Merry Christmas to All!

Philippians 2:8-10 "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Praise the Lord that he sent a baby, in the most humble and modest form, to save generations of undeserving sinners to come! And he bestowed the most powerful name on his Son - a name that saves, a name that heals, and a name that commands respect, fear, love, and awe. Thank God from the bottom of my heart that You loved us so much that You gave us the most precious gift. Let every knee bow and give you honor and praise!

We are spending our first Christmas as a married couple with my family in beautiful, snow-covered Denver! There is just nothing like a white Christmas, which is very rare down in Texas. It will be a wonderful five day hiatus from work filled with eating, eating, and more eating. Peanut butter ball recipe coming your way! Speaking of cooking, I apologize for the lack of recipes this week. I only had three days of work and refused to do a large grocery run right before leaving on a trip. But God was looking out for us as always and two of my little kiddos gave me a Chick-fil-A gift card and a Subway gift card. Score! You are looking at Monday and Tuesday dinners. It is always better to give than to receive but I am not ashamed to say those gift cards were gladly received indeed!

This past Saturday we expanded our family two-fold and adopted to tiny shelter kittens from the Montgomery County animal shelter. Our prayers go out to those workers and volunteers as they had over 900 pets at the moment and were completely swamped! Angelo, our little orange tabby, is such a mess and absolutely hilarious! He was literally stalking me like a tiger from behind a corner, and yet is the sweetest cuddler ever...almost like a soft scarf just laying there. We are having issues with him wanting to constantly be on our kitchen table (luckily we don't really eat there...we eat on the *cough* couch *cough*...but for a slight germaphobe that is just unacceptable) and try to train him to get down by spraying him with water. The only problem is that he is the ONLY feline in the world who doesn't mind getting wet. In fact, he shakes it off and wants to play with the squirter. Mumford is our teeny tiny little black and white man who likes to perch everywhere. Legs, knees, James's back, you name it. He isn't as cuddly but has to near us constantly. Perching, of course. He will climb our legs to stand on our shoulders like a parrot if he feels slighly ignored. Are we forming bad habits here? We decided his middle name is Ghandi, not only for his meditative state, but also because he is extremely peaceful. Any time Angelo tackles, wrestles, or sits on him, Mum will put his tiny white paws up in the air as if in surrender. And yes, we have become that couple that talks about their cats like they were children. Don't judge. Cat people....you get it!

I hope everyone has an absolutely blessed Christmas and you enjoy the time you spend with those around you. We are here in celebration by His grace alone. All glory, honor, power is Yours AMEN!

Merry Christmas!!!

I got love in my tummy!

Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We are governed by the most amazing ruler. Our Wonderful Counselor guides us through all of life's mountains and valleys, never leaving us forgotten or forsaken. Our Mighty God is so powerful that He spoke everything we see into existence with one breath, and not even a sparrow can fall out of the sky without His knowledge. Our Everlasting Father, who always was, is, and will be, eagerly awaits our reunion with Him in Heaven where we get to spend eternity blissfully praising and glorifying Him. Our Prince of Peace comforts us and wipes every tear away, for He knows the very number of hairs on our heads and cares for us so deeply we cannot humanly comprehend it. How awesome is He?? 

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie

From: www.creationsbykara.com (found through Pinterest)

*This is the halved version and it made enough to feed at least 3-4 people:

2 potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and diced

1 1/2-2 cups baby carrots, halved (I just chopped my whole carrots into small, thin pieces)

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

*I added a sprinkle of oregano, parsley, and rosemary

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2-1 cup frozen peas

Biscuits, toast, or pie crust (I chose to make mini pie crusts, recipe to follow)

1. Place all of veggies in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and additional seasonings if you so choose).

2. Place raw chicken on top of veggies and cover with soup.

3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. 

*Mine was ready in about 3 hours, but I think my crock pot runs hotter than some in the recipes I find. You might need to adjust according to your personal pot :)

4. Add frozen peas and cook 20 minutes longer or until heated through. (In this last step I added a little bit of butter and let it melt through, just to put it over the edge).

5. Serve over toast, biscuits, or pie crust.

Pie crust all the way baby!!!!

Pie Crust

From: my grandma (aka the world's best pie maker...ever. I'm serious.)

*I halved this recipe and made 5 little pie crust "bowls" in a jumbo muffin tin. Sounds like an oxymoron? It all depends on your point of reference :) This is the original version for 2 pie crusts:

2 cups of flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening + 2 Tbsp

*Of course, I didn't make sure I had Crisco before beginning this dinner endeavor. However, I did find some butter-flavored Crisco sticks in the back of the pantry. Oh my goodness, did it make this crust buttery! But the original is still super flaky and buttery....all that a good crust should be. I should warn you, my family and I are pie snobs. Anyhoo...back to the recipe..

1/4 cup water

1. Combine sifted flour and salt.

2. Cut in shortening until uniform.

3. Sprinkle with water 1 Tbsp at a time.

4. Toss with fork.

5. Divide into halves and make shell and top.

Pretty easy, right? I rolled mine out and cut super UN-uniform pieces to lay down in my jumbo muffin pan. Seriously, I thought there was no way these would come out right. And of course, I didn't write down the cooking time when I got this recipe from my mom forever ago so I estimated. For my halved version (5 pie cups), I baked them at 400 degrees for about 17 minutes. I really just picked a low cooking time, kept my eye on them, and kept baking them til they were the delectable light golden brown. Although oddly-shaped, oh my goodness, these pie cups turned out so good! Be sure to spray your muffin pan super well so they just pop out. I spooned a heaping of the chicken pot pie filling in each one and went for it. I wasn't sure how it would all come together but I'm pretty sure James might ask for this every week. He even told me this recipe was blog-worthy haha! The rich filling combined with the salty, flaky crust is just to die for. And a chicken pot pie without any heavy cream? Bingo!

I apologize for the quality of this pic. My camera is still out (but hopefully will be fixed soon!) so I had to resort to my husband's phone camera.

I found this next recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit. It seems like every recipe for pasta with any type of sauce calls for heavy whipping cream which A) I never have and B) has a ton of calories. I decided to modify and use the base of the sauce that I use for the mac n' cheese recipe I've posted on here before. OH MY GOODNESS. It made just enough for James and I to eat our fill but I SO wish it had made more 'cause I would take it for lunch every day. Had just the right amount of kick (James added red pepper flakes before trying his and it was a bit hot haha) and creamy cheesy yumminess. I highly recommend this plus it is a cinch to make. 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

From: www.plainchicken.com (found on Pinterest) + tweaks

4 oz linguine
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp cajun seasoning
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder or fresh minced garlic (I used fresh)
1/2 cup (plus a little extra if you love cheese like me) shredded mixed Italian cheeses (I used Great Value Italian style, finely shredded)
Parmesan cheese to top

1. Boil pasta according to package directions.
2. Place chicken and cajun seasoning in bowl, toss to coat.
3. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Saute chicken until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Reduce heat and add green onions.
5. In saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly.
6. Very slowly (this is the key to thick sauce!!!) add milk and stir until thick. Add salt, pepper, basil and garlic and continue to stir and thicken.
7. Add Italian cheese and stir until melted.
8. Add chicken and green onions to hot, drained pasta. Toss with sauce and top with parmesan cheese.

After one bite I told James he would be happy he married me haha! It would be even better with some buttery bread to soak up the leftover sauce in your bowl. That is....if you don't lick it clean like we did....

I wanted to give my students and their families a little gift this holiday season that they could all enjoy and that wouldn't break the bank. I knew exactly what I wanted to give....homemade hot chocolate mix! We made this every winter when I was younger and I would literally drink at least one cup a day. It is the perfect sweetness and dissolves completely, unlike some of the store-bought stuff that leaves chocolate gook at the bottom of your mug. This just simply will not do. I plan on getting some cheap, cute Christmas tins at the Dollar Tree and packaging them up to send home of Friday. If there is any left of course! Oh and just FYI, this recipe makes A TON of hot chocolate powder. Beware. But that just means this is a hot cocoa that encourages the giving spirit! You will have so much you can't help but give it away!!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

From: my mom

9.6 oz powdered dry milk

22 oz (or around there) powdered Coffee Mate

2 lbs powdered sugar

2 lbs chocolate Nesquick 

(I couldn't find a two pound container so I bought the one closest to this ballpark estimate. I think it was 37 oz or something like that. You really can't mess this recipe up as long as you get close)

1 tsp salt

1. Mix all ingredients together. Mix, mix, mix, then mix some more until it is all uniform.

**I highly suggest mixing in the biggest tub or container you have (I used my big chili soup pot) and mix outside. Or else you will have a cloud of stickiness descend on every surface in your kitchen.

2. Mix 1/4 cup of hot chocolate with 1 cup of hot water.

3. Sip and enjoy the holiday season!

Good news, Great joy!

Luke 2:9 "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" No other news that we can possibly receive in our lives can even compare to the good news the shepherds first received thousands of years ago. A savior came and still lives in us, one who saves us from our sin with a single drop of His precious blood! And like the angel said, this good news is for all people. Let us go out this Christmas season and spread the wonderful truth with those around us - God sent his Son to save each and every one of us! Glory to God!

Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup

from: blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp tomato sauce

1 heaping Tbsp pesto

1-2 cups egg noodles (I cooked mine prior to making this recipe)

1-2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

1. Bring broth, tomato sauce, and pesto to simmer in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add noodles and chicken and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add salt as needed (I didn't since I didn't have low sodium broth...mmmm salty).

4. Serve with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. I added black pepper as well.

THAT. IS IT. So tasty and comforting on a cold night!! The pesto really adds to it.

I had a tupperware of leftover canned pumpkin that I had no idea what to do with. Lucky for me, I found this incredible recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. O. M. G. The biggest, softest, moistest pumpkin bread-like cookies with gooey chocolate chips. Seriously, what could be better? Plus think of all the vitamin A you are getting! That means we can eat them for breakfast right....

Super Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

from: www.joythebaker.com

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in medium bowl and set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.

4. On low speed, mix oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.

5. Mix in flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in chocolate chips.

6. Using 1/4 measuring cup, scoop mounds of dough onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Smooth and flatten the rounds.

7. Bake about 16 minutes until top feels firm and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool complete.

8. Dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

***NOTE: I used my sifter to sprinkle each with a beautiful dusting of powdered sugar....only to have that powdered sugar soak into the cookie and leave the top sticky. So, either skip this step or do it right before you enjoy them!

This next recipe we tried last night for dinner and oh my goodness, was it good. I got it off of one of my usual reads online but I believe it came originally from McCormick's recipe inspiration packets of spices. I didn't have one of those pre-portioned packets but luckily the blogger took a picture of the back and I could just make out the writing. Luckily I had everything! So cheesy, so warm, so delicious. Nothing is better than Mexican comfort food on a chilly night!

Quesadilla Casserole
from: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com

Spices in the McCormick packet (or in your own pantry):
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4 oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, undrained
6 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese

*I halved the above amounts for James and myself and it worked out perfectly. We each got our fill and still had enough to take for lunch.

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Brown beef and onion, drain excess grease.
3. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and green chiles. Mix well.
4. Add all the spices except red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add red pepper to taste.
6. Layer half of the beef mixture on bottom of a baking dish (for the halved version I used an 8x8. If you're going full use a 9x13).
7. Top with half of your tortillas. Add half of the remaining beef mixture and top with half of the cheese.
8. Layer rest of the tortillas, followed by remaining beef mixture, then remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Craftastic.

Lamentations 3:25-26: "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." We have begun the month-long craze of Christmas hustle and bustle. This frantic rush to find everyone just the right gifts at just the right price sometimes has us pulled in a million different directions. Let's make it our goal this Christmas season to shut out the noise of the commercial Christmas and tune in to the quiet peace of the true meaning of this holiday. Put your hope in Him and seek the Lord first, not the marked-down aisles of any store, and He will be good to you! You can count on that promise :)

This Thanksgiving was the first one for us as a married couple and that meant lots of driving to see both sides of the family in a very short amount of time. But it was definitely worth it! This year my younger sister-in-law, a fellow Pinterest devotee, came up with all kinds of craft ideas (both edible and non) for us to produce in our holiday sweat shop (sweat as in the only time we changed out of comfy sweats was for about an hour to eat our Thanksgiving meal and snap a few pics). Not only did she have the ideas in mind, but she went ahead and acquired every single thing that we would need to make them! While my husband and his dad watched the endless football games, my two sisters-in-law and I were busy hot gluing away like mad women. And so, I present to you the results of our labor of love....

Pinterest came through for us majorly on this holiday, in both recipe and craft inspiration. We made this cute little guy to snack on during one of the many football games on Thanksgiving day. I present to you...the turkey cheese ball! Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, finely chopped turkey, and some seasonings (if you want the recipe I can get it from my sis-in-law) formed this turkey's body. His tail feathers are crackers decorated with different colors of cream cheese, dyed with food coloring and pecans cover his body. Slice a red bell pepper for his neck/head and secure with toothpicks. Add details such as eyes and a beak with colored cream cheese (the eyes our skills were able to produce creeped my father-in-law out haha). This cheese had really good flavor...unfortunately however....when it was wrapped in saran wrap chilling in the fridge before adding the details we referred to it as "the turkey cheese brain" (it kinda looks like one...alot). Not a good thought to have in your head as you eat! I actually had to force feed a cracker with a tiny smidge of the cheese ball to my husband who (after whimpering like a small child) admitted that the flavor was good but all he could think of was TURKEY CHEESE BRAIN! Moral of the story.....don't be immature. Ha!

Nothing says fall like acorns! Simplest and cutest (and tastiest) little snack...seriously ever time we opened the fridge we felt the need for another nibble. Little nutter butter cookies form the acorn cap, a Hershey kiss is the nut and a chocolate chip forms the little stem. Secure all parts with a little bit of frosting (we colored white store-bought frosting with food coloring).

Next up: Rice Krispie Pumpkins! My sister-in-law found the recipe on Pinterest and it called for orange jello mix in the traditional rice krispie treat mix. After we made these precious little treats we decided the orange flavoring made it a little too sweet and next time we would stick with food coloring to get the nice pumpkin look. Anyhoo, spray your hands with cooking spray to form the balls without having cereal cemented on your hands by marshmallow glue. Use a tootsie roll for the stem and (attempt to) decorate with green frosting to add leaf embellishments.  

Bet you didn't know the pilgrims had delicious little hats that taste suspiciously like Reese's peanut butter cups?! This is seriously the best dessert ever because you actually get three sweets in one without having to visit the dessert table three different times. (Side story - at a dinner/auction fundraising event at the preschool I totally got called out by the senior pastor of the church for not straying too far from a certain table all night. "You haven't moved very far have you?" Uh no. Thanks for noticing.) White cupcakes, vanilla frosting (I believe my sis-in-law topped hers with the sugar crystal sprinkles but you could do whatev), a Keebler fudge stripe cookie, and an upside-down Reese's peanut butter cup create these super cute Thanksgiving treats. Add detailing with some colored frosting and viola!

Now on to the crafts.....

These reindeer actually began their journey as plain matte glass ornaments. We squeezed brown paint inside and turned them every which way to try to get it all covered. I believe there is an entire bottle of brown paint dried inside my poor Rudolph but that is beside the point. It was actually super entertaining trying to get all the random tiny spots that somehow escaped the paint the first ten squeezes. Then comes the stressful part....trying to get the eyes and mouths straight (mine would be the little guy in the middle sans mouth...I thought it looked cute and had already sweated through one shirt attempting to paint a symmetrical smile). Use brown pipe cleaners to customize your antlers!

These snowmen were actually our first ornament craft and were so stressful we frequently called out "Alcohol! I need alcohol!" Rubbing alcohol that is.....although by the end I was happy to see my margarita on Wednesday night. We discovered that if you mess up you can rub off whatever paint you want with rubbing alcohol as long as it is still wet. Fill a clear glass ornament with fake snow (note to the wise...use a funnel of some sort and be prepared to spend a little while filling Frosty's face). Turned out pretty cute huh?!

This next craft took me back to my childhood days when my sister and I would help my grandma make crafts for an enormous bazaar at her church selling all sorts of handmade Christmas items. Our inspiration came from Pinterest, of course, but we used white tube socks instead of a sweater like the pin. Stuff a tube sock with quilt batting, stuff some more, stuff some more, and then when you are done, stuff it some more! I got tired of stuffing and decided my snowman would just be petite (can you guess which one that would be? Ha!) After you get the size base you desire, secure it with a rubber band then continue stuffing for his head. Secure with another rubber band. You will be left with quite alot of sock that looks like the snowman has a very long ponytail. After singing a couple rounds of "Whip my hair" while making my snowman dance, it was time to cut off the excess. My sis-in-law selflessly made all three hats for our snowmen using black felt and hot glue, first by making a cylinder out of felt. Cut a circle the same size as one end of the cylinder to form the top of the hat. Then, cut a circle with a hole in it (a doughnut, if you will) to form the base. You want your hat to be solid so that you can hide the little tuft of sock ponytail. Buttons form the eyes, as well as the holly berry. Cut the carrot nose and holly leaves out of felt, attach all details with hot glue. We used fabric scraps to make a little scarf. I stuck my little snowman on my husband's desk so he can have a friend while doing homework. I know deep down he appreciates his new companion.

Three ingredients: Jar. Tissue Paper. Modge. Podge. Done! Cover the outside with tissue paper and a thick coat of modge podge. After the podge had completely dried, we added little details like a ribbon around the center and a printed label. I stocked mine with chocolate as my "reindeer treats".

 One of my sis-in-laws spotted these little snow globes at Anthropologie going for 30 bucks! Well, we decided to make our own and I hope no one spends that much money because they are a cinch to make (sorry, Anthro I love you but not your prices). Four ingredients: 1 Ball jar, mini Christmas trees found at a craft store, epsom salts, and ribbon to finish the look. Hot glue the two pieces that comprise the lid together to avoid your snow globe being opened and spilled everywhere. Since your jar will actually be upside down sitting on the lid, hot glue your trees to your lid. Pour some epsom salt into the jar and secure the lid. Flip it over and adjust the amount of snow. After you have the desired snowfall, secure your lid to the jar with hot glue. Finish with a ribbon and there you go! So there Anthro!

Are you feeling the craft bug yet? Next on the list...button wreaths! Super cute and super easy. Start with a wooden circle acquired at any craft store (you know that aisle chock full of unfinished wood at Hobby Lobby? Well, now you have an excuse to go down those wooden halls) and paint whatever color you desire. We chose a shimmery neutral. Next, use a cup to trace a circle onto your wood to use as a guide. Then get to button-ing! I decided on green, red, and brown-ish neutrals for mine (on right). After getting them all situated the way I wanted them I decided to scrap the whole thing and just glue as I go. It's much easier to layer them as you glue versus attempting to layer then move each one while they are still in position. Just wing it :) I set mine up on a little easel in our kitchen and love it!

Last craft pic I promise! We got our inspiration from a little tree my mother-in-law bought and thought we could make our own! I love walking into any store or boutique and thinking "I could totally make that". Now if I actually get the materials and make it is a whole 'nother story but at least the ambition is there right? Start by painting wooden spools brown (another trip down the unfinished wood aisle is in your future yay!) After those dried we covered the middle with wide burlap ribbon. Cut a piece of wire (my mom-in-law found some that kind of looked like thick twine or rope (picture wire wrapped in brown raffia..is that a better image?) and glue it to the inside of the hole going through the top of the spool. Form a star from this same wire (ok, somehow my star came out literally 4 times bigger than either of my sisters-in-law's stars. How this happened I have no idea. All I know is that mine looked like Patrick the starfish from Sponge Bob for the longest time) and glue to the top of your tree trunk wire. For the branches we snipped different sized pieces off of a mini table-top tree and secured with hot glue. Finally, adorn with button "ornaments". I balanced my gigantic star with a gigantic burlap bow and it totally did the trick. Our tree is sitting on our bookcase shelf next to our Christmas tree in the living room. Sadly, they look somewhat similar....hey those fake Christmas trees are not cheap! But I love our Charlie Brown tree and it is the thought that counts :)

Happy Crafting! 'Tis the Season!

Thankful.

Thank you for mercy that saves all.

Thank you for grace that heals all.

Thank you for love that binds all.

Thank you for forgiveness that cleanses all.

Thank you for strength that carries all.

Thank you for beauty that inspires all.

Thank you for the Spirit that fills all.

Thank you for the Truth that brings light to all.

Thank you for the Word that guides all.

Thank you for Your Son who died for all.

I love Thanksgiving's reminder to take nothing for granted. I am so thankful for God and all that He has done, all that He will do, and for all the blessings He has poured out. I am so thankful for my husband and the fact that our four long years of long distance are finally over!! I am so thankful for our wonderful families and friends. I am so thankful that we live in a country where we experience abundance and freedoms that are completely unknown to so many people around the world. I am so thankful for the children that God has given me to have (some) influence in the early years of their lives, while they are influencing my life and my teaching in return. Above all else, I am SO thankful that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Amen.

With just two days of school this week, and a few less kids than usual, my thankfulness increased tremendously! As did my attitude (especially Tuesday afternoon) of "it's the break-whatever you want-go for it". You want to glue, cut, paint, draw, and water color all at the same time? Go for it! You want to listen to the same Disney song over and over? Why not? I also lost my voice on Thursday (from yelling at the children....just kidding) so that kinda made things a little challenging. We made hand print turkeys out of paper and gave each kid 3 paper feathers on which we wrote what they were thankful for. Oh my goodness. Some of my top favorites were: "I thank God for my hands." "I thank God for the ABC's". "I thank God for salad and horses". "I thank God for pants" (this one was said by my little cowboy who wears jeans and boots everyday. Even when it was 120 degrees in the beginning of the year. Oh so fitting.) "I thank God for napkins." "I thank God for mac-n-cheese." And my all-time favorite....."I thank God for not letting the cat throw up in my garage." Love it! I also walked away with some priceless conversations in the last few hours of the day. One of my sweet little girls (she's like the dog from "Up" who has a very limited attention span, but in a lap dog form since she would rather hang out in my lap for the entire duration of our outdoor time) and I had the following conversation as I sat down to the table while they water-colored:

Her: "Why you sittin' at the table Ms. Sawah?" I'm usually in constant motion or down on the floor with them.

Me: "Because I want to."

Her: "Because you love us?"

Yes. Exactly!

Another priceless conversation occurred between me and my little old man (I swear this kid has the soul of a forty-year-old already) while he was on the potty. It's some of our best conversation time.

Him: "Hey, um Ms. Sawah?"

Me: "Yes?"

Him: "When my papa gets here, can you show him that huge, HUGE booger on that Kleenex?"

Me: "Didn't you throw your Kleenex in the trash?"

Him: "Yeah! Yeah!"

Me: "Well, we leave trash inside the trash can?"

Him: "But can you show him when he gets here?"

Me: "How about I let you show him if he wants to see it?"

Him: "Ok!"

Oh these children.

I just have one recipe for you this week and it hails from Ms. Paula Deen. I can't really stand her on TV but I find her quite compatible in website-form. I made these cookies for my kids as a little Thanksgiving treat, and packaged them up all cute with some of that sparkly wreath ribbon I'm obsessed with and made a little tag with some scrapbook paper. They turned out super cute and delicious! I think I once again ate my weight in the batter. There goes the idea to cut back a little bit to fill up on Thanksgiving haha!

Monster Cookies

From: pauladeen.com

1/4 cup raisins, optional (I omitted)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup M&Ms

1 stick butter, softened

1 12-oz. jar creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

2 tsp. baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In large bowl, combine eggs and sugars and mix well.

3. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well.

4. Stir in chocolate chips, M&Ms, baking soda, and oatmeal.

5. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake! Let stand 3 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

This is like the perfect combo of all the best cookies....oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies, all rolled up in one! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving holiday! Enjoy!

You're hot then you're cold!

Psalm 73:23-26 "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength and my portion forever." I read this verse this morning and I absolutely love it! I just love the rich promises within these words. God will, without a doubt, guide us throughout each and every day with his all-knowing, all-loving counsel. And we can eagerly await the wonderful glory that will come! This verse also made me stop and think about my level of spiritual maturity and my own relationship with Christ in truly desiring absolutely nothing else other than Christ on this earth. Are there things keeping us back from fully and solely wanting Him? God's word reminds us that the things of this earth fade and shatter but that God stands forever. He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. Nothing else can compare!

You might notice a theme among these recipes. We got a taste of cooler weather and it left me wanting more! So I decided that warm, cool-weather food will most definitely make our fall stick around for a while! Well, my plan didn't exactly work out, thank you very much fickle Texas weather! But that didn't stop us from enjoying some yummy food!

Chili
From: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground sirloin (I used ground beef)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 (15 oz.) can black beans

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans

1 (10 oz) can Rotel

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add beef and cook for 7-10 minutes.

2. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and jalapenos and cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add beans (don't drain) and Rotel. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes covered, stirring often.

4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

The most difficult part of this whole meal (other than keeping your balance and not slipping in the puddles of drool brought forth by the wonderful aroma in your kitchen) is chopping...and there's not very much of that! Just let it simmer away and you are in for a treat! I love the pinto and black beans in this chili..it gives it more of a tex-mex taste, which who doesn't love?? I topped ours with lots of cheese and served it with honey cornbread muffins (click on this link and it will take you to the post with that recipe...you might have to scroll down a bit). 

We got another little teasing taste of fall weather last week so I was all over anything warm on Pinterest. Unfortunately, by the time I made this meal, our cool fall weather had left. Nevertheless we enjoyed this absolutely delicious soup and turned the A/C down a little bit. Think of the perfect marriage between broccoli cheese soup and potato soup. Now throw in some added veggies and there you have it! And the best part is, this soup is uber-creamy but does not contain any heavy whipping cream (perhaps it's the ten pounds of cheese that does it.....)

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

From: luluthebaker.blogspot.com

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar

1. Melt butter in large soup pot.

2. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.

3. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes.

4. Add chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender.

5. Mix flour with water and add, simmer until slightly thickened.

6. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.

7. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

I topped ours with pepper and a sprinkle of dried rosemary. O.M.Good!! I've been eating the leftovers every day for lunch for the past 2 days and could probably eat it at every meal. Add it to your recipe book for this winter!

I found this next recipe on Pinterest as well when we were craving something sweet but didn't have any dessert in the house (a first for us...ha). I'm not gonna lie. The thing that most attracted me to this recipe on Pinterest is the words "no bake". Those words are almost as delicious in my mouth as these bites!! The best part is you can truly add whatever you want (or whatever you happen to have on hand in my case) to these puppies. The second time I made them (2 days after the first batch) I added a little bit of dark chocolate chips and slivered almonds just for kicks. So simple and so addicting!!

No-Bake Energy Bites 

(aka Granola Balls according to my husband)

From: smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes (omitted...didn't have and not a huge fan)

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (again, I omitted)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

I added: a handful of slivered almonds and a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips

1. Mix peanut butter, honey, and oatmeal together in bowl.

2. Add your mix-ins (chocolate chips, flaxseed, etc.) and stir until well mixed.

3. Add vanilla, stir.

4. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes then roll into small balls and enjoy!!

So I might have omitted the parts that are good for you (except for the oatmeal) haha but these have definitely become a staple! A delicious dessert where I don't have to get out the hand mixer or use kitchen equipment whatsoever?? I'm sold :)

We tried this new dish, yet another Pinterest find, last night and OMG so fast and so yummy! And for a guy who claims to not like Asian dishes (not that mine is super authentic), my husband loved it!! The recipe says to serve it cold but I served mine hot and added chicken and stir-fried veggies.

Spicy Thai Noodles

From: asmallsnippet.blogspot.com

1 box linguine or angel hair pasta

(Of course I wouldn't check to see how much linguine I had left so I used a mixture of whole wheat linguine and egg noodles)

1-2 Tbsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sesame oil

6 Tbsp honey

6 Tbsp soy sauce

Green onions, cilantro, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds for topping

**For my halved version I added one chicken breast (cooked and shredded) and a handful each of chopped broccoli and carrots.

1. Boil noodles, drain.

2. Chop green onions, cilantro (I omitted), and peanuts.

3. Heat both oils and red pepper over medium heat in small pan.

4. Strain out pepper and reserve oil.

5. To oil, whisk in honey and soy sauce.

6. If adding veggies, stir fry over medium high heat in skillet.

7. Toss sauce (and any add-ins) with noodles.

8. Refrigerate and serve cold, or serve immediately warm.

9. Before serving, top with green onions, cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

Just the right combo of spicy from the red pepper and sweet from the honey. We are definitely having this again!! And the best part is, I'm taking the leftovers to work for lunch and trying it out cold. I added some chopped napa cabbage to make it into a cold asian pasta salad. Looking forward to naptime!!

So this past weekend I made a trek to the wonderful world of Hobby Lobby's discounted Christmas decor and had to majorly practice my prioritizing and "just say no" skills. After putting the majority of the items in my cart back, debating, putting back in, debating some more, then taking them out again (I looked insane, muttering to myself and furiously adding up numbers on my list), I decided to sacrifice some of the decorative items to put that money toward a Christmas tree! I did, however, get some goods to make a Christmas wreath for our front door! I stopped at the Dollar Tree to get a few extras as well. Thus commenced the sweatshop! Not only did James get to sit and watch football, he also got to watch his insane wife shed hundreds of tiny twigs all over the living room rug, furiously poke and twist wire, acquire scratches up and down her legs, and cackle with delight at the finished product! Unfortunately I have to wait until after Thanksgiving to hang my new obsession on our door (don't make me start my "Give Thanksgiving a Chance!!!" tirade - poor James had to bear the brunt of that one in Walmart as their Christmas trees show up way too early), but I am in love! And the best part about it.....less than 20 bucks spent baby!!!

Grapevine wreath.......$4.99 

(sadly, wreaths weren't on sale - but still pretty cheap!)

2 red berry picks.......$1.27

2 garland picks.......$1.99

Letter "S".......$2.99

Ribbon.......$5.00

(I'm obsessed with this sparkly ribbon and will have to fight the urge to put a bow on everything in our apartment this holiday season....poor James.)

Ornaments.......$2.00

(You can get a tube of 7 ornaments for a buck at the Dollar Tree! Granted, they are plastic but they did the trick!)

Give me something good to eat!

Psalm 116:7 "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." In the hustle, bustle, and sometimes chaos of life it can be so easy to forget this simple yet forever constant fact - the Lord has been good to you. He is with you in every situation, circumstance, trial, trouble, and joy of daily life. How is he good? He sent His holy and perfect son to die on the cross in our rightful place for our sins, forever removing every stain and blemish by his powerful blood and presenting us white as snow to his Father. Be at rest today and always. The Lord has been oh-so-good to you.

To celebrate Halloween without directly celebrating Halloween at school, we learned about owls, bats, spiders and other nocturnal things this week, in addition to having a fall party.  The kids were obsessed with the giant books showing all kinds of creepy, crawly photographs. We made our own spiders out of styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. After reading a book about how spiders had 8 eyes and 8 legs, we set to work creating our own. 8 tiny googly eyes plus 8 pipe cleaner pieces plus paint plus glue equals one giant mess! One of the other teachers commented that my little cowboy looked like he just got done working on a car with all the black paint smeared down his button-down and jeans. But hey, learning is often messy, especially with this age! The spiders turned out so cute...legs and eyes literally poking out all over the place. If we wanted to be super anatomically correct we would have used two styrofoam balls per kid since we learned that spiders' bodies have two parts but they say hindsight is 20/20. The kids also made owls on construction paper. They dipped their palms in paint and (were supposed to) put their fingers all together to make the body (palm is head, fingers at bottom are talons...you see where I'm headed?) We need to work on our understanding of positional words I think since the more I told them to put their fingers together the farther they strained to get their little fingers as far apart as possible haha! Then they dipped their hands in paint again and, with fingers intentionally spread this time, made the wings. Then came the GIANT googly eyes and a paper beak. Then finally, glue and feathers of all different crazy colors. It was hilarious. One of my boys literally but one feather on each wing and one on the body and called it a day. One of my girls put so many feathers on hers you couldn't even see the ginormous eyes. My favorites had to be the ones that glued everything, feathers, eyes, and beak, in the space around the painted body. So cute!!

We went to a little Halloween get-together with a group of my husband's friends and I volunteered to be the sweets-provider. I got this recipe from my aunt, tweaked it slightly most wonderful, most moist (moistest?) dessert that rocked our worlds. Wait for it......Reese's Pieces Cupcakes!! I'll give you a sneak peak at what will get you drooling with three little words...peanut butter buttercream. My aunt's original recipe was for peanut butter cup cupcakes but I was out of some of the ingredients so I improvised. Is your mouth watering in anticipation yet?? And yes, this cupcake is also known as the "death to all diets" but they say it's all about moderation. Therefore, have your cupcake and engulf it too :)

Reese's Pieces Cupcakes

1 package devil's food cake mix

1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup water

Peanut butter Buttercream Frosting:

3 sticks butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp vanilla

2 lbs. confectioner's sugar, sifted

6-8 Tbsp. heavy cream (if using milk, amount will be less)

*I used milk, can't remember how much but I just added it until I got the consistency I wanted. It might have been about 3 tablespoons.

NOTE ABOUT FROSTING: WILL MAKE A TON. THIS IS NOT A TEST. 

I had so much frosting left over that I made a whole 'nother batch the very next day and took all 24 new cupcakes to work. Moral of the story: halve the frosting recipe :)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners or spray with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat together cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and water. Beat for two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

3. Distribute batter evenly between muffin tins (mine made 27 cupcakes total), about 3 tablespoons of batter per muffin well. 

4. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until top of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.

5. Remove cupcakes and allow to fully cool on wire rack before frosting.

For frosting:

1. Cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in confectioner's sugar, continuing to mix until well blended.

2. Add vanilla and milk. Blend on low until moistened. Add additional milk if needed until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

I apologize for the low quality of this photo, and the subsequent lack of phots of the following meals. My poor camera has reached the end of it's time with me. R.I.P. Sony.

I found this next recipe on my new obsession....PINTEREST! It came from a blog (crockpot365.blogspot.com) where a woman used her crockpot every day for a year! Now that is true commitment. And a great resource for us crockpot users (there's just something about coming home to a meal magically cooked and ready by a small, shiny machine). It's almost like having my own Rosey.

Crockpot Tamale Pie

Cornbread topping:

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk 

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

Tamale filling:

1 can drained and rinsed black beans

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (I used a can of Rotel)

1 can drained corn

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup shredded cheese

**You can add browned meat of your choice if you so desire. I was in a hurry before work so I omitted it and you really didn't miss it!

1. Spray crockpot with cooking spray.

2. Add in filling ingredients (including cheese) and stir well to distribute spices.

3. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for cornbread topping.

4. Pour batter over filling, spreading with a spatula.

5. Cover and cook on low for 4-7 hours or on high for 2-4.

Sad story about the cook time: I turned it on before I left for work and just happened to get off late that day. The edges of my poor tamale pie were burned black!! And the rest of the cornbread topping was a little darker than I would have preferred. But we made do and just add from the middle outward. On her blog, the woman said hers was ready at hour 6 so I would definitely NOT recommend cooking it for 8 and a half hours!! But oh man, tougher cornbread texture aside this meal was SO good and SO easy!! We are going to have it again on a weekend when I can better control the cook time.

The Lord provided us with a nice little taste of cold fall weather this week so we were definitely in the mood for warm food. I got this recipe off of Pinterest as well, originally from howto-simplify.com. When they say simple they mean it! So easy to prepare and so flavorful. I took the leftovers to work and was in heaven...could even ignore the havoc that was being wrecked by the small children surrounding me. Actually I had to fend for my chili as they all wanted to stir it for me haha!

White Chicken Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 c. cooked chicken, shredded

2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 can (4 oz.) green chilies

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 box (32 oz.) chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice from 1 lime

1. In large pot, saute the onion in olive oil.

2. Add chicken, beans, corn, green chilies (with juice from can), cumin, and oregano. Stir to combine, then add chicken broth.

3. Bring to a boil and simmer 20-30 minutes to allow broth to reduce. Add salt, pepper, and lime juice.

4. Top with sour cream, cilantro, cheese, avocado, or tortilla chips.

I chose to top ours with a tiny bit of sour cream mixed in, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and a very light sprinkle of chili powder. O.M.G. Such a yummy comfort food with just the right amount of spice. Y'all have to try this one!! It will be a keeper I guarantee :)

Everything's better...with cheddar!

2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." What a humbling realization that we are not placed on this earth to live for ourselves, but for the Lord Jesus Christ. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in our own little worlds, solely focusing on what I want, I need, I deserve. But we were not created to glorify ourselves, we were created to be a living testament to the holy Father, glorifying Him in everything. Let us keep this mindset throughout today and strive to live for the most holy and awesome God!!

This weekend we traveled to Fort Worth to celebrate my sweet sister-in-law's birthday. Although we felt we needed another weekend after Sunday to catch up, it was a great time celebrating with close family! I had the most amazing enchiladas Saturday night that still leave me drooling every time I think of them....avocado and artichoke enchiladas! Who knew those two delicious foods (two of my absolute faves) could be so good together but it's true!! It got me dish-inspired and wanting to put avocado and artichokes together in everything! Excuse me while I mop of my keyboard....it got a little bit o' drool...

We drove back super early in time for me to chill with my Wobblers (babies starting to walk/wobble) on Sunday morning. After our weekend of Mexican food and a post-church lunch at Chili's (oh skillet queso, why do you have to be so tempting??) we felt the need for a nice, light dinner Sunday night. And that could mean one thing....Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad! For a guy who doesn't care for green things, the fact that he liked it tells you a lot! I added the chicken to this dish I got from my wonderful mama to beef it up a bit (or I guess it'd be poultry it up a bit?) Anyhoo, it makes a lot so I was in heaven when it came to making my lunch for work on Monday...and Tuesday...

Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 head Chinese cabbage, chopped

2 c. fresh spinach, torn (I had a ton of lettuce already chopped at home so I used that)

1/2 c. green onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 oz. Ramen noodles, broken

1/4 c. sesame seeds

1/2 c. almond slivers

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. rice vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1. Saute ramen noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds in olive oil until brown; drain.

**Sidenote: it says to break the Ramen noodles. I might have gotten a little carried away, or felt the need to release stress, but my Ramen noodles were smashed to smithereens. I suggest leaving little chunks instead of tiny noodles pieces.

2. Toss cabbage, spinach, and green onions. Add chicken.

3. Whisk together ingredients for dressing.

4. One hour before serving, add nuts, noodles, and dressing. Chill in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

This next recipe has become a permanent staple in my recipe book. Seriously. James and I scraped our plates completely clean and both agreed we could eat it again for dinner tomorrow! I found this recipe on Pinterest, originally from jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com. Thank you sis-in-law for getting me hooked on this enormous collection of the best ideas EVER!! I sense a serious addiction coming on. Crispy. Cheddar. Chicken. Obviously anything with cheese draws me in but I had no idea it would be this delicious!! And I actually had every ingredient needed to make it...no fancy things that require a trip to the store. The best part about it is the sauce. I almost didn't make it because I'm not a huge sauce/condiment person but O.M.G. the sauce is to die for! It would be amazing literally on anything. We were fantasizing about this creamy-dreamy sauce poured on top of a mountain of homemade mashed potatoes. See why we needed that gym membership? HA!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers 

(Ok, when I halved the recipe I thought an entire sleeve for 2 chicken breasts sounded like a lot. I used about half of 1 sleeve and still had some left over.)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup milk

3 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. dried parsley

Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. butter

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks (I just did 2 because my chickens were smaller).

2. Grind up (or just use your hands to smash up) Ritz crackers.

3. Pour milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate pans.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into milk, then cheese, then cracker crumbs.

(My toppings didn't stick to my chicken as well as the pics on the blog showed so I just kinda smooshed it on there then sprinkled some more on top once it was in the pan)

5. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Place chicken in pan and sprinkle with dried parsley.

6. Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until edges are crispy.

7. In medium sauce pan, whisk together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter. Stir over medium heat until hot. Serve with chicken (this is a must. I am telling you.)

SO DELISH!

We are most likely going to have it again this weekend.

Happy eating and Happy Halloween everybody!

Taste and See!

Psalm 34:8-10 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." We serve such a good God! There are some days when I am just astounded and amazed by His goodness. I mean, the very fact that we get another day on this earth is a testament to His goodness! And what a promise - that if we seek His face, we will lack no good thing. He so yearns to pour out blessings and every good thing on His children. All we have to do is turn to Him and open our hearts. And if there seems to be lions at your door or around every corner, don't worry! Because they, unlike us, will grow weak and hungry! Amen to that!

So I am so happy to say that I finally reached week 9 of Couch to 5K! I must say, I would have thought that Clarisse would show a little more enthusiasm. She was just "You've made some progress (said with a long O sound) over the last few weeks". Uhhh you think?? Of course, I only listened to her introduction to make sure I was supposed to run for 30 minutes, then switched over to Forrest Gump at the gym instead of her strange compilation of musical items. Forrest and I actually "just started runn-an" together (please read that in a Forrest Gump accent), which made the time fly by. I cannot believe and would have never guessed that I would actually get to the end of this program! I don't have a very good track record at keeping at things...softball...soccer... If you have started KEEP GOING! YOU CAN DO IT!

We tried several new Mexican recipes this week and both were absolutely delicious. I found both on one of my most frequently visited blogs "Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour". I highly recommend both those and the couple recipes to follow! You can't go wrong with any of them this week!

Mexican Casserole Tostadas

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped (I omitted since I didn't have it on hand and those red ones are expensive! Preschool teacher budget rules the grocery list)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, drained

1 1/2 cups salsa

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped (I omitted...not a fan)

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese

Corn tortillas for tostadas

Oil for frying

1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to skillet with onion and cumin. Saute until chicken is cooked.

2. When chicken is cooked, add bell peppers and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Add salsa and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add cream cheese and stir until melted.

5. Add black beans and tomatoes, stir well, and transfer to 8x8 baking dish.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with cheese, and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes.

This dish is so delicious and versatile you can literally put it with anything (rice, tortilla, chips, etc.) I tried out making my own tostadas (uhh who knew it was so easy and why have I not been doing this my whole life??) Just heat some oil in the bottom of a skillet, pop those corn tortillas in, and turn when golden and crispy. Don't forget to poke some holes in them before frying and drain excess oil off on a paper towel. Scoop a big ol' helping of the casserole onto each tostada and enjoy!!

 Chicken Enchilada Pasta (and so much more!)

This recipe is seriously the best bang for your buck. I made it as it was originally intended, as a pasta sauce, and ended up with about a gallon of leftover sauce. I ended up taking it to work one day as a tortilla soup (just added some black beans and topped with crushed chips) since it already has chicken in it. Then I used it another day as enchilada filling (added black beans, roll it up in a tortilla, oh yum). If you want something to stretch for all kinds of meals, this is the one for you!

2-3chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 Tbsp. oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced (I used green again)

1 4-oz. can green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 10-oz. green enchilada sauce

2/3 cup red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

1. Cook chicken and shred. Boil pasta according to pasta and chop all veggies.

2. Heat oil in skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and peppers and cook another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauces. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add sour cream and cook on LOW until well mixed throughout.

5. Drain pasta, return to pot, and pour sauce over noodles.

Seriously, you have to try it!!! Mexican flavor with pasta....my two favorite things in the world!

We've been talking about fall the past couple weeks at the preschool....although these poor Texan children are seriously deprived of any fall colors outside. Since we've been exploring apples, pumpkins, gourds, and the like, on Friday we made homemade applesauce! So easy and made the room smell delicious!

Homemade Applesauce

8 red apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Peel, core and cut apples into bite-sized pieces. This is the most time-consuming part...everything else is a breeze!

2. Add apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon to crockpot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.

3. When apples become soft, mash using a potato masher.

4. After the first few hours, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 hours.

5. Mash periodically until you get your desired consistency. Add more sugar if desired.

I believe I ate more than all my kids did combined! Except my little cowboy who would just walk over and help himself to more...and was surprisingly good at wielding the giant ladle! Of course I had two picky ones that wouldn't even try it, despite how excited they were as they helped me prepare it, simply because it was a darker color than store bought applesauce. Seriously kids?? Its apples, sugar, and cinnamon...there is nothing in there that you don't like. I really had to fight the urge to ban them from leaving the table until they tried one bite like my mom used to do and I will do with my own kids. The argument "you don't know if you like it unless you try it" had no effect on these pickies. I used all sorts of method of persuasion to attempt to get them to try one teeny-tiny bite but once the whining and brink of tears came, I surrendered. Their loss means more for Mrs. Sawah!

So I just thought I'd share a really easy way to make a super fast and super yummy meal. Many of you probably know this trick already but I'm still going to share it with those who may have been like me for most of my life and had zero kitchen sense (what do you mean you have to turn on the burner to make a grilled cheese? Ohhhh I accidentally turned on the fan...whoops.) So a staple in our place is a jar of alfredo sauce. I know many have reservations about jarred alfredo but the Classico Four Cheese is actually pretty good. Normally I make my chicken, boil my pasta, toss it in with a nice helping of sauce (don't even bother heating it up), add some pepper, Italian seasoning and cheese and we're good to go. Well this time I thought I'd try to put a tiny bit of effort into it and oh my goodness what a difference it made...yet still took no time at all! First I sauteed some green onion and garlic in olive oil until I could start to smell the garlic and the onions were becoming transparent. Then I added the sauce to the pan and thinned it out with a splash of chicken stock. Let it simmer. To the linguine I added zucchini ribbons (saw this on Rachael Ray one time and was intrigued.) Peel your zucchini with a vegetable peeler and make long "ribbons". Pop those in with your pasta for the last 4 or so minutes of cook time. I normally just cut up zucchini or squash to add to the pasta but this looked so much prettier and was easy to twirl on your fork with the long pasta strands. Drain the pasta and zucchini, pour doctored sauce over everything, top with Italian seasoning (we like alot of it in our household) and lots of cheese. I swear, the garlic, onions, and chicken stock make all the difference in the world!! I'm never plopping the sauce in the pot and calling it good again.....well, I say that now....

Flat Pasta with Creamy Corn

Don't let the name fool you ...and don't think of old people creamed corn!! I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's website and for some reason was just drawn to it. We tried it out last night and oh my goodness....so tasty! The sauce was very light and buttery, leaving us full but not miserable like many cream sauces can do. So good and so easy to make...the only effort you put in is chopping up some veggies! I halved it and had just the right amount leftover to take to work tomorrow. This is the un-halved recipe:

6 ears of corn on the cob, husked (or 3 cups thawed frozen corn or canned corn)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 pound pancetta or lean, center-cut bacon (I used Great Value bacon...surprise surprise)

1 Fresno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped OR 1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. thyme, finely chopped (I used dried)

1 small red onion, very finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup shelled fava beans (or defrosted shelled edamame or lima beans...I used the latter)

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock

3 Tbsp. butter

1 pound egg tagliatelle or other wide-cut pasta

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (I had plans to use dried....just realized I completely forgot it ha!)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping (Or if you are like me....GreatVal Italian blend shredded cheese for $2!)

1. Into large bowl, scrape corn off of cobs, as well as cobs themselves, catching juices. Or open up a can of sweet corn and keep a little bit of the juice.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and bring large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

3. Add olive oil to the hot skillet and add bacon. Cook to render the fat and crisp, 3-4 minutes.

4. Add corn and juices and cook for 3-4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic; stir for 5 minutes.

6. Add fava beans/edamame/lima beans and deglaze pan with chicken stock or wine.

7. Stir in butter and reduce heat to low. (I might have added a little extra butter)

8. Salt boiling water and boil pasta according to package directions. Add 1 cup of starchy cooking water to corn mix (next time I'd add less than that. I ended up draining some excess liquid from the leftovers).

9. Drain pasta, toss with corn, top with parsley and cheese.

Taste and see :)