Easy and Delicious!!

I have made 3 soups in the last 2 weeks.  All of them are delicious and pretty easy to make.

Potato and Corn Chowder

This new one is a recipe that I found on Pinterest.

You can find the original recipe here http://damndelicious.net/2014/09/12/slow-cooker-potato-corn-chowder/

I thought it sounded yummy, but I thought it was missing something so I made a couple of additions.
I added onion, because you can't go wrong with onion :)  I also cooked up a couple of turkey sausages (the long kind) and cut them into pieces to add to the soup.  The sausage not only added some yummy protein to the soup, but it added a yummy flavor as well.  I did use a half cup of cream instead of just 1/4 cup too, because I was hoping to make it a little creamier.  We enjoyed it with some garlic bread sticks.  Overall I think it turned out very yummy!!

Vegetable Beef Soup

If you haven't tried this easy, yummy soup yet, you should.

The recipe can be found here 

We enjoyed this for dinner one night and then I took the leftovers to work for lunch for a couple of days!

White Chicken Chili

Love this soup!!  Made it for a get together with friends last night and I think they liked it.

You can find the recipe here.

Creamy Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup

Tried another soup this week and it was yummy!

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.amynewnostalgia.com/cheesy-tortellini-crockpot-soup-easiest-and-best-crockpot-meal/

This soup was so easy!

I thought about using low fat or fat free cream cheese, but sometimes they don't melt as well so I went with the original.
I added some extra water because my tortellini was 20 oz instead of 16, but I wish that I hadn't because it wasn't as creamy as I would have liked it to be.
I used fresh tortellini instead of frozen because I couldn't find frozen.  The fresh worked great, but I did wait until the end to add it and I only cooked it for about 30 minutes.
I think the spinach could be added a little later too, because it wilts up when cooked for the whole time.  It might be good to add the broth, cream cheese, and tomatoes to the crock pot first, let it cook for awhile, add the spinach, and then add the tortellini.
The spices I used were pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.

We enjoyed ours with cheesy garlic bread!  Makes great leftovers too!!

First Soup of the Season!

I love soup, but I am one of those people who enjoys soup most when it is cold, chilly, or rainy (or when I'm not feeling well!), so sometimes that means waiting a little while after fall has actually started to make soup for the first time because fall weather in the south is not always as cool as I would like it to be.  However, this year fall was a little more cooperative ;)  Yesterday was a nice chilly first day of fall and today was rainy and chilly which made for a great day to try this year's first new soup!  I decided to go with an easy, comfort food type soup.  Most of my soups this year will most likely be crock pot, because there just isn't enough time in the day! Now for tonight's soup...

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Here is the link to the recipe

http://www.thegunnysack.com/2014/09/slow-cooker-chicken-pot-pie-soup-recipe.html

Changes I made...

Instead of cutting up "real" potatoes I used the southern style or diced hash browns.

I added onions (probably about a cup of frozen ones).

I did use canned cream of chicken soup instead of making the homemade version.  I had to use more than one cup of water, because I used the family size can instead of buying two small cans.

I added spices...1/2 tsp each of pepper, parsley, garlic powder, thyme, and mustard.  I didn't add salt because canned soup can be salty, but I did put some seasoning salt on it after tasting it and thinking it needed just a little something else.  You can play with the spices and see what flavor you like.

I didn't need to thicken mine at all.

We enjoyed our soup with Grands biscuits and some apple cider.  I think this soup was a good start to this year's soup season! :)

Birthday Freebies!

I celebrated my birthday a week ago and one thing I love is getting free stuff from restaurants and other businesses.  Thought I would share my freebie knowledge with you, so that you can get some gifts too!!

Here is a link to a big list of freebies http://urbantastebuds.com/restaurants-that-offer-free-birthday-food/

For most of the freebies you join a rewards program or mailing list with your email address.  Some of the businesses ask for more information than others, so you can choose how much info to share. The emails will start rolling in at the beginning of your birthday month and some will arrive on your actual birthday.  The only problem with some of the freebies is that they are only good for a week and sometimes you just don't have time to fit everything in!

Here are some of the ones that I have received and the "fine print"...

Jo-Ann and Michaels - 20% off good through the end of the month

Krispy Kreme - Free doughnut and small coffee or fountain drink - only good for a week - unfortunately I didn't get a chance to use this one this year

Buffalo Wild Wings - Free Snack Size Wings (boneless or traditional).  I got the email on the 2nd and it expires on the 16th, so I guess it's good for 2 weeks.  When you join the club, you also get an email for a free side or sharable.  I only have until tomorrow to use these!

Ruby Tuesday - Free burger (up to $9 value).  This one is also good for 2 weeks.  I'm hoping to use this one sometime this week!

Red Lobster - $5 off 2 adult entrees.  Good for about a month.  Not a great deal.

Sonic - Free medium tots with purchase.  This makes me sad, because I used to be able to get a free medium slush without making a purchase.  The coupon is good for a month.

Starbucks - Free drink if you have a registered card.  I think you have the whole month to use the drink.  I got mine yesterday!!

Dunkin' Donuts - Free medium drink.  I have until the end of October to use this one!

Baskin' Robbins - Free 2.5 oz scoop or 3oz soft serve swirl.  It only lasted for a week and I never got the chance to use it.

Brrrberry - Free yogurt treat (up to $5).  Good for a week.  I used this coupon tonight!  Yum!

Red Robin - Free burger if you have a registered rewards card.  You have all month to use it.

Moe's - Free burrito with a drink purchase.  (When you join the club you also get a coupon for a free cup of queso which is awesome because they have amazing queso!)

Rack Room Shoes - $10 off - they don't send a coupon, so I am not sure of the fine print.  You have the whole month to use it.

Applebee's - Free dessert with purchase

Wendy's - $1 off combo meal

Einstein Brothers - Free breakfast sandwich with drink purchase

Firehouse Subs - Free sub if you show your ID on your birthday

Denny's - Free grand slam if you show your ID on your birthday

Panera - Free bakery item if you have a registered rewards card.  You have the whole month to use it.  Looking forward to my cinnamon crunch scone!

Stub Hub - Fan code that gives you free electronic delivery on one ticket order

Sheetz - Coupon for free birthday cake M&Ms

DQ - Buy one, get one free blizzards

Chili's - Free dessert with entree purchase

Coldstone - Buy one, get one free ice cream

IHOP - Free Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n Fruity Pancakes or you can order something else that is the same price or less or you can even order something more expensive and pay the difference - great deal! (You get this deal for joining the club too!)

Mellow Mushroom - $5 off.  Have all month to use it.  For my "anniversary gift", I get a free small pizza with any other pizza order.

Arby's - Free 12 oz shake with sandwich purchase (value sandwiches do not count)

Enjoy your freebies and let me know if you find any other great deals!

Relaxation Corner and More...

Here are some cool things that I made for my relaxation corner and the links where I got ideas and instructions from.

This bottle is simple, but so cool.  The rice falling through the toothpicks sounds similar to a rain stick.  I love the calming sound.  There are many bottle ideas on this site that I hope to try someday.

http://familylicious.com/how-to-make-science-discovery-bottles/

These glitter bottles are so cool!  There are many different "recipes" for them, but I liked this one the best.  I'm not sure that I followed it exactly, but I think I stuck to it for the most part.  Mine don't look exactly like hers, but I'm happy with how they turned out.

http://mycrazyblessedlife.com/2011/10/03/relax-bottletime-out-timer/

I love these sensory bags!  Some students won't like the texture, but others will love them.  The bags are filled with hair gel (I bought cheap stuff at the Dollar Tree) and other items including beads, confetti, and glitter.  I double bagged mine just in case!  The site has instructions for these, the balloons (below), and other things.

http://www.entirelyelementary.blogspot.com/p/inspired-by-others.html

I filled my balloons with salt, rice, and two different kinds of beans ( I can't think of which kinds at the moment :/), so that they are different textures.  I wish they were a little bigger, but they still turned out pretty well.

I bought some other things at the Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart (pinwheels, play doh, rubik's cubes, slinkies, and squishy toys) to include in my corner.  I got the shelf at Wal-Mart and love how it all came together.  (I have some games on the bottom shelf now.)

I didn't explain in my last post what all is housed here in this area.  The baskets contain coloring books, puzzles, and folders of other activity sheets.  I love art, so I have a variety of art supplies to use with my students.  I got the cute chairs at a store called 5below for $5 each!!  I also love books, so I had to order new books to start my "counselor books" collection.  Some of them are pictured below.  I ordered them all from Amazon.

I found a student referral form online (I can't find the link to it right now).  I wanted one that was easy enough for the students to fill out themselves, because I didn't want to give the teachers another thing that they needed to do.  If a student wants to see me, they ask for a form to fill out and then have the teacher sign it so I know that they have permission to be in my office.  I like color coding, so I copied them on 3 different colors of paper.  I gave the teachers some to keep in their classrooms, but I also have some in baskets outside of my office.  If I am not in my office or unavailable then the students leave the notes in the box, so that I know to meet with them when I am free.  The notes are helpful for me when keeping track of who I have seen and for what reasons.

There were a variety of ideas out there for ways to introduce yourself to the students, but none of them seemed quite right for me.  As I mentioned, I enjoy art, so I created this poster using pictures to depict different things about my life.  In each classroom, I held up the poster for the students to look at and then asked them to tell me things that they thought they knew about me just from looking at the pictures.  They seemed to really enjoy it and some of them even created their own pictures about themselves to share with me.

Happy Counseling!

Setting Up Office

On August 18th, I started my first counseling job as a school counselor for 3rd-5th graders.  I really had no idea where to start, so I searched Pinterest for ideas and jumped in.  I started by decorating my office, because I was pretty sure I could handle that! ;)  This post is mainly going to be pictures of the things I created and how I put it all together in my office.

Started with this sign for my door.

Thought this sign definitely needed to be in my office!

Made some Harry Potter quote posters to brighten up my walls!

Found a printable chevron pattern online.  Traced it onto the poster board.  Painted it with solid colored paint and then matching glitter paint.  Got them laminated so they would last longer.

Created this canvas when some of my friends and I were having a craft night.  I taped off sections with masking tape and then painted each section.  Thought it would look cool in my office, so I wrote positive words and phrases on the white parts with Sharpie.

This painting was inspired by Wine and Design.  They do this painting, but the signs have names of local cities on them.  I loved the idea of the sign, so I made it fit into my office by using "counseling words".

Here are some pictures of what my office looks like.

Next post coming soon...relaxation corner!

Message Board Project

Here's another project for you to try :)

I had some wood tile boards left from a project I had done for Christmas presents and I was trying to think of something fun to do with them, so I figured out a way to use some supplies I had already had in order to make something fun.

Supplies:
Wooden tile board (You can get them at Wal-Mart and Michael's.)
Cork (I had purchased a pack of 4 cork tiles for another project and I had some leftovers that I could use.)
Sheet metal (I bought a sheet at Lowe's awhile back - it was fairly inexpensive)
Gloves (you have to be careful when you handle the sheet metal because the edges can be sharp)
Scissors (they need to be able to cut the cork and sheet metal)
Chalkboard paint
Craft glue
Wood glue
Marker
Paintbrush

First I used one of the tiles to trace onto the cork and sheet metal and then cut the squares out (I did 3 of each material).  I used the craft glue to adhere the cork and metal to the wood squares and then placed them under a heavy tote as they dried.  Then I painted the remaining three squares with chalkboard paint according to the directions on the bottle.

The directions said to lightly rub the chalkboard surface with chalk in order to condition it.  This is what my squares looked like after I did that step.

I wanted the squares to be securely adhered to the board, so I bought some wood glue to try instead of the regular craft glue.  It seems to have done the trick, but I guess only time will tell ;)

I played around with different tile arrangements before deciding on a layout that I liked best.  Once I chose a layout, I glued the tiles onto the board and then placed it under the same heavy tote while it dried.  I am very happy with how it turned out!  I made a set of fabric covered button magnets to use.  (I chose not to paint the outside edge, but that is definitely an option.)

Happy crafting!  And as always, please share if you give it a try :)

Crafty Creations!

Hello!  It's been awhile!  I graduated in May, so life the weeks before and after were a bit crazy.  Most of my time since graduating has been spent trying to find a job.  I have spent a lot of time reading as well!  It's so nice to read for pleasure instead of reading textbooks!  I am currently reading my 9th book since graduating!  (I finally decided to read the Harry Potter books and I love them!  I am on the 7th book now!)  I have found some time to complete some crafty projects too and I want to share some of those with you today, so you can try them if you would like.

Calendar
I have this pad of scrapbook paper that has paper designs to fit with each month.  I had always wanted to do some sort of calendar or something with them, but I wasn't sure how to go about it.  Last week, I suddenly had a great idea!  I bought a cheap (like $2 or $3) 8x10 frame at Wal-Mart and then used the frame insert to cut each of the papers that I had chosen to the correct size.  I stacked all of the papers, with the June design on top, and placed them into the frame.  Now I can write on the glass with a dry erase marker for a great monthly calendar!  Hopefully now I won't forget birthdays and other special events!

Collage Display
I had seen this scrapbook holder at Michael's multiple times and wanted it, but I wasn't sure how I was going to use it.

I had also wanted to create picture collages by year, but I wasn't sure what to do with those either.  Then I had the great idea to combine them!

I used PicMonkey to create picture collages for each year since I moved to North Carolina and then had them printed by Scrapping Simply (http://www.scrappingsimply.com/).  I LOVE how they turned out!

I created a "cover page" and now have all the collages displayed.  LOVE this!!

Wire-wrapped Rings

Some of my friends and I went on an art walk through some of our city's galleries and at one of them we found these super cute wire-wrapped rings.  I thought to myself..."I could make those!", so I spent part of the next day looking for instructions on websites and shopping for supplies.  I got most of my supplies at JoAnn's because they had the best prices and selection.  The rings were pretty easy to make, but it does take some practicing if you want it to look perfect.

Here are some of the websites that I found

http://kimberliekohler.com/1798/wire-wrapped-rose-ring-tutorial/

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/blog_post/BrainofJen/3379/easy_wire_wrapped_ring_tutorial

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Simple-Wire-Wrapped-Ring/

http://www.julieannart.com/2012/11/wire-wrapped-rose-ring-tutorial-by.html

If you would like a wire-wrapped ring, but don't want to make one yourself, check out my Etsy shop (I am always open to custom orders if you want different colors.)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JCMCCreations?ref=si_shop

Plastic Canvas Clutch

I was wandering through JoAnn's one day and found these plastic canvas forms that I figured out were meant to made into clutches.  

There were no instructions or anything, but I figured I could find something online to help me out so I purchased a couple and headed home to do some research.  It took me awhile to figure out the best technique to hide the most plastic, but I was finally able to finish a couple that I was happy with.  I still want to try some other patterns and colors, but here is the one that I am currently using.

Here are some of the websites that I found:

http://www.dreamalittlebigger.com/post/plastic-canvas-clutch-tutorial.html

http://www.craftsunleashed.com/craft-basics-main/diy-clutch-plastic-canvas/

http://projects.hobbylobby.com/media/hl-WB-009.pdf

If you have any questions about any of these projects, please ask and, if you try any of them, I would love to see the results!!

I am sure I will have more projects to share soon...

More Daniel Fast Recipes (a little late I know)...

I don't have pictures this time, but I wanted to provide links for some other recipes we made that were yummy.  You definitely don't have to be on the fast to enjoy them :)

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html

We were in the mood for cheese, so I went on a hunt for vegan cheese and found some at Fresh Market.  These enchiladas were yummy, but they did mess with my tummy just a bit (my roommate was fine tho).  I think it might have been the cheese, but it could have been the fast itself.  I definitely want to try these again with "normal" cheese.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/quinoa-stuffed-peppers-2/

We omitted the cheese in this recipe.  They were good and definitely tasted healthy, but I felt like they were kinda missing something.  I think I may have liked them more with rice, but they were worth trying.

Another night we made potato packets.  My family makes them a lot for grilling with chicken, but we don't have a grill so we cooked them in the oven.  They were good, but I do like them better on the grill.

Our packets were filled with sliced potatoes, green pepper, onion, and carrots along with a variety of seasoning.  We couldn't use butte so we just sprayed them with cooking spray.

I haven't tried any new recipes since ending the fast, but as soon as I do, I will share.
Have a great weekend!

Daniel Fast Food

Our church challenged the congregation to participate in the Daniel Fast from last weekend until Easter.  You can find lots of information about the fast online.  There are also a couple of books about it.
Our church gave us this list of food guidelines.

 

The first week I made a yummy fruit salad for breakfast that I followed with a 100 calorie pack of almonds.

Lunch was mainly raw veggies with hummus and leftovers.  This week it's pasta salad (whole wheat pasta with veggies).  It's okay, but I miss the dressing, cheese, and pepperoni.

Dinner is where we've tried to come up some different ideas, so we didn't get sick of eating the same thing.  Here are some of the ideas we've tried and enjoyed.

Fiesta Lime Rice

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html#more

Roasted Red Potatoes and Veggies

Cut up potatoes and veggies.  Spread out on greased.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  This was so yummy!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Homemade Sauce and Zucchini Boats

My roommate made this, so I am not sure about all the specifics, but if you would like to know how to make anything just leave a comment and I'll let you know.

Five Bean Chili over Baked Potatoes

The chili contained navy, black, kidney, white kidney, and chili beans.  I drained and rinsed all the beans except for the chili beans.  I dumped them in a big pot with 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce.  I also added chopped onion and peppers (green and red).  I used a packet of mild chili seasoning as well.  It was delicious over a steamy back potato!

Tex Mex Rice and Beans

http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/crock-pot-tex-mex-rice-and-beans/

We didn't make it in the crock pot.  My roommate started the rice before I got home cause brown rice takes a while to cook.  I put all of the other ingredients in a large pot and started heating them up.  When the rice was finished, I had added it to the pot.  My roommate cut up corn tortillas, sprayed them with oil on each side, sprinkled them with salt, and then baked them for 12 minutes at 350 for some "homemade" not fried chips.  (The trays need to be flipped half way through cooking.)

I'll keep adding recipes as we try them and feel free to share any that you have tried!!  :)

Soup Review

So I think the warmer spring weather may finally be coming and I am one of those people who doesn't normally eat soup unless it's cold, so I probably won't be making any new soups any time soon.  I figured I would do a quick soup review.

The Best New Soups:

1)  Wild Rice Chowder - Loved this soup!!  If you haven't tried this then you should!  If you are like me and don't want to eat soon because it's getting warm then you should write it down and try it in the fall :)

2)  Creamy Tomato with Tortellini - SO yummy!!  Another must try!

3)  Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili - Something healthy and delicious

These three are definitely my 3 new favorites.  I liked some of the other soups that I tried, but I'm not sure I am in love with them enough yet to add them to my favorites.  Maybe when fall rolls around again, I'll have to do some tweaking and reinventing to turn them into favorites.

The Best "Old" Soups:

1)  White Chicken Chili - This is still my favorite soup!!  I made it twice this year and wish I would have made it more!  LOVE it!!

2)  Taco Soup - So easy and simple, but delicious!

3)  Vegetable Beef Soup - Another easy soup that hits the spot on a cold and/or rainy day.

I also think you should try making the bread bowls if you haven't yet.  They are easier than I thought they would be, but they can be a bit time consuming!

If you have tried any of the soup recipes that I have shared, please feel free to share what you thought!

Coming Soon:  My roommate and I are participating in the Daniel Fast with my church which means we'll be eating mainly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for the next 3 weeks.  I'll be looking for some good recipes, so we don't get bored.  I will share any that we try and feel free to share any that you like!

Soup, Bread Bowls, and a little Breakfast

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted!  Things have been crazy as graduation is nearing and I am trying to figure out what to do with my life!

I did want to share some recipes I tried with you though.  I've got a soup recipe, pretzel bread bowls, and a yummy breakfast recipe.

Cheddar Ale and Bratwurst Soup

One of my friends posted this recipe on Facebook and said she loved it, so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately I didn't love it as much as she did.  It was good, but there was just something a little bit off about it.  I will try it again someday and see what I think then, but for now, here's the link.  If you try it, let me know what you think!

http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/slow-cooker-cheddar-ale-and-bratwurst-soup/

Pretzel Bread Bowls

I love pretzels and I love all the pretzel breads that have been popping up everywhere.  (I am extremely sad that Wendy's Pretzel Bun Burger was only limited time because it was yummy!).  Since my last bread bowls turned out pretty well, I figured that I would give these a try.  The dough doesn't rise as much as regular bread dough so that threw me off a little.  I didn't think they were going to turn out at all, but they were actually quite yummy.  I wish I would have made them a little bigger, but overall I was pleased with the end result.

Here's the recipe for those

http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/10/homemade-pretzel-bread-bowls.html

Breakfast Ring

A friend was coming over for dinner and I thought breakfast for dinner would be yummy, so I decided to try a recipe that I had pinned on Pinterest. (I have pinned so many things that I have never gotten the chance to try!)  So glad I tried the recipe because it was delicious!  The original recipe calls for bacon, but I used turkey sausage crumbles.  I also added some diced hashbrown potatoes that I had in the freezer.  My ring was a little full, but it was so good!  I had enough to make two, so I made one for dinner and another one the next morning for brunch!  We enjoyed it with fresh fruit, ambrosia salad, cinnamon rolls, and mimosas!  Fairly quick and easy, definitely delicious!

Here's the recipe link that I had pinned

 http://www.navywifecook.com/2012/01/bacon-egg-and-cheese-ring.html

Here's the link where she got the recipe idea from (it has more pictures of how to put it together)

http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/2011/02/beautiful-bacon-egg-cheese-wreath.html