South of the Border Chicken and Vegetable Soup




Created this yummy "tortilla soup" Christmas Eve.  It turned so so healthy and delicious!

  1 can cooked chicken breast
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
1 can water
1/2 large onion, chopped
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, small chop
1 stick celery, cut in half lengthwise and chopped
corn from one cob or 1/4 cup kernels
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1-2 Tb. olive oil
salt
lemon pepper
cumin powder
chili powder
cayenne pepper

1. In pot, heat olive oil.  Saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery until soft.
2. Add tomato.  Saute additional 3-5 minutes.
3. Add tomato sauce, broth, chicken and water.  Cook until boiling.
4. Add spices according to taste.
5. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips.

Serves approx. 4

Macaroni Salad

Invented this one today and several people said they really liked it. Hope you like it too.

Mix in Bowl:

1 box cooked elbow macaroni
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tb dill relish

Mix in separate bowl the dressing:

1 C. Mayonnaise
2 tb milk
2 tb red wine vinegar
1 tb spicy brown mustard
1-2 tb sugar
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tb dried dill weed

Pour over macaroni mixture and stir.

DIY Dish

This is an awesome site you should check out. These ladies have the cutest crafts and they have instructional videos on how to make them. Oh yeah, and did I mention that they are giving away an embroidery machine and a sewing machine? Make sure you sign up to win. Or don't... and let me win it!!! :)

Felt Bakers Play Set

Would you just die to have this cute bakers set? Well, I wasn't ready for anyone to die for me to get it so I forked over the cash to buy the pattern. Maggie and Eden will be such happy girls when they have new bakers equipment.

This etsy seller GulfCoastCottagePDF has so much cute stuff. I mean, for reals... a felt whisk... need I say more? Check out her shop.

The Pantry Challenge - My Final Results

Okay, I'll just come right out and say it. I Failed. But you know what? I feel okay about it.

There are two reasons I failed.

#1: I'm weak. I started off strong in the pantry challenge and it was two weeks into January before I even set foot in a store but I didn't realize how long a month can be and I ended up grocery shopping 4 times and spent $200 (overall, not just on the items in the picture). My goal for this month was to spend only $75. BUT my overall goal is to spend $200 a month so in that sense I met my overall goals but not my goal for this specific challenge.

#2: I'm practical (kind of). This month my beloved husband turned 29 (gasp) and I didn't feel like punishing him on his birthday so I needed to go out and get some special treats for him as well as his cake. Additionally I had several coupons for either completely free items or almost free items that were about to expire as well as several items that were on sale at Publix that we use on a regular basis. So I had to ask myself this question - Do I stick to my goal and pay full price for these items later or do I break it and get the things that we need and can stock up on now for less? Well you can see what I decided. (20 of the items you see below were completely free and several I paid pennies for like the Advil for just $1 a bottle and the butter for .40)
Summary: I failed but I'm okay with it. The pantry challenge was fun but I found that with the way I cook on a normal basis I didn't change much of my habits. I usually just go to my cupboards see what I have and throw it together. I think if I was more dependant on a recipe in my normal life this would have been more adventurous for me but as it is, it was just a way of spending less money. Will I do the pantry challenge again? Maybe. Do I recommend it to others to try? Sure, why not?

Thank You Cards Made From Upcycled Christmas Cards

After the season is over I can't bear to throw away the beautiful Christmas cards that people shared with us. So here's an idea to upcycle those old cards into something new! I just cut up old Christmas cards, glued them to new card stock cards, added embellishments and stamped "Thanks" on them. I plan to send them out to family and friends who were so generous to us this year.

Lemon Berry Ice Cream Sundae

Vanilla ice cream is the best. It's so versatile and oh so yummy. This is just one of the ways that we like ours.

I took frozen berry blend and warmed it over the stove with a small amount of sugar, corn starch and lemon extract. We then served it warm over vanilla ice cream with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

Buying only vanilla ice cream is also a great way to add variety to desserts though various toppings as well as save money only buying one type of ice cream.

Freezer Burritos

It's Pantry Challenge month and I've started a new thing that I'll be doing for years to come - freezer burritos! After the December food madness I had some leftover ham from Christmas dinner, chopped it up and wrapped it in a tortilla with some cheese and put it in the freezer. Viola! Instant hot pockets. I did the same with leftover refried beans.
For dinner the other night we had super burritos with chicken, leftover rice, beans and cheese. We served them smothered where I poured some green enchilada sauce that I had leftover and frozen in the fridge, melted cheese, fresh salsa and sour cream. With the leftovers I wrapped them up (unsmothered) and froze them for a later day.

I get the tortillas in a giant pack for less than $5 at Sam's and they last forever. I'm now in the habit of wrapping up leftovers in them, it makes a great and inexpensive (practically free) lunch. Just heat up the wraps in the microwave and it's as delicious as that!

John's Famous Cheese Biscuits

These cheese biscuits are apparently famous around his family. I wouldn't know of their goodness since John has never made them for me in the 5+ years we have been together but here is the recipe for you to enjoy even if I never will.

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 butter or margarine

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. Measure flour, baking powder and salt in bowl

2. Cut in butter until crumbly

3. Add water and cheese, stir to moisten

4. Drop tablespoon sized amounts of patter onto greased baking sheet

5. Bake in 425F oven for 10-15 minutes

Pantry Challenge Progress

Well, so far I have kept to my goals! It's really hard though. It's like when you open up your closet and say, "I have nothing to wear" when you're looking at a whole closet full of clothes. I keep saying, "I have nothing to eat" but really there is a ton of food. I've been in a funk this week or so as far as food goes I'm really hungry but nothing sounds good. I don't think this funk is pantry challenge induced, more like I indulged too much at Christmas induced, but it doesn't help.