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Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Summer is finally here!! Although I will be working for the months of June and July, I will have shorter hours, so hopefully that means that I'll be able to put more effort into cleaning this place up. Expect lots of before and after pictures! The goal is to spend two weeks on each room. I would love to say that I can finish a room per week, but I feel like two weeks is more manageable for me. Of course you can always go quicker or slower than my pace, or you can always follow right along with me. At the end of the two weeks, I'm hoping to have a cleaned up and organized space...and hopefully you will too!

Here are the rooms I will be working on:
Laundry Room
Craft Space
Our Room
Bathrooms
Closets (this includes all closets around the house)
Basement
Kitchen


Starting Sunday, I will be tackling the laundry room! What shape is your laundry room in? You have two weeks to fancy it up. Let's do this, Summer...

Monday, June 3, 2013

Slow Cookin' Sunday: Chicken Tortilla

It's a new tradition that every Sunday, I make a meal in my crockpot. Lately, I've been OBSESSED with making soups. I know what you're thinking: Soup in the Summer??!?  Yes, my friends, soup in the Summer! The great thing about soup is it's an easy meal. All you do is heat it up. It's perfect for lunches and a quick meal when you're starving, which J almost always is the second he gets home. I try to make batches that have at least six servings so they last most of the week. This one was only 4, but I wanted to try it before making a huge batch.

This week, I made Chicken Tortilla soup and it was delicious! The recipe called for 3-3 1/2 hours on high in the crockpot, but mine was done after about 2 1/2. Also, the only thing I topped it with was the homemade tortilla strips. We try and keep it relatively healthy around here.


Prep: 15 minutes at 350 degrees
Slow Cook: 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients:
  • 2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
  • 2 cups shopped cooked chicken breast
  • 2 cups frozen sweet peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables (I couldn't find these, so I used the green bell peppers and onion mix)
  •  1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I hate spicy stuff and this amount didn't make it too hot for me)
  • 4  6-inch corn tortillas 
  • sliced avocado, sour cream, sliced jalapenos, fresh cilantro (optional)
 Steps:
  1. In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker combine broth, chicken, frozen vegetables, tomatoes, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
  2. Cover and cook for alotted time above
  3. Before serving, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tortillas into 1/2-inch strips. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and crisp. Let cool. (mine took about 15 mins)
[recipe found in Better Homes & Gardens Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes]

Oh, Hi!

Hi everyone! I'm Jenn. I moved in with my boyfriend about a week ago and have a lot of work ahead of me to get this space fancied up. It basically looks like a frat house minus 50 guys living here...nope...just one. One that likes to have a bunch of other messy guys over, one that doesn't care when things spill on the carpets, or that the plates are stacked with the bowls, or that the carpet hasn't been vacuumed in months...ugg. This blog is my way to vent about the nastiness that is was and show off the beauty it is slowly becoming! Along with making the house awesome, I also love cooking, trying out tutorials and ideas on pinterest, and scoring great bargains and deals. Join me as I try to balance it all...on a budget!