Chicken Tortilla Soup

• This was a big hit with my hubby! The Boybarians tried it and like it too! So fast and so easy! I love the Crockpot!
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• 1 pound cubed, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• Garnish:
• Tortilla Chips
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Avocado, sliced
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Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water, chicken broth, corn and seasonings. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Garnish with chips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Bread

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 beaten eggs

2 Tbsp. grated orange zest

4 Tbsp. hot water

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups chopped cranberries

1cup chopped pecans

Melted Butter and Sugar for top

Stir dry ingredients in large bowl. Set aside. Beat eggs, add in butter, juice, and water. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients and add orange zest, cranberries and nuts. Stir until moist. Pour into floured, greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. After 10 minutes brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Wrap in wax paper when cool-refrigerate. Enjoy!

4 recipes makes 20 small loaf pans to give as gifts! I like to wrap in paper and then tie with a pretty ribbon and tag.

Our Favorite Holiday Picture!

This picture was taken when Owen was 19 months and Asher was 4 months. We waited in line for 2 hours at South Coast Plaza to see the famed Santa! Owen was bursting with excitement! When it was our turn, Owen was a bit apprehensive, but we knew he would be fine! This is the picture we got and almost didn't buy, but we are so glad we did! :)

Aunt Teen's Fudge

• This is my go-to holiday fudge recipe. It is rich and has a silky smooth texture. You can add in crushed candy canes or nuts for a festive flare! Enjoy!
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• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

Cranberry Orange Chex Mix

A festive twist on a Holiday favorite!

3	cups Corn Chex® cereal
3	cups Rice Chex® cereal
3	cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1	cup sliced almonds or other nut you like
1/2	cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2	cup packed brown sugar
1/2	cup frozen (thawed) orange juice concentrate
1/2	cup dried cranberries
1.	Heat oven to 300°F. In large bowl, mix cereals and almonds.
2.	In microwavable measuring cup, mix butter, brown sugar and juice concentrate. Microwave uncovered on High 30 seconds; stir. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into ungreased large roasting pan.
	Bake uncovered 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!

One More....

So, I was perusing my Everday Food mag today, and found another must try recipe! Holiday Shortbread! Yum! I will post my recipes soon!

Holiday Treat List

I thought I would post my Holiday Treat List for those who might want the recipes, and inspire others to share recipes of their own! So here it is!

Cranberry Orange Chex Mix

Original Chex Mix

Creamy Fudge

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Peanut Brittle

Cranberry Orange Bread

Sweet and Spiced Nuts

Whew! I have alot of baking and candy making to do! On to the kitchen!

The Hoe-Down!

We got to attend our church's annual Hoe-Down at the Collin's house! Our boys LOVE the Collin's house, so we were so excited to get dressed up and party! We enjoyed the soup potluck, gunny sack races, the highly anticipated donut race, group pie eating contest (which we won, with our Pastor's wife's help!), sitting around the fire, square dancing, and great fellowship! Can't wait for next year! Enjoy the pictures! Yeehaw!

Cowboy Owen!

Asher is a mysterious Cowboy!

Asher the Cowboy!

Peeking at the chickens!

Knoxy the Lion!

Our Little Bear...

which we later discovered was puppy!

Isaac was Cowboy too! So cute!

Arielle was the cutest little Tigger!

Shelby and Sarah were Funky Ballerinas!

Cailyn was The Hungry Caterpillar!

Gabby and Knox on a wagon ride!

Cowboy Owen need a rest! What a fun day!

Thankful

I am just so thankful for our church Grace Bible! We had a great time of fellowship and learning tonight at our Wednesday night Bible study, and I just feel Thankful!

Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie

We had our friends the Gustaff's over for games and dessert last night, and had the greatest time! Well, I recently became obsessed with Trader Joe's Chocolate Instant Pudding mix. I mean who could resist chocolate pudding that tastes like a creamy melted chocolate bar? And it's only $0.99! I had been dreaming up ways of what I could make with my new found chocolate pudding friend...Jello?...what is Jello?... So, I knew that game night was the perfect oppurtunity! John's favorite combo is chocolate and raspberries, so I decided that a creamy, dreamy, pie (with a graham crust...for those of you who don't know, I despise pie crust...except for one...Gretchen's!) So, with my yummy pudding mix and Owen at my side we got crackin'! And here are the pictures of our fun time together!

Back at it....again!!

Well, I am once again going to try and stick with updating the blog! We are finally settled in Bakersfield, and have much to update! So, after the boybarians are in bed, I will begin again!

Happy Birthday Owen!

WOW!! My firstborn boy is 4!! 4! I cannot believe that he is 4! How many times in this post can I say 4?? :) It is so true that our little ones grow up so fast. I feel like it was yesterday that I was holding him in my tired arms and feeling so full of love and so incredibly thankful that he was finally here and was healthy. Owen is a tremendous blessing to our lives. He has made it fun, exhausting, crazy, eventful, precious, scary, happy, and purely wonderful. He is not always easy, but he is always worth it. We were truly blessed by God to have been given such a full and vibrant gift! We love you Owen!

The First Week!

So, we have been in our new place 1 week now! A very long week! It has been good. Better than I thought actually. I was really worried that the boys would have trouble adjusting, but they love it here! It helped that we had their room totally unpacked and decorated before they came home from Grammy and Papa's house. Thank you G &P!

As I am unpacking and getting things organized in our new home, I have been making a mental list of things I love and don't love, and miss and don't miss about our old and new homes and area. I think I am actually surprised about some of the things!

Things I Miss About The Old House:
Mandy
Carrie
Lynn
Marie
All the kiddos
The close parking spot
The courtyard
The borrowing system! :)
The close mailboxes

Things I don't miss:
The Roaches...yes, I said roaches!
The loud hoodlums...not sure if that is how you spell it!
The laundry room
Cigarette butts
The lack of storage
The kitchen

Things I Love:
The washer and dryer!!! I think that I have done almost 15 loads!
The kitchen!
The master bedroom!
The storage!
The kiddie park!
The paint colors!
The newness of the unit and complex
Basically the whole house!
Winco!
How friendly the people are!
That John leaves 1 hour later, and is home 1 hour earlier!

Things I Don't Love:
The far away parking spot
The far away mailboxes
The far away rent drop box
The large amount of people
The pantry...there isn't one!
The stairs...my legs are killing me!
The gate system...you have to have a landline to buzz someone in!

I think that for the most part, I am going to really like it here! Thank you Lord for this blessing!

The Final Week!

This is the final week in our small, but special home. The place that we have brought all our boys home to, the place where we have gone through many trials and many blessings, the place that we celebrated 4 anniversaries, 3 1st birthdays, and 3 1st Christmases. It is the place where Owen, Asher, and Knox learned to walk, where Owen learned to ride a bike, the place that we have made lasting and wonderful friendships, and the place that we have fondly called home. I am sad that we are leaving the place that the boys have only known as home, and yet there is an excitement in me that we are adventuring into the unknown. Where will we be in 1 year? Who will we be friends with? How will we be involved in our new church? Who will we bless? Who will bless us? What trials and blessings will we go through? How will we grow spiritually? What children will we bring into the world, and who will they be? It is exciting and yet scary thinking of the future and our new home. But one thing that is constant, has not changed and will not change is our Lord! What a comfort that no matter what city we are in, or how our lives wane and wax, God is unchanging! He is the one constant and unfailing rock in our lives! My friend Sarah was encouraging me that no matter where pur earthly home is, we can say that God is our dwelling place. So, no matter where we will be in the future, and how many special events occur in our new home, my dwelling place is in heaven with Christ! What a comfort!

Another Attempt!

So, here I go! Yet another attempt at keeping up with blogging! Hopefully this time I can stick with it!