized roll you will need the following items:

• cardboard tube from the center of a paper towel roll
• wrapping paper
• scissors
• tape
• ruler
• bow or ribbon for the top of the tree

DISCLAIMER:  The website at the top of the page has great pictures and instructions in case mine are confusing.

For our trees you will need to make 4 layers of 'leaves'. For the bottom row you will need to measure and cut 10-11 6x6 squares of wrapping paper. Form the squares into a cone shape and tape. Then, tape all the cones in a row around the cardboard tube a few inches from the bottom so your cones just barely touch your work surface. You will be making three more rows of cones. The next two rows you will need 10-11 5x5 squares and for the top row you will need 10-11 4x4 squares. I can't express how important it is that your measurements are precise. It makes making the cones so much simpler. Keep building the rows until you reach the top. You will need to put a bow or ribbon on the top of the tube to cover it up.

For more instructions and pictures make sure to visit the website above.

Happy cooking, crockpotting, and couponing!

Canned Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese

Hello,

For our holiday party at work this year I did not want to buy anything. So, I went to my fridge and looked at what I had to work with. I had a ton of canned cinnamon rolls from a couponing trip so I searched the internet to see how I could use them and that's where I found this recipe:  http://cookiesandcups.com/cream-cheese-filled-cinnamon-roll-monkey-bread/ This stuff was sooooo tasty! I would make it again in a heartbeat.

Ingredients:

• 3 8-count cans of cinnamon rolls - any kind will do
• 1 8oz block cream cheese
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut up your block of cream cheese into 24 cubes. One for each cinnamon roll. Open your cinnamon rolls and flatten in your hand. Make sure to save the tub of icing in each can. Put a cube of cream cheese in the cinnamon roll and pinch it closed. Do this for all the cinnamon rolls and after each one just put it in the pan. It doesn't have to be pretty looking. My pan looked about half full when all the cinnamon rolls were done. Next, combine your butter and brown sugar in a bowl and microwave until your butter is melted. Stir the mixture and pour over your cinnamon rolls. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. When the rolls have cooled for a few minutes, flip onto a plate. Now you can pour your icing over the top.

I highly recommend this recipe. So delicious! Happy couponing, cooking, and crockpotting!

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Hello,

A while back I found this simple recipe on Pinterest for a pineapple, brown sugar, and soy sauce crockpot chicken. Simple and delicious. I paired it with fried rice. The recipe I followed is here:  http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=900626

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cup pineapple juice - I had these small cans so I just used 1 can
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce

Mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce in your crockpot. Add your chicken and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Easy as that. I really liked the sweet flavor of the chicken that the brown sugar and pineapple juice gave.

Happy couponing, cooking, and crockpotting!

Green Chile Sour Cream Enchiladas

Hello,

Mexican food is one of my most favorite of all time so when I saw this recipe for green chile sour cream enchiladas I had to go for it. I altered the recipe slightly and instead of using green chile's I used jalapenos instead. Excellent decision. But I have now made this recipe twice using each and they were both delicious but I definitely prefer the kick the jalapeno ones deliver.

I followed the recipe found here:   http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2011/02/white-chicken-enchiladas-with-green.html#.UNTJh4WoG0Y
You will need the following ingredients:

• 8 soft taco sized flour tortillas
• 2 cups cheese - I used sharp finely shredded cheddar but the recipe recommends monterrey jack
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken - I baked mine in the oven and then shredded one time and the other I make some soup in the crockpot and used half of the chicken from that
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 4oz can diced green chiles - for the jalapeno enchiladas you'll need 2-4 oz of canned diced jalapenos. Depends on how spicy you want them.

Preheat your oven to 425 and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Mix your chicken with 1 cup of the cheese. Put your tortillas in your baking dish and put some of your chicken/cheese mixture into each tortilla and roll them and place them seam side down.  In a large skillet melt your butter on medium heat. Then whisk in your flour for about a minute. Add your chicken broth and whisk until smooth and your mixture is thick and bubbly. Then stir in your sour cream and green chiles/jalapenos. Pour the mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with your remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

This dish is definitely one of my most favorite things that I have made so far. I highly recommend you making it!

In the mean time, happy cooking, couponing, and crockpotting!

Individual Red Velvet Cake

Hello,

So one of my favorite desserts of all time is red velvet cake. While searching around on Pinterest one day I came across a website that has several individual desserts that all can be made in the microwave. So I had a sweet tooth one night and followed the recipe found here:  http://lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.com/2012/06/red-velvet-mug-cake.html 
I haven't tried any other of her desserts but take a snoop on the webpage and you will definitely be inspired! Here are the ingredients that the recipe called for:

Now I doubled my recipe which I may tell you was a mistake. My ramekin's were overflowing and the cake was dense so it was a lot of food. I recommend next time following the website's instructions and use 2 ramekins which I will list below.

Cake:

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4.5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk - I used regular milk...seemed to work fine
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Frosting

• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

Mix your cake ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour contents into 2 ramekins. Microwave each individually on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. My ramekins were extremely hot and I had to use a pot holder to remove them. Let them cool before putting the frosting on. Mix your frosting ingredients in a bowl and use an electric mixer to thoroughly combine. Once the cake is cool enough spread on your frosting.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Happy couponing, cooking, and crockpotting!

Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops

Hello,

Last week I tried this simple Crockpot Ranch Pork Chop recipe that I found on Pinterest. I'm a huge fan of pretty much any type of gravy so I really wanted to try this one. Here is the original recipe that I followed:  http://www.livinglaughingandloving.com/2012/01/crockpot-ranch-pork-chops-finger-licking-good.html

That's it. All you need is 3 ingredients!

• Pork chops - I used 3 boneless thick cut ones. It looks like the website uses 5-6 thin ones. I really think any kind would work.
• 1 packet of ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup and 1 can water or 2 cans cream of chicken - I used cream of mushroom and about 1/2-3/4 can of water. Any cream of something will do though.

Put your ranch packet, soup, and water into the crockpot and mix. Add the pork chops and make sure they're covered with your mixture. I cooked my pork chops on low for 5 hours. Generally my pork chops take from 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. When the pork chops were done I ladled the gravy on top of a box of mashed potatoes that I couponed. Here's the finished product:

This is one of my favorite recipes that I've tried from Pinterest so far. They were so tasty and made great leftovers too. I'm a huge fan of leftovers btw. I eat leftovers for my lunch at work almost every day. I hope you enjoy this recipe and happy cooking, crockpotting, and couponing!