31 Days of Fall Favorites :: Day 1 Chicken Enchilada Soup



I'm a soup girl.  I'm also a crockpot girl.  Those two combined make me a happy little lady come fall.  I found this recipe on pinterest a few weeks ago and tried it out.  It is a copy cat recipe for Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup, which I love, and I gotta say, I think this is just as good.  I actually just bought more ingredients for this recipe today at the store so I can make it again this week. 

 

I pretty much followed the recipe as is, except I just used raw, thawed chicken breats and left them in the crockpot the whole time, and then shredded them before serving.  And I must confess that I don't even know what chicken soup base is, so I left that out.  Hey, I didn't claim to actually know what I'm doing here.  If you decide to try this recipe, let me know what you think.

 

 

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Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
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2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 (8 oz). can tomato sauce
1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce (or two 10 oz. cans)
6 small corn tortillas*, minced
16 oz. Velveeta, cubed
1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded
1 22 oz. bag Tyson roasted and diced chicken, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn**, drained (optional)

Garnishes: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla strips

 

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute' the onions until they are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, then scrape the onions and garlic into your crock pot. Add all the other ingredients, except the chicken and corn. Cook over high heat for two hours or low for four. Whisk until smooth (you may wish to use a stick blender). Add the chicken pieces and corn and heat through, maybe another 30 minutes to one hour. Check seasonings, and garnish as you like before serving.

31 Days of Fall Favorites

Links to each day in this series can be found at the bottom of this post.

I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and participate in The Nester's 31 Days series for the month of October.  The concept is simple: choose any topic and write about it for 31 days.  The execution, on the other hand, may be a little tricky.  I know this will come as a shock to you, but I can be a bit of a sporadic blogger.  That coupled with my procrastinating nature equals a greater than zero chance that this project could be a complete failure.  But I'm going to ignore that possibility and give it a go anyway.

So, what to write about for 31 days?  I had to really think about this.  That's a long time to write about something, and I didn't want to pick a topic I was going to get sick of, or feel stuck halfway through the series when the ideas ran out.  So, I decided on a broad topic that would allow me to still write about a variety of things. 

When I was younger, I always said that summer was my favorite season.  I'll give you one guess as to why.  Yep, no school.  Pretty sure summer is every kids' favorite season.  But as an adult, fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season.  I love everything about it.  Surely I can't go wrong with fall, right? 

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Follow along as I write about all of my favorite things about fall.  I'm hoping to have a good mixture of recipes, fashion, home decor, crafts, and traditions.  I'll post a link for each day in the series at the bottom of this post.  See what other bloggers are doing with this series here.  And if you decide to join in on the fun and link up, be sure to let me know so I can check it out!

Day 1 :: Chicken Enchilada Soup
Day 2 :: Running Songs
Day 3 :: Nail Polish
Day 4 :: Little Fashionistas
Day 5 :: Halloween Spiderweb "Wreath"
Day 6 :: Crockpot Pasta e Fajioli
Day 7 :: Lazy Afternoons
Day 8 :: DIY Fall Wreath
Day 9 :: Bundled Up Babies
Day 10 :: Easy Apple Cobbler
Day 11 :: Pumpkin Shirts
 Day 12 :: Pumpkin Patch Attire
Day 13 :: Fall Bucket List
Day 14 :: Crockpot Pork Tenderloin
Day 15 :: Pumpkin Painting
Day 16 :: Fall Tablescapes

Day 17 :: Fall Mantel
Day 18 :: Apple Jack-O-Lantern Stamps
Day 19 :: Pioneer Woman's Apple Pecan Blue Cheese Salad
Day 20 :: Pumpkin Dump Cake
Day 21 :: Favorite Fall Outfits
Day 22 :: Scarves
Day 23 :: Pottery Barn Goodies
Day 24 :: Pumpkin and Spice Cheese Bread
Day 25 :: Fall Preschool Party
Day 26 :: Boo at the Zoo
Day 27 :: Candy Corn
Day 28 :: The Pumpkin Patch
Day 29 :: Mod Podge Paper Mache Letters
Day 30 :: Pumpkin Carving
Day 31 :: Happy Halloween







 

Pinterest Projects: Halloween Edition

As usual, I've been a little pinning fool.  With October quickly approaching, it's just about time to put out the Halloween decor.  And where better to go for decorating ideas than pinterest?  I saw tons of cute stuff, but these items made the to-do list. 



Love this!  I already bought the supplies to create my own version of this "wreath."  Now to find the time...

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How cute?  And even better, how simple?  I think these would be super cute for Izzy's classmates.

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So doing this! 

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This is a great idea.  Get some cheap pumpkins from the dollar store and spray paint them to look like mercury glass.  I think this photo may actually be from Pottery Barn, so I doubt it turns out this pretty, but still worth a try. 

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Who doesn't love a chevron pumpkin?

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Can't wait to cozy the house up!

One for the Hubs

I post a lot about my girls on this blog.  I also post a lot about crafts, clothes, reality TV...you know, the important stuff.  I kid.  But I don't post a lot about my most favorite person.  My husband. 

A few weeks ago at church, our pastor shared this video after a sermon on marriage.  I got a little teary eyed thinking about how beyond blessed I have been with such a strong and healthy marriage.


 



I have a confession.  I may have just a teeny tiny touch of a stubborn streak.  May have.  Okay, I totally do.  And while I'm usually completely charming, adorable, funny, and easy going, there are times when I'm just a pain in the butt.  Hubs loves me anyway.  He works his tail off so I can stay home with our girls, and I love him for that.  I'm so thankful that he makes me feel like my job at home is just as important as his job at the office.  There is nothing that makes me happier than watching him love our girls.  And boy, does he love them.  He comes home and jumps right into the craziness...playing with the girls, helping with baths, dinner clean-up, bedtime, etc.  He has never uttered the words, "That's your job," or "I worked all day.  What did you do?"  Nope, not my husband.  And did I mention he likes to clean and organize??  I know.  I got a good one for sure. 

I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share this crazy life with than you, hubs.  I'd say I want to grow old and gray with you, but in your case, I'll just grow old with you.  Sorry.  Couldn't help myself.  Love you!

Favorite Fall Fashions

I love fall fashion.  The thought of boots and scarves, dresses and tights, jeans and jackets, etc., makes me one happy girl.  Add to that a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, and I'm practically giddy.  I thought I'd show you some goodies I've recently added to my closet. And I think it goes without saying that I am no fashion expert.  Let's be honest.  As I type, I am wearing plaid pajama pants.  At 1:00 in the afternoon.  For shame.

To be honest, I didn't realize how much shopping (mostly online - gets me in trouble every time!) I've done lately until I started writing this post.  Oopsies.  Hubs, I advise you to stop reading now.  Loves you. ;-)


The bootie.  Love these, despite the trendy little 20-something Nordstrom employee who sold them to me sharing that her mother has the same pair.  Neat, huh?

Indigo by Clarks Bootie

The chambray shirt.  I have a chambray shirt that I wear all the time (mostly with colored jeans as pictured), so when I saw this, I had to scoop it up.  I love the polka dots!

Old Navy Polka Dot Chambray Shirt

The Boyfriend Khakis.  I can't tell you how long it's been since I've bought a pair of khakis.  A long time, my friends.  I will admit that my mom uniform is made up mostly of workout clothes, so I figured it would be nice to add something casual but decent to the mix other than my standard jeans.  I ordered these in teal, but my first choices, green and burgundy, were sold out in my size.  They were delivered today, and I actually really like the color.  Love the fit.  They are great to pair with heels to dress them up, or with flats to keep it casual. 


Old Navy Pop-Color Boyfriend Khakis

The dress.  I gotta admit, I wasn't sure how I felt about this dress, but I decided to give it a try.  I'm so glad I did.  I really like it.  It's cute and comfortable.  I like that I can wear it now with flats or sandals and with knee boots when the weather gets cooler.  I don't really like it paired with booties as shown.

Old Navy Striped Color-Block Jersey Dress



The scarf.  I love a good scarf.  I mean, who doesn't??  It can instantly change and entire outfit.  I'm excited to add this one to my growing collection. 

 



Old Navy Leopard Infinity Scarf

The striped shirt.  This is not a shirt I would typically purchase.  For teaching, yes.  But for staying at home with my girls, it seems a little too dressy.  But....I've seen it on some of my favorite fashion blogs lately, and I love how they have rolled up the sleeves, paired with shorts, colored jeans, bright jewelry, etc.  Definitely more suitable for this season of my life.  It's a stretch from my normal mom uni, but I'm gonna give it a go. 

 

The Limited Striped Split-V Blouse
 

 

 

The cords.  I've been wanting some for a while now, and I finally found a fit and color that I love at Jcrew.  These are from their regular website, but I found them at a factory store on sale.  You're welcome, hubs. ;-)

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Now all I need is for this Texas weather to cooperate so I can actually wear some of this stuff!



Reality Check

Warning: this post contains major poop talk.  If that sort of thing grosses you out, I advise you to stop reading now. 

Just when I'm thinking I've got this mom of two thing under control, my girls are there to give me a reality check.  Last week while Izzy was playing in her playroom, I was sitting on the couch, giving Harper a bottle.  Izzy comes walking in the living room saying she needed to go potty.  By the disgusted look on her face and the way she was standing, I knew that she had already gone poop in her panties.  I told her to go to her bathroom.  As she started to walk, I noticed little poop balls trailing behind her.  Gag, I know.  But it gets worse.  I was following her to the restroom, and I stepped in one of them...all while still holding and feeding Harper.  As I carefully walked to the restroom balancing on the heel of my foot as to not further smear the poop, I couldn't help but laugh a little and think to myself, "This is my life."  And you know what?  I wouldn't trade it.  Poop balls and all.  To quote my friend Tracy, "There's nothing like a turd between your toes to remind you of your place in life." 

DIY Headband Holder

I pinned an idea for creating a headband holder out of an empty oatmeal container several months back, and I finally got around to making one.  Love it when that actually happens. 

So, here is the original version I found.

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Isn't that a great idea?  This crafty lady covered her oatmeal container in scrapbook paper, and left the lid functional so she could store other hair goodies inside.  I changed it up just a smidge by using fabric instead of paper and finishing out the top with a decorative wooden disc and finial. 

Here is what I started with.  After further brainstorming on this project, I decided to go back to Hobby Lobby to pick up two more wooden discs and one more wooden finial. 

And here is the finished product. 

 

 

First thing I did was paint all of the wooden pieces with some black acrylic paint using a foam brush.  Next, I took the lid off of the oatmeal container, hot glued my fabric in place, and hot glued a wooden disc to each end.  Then I had hubs cut the top part off of one of the finials  (actually, he did this before it was painted) to use as part of the base.  You can see I just hot glued it between the two discs.  And the second finial was glued to the top to give it a little decorative flair.  What would I be without my hot glue gun?  I shudder to think.

 

 

I think it turned out pretty darn cute.  And it hasn't fallen apart yet.  Always a plus.