Pumpkin Chicken Winter Chili

It's finally  cold & snowy. FINALLY. 

I can't tell you how long I waited for it to snow - it's just not Christmas without snow! Anyway, since it's gotten cold I find myself craving soups and chili and hot chocolate and wassail. Preeeetty much all the time. 

Pumpkin Chicken Winter Chili

1 14oz can pumpkin puree

1 14-16oz can diced tomatoes

2 C. chicken broth

1/2 - 3/4 of a large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 heaping tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded & minced

1 1/2 lbs chicken (can use raw or pre-cooked)

1 14-16 oz can corn

1 14-16oz can chickpeas, drained

1 14-16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 heaping spoonfuls brown sugar or apricot jam

fresh cilantro & sour cream for topping

To crockpot add tomatoes, chicken broth, & pumpkin then whisk until combined. Add onion, garlic, chile powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and chipotles; stir well. Add chicken, beans, chickpeas, corn, and sugar or jam. If using raw chicken, cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. When ready to serve, remove chicken, shred, and return to pot. If you are using pre-cooked chicken, simmer for 1 hour. Dish into bowls, top with cilantro and sour cream. 

Delicious when served with warm garlic bread or fresh rolls!

A Rainy Day Recipe for Creamy Celery Soup

We have seriously been having the best kind of weather these past weeks. And yes, I am talking about thunderstorm weather. The days start out bright and sunshiney with a wind that makes it seem like summer is blowing away. And then out of nowhere you hear a rumble of thunder, and the next thing you know its pouring. The earth is literally being pounded with big, fat, raindrops.

I love it!

And I love to have soup when it rains. A comfort food for staying in and wearing pjs and watching Bones.

CREAMY CELERY SOUP WITH BACON

6 strips bacon

1 tablespoon butter

5 cups chopped celery (stalks and tops) (approx. 1 big bunch)

1 medium onion, chopped

2- 2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon thyme

1 medium potato, cubed

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups milk

salt and pepper

Cook your bacon in a frying pan until its nice and crispy and easily crumbled. Pour some of the grease into the bottom of a large soup pot, and add butter, celery, onion, thyme, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft (15 minutes or so).

Add the potato, stock, and milk to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato is very soft. 

Puree the soup in a blender until thick and creamy. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Mmmmm. Now go put on some pjs.

{Deliciously Soft} Funfetti Cookies

These are my husband's favorite cookies. And they are quite possibly my favorite cookies. 

In fact, they may be the instant favorite cookie of anyone who tries them. 

Serious.

They are soft, and yummy, and MADE OF FUNFETTI. So here you go: 

Ingredients:

1 funfetti cake mix 

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

Just under 1/4 cup flour

Before you start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, put all your ingredients into a bowl and mix them up with a fork. 

Roll up your funfetti dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet.

Cook them for 8-10 minutes. 8 minutes if you love soft cookies like I do.

Let them cool a little, then place them on cooling racks. 

Lastly, eat them. 

{but not too many.}

{which is not easy to do.}

Easy & Delicious Avocado Egg Salad

I must tell you, this recipe is delicious.

And with summer coming {one day} {i'm hoping} easy sandwich recipes are my favorite for hot days when I don't feel like cooking. I tested this one out a few weeks ago for a road trip to Price. 

Have you ever been to Price? Its.....small. And I really don't want to live there. 

But on the bonus side of things, we had delicious sandwiches to eat while we drove!

Ingredients {makes 2 sandwiches}:

4 hard boiled eggs, diced

6 {or more} strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 avocado, mashed

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of salt


Directions:

Take everything and mix it all together. Swipe a taste and adjust ingredients as needed--I added a little more Dijon and a little more bacon {who can resist adding more bacon??}

Lightly {lightly} toast 4 pieces of bread. Spoon egg salad over toasted bread, and top with some fresh lettuce.

Yummmmmm.

I Eat When I'm Bored

Have you ever wasted an entire hour just staring into the fridge?

I certainly hope so, because then you might find this post helpful. I am currently OUT of ideas to write about. Work has picked up with the holiday season, so I don't have a whole lot of time to craft or sew. And the most exciting place we've been lately was Scheel's. 

They do have crazy amounts of stuffed animals and this awesome, 3-pillar, overhead fish-tank. 

That picture doesn't even do it justice.

But anyway, back to my point......boredom and food. I know my blog has been a little boring as of late, so as compensation I'm offering you this:

Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Bread. It's as delicious as it looks. So when you start wondering how I got so boring, instead of staring into the fridge you can make this. 

Ingredients:

• 2 C. flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 C. sugar
• 1/2 C. canola oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 C. dried cranberries
• 1/2 C. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan {or a couple of smaller ones}. 

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. Add dry ingredients, stir until combined. Gently add in cranberries and walnuts. 

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan{s}. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack.

This bread is just so perfect for this time of year! It will make your house smell yummy, feel warm from the oven, and it's totally comfort food. 

And maybe if you don't smear a big slab of butter on each piece like I do, it could be considered healthy.

Easter Kicks

Man, I sure do love making my husband do things he doesn't really want to do.

Like search for his "Easter basket." {in quotations due to the fact it wasn't actually a basket...more like a pile.} {but it was a pile of presents, so it had it's redeeming qualities.}

Doesn't he just look so curious?

Yes, it is a rather odd assortment of things, but Chris has a rather odd assortment of tastes at times.

You gotta admit those are some stylin' pants, though. 

As today I had the whole day to kick back and do absolutely nothing productive things, I decided to try out a simple hair mask made of olive oil and honey. Chris walked into the bathroom to find me slicking back my hair and yellow drips splattered all over the counter. 

Don't worry, I responsibly cleaned it up.

The results weren't bad--my hair was softer, and it may have been a little shinier than it was before. {or it may have been that i was standing directly under a bright light.}

Either way, Chris liked it. 

Boom.

Success.

So now that it's two days after Easter and all our Easter candy is gone {i swear i could eat my weight in Starburst jellybeans}, I've taken up a new addiction:

Right now I'm trying desperately not to drip on my laptop as I try to cram whole chips into my mouth. {yeah....not gettin' a picture of that one}

It's soooooooo deliciously addicting. {thanks a lot brea}

Anyone got any other amazing snacks?

You can never have too many.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I've been meaning to post this recipe forever.

Because it's really and truly delicious.

{and easy.}

{and i love sweet and sour.}

Meatballs 

6-8 servings

• 1 egg
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 tsp. garlic
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2/3 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs {or plain breadcrumbs w/ some italian seasoning mixed in}
• 3/4 C. evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine egg, soup mix, garlic, and pepper. Mash in ground beef and bread crumbs with a fork. Stir in evaporated milk {mixture will be well-moistened}. Roll into approx. 24 golf-ball-size meatballs and place in nonstick-sprayed 9x13 baking dish so meatballs do not touch. Cover with foil or glass lid, bake for 28-35 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2-3 servings

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar {add another if you like your sauce sweeter like i do}
• 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1/3 C. rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 5 tsp water

Combine sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl and whisk. Pour into saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring until the mixture thickens up. Pour into bowl and serve!

We put the meatballs over rice, mixed in some big chunks of pineapple [mmmmm...drool.}, green peppers, and carrots, and poured the sauce over the top. I love this recipe because I usually have most of the ingredients already on hand!

So. Good. 

Anniversary Weekend (Awwww)

This last weekend was our 1 year anniversary. 

Holy COW! Where on earth did a whole year go??? 

Chris & I got to relax in a hotel up north for a couple days. It was soooooo nice! LET me tell you, I never realized how much I liked not having to make the bed. I had my first-ever massage (mmm), we got to eat at this wonderful little waffle shop, and had a hot tub at our disposal. 

Let me introduce you to the best-most-amazing waffle place ever.

BRUGE'S. 

IT. IS. AMAAAAAZING.

Vanilla waffle with fresh strawberries!

The cone of fries.

The machine-gun sandwich. 

They offer waffles, fries, and one sandwich. 

Aaaand my mouth is watering all over again. Moving on.

Sushi Night!

Just one word. YUM.

The Birthday of Christopher!

Pictures from Chris's birthday week...

At his mom's house

 I threw him a surprise party the night of his birthday. We all went out for ice cream, and then came back to our house for games and cake! We all sucked it up at DDR. Awesome.

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And this is one of the dinners I've tried so far this week...Broiled pepper salad with lamb! It was pretty good.On his actual birthday I made clam chowder, one of his favorites. :) I still have a couple dishes left to try...wish  me luck! 

Random, I know.