Muffins Pans Aren't Just for Muffins 2 and a New Soup

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas!!  Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2013?!  Crazy!  I am looking forward to 2014!  I just have a feeling that it's going to be a great year!

I have 2 recipes for you...lasagna cups and Chicken Enchilada Soup.

Lasagna Cups

The recipe with pictures can be found here http://www.catchingfireflies.com/blog/2012/06/mighty-tasty-mini-lasagnas/

Ingredients:
Won Ton Wraps (These can be found near the tofu up where the bags of salad and such are.)
Ricotta Cheese (1 container)
Mozzarella Cheese (1 2 cup bag)
Parmesan Cheese (I used grated, but you could use shredded or shaved too.)
Marinara Sauce
Italian Seasoning
Ground Beef (optional)

Instructions:
Brown ground beef.  I cooked it with garlic and Italian seasoning.  You could add onion too.
Preheat oven to 375.
Spray cupcake pan(s) with cooking spray.
Put a won ton wrap in each cup.  Layer ingredients (My order - ricotta, sauce, beef, mozzarella, parmesan, seasoning). Add another wrap and repeat ingredients.  (I used 1 lb of beef.  One set of cups only had one layer of beef.)
Bake 18-20 minutes. (They only took about 15 in our oven.)
Allow to cool about 5 minutes and then lift out of the cups.

I made 24 cups with these ingredients.

I was looking through my soup magazine and Pinterest to find a new soup to make this week.  Nothing was popping out at me, so I did some searching online and found this recipe.  I love taco soup and this one sounded very familiar, so I decided to give it a try.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

The recipe can be found here http://realmomkitchen.com/463/chicken-enchilada-soup-and-my-top-10-soup-recipes/

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 10 oz pkg of frozen corn

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I didn't add these.)

1 10 oz can enchilada sauce (I used mild)

1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups milk

2 chicken breasts

1 cup shredded Pepper Jack (This is for putting on before you eat, so it's optional, but I love cheese!)

(I read the comments on the blog where I found the recipe and used some of their suggestions.  I added a 7 oz can of chopped green chilies and some chili powder.)

Instructions:

Combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and peppers in crock pot.  Place 2 chicken breasts on top of the mixture.  In a large bowl, whisk together soup and enchilada sauce.  Gradually whisk in milk until mixture is smooth.  Pour mixture over other ingredients in crock pot.

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken breasts, shred with forks, and then return to the soup (I cooked mine on low, so I did this about an hour before we were going to eat.  You can wait until the end though too.)

We ate ours with the pepper jack cheese, sour cream, and chips.

It is very similar to my taco soup, but creamier because of the soup and milk.  The enchilada sauce gives it a different taste while the chilies and chili powder give it a nice kick.  It was yummy :)

Ornaments!

Sorry I don't have a soup recipe for you.  We have been eating out and finishing off leftovers.  I'll have some new ones after Christmas!  I have some craft ideas for you instead :)

For the past 2 years, my friends and I have had an ornament exchange party where we made and exchanged ornaments.  All of these were made for me by friends and family.  I love decorating the tree each year, because these ornaments bring back memories and make me think of special people :)

We didn't get to have the party this year, but I still wanted to make ornaments.  I had lots of ideas floating around in my head, so I set out to make them happen.

Foam Ball Ornaments

For some reason, I really wanted to see what I could do with foam balls this year.  I had seen some ideas on Pinterest that I wanted to try and had come up with some others myself.
I gathered my supplies and got to work...

I had some ornament fails...

This cupcake ornament didn't quite work out the way I hoped that it would.

These didn't work out either.  

These good ideas gone bad didn't make me give up though and thankfully I had some great ornament successes too!!

Yarn-wrapped Foam Ball Ornaments

I am sure there are directions out there for these somewhere, but this is one that I just made on my own.  I used simple foam balls, yarn, and craft glue.  I decided starting in the middle would be easiest, so I covered half of the ball with glue and then wrapped the yarn around the ball.  Once that half was finished then I covered the other half with glue and wrapped it with yarn.  For the hanger, I pinned ribbon to the top with a sequin pin.  I had some bells left from other projects, so I either strung them on the top ribbon or pinned them to the bottom.  The red, white, and green yarn was a little smoother and was easier to work with than the other yarns shown, but I was happy with how they all turned out.  The most challenging part was trying not to get my fingers in the glue!

Ribbon-wrapped Foam Ball Ornaments

I found this simple idea online here www.houseontheway.com/christmas-ribbon-ornament-craft/
I used smooth foam balls for these and I pinned the ribbon with sequin pins, because I already had them.  The shiny ribbon was a little more challenging to work with, but so pretty!  Tip:  When you cut your ribbon, cut it a little longer than it takes to wrap around once.  I didn't do this with my shiny ribbon, so I had to pin both ends.

Fabric and Sequin Foam Ball Ornaments

I had an idea in my head of how I wanted this ornaments to look, but it did not work out.  As you can see from the fail picture (green one of the left), I couldn't get the fabric to sit just right.  I even tried using a template for cutting the fabric that I found online, but that didn't work out either.  

Thankfully I found this site www.stitchingunderthesoutherncross.yuku.com/topic/2559#.UrBzr9JDsfV

It took a little while, but it turned out way better than my first couple of tries!

I really enjoyed making these ornaments and am super happy with how they turned out!  Hope you will try them too!!  

One last idea...

I made ornaments similar to these a couple of years ago for our ornament exchange party.  I decided to make some more this year.  This year I used the larger glass ornaments, but the small ones work well too.  The side of the ornaments that you can't see has the first initial of the person who they are for, but I can't show you that because I haven't given them away yet ;)

Here's how you can make your own...
Fill plain glass ornaments with fake snow (I made a mess doing this, but I got them filled!).  I always glue the top back on in hopes of keeping it from falling off and making a big mess!  Clean the side of the ornament that you are going to paint with rubbing alcohol.  Let it air dry (doesn't take too long) and then paint.  Enamel paint is best for painting on glass and mistakes can be "erased" with rubbing alcohol.  I used circle sponges to make the snowman body, because that was easier than trying to paint circles and I like the texture that they create.  When I made these before, I painted several snowman around the ornament.  This time, I painted an initial on one side and one snowman.  Allow the body paint to dry and then dress your snowman.  It's fun to customize the snowmen by using the person's favorite colors or modeling them after something the person likes (favorite sports team, school colors, etc.).  I made all of these in a couple of hours.

If you ever have questions or need more directions to help make something, don't hesitate to ask!  Also, feel free to share any ideas for Christmas crafts that you have made!  I love new ideas!!  :)

Still Have Turkey?

I know most of you have probably finished any leftovers you had from Thanksgiving, but we still have some turkey, so turkey soup seemed like a great idea.  (We had saved the carcass too in case we did want soup.) The magazine that I usually use has a couple of different recipes for turkey soup, but I didn't like them as is so I combined and created my own version.  I think it turned out pretty yummy and will probably be even better tomorrow after the seasonings have a chance to infuse the soup with flavor.
Here's the recipe...

Turkey Noodle Soup

Broth:
1 leftover turkey carcass
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 small carrots, cut into chunks (I used about 6 baby carrots)
1 rib of celery cut into chunks
6 to 8 garlic cloves (I used a couple of teaspoons of diced garlic)
4 quarts of water (I just filled my pot, so I'm not sure how much I actually used)

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 3-4 hours (I forgot to put mine on until late last night, so I only boiled mine for 2 hours.)  Cool slightly and then drain broth.  Discard bones and vegetables.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Soup:
Bag of egg noodles
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium onion, chopped or diced
3 cups cooked turkey
1/4 cup fresh parsley (Wal-Mart didn't have any fresh when I was there, so I just used dried.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons ground thyme
Broth

Skim fat off broth.  Add vegetables, meat, and spices.  Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add noodles and simmer until noodles are tender.

I thought it was rather simple and delicious.  (If you don't have any turkey or a carcass, you could easily use chicken and chicken broth.)

Welcome December!!

I'm excited that it is finally December!  I LOVE the holiday season and I'm ready for this semester to end ;)
I love crafting and have a lot of ideas for this holiday season that I plan to share as I make them so that you can make them too if you'd like :)

This is my pile of supplies!

Need something cute for your front door?
I don't normally decorate with Santa, but I found this via Pinterest and had to make it!
Here are the directions http://www.babyrabies.com/2012/11/santa-tulle-wreath-tutorial/

Need a cute project to do with your kids or Sunday school class?
How about a Happy Birthday Jesus ornament?
I made these with my Sunday School class last year and they loved it (even the boys!).
It's so simple but cute and holds a great message.
We filled glass ornaments with confetti, candles (I think I had to cut them to fit.), and curling ribbon.  I put some glue on the tops of the ornaments after they were filled to secure it.  We wrote Happy Birthday Jesus on a piece of cardstock which we strung on the ribbon that the ornament would hang by. We ran out of time to make the cards any fancier, but I think everyone was happy with how they turned out.

Keep checking back for more crafts ideas and more soup recipes! :)

Muffin Pans Aren't Just for Muffins

People are getting creative and coming up with a variety of recipes other than muffins or cupcakes that are made in muffin pans.  I am sure that you have seen the following recipe floating around Pinterest or Facebook.  For awhile all I saw was a picture with no descriptions, but eventually I found the recipe.  I have wanted to try these for quite some time, but I kept forgetting them.  I finally remembered the other night and I am glad that I did!

Chicken Pot Pies

Chicken Mixture

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I put mine in the crock pot so it would be shredded like I do for my soups)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I used mixed veggies that also included green beans and corn)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme (I almost didn't buy this, but I am glad that I did because it really added flavor)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Baking Mixture

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375°F

First, start with Bisquick baking mix, milk and eggs .Combine and start with a little less than a tablespoon in each greased muffin cup or use muffin liner

Next add your filling .. Add about ¼ cup of the mixture to each cup.

Finally, top it off with one more tablespoon of the Bisquick® mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes then pop them out of the pan.

I made a double batch so that I would have leftovers and they are still quite yummy!

I saw one version of the recipe that used cream of chicken soup instead of the broth and I think I might try that next time to make them creamier.  There was another one that used packaged biscuits instead of the Bisquick and I think that could be yummy too if you want more bread.  They were rather simple and delicious!

More muffin pan recipes to come...

Bringing the Restaurant Home

With a cold front blowing in this week, I knew it was going to the perfect week for a new soup, but I wasn't sure what to make.  None of the recipes from my magazine were popping out at me and money is a bit tight, but I was determined to find something to make.  I searched some recipes that I had saved from Facebook and did some online perusing before I found a recipe I was excited to try.  It's been awhile since I have been to Olive Garden, but I love getting their soup and salad.  My favorite soup?  Zuppa Toscana.  I found a crock pot copycat recipe and decided to give it a try!

I found the recipe here:   http://allshecooks.com/2013/04/09/copycat-zuppa-toscana/

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon, chopped (I decided to leave this out and didn't miss it.)
1 lb hot Italian sausage (I used mild and added some crushed red pepper flakes when I was cooking it.)
1/2 cup onion
2 garlic cloves
3 medium (or 2 large) russet potatoes, sliced
4 cups chicken stock (I used broth)
2 cups water
3-4 cups chopped kale (I grabbed what I thought was a bunch of kale at the store because that's what the sign said, but it ended up being mustard leaves instead!  Thankfully they worked and didn't ruin the soup, but I would like to try it again with kale. Guess I have to pay attention to the names on the rubber bands around bunches!)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1.  Brown bacon and sausage.  While cooking, break into small pieces.  Add onion and garlic once meat is mostly cooked and allow flavors to blend.
2.  Add meat mixture to crock pot once cooked.
3.  Add potatoes, stock/broth, and water to crock pot.
4.  Let cook on low for 3-4 hours.  (Like the cheeseburger soup, I wish my potatoes were more done, so I think I should have waited for the longer time here.)
5.  Add chopped kale, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.  Let cook an additional 1-2 hours and then turn down to warm to serve.

Overall, I think the soup turned out pretty good even though I had mustard leaves instead of kale and my potatoes weren't as soft as I would like them.  The soup did have a kick to it...not sure if that was from the sausage, crushed pepper flakes, or mustard (apparently it has a peppery flavor).  When I try this again, I think I will add my kale later so that it is still a bit crisp instead of limp and soggy.
 
We enjoyed our soup with garlic herb breadsticks that I found at Wal-Mart.  Yum!  Not quite like Olive Garden, but close :)

Something Old and Something New

For our new soup this week I wanted to try cheeseburger soup, but the recipe in my fave magazine is not a crock pot version and I knew that I would not have time to make it the "normal" way, so I went on hunt for a crock pot recipe.  I found several, but this one was the one I decided to try.
I found the recipe here http://crockpotladies.com/recipe-categories/soups-stews/crockpot-cheeseburger-soup-2/

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients
1 Pound of Ground Hamburger
1 Yellow Onion Diced (I just used my frozen onions.)
1 Tablespoon of Garlic, minced
1 Can (14.5 ounce) Diced Tomatoes
6 Strips of Cooked Bacon, Broken up into Pieces (I didn't add the bacon.  I think I would rather add it in the end anyway.)
2 Stalks of Celery, Chopped thin (I put in 1 cup)
2 Cups of Potatoes, Cubed (any kind will work well for this recipe) (I cut up 3 medium sized potatoes)
1 Cup of Shredded Carrots
8 Ounce of Cream Cheese Cubed
4 Cups of Chicken Broth
2 Teaspoons of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
1 Cup of Milk
1/4th Cup of Flour
2 Cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Instructions
Cook the hamburger until brown and no longer pink (I cooked my onions with the meat.)
Add the cans of diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon, celery, garlic, potatoes and carrots with the hamburger and onions into the crock pot.
Make sure the cream cheese is in small cubes and place in with the crock mixture.
Pour the chicken broth over the mixture.
Cook on low for 8 hours. (I had some soup after only 7 hours and unfortunately my potatoes weren't quite done.  I don't know if I cut the pieces too big or if I just didn't let them cook long enough.)
When you have a few minutes left before the soup is done, mix the flour and milk together with a whisk, whisking until it’s completely mixed and no chunks are left.
If you have cream cheese that hasn't melted, scoop it out and mix it well with the milk, flour mixture.
Add the milk, flour mixture into the crock and stir it in well.
Add the cheese in and mix in.
Re-Cover for about 10 minutes, cheese should be melted when your ready to eat.

I won't say that this soup is one of my new favorites, but it was good.  It definitely has potential :)

I used to enjoy making soup for the staff at my school in Korea, but it has been awhile since I've had a group to share soup with, so I decided to make soup for the staff at the school when I have been interning this semester.  I gave them some options and they chose to try one of my favorites!  When I made this soup for the first time a couple of years ago, it instantly became a favorite.  I liked it so much that I sent the recipe out in my Christmas cards that year.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
3 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of cubed cooked chicken (I put a pack of chicken tenderloins in the crock pot with water and a can of green chilies so that I would have some yummy shredded chicken.)
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies (I cooked one with the chicken and then added the other one to the soup)
1 1/2 cups frozen gold and white corn (I have never been able to find a package of frozen gold and white corn, but I did find canned so I used that.  This time I used one can of gold and one of white.)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded pepper Jack cheese (I just use one package, 2 cups, of shredded pepper Jack - no Monterey)
1 cup sour cream
1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped (I haven't added this in the past because colorful peppers can be expensive, but I did add it this time and it was a nice addition.  I don't think it's necessary, but it adds a veggie.)
1 small onion, chopped (I used 1 cup of frozen onions)
3 garlic gloves, minced (I used 1 tbsp of minced garlic from the jar that I have)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I did not want to spend the money to get all of these seasonings separate, so I bought a white chili seasoning package at Wal-Mart.)
May add cilantro if desired.

Combine ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips.
This soup has a kick too it, but it's not too spicy.  You could leave out the green chilies if you want it be more mild.
I think this batch is one of the best I have made!  Definitely still one of my favorites!!  The soup was a hit at school and I hope it will be for you too!!  Enjoy :)

Pinterest Soup Success!!

I love Pinterest, but the amount of time that I spend on it goes up and down.  There are times when I am fully addicted and then others when I forget it's there!  I am so glad that I decided to check it out last week, because I found one of my favorite new soup recipes!  The soup magazine that I love and have used for many of the soups had a tortellini soup that I wanted to try, but this one looked better so I tried it instead! Tomato soup is one of my favorite comfort soups.  Gotta love a bowl of steaming tomato soup with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich!  This soup takes a normal can of tomato soup and makes it into a restaurant worthy grown-up version of a classic favorite.

I will list the ingredients and any changes I made below, but here is the link for the original recipe http://recipeswagger.blogspot.com/2012/08/creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup.html.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

2 whole large cloves of garlic, minced (I have a jar of minced garlic, so I used a tbsp of that.)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 10 3/4 oz cans of condensed tomato soup (I made a double batch as usual so that I would have leftovers for lunch, so I used 2 of the large family size cans of Campbell's.  I used one regular and one heart healthy.)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped, or 2 tbsp of sun dried tomato paste (I read the comments on the blog where I found the recipe and some people has chosen to use sun dried tomato pesto, because they couldn't find the paste and didn't want to deal with chopping the tomatoes.  I went that route too!  I used 4 tbsp of the pesto. You can decide how much you like based on the taste. I was afraid that amount might be overwhelming, but I think it was just right.)
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp onion powder (In the comments someone said that they used 1/2 cup of real onions instead, so that's what I did too!)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pepper
1 whole 9 oz package of cheese filled tortellini (Because I doubled it, I bought a package that was 20 oz.)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish
I added a couple of cans of diced italian tomatoes to add some texture and flavor.

Saute garlic in the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown (be sure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn't get too brown or burnt!)
When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half-n-half, chicken stock, and spices...bring to a simmer.  Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup.  Cook according to the package directions (the package directions said to cook for 9 minutes in boiling water, but the soup was simmering not boiling.  I'm not exactly sure how long I cooked it before the tortellini was ready, because I was getting other things ready, but I don't think it was too much longer than 9 minutes.)
After the tortellini is cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.
(Just fyi...in the comments someone said that they put all the ingredients in the crock-pot and cooked for 3-4 hours on high, so it's worth a try!)

We had our soup with caesar salad and garlic knots that I found at Wal-Mart.  I doubled the recipe and had enough left to fill 6 of my small round containers!  Can't wait to have leftovers, because I think it will be even yummier now that the flavors have had more of a chance to fuse together.

One of my new favorites!  Give it a try and let me know what you think! :)

Yum!! Favorite Soup So Far!!

Two thumbs up for tonight's new soup!  I wish I could take credit for making this soup up, but it's another recipe from my favorite Taste of Home soup magazine.  It was warm and delicious...perfect for a cool, fall night!  If you haven't tried any of the other recipes, I think you should try this one!

Chicken Wild Rice Chowder
(The recipe said it only makes 4 servings.  I like to have leftovers for lunches, so I made double.  I'll give the original recipe amounts and then let you know how I changed the recipe.)
2 cups sliced fresh carrots (I used shredded carrots that I had leftover from the potato soup that we had last week.  I think they are great for soup.  I didn't double the carrots, because I thought that 2 cups was enough.)
1/2 cup each chopped onion and celery (I used the frozen onions that I had left.  I like that I don't have to chop them and get watery, stinging eyes, but I don't know if they have as strong of a taste as fresh ones.  I did use a cup of each of these.)
2 tbsp butter (I used 4 tbsp of the light stick margarine that I had in the fridge.)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour (Just doubled it.)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (I used 2 cartons of the reduced sodium broth.)
2 2/3 cups cubed chicken breast (I put 3 breasts in the crock pot with some water and seasonings then allowed it took cook all day so it would be shredded.  I prefer shredded chicken in my soups.)
1 package (8.8 oz) ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice (I used 2 packages of Uncle Ben's.)
1/4 cup half-and-half cream (Just doubled)
1/8 tsp pepper
I also added some other spices like parsley and garlic powder.

In a large saucepan, saute the carrots, onions, and celery in butter until tender.  Stir in flour until blended then gradually add the broth.  Bring to a boil then cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in the chicken, rice, cream, and pepper/seasonings.  Heat through.

We enjoyed some wheat rolls with our soup and it was delicious!  Enjoy!!

Potato Soup and A Fall Craft

This week potato soup sounded yummy.  It was a busy week, so I needed to find a crock pot recipe.  I found the following one from Betty Crocker.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 32 oz bag of frozen southern-style hash browns (the cubed ones)
1/2 c frozen chopped onion (I did buy a bag of frozen onions cause it was cheaper than buying the container of already chopped onions, but I'm sure fresh would work just great too.)
1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup) (I chopped up several stalks to get 1/2 cup.  I had never put celery in my potato soup before, but I decided to try it.)
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon
Green onions (I didn't use the green onions.  I figured that if I was going to add celery then I could add some more veggies, so I added 1/2 cup of shredded carrots and a cup or so of fresh green beans.  I liked the veggies and probably could have added more.)

Put potatoes, onion, celery, broth, and water in the crock pot...mix together.  Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.  In small bowl, mix flour into milk and then stir into potato mixture.  Increase heat to high, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until mixture thickens.  Stir cheese in until melted.  Serve with pieces of bacon and green onions if you like.

The only seasoning I added was pepper.  I think it could have used a little more flavor, but I wasn't sure what to add.  I do think I used the low sodium broth, so that could have made a difference too.  Overall I thought it turned out pretty yummy though, especially with the bacon (I used turkey bacon).

Fall Craft...
Last year I posted a Facebook status saying that I would make a fall craft for anyone who commented on the status.  I think I had around 10 people comment, so I painted some jack-o-lantern candle holders and leaf clay bowls.  I figured I would make fall crafts again this year, so I posted a status and waited for comments.  This year 17 people said they would enjoy receiving a craft.  I didn't have as much time or money to make things as elaborate as last year, but I was happy with my final product and I think my friends who have received them so far like them too!

I found some simple plain wood scarecrows at A C Moore and thought they would make great magnets, so I painted them and glued a magnet to the back.  I think they are pretty cute :)

First Newbie of the Season

This is late, because last week was crazy and I have been gone for most of the weekend.  The soups that I have made so far are ones that I have made in the past (the chili was a new recipe, but nothing all that different from chili I have made in the past).  Last week I wanted to make something that wasn't tomato-based.  I love tomatoes, but I wanted something different.  As I sat down to make my grocery list on Monday afternoon, I realized that the only night I would really have time to make soup was that night, so I needed to find a soup that I could make pretty quickly too.  I flipped thru my favorite soup magazine and found one that sounded yummy, so I decided to give it a try.  I think it turned out pretty good and it was pretty easy.

Corn Chowder with Dumplings (adapted from recipe found in taste of home soup magazine)

Chowder:
2 large onions (I bought the large package of pre-chopped onions from Wal-Mart cause I was not in the mood to have watery, stinging eyes.)
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups frozen corn
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes (I had cubed hash browns left over from the veggie beef soup that I had made, so I used those to save money and time.)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 to 3 tsps minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I left this out because I had no idea where to find it and didn't really want a spicy soup.  I added black pepper instead.)

Dumplings:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c yellow cornmeal (All I could find was cornmeal mix, so at first I wasn't sure if I needed the flour, but I did end up adding some because the mixture wasn't thick enough.  I'm not sure how much I added, but they worked out.)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
1/4 c shredded cheese

In large saucepan, saute onions until tender.  Add broth, corn, potatoes, cream, pepper, and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes.
For dumplings, combine dry ingredients.  Add cheese and milk - mix until moistened.  Drop by tablespoons onto simmering chowder.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes...do not lift cover while simmering.  (The directions say to cook for 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked which is determined by sticking a toothpick into the dumplings, but they say not take the lid off so there was no way to check them before the 20 minutes was over.  Mine were done after 20 minutes, but I guess if they aren't then you could replace the lid and continue to cook.)

My picture doesn't look as great as the one in the magazine, but the soup was yummy!

I went to visit a friend this weekend and she made a yummy chili whose recipe can be found here... http://love-taylor.com/2013/10/08/chili-for-a-chilly-day/ (There is another version of it here... http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.ca/2013/03/sweet-potato-quinoa-chili.html)  It's delicious!!

Double Dose!

I made 2 yummy soups this week!!  Well, one was technically at the end of last week, but I figure it can count too.
I went to a fall party with some friends on Friday night and it seemed the perfect occasion to make some yummy chili!  It was an easy crock pot recipe that turned out to be quite delicious!

Ingredients I used for my chili:
2 lbs cooked ground beef
2 cans of kidney beans (drained)
2 cans of chili beans (I did not drain these)
2 cans of diced tomato
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 can of tomato sauce
Chopped onion (I was not in the mood to irritate my eyes, so I bought a container of the pre-chopped onions and used the whole thing.  I cooked it with the ground beef.)
We didn't have cumin and neither did Wal-Mart, so I used their chili seasoning packets instead.  I used one mild and one spicy which I think gave it a good kick, but didn't make it too spicy.

One of my friends make cornbread that paired with it perfectly!  We also had shredded cheddar cheese and corn chips!

I knew it was going to be a long week, so I wanted an easy dinner for Monday night.  I decided on a soup recipe that I had tried last year...vegetable beef soup.  Another delicious and easy crock pot soup!

Ingredients for Vegetable Beef Soup:
1 lb ground beef
1 can (46 oz) tomato juice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 envelope onion soup mix
I thought it was yummy, but just a little bland last time so I added a bunch of random spices this time.

I think it turned out quite delicious!  It's perfect served with a big chunk of french bread :)

I realized after I made this soup that all of the ones that I have picked so far are tomato based, so I am going to try to pick something different next week.  We'll see what sounds good!

Fall Weather is Here and the Soup is Cooking!

I decided to switch up my blog again and change it back to a misc blog instead of just a craft blog.  We'll see if I am any better at keeping up with this one ;)  We'll also see if anyone else reads this one... :)

Today is the first October day that feels like fall.  It was gloomy for most of the day, but I loved the chilly air!!  I decided it was the perfect day to start making soup (I love soup, but it's just not as fun to eat when it's hot outside!), so I made a trip to Wal-Mart to get some ingredients to whip up a pot of taco soup!  While it was cooking I looked through some soup recipes and found so many that I can't wait to try!  My goal right now is to make a new soup each week and I will share the recipe here just in case you want to try the soup too! If you have a favorite soup recipe, I'd love it if you shared!

My Taco Soup Recipe isn't anything that different from most of the ones that you've probably seen (tho most of the recipes call for ground beef, I prefer chicken in mine.  I think it gives the soup a better flavor.)  Sorry my measurements for this soup aren't precise.  I've been making it for awhile, so I just kinda throw it all together.

Chicken (I throw a couple of breasts in the crockpot with some salsa and let it cook until the chicken is easy to shred.)
Beans - Today I used one can of light red kidney and one can of black.  Sometimes I use chili beans.  You can use whatever combination you prefer.
One can of corn
Canned tomatoes - I used 2 of the Great Value brand Tex Mex tomatoes
Packet of taco seasoning
Chopped onion - I used about a half an onion tonight.
I put everything in a large pot and then added about 3 cans of water.  You can add more or less water depending on how much "broth" you like.

I eat my soup with a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheese, and crumbled tortilla chips. Yum!!

Canvas Picture Holders

I wanted to add some non jewelry items to my website, but it's tough to know what might sell and what would be fairly easy to ship.  I love the canvas photo holders that I made originally, but they are too big to ship at a decent price, so I came up with some smaller versions.  I started with a couple different designs and hope to add more as I have time to make them.

Graduation Gifts

Three of the students that I work with at ECU are graduating this week.  I wanted to come up with some fun, special gifts.  I love themes, so I asked them each to help me think of a theme and then created a gift around that theme.  I was super happy with how they turned out!  I think this may be some of my best work so far! :)

Beach Theme...

Magnet Board with Finding Nemo magnets

  

Drinking glasses...I intended for these to look beachy...sand on the bottom, shades of blue for water, green for seaweed, and colorful fish...they look cool, but I'm not sure if the beachy part is obvious...

 I had to add some fun beach toys too :)

Big Bang Theory theme...

Magnet Board covered in quotes from the show with character magnets

I painted Sheldon's quote "Social protocol states that when a friend is upset, you offer them a hot beverage" on a mug and included some tea.

 I also painted a wine glass.  Sheldon would tell you to drink a hot beverage when you are upset, but Penny would tell you to drink wine ;)

 I saw this adorable kitty neck pillow at Target and immediately thought of the Soft Kitty song, so I knew it had to be part of the gift!

Friends theme...
Magnet Board covered in quotes from the show with character magnets

I attempted to recreate the peephole frame that is on the girls' apartment door.  I LOVE how the Central Perk mug turned out!!  I was rather impressed with myself ;)

I also added some bubble wrap and a magic erase board...you'll understand if you watch the show :)

Thankfully the students were as happy with how they turned out as I was!! :)