Green Chili Soup

It seems like all I blog about lately is food. But that's okay. It's something that everyone can relate to right? Everyone eats!

Why do men hate soup so much? I think soup is delicious...although, I am a creamy soup kinda girl, not the brothy kind (unless it's Ramen. I LOVE Ramen). Whenever I make soup, Jordan always complains that it is just a side dish and that it isn't filling. Typically, if I am not full off of what I am eating, I JUST EAT MORE OF IT. So I still really don't get it. I rarely make soup and I figure that I make what Jordan wants about 99% of the time. So you know what? I will make my soup and he will eat it and like it (which he usually does anyway).

I was browsing some blogs and was in the mood for a nice Southwesterny soup. I am not a huge chili/taco soup fan, so when I came across this soup, I was sold. This is from my sister Natalie's cooking journal (as she puts it). She will probably be mortified that I am posting it since her cooking has improved far beyond this... but mine hasn't, so it works for me.

I highly suggest this soup. It was really easy, and I had most of the stuff on hand. As I mentioned, I made a few changes, so here is the recipe with those changes:

1 chicken breast

2 c. salsa verde/green salsa--I used medium and it was SPICY (the kind that makes your nose run). If you can't handle the heat, go with a mild salsa

1 4 oz. can fire roasted chili

5 c. chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. milk

1/4 whipping cream

2 c. frozen corn

1 can black beans

1 avocado, diced

sour cream

grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breast in a baking dish, cover with a splash of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast chicken for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.

In the meantime, combine salsa verde, chilis, chicken broth, corn, black beans and cream of chicken soup in a large stockpot. Bring to a soft boil (maybe not a boil... just heated through and beginning to bubble a little bit--I just let it heat up while I was waiting for the chicken to roast). Once chicken is roasted, dice up and add to the soup mixture. Add cream and milk (only if you want it to be more creamy). Serve hot with diced avocado, sour cream and your choice of cheese. I also served this with some roasted chips and cheese (aka, chips and cheese that I put under the broiler).

This made a LOT of soup. It was enough for us to have two full dinners. I also ate it for lunch for like three days. But it was very yummy as leftovers. In fact, Jordan liked it more a few days later... "Hey, this soup is actually pretty good". I'm still not sure if he realized that it was just leftovers.

When men get involved...

Jordan was really against me posting this, but I laughed for a good ten minutes... so it was really too good NOT to post.

Rather than doing freezer meals, I am going to try to just do a little bit of prep work on the weekend. I decided to start off by boiling some chicken breasts, shredding them, and putting them in the freezer. I put Jordan in charge of helping me bag up the chicken. He was also in charge of labeling...

In case you can't read that... it says, "One large chicken boob"

Christmas Vacation

We had a great Christmas. Although, I didn't take a single picture to document a second of it. We had a lot of fun with our families in California and it was nice to just have a week of absolutely no responsibilities. The weather was also great, but it was quite the adjustment to go from 50 degrees to 15... literally.

I was really spoiled this year. I got nearly everything I wanted. My mother in law Amy got me a sewing machine, my mom got me the chi (you can all rest assured that I won't sizzle my hair off!) and Jordan was a stinker and got me the ipod touch. It was great for the roadtrip home because I spent some time getting some good games. My favs are rat on a scooter and line up. And although I am sure I should be embarrassed to admit it, I am addicted to this game called Yumsters, which I am pretty sure is a kid's game (since I learned of the game watching my nephew play it). The basic concept of the game is to get colored worms to eat certain colors of fruits. Like I said, embarrassing. But what can I say? I'm a gamer at heart!

Speaking of games, Jordan also got me the new Wii Mario Brothers game... you know, the one where you can have four players playing at a time. Since we are free from school this week, we have some spare time to play lots and lots of it. Last night, it got PRETTY intense. We were stuck on this castle level for an hour and we both kept getting quite frustrated with each other. For example, Jordan kept dying trying to get these bonus stars and I would get so mad, grab his face and say "STOP GOING FOR THOSE STUPID STARS!" and then of course, he would just go for them anyway (which would usually result in him dying). We made it to the end a few times and almost had it beat. Finally, we were one hit away from beating the "bowser" and Jordan died. We were both so mad, I jumped up and down and hit my hand on top of the ceiling. In the mean time, Jordan had to go outside to "cool off". When he came back, I noticed that my hand was bleeding. I had cut it on my ceiling! I also chipped my nail completely off.

This one is a little blurry and BRIGHT... but it shows the chipped nail a little better.

At this point, we probably should have turned it off, but Jordan is also a gamer, so I bandaged up my wound and we pulled through finally beating the level. Phew!

Anyway, back to Christmas. We tried to have a budget of $100 on each other, but like I have said before, Jordan is really into surprises. However, I DID stick to the budget, and got him some new shoes, some money towards skiing or golfing and the Tiger Woods Golf wii game... so my gifts looked pretty lame compared to his. Although, in my defense, both of the gifts that I got are "family gifts" that Jordan is using as well. And I am pretty sure I can't use any of his gifts. So it all works out to be fair, right? Hmmm...

This is My Grown Up Christmas List...

Is that a song? For some reason, I want to say it is by Amy Grant...

I had planned on doing this list well before my birthday three weeks ago, but that never happened. I suppose now will have to do.

1. A sewing machine.

As you may have noticed, I am growing up. I think it might be time to put one of these in my collection. I don't really know what kind I want yet, but just something simple that I can use for some simple crafts--somewhere hopefully below like $90. This specific model sells for $89 at Walmart.

2. A Food Processor

I guess I don't really NEED one of these, but I really want one. I love watching cooking shows and watching them use their fancy food processors. This really seems like a necessity in a kitchen. Am I right? This one seems pretty cheap ringing in at $24 at Walmart. What a steal.

3. An iPod touch.

Now I know I really won't be getting this because it is WAY too out of our price range. But I really do plan on saving up my pennies to buy one before the cruise. I am way too addicted to the games available on them, so they seem perfect for road trips. Jordan, I know you are really into surprises, but let's just stick to our plan and leave this out of it.

4. One of these? A storage bin?

I have a bunch of little random things (gluegun, random fabric, do-dads) that I need to keep somewhere--other than a plastic bag shoved in my closet never to be seen again. I was imagining these being more like $10, but they are listed for like $30. What a rip! It's a set of plastic drawers for crying out loud.

5. A new straightener.

Mine has shorts in the cord, so every time I want to use it, I have to twist the cord and wait for it to heat up, then turn it off and use it. There is also a hole in the cord and sometimes electrical sparks pop out. I am sure this is really safe...especially with my hair.

6. Some new jeans. I just got a new pair a few weeks ago, but they are more like casual jeans... I need some dark jeans that I can dress up since all of the others ones I own are faded. I tried to buy some last week when they were 20%... but I just couldn't find any in my size dang it.

7. A cast iron pot

I love these and would really love to add one to my kitchen... but at around $200-$250 a pop, I don't think that this is very practical for me right now. Martha Stewart makes a great knockoff that I have almost bought on multiple occasions, but I just can't bring myself to take the plunge.

Well, that is all that I can think of. Now, don't think I am some spoiled brat that is expecting to get all of this stuff... cause I'm not. I think I will MAYBE get one or two things (the sewing machine and the flat iron) and then might just have to treat myself to those new jeans to boost my mood next semester.

I'm excited to go to Folsom for Christmas to to spend time with our families. I have been to Folsom, but never really BEEN to Folsom. Whenever we go, we usually go for like 3 days and that is just not enough time. I am also excited to spend time with all of my nieces and nephews! They are all getting so big (I refuse to believe they are growing up) and haven't seen most of them for MONTHS. Just a few more weeks of school, and I'm there!

Thoughts on a Thursday

-I have been feeling the itch to craft lately. I have all of these ideas in my mind of things I want to do, but I just never get around to it.

For example, I really want to make this cardigan.

In the picture it looks high quality, but then when I actually went into the store, I was actually surprised... I was not that impressed! In fact, on the black cardigan, the blacks didn't even match! And they wanted $34.99 for it??? And no, that wasn't the look they were going for. After seeing it, I am pretty confident that I can make it... and maybe possibly have it look better? I have a pink cardigan that I don't really care about that I think I am going to try to salvage. If it works out, I get a super cute, new (and free!) shirt. If it doesn't, then I can just officially throw it away instead of letting it rot in my closet...

-Next on my list is attempting to make these cute pelmet boxes as seen on Little Green Notebook

Adorable, right?

-Sometimes I get so excited to graduate, I just think of all of the things I am going to do once I am done. And then I remember that I still have the semester from hell to get through.

-It's November 19. Where on earth has this year gone? Christmas is right around the corner, and I am really excited.

-Don't be fooled by the rocks that I don't got... Last weekend, I dropped my ring off at the old jeweler for some maintenance. I have been ringless for almost a week now and I HATE it. I just feel so weird about it. When you have something on your finger for two years, and then it is just whisked away, it is a strange feeling. I have worn Jordan's ring a few times just to have something there, but I just want my ring back! Subconsciously, I will forget that I don't have it and then FREAK OUT for a few milliseconds because I am worried that I somehow lost my ring. It is my biggest fear. Hopefully I get it back this weekend.

-How's the cruise planning going? I hope you are all planning on making this happen. It will be so fun! And in case you are thinking that just because you are going on the cruise, you will be required to be attached to my hip, don't be fooled! I just think it would be fun to run in to a bunch of friends on ship. There are like 3,000 people aboard you know.

A Cruise-for-all.

Remember that one time when I blogged about really wanting to go on a cruise? And my vision was to invite all of my friends who in turn invite all of their friends and it just becomes one big, random party in the middle of the ocean?

Well friends, my dream has come true! My sweet Jordi set up a secret savings account and for the past few months, has been putting money in there every so often. He finally bought one and surprised me for my birthday! Although... I found out like 3 weeks before by a tragic accident.

So who wants to come? Anyone is invited! Great for anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, random gifts, just for the heck of it, etc.

Details:
-May 2-9 (Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. What could be better?)
-Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta)
-Around $350/person--that's cheap cheap cheap!
-Best time of your lives


Now, to all of you who are saying "We can't afford it...": Let me just remind you that Jordan and I are STUDENTS who work part-time and who also just paid $4000 two months ago in tuition. If you had asked me a few weeks ago if I could afford a cruise, I would have thought you were crazy!

So how did we do it?
We (aka Jordan) started by putting a specified amount of money from each paycheck into a secret bank account that we FORGOT about... it didn't go into our budget. Now just think of an amount, say $20-$30 each paycheck per person. Now, are you REALLY going to miss that $20? Most likely not (although I do realize that there are some people out there who really would miss that $20.)

And before each new paycheck, if you still have some extra money leftover that didn't go to bills, savings, etc, go ahead and slip another $20-$30 or whatever you please per person into that account and forgetaboutit--that's the important part, you just forget that money ever existed. I promise you, this works--I have been managing my money this way for years.

The cruise is in approximately six months. In six months, if you only put away $20 each paycheck, you would have about $240. Now that's not the full amount, but by May, your cruise will REALLY only cost you like $100 out of pocket. Who can say no to a $100 cruise?! Are y'all following me here? A key is to NOT think about paying $900 for a vacation, but to think of small amounts growing and growing into a large lump of money that you could use towards your cruise :)

Now, you would probably want to figure out some way to pay for the cruise now, or sometime in the near future, but you can make payments (interest free) over the next few months.

So seriously, who wants to come?

If baring my testimony about how you can afford the trip didn't work, maybe these photos can convince you:

Lunch on the beach

Formal dinners

Lots of Butt cheeks... just kidding. But look how much fun I am having. That could be you!

If you are STILL not convinced, take a trip back to the archives:
See? Fun.
and more fun.
and more fun.

You know you want to go. Make it happen.

Have I become a freezer meal wife?

So this past week, I have been thinking a lot about my next semester. And how bad it is going to be, really. I know that I ALWAYS say that I am going to be busy, but this time, I mean it.

Schedule:

20 hours+ working

20 hours internship

2-3 hours cleaning my office

capstone course (only 3 credits, but the professors say it feels more like 6)

elective course

religion class

Now, many of you may be thinking that this doesn't seem like very much. But let me just give you the breakdown of what exactly I will have to do to accomplish this. The ONLY way I can get enough hours at work and my internship is if I come in from 7-6 MWF without a lunch break. And then work 4-5 hours on T/Th, and then head straight to class until 7 PM.

Whenever I think about this, my lungs start to constrict and I feel myself gasping for air (actually, quite literally).

Now one thing I won't do, is give up good homecooked meals. But getting home at 7 PM after being at work or school all day? YEAH RIGHT.

Yesterday, I had the brilliant idea that maybe I can start cooking a few extra meals on Saturday and Sunday to freeze/refrigerate for the upcoming week. Am I crazy to want to spend my days off doing that? Probably.

So here's my dilemma: I have NEVER tried to do freezer meals before. Do I just put everything together and then instead of cooking it, put it in the freezer? Or do I just cook it and then freeze it and warm it up when I am ready? Does anyone have any experience with this or have any good recipes that are quick, easy and taste delicious after being in the freezer?

If so, please share.