Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

The reviews on this pin were amazing, and I'm happy to say that I'm fully on that bandwagon!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

As per usual I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  It called for Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Chicken Soup.  Since I don't like Cream of Chemical Soup of any kind (I don't know what grosses me out more - the additives or creamed chicken....) I had to think outside the box.  I found a can at the very back of my pantry - Chemical Soup...I mean, Cheddar Soup.  Which reminds me - I really need to try to make my own Cream of Yada Yada soups.

I also used Chicken Thighs instead of breasts.  It honestly is the simplest recipe ever.  The hardest part was getting the soup out of the can. And I couldn't be bothered shredding the chicken by hand so I threw it in the food processor and it was done so quickly.  Why have I never thought of this earlier???

Definitely make this!  My son loved it, as did I.  (My daughter is super picky and wouldn't even try it.) I had a side dish of fiesta veggies (Black beans, corn, peppers and onions), but I'm pretty sure beans and/or corn would make a great addition.  I think jalapenos would be a great addition too.

Moroccan Chicken Stirfry

Moroccan Chicken Stirfry

I saw this recipe and it looked delicious and pretty simple.  And different.  I like to try other cuisines that I don't usually get to eat.  I wish I could tell you about this amazing Afghani food I got to eat one time, but unfortunately I am bound by OPSEC and I can't.

This dish really is simple.  I had all the ingredients apart from Turmeric, and I wasn't about to go out and buy some because after 32 years on this planet I've never needed to use it, and it would sit there with some other useless spices for years.  I don't know how it would affect the taste, but I wasn't complaining about it without it.

I really liked it.  I probably won't make it again since my kids hated it, and my husband wasn't really doing dances around the living room about it either.  I would have loved to have added raisins to it too, and maybe if it was a little creamier, like adding Greek Yogurt to make it more saucy.  I don't know much about Moroccan cooking so I could be butchering it by doing that.

So if you are a little adventurous, give this a try.  If you're not adventurous, you probably won't like it.  Maybe if you switch out the spices to garlic etc, then you would like it.

Palmetto Cheese...The Pimento Cheese with Soul!

This product is so awesome it needs its own post.  My sister-in-law introduced me to it a few years back and I've been hooked ever since.  Pimento Cheese is usually enough to make my stomach churn - it just seems kind of sloppy and goopy.  But Palmetto Cheese is a little piece of heaven.

Palmetto Cheese

It's got the greatest flavor - it's got sharp cheddar cheese, pimentos and cream cheese (I think - I don't have a container to tell you exactly what's in it right now) and it's not sloppy in the slightest.

You can only find it in the South - I buy mine at Harris Teeter, but it's worth the drive. It's about the only thing I love about living at Ft Bragg. I prefer the original cheese using it as a dip for pita chips, but I used the Jalapeno cheese in my last Crustless Quiche and it was AMAZING!!

Follow them on Facebook and they'll give you all sorts of recipes and coupons you can use.  Try it! You'll love it!

Crustless Quiche

This is one of my family's favorite meals for dinner.  I love that it's crustless, and it's so versatile.  Here's the original link:

Crustless Bacon Quiche

I've actually made it twice now with a different variation each time. The first time I used 9 eggs, bacon and broccoli and Jalapeno Palmetto Cheese (that I'll blog about later since it's THAT awesome).  Last week I used Turkey Kielbasa and broccoli and it was just as awesome.

It's so quick and easy so perfect for the weeknights where you've got to make dinner before baseball etc.  Serve with a salad or veggies and you're good to go.  You can put whatever veggies or meats in that you like.  If you have left over roast chicken it would be perfect. And for you low carbers, it's perfect for you.

The Shoe Saga - The Sequel

Well, I have tried ice, I have tried the hair dryer, I even stuck them in the dryer and every few minutes I would put them on wearing thick socks. Did they stretch - yes they did.  But no amount of 'No pain, no gain' will ever make them comfortable.

So my pretty shoes.  My pretty pretty shoes....will most likely be sold tomorrow in my yard sale.

I'm going to sit in my corner and rock now.

The Shoe Saga

I'm so bad at keeping up with blogs.  And I've been pretty busy this week - there's not enough time in the day I swear.  And between the van breaking down over the weekend, and the A/C breaking down too...plus baseball 4 nights this week, I've just not had enough time to look at Pinterest and find something I want to do. And with the A/C out, I just didn't want to be inside next to the stove.

So today I'll talk about shoes.

I hate them.

I really do.  I just don't like feet in general and I don't have the time or money for pedicures making me hate feet more.

But I saw a pin of these shoes....

It's the perfect color (my favorite) and I love flats.  I'm literally in love.

I've never bought shoes online before.  So I found them on Amazon (Qupid Thesis 147 Sea Green Suede Ruched Ballet Flats) and bought them.

I was so excited when they arrived and couldn't wait to put them on.

THEY HURT MY FEET!!!

Seriously, they hurt so bad I couldn't even wear them for two minutes before they left red welts on my toes.  They're not too small, just tight as hell.  Any bigger and they would be too long for me.

But then I remembered a pin that I saw to stretch shoes out: How to stretch shoes.  I have tried the ice.  It did work a little, but still not to the point that I can wear these shoes. Tonight I will make a last ditch effort using the thick socks and hairdryer trick...and sadly if that doesn't work, then they shall be sold at my yard sale tomorrow.  My heart is breaking.

By the way, I did see a pin about how to make a butt tonne of money at a yard sale, and quite frankly I don't have the time, enough junk and the patience to do it. I'm definitely not Miss Suzy Homemaker yet.  

Brain Fart and Taco Seasoning

I had an extremely exhausting weekend so forgive me for yesterdays brain fart. You see, we went to the NASCAR Races at Richmond over the weekend.  We had a great time, minus being damp and freezing, and the van breaking down very late Friday night causing much chaos, tow truck rides and taxi rides to the airport.  Thanks Dodge for a crappy alternator on a brand new vehicle.  You rock.

Anyway, Mia lost her voice and is a walking snot bomb, so I needed something quick and easy for dinner last night.  But here's where the brain fart occurred.  I can't find the pin so you can go straight to the source.  I know I pinned it because I remember looking for what I was going to make.  So my apologies to the recipe creator - I will give you credit when I find you! 

I picked up a rotisserie chicken while I was at Sam's Club, and then ran buy Walmart because I forgot to pick up the canned tomatoes and black beans.  So when I got home I just shredded the chicken and placed it in the crock pot, sprinkled my homemade taco seasoning on it, then dumped the tomatoes and (rinsed) black beans on top.  It simmered  for a few hours, and I served it over rice with cheese and sour cream. (Well, no rice or sour cream for me). I'm telling you, it was delicious.  And it's versatile too.  You could use it in taco's or burritos.  Add some enchilada sauce and bake it and that would be awesome too.  Or add green onions and corn...you get my drift.  So simple as it already is, you can easily add your own pizazz. 

Now, homemade taco seasoning is amazing.  Like the Ranch Seasoning I did last week, I hate how the packaged stuff is full of crud and overpriced.  I made a quadruple batch about 6 months ago and just use it as needed - about once every two weeks.  Anything I would use taco seasoning for: Taco Bake, Mexican Pie, or plain old taco's I use it.  You can add a little more spice to it if that's how you like it, but with kids I keep it milder.  I never measure how much I use, so start with a little and add more as you go.

Here's the recipe:  Homemade Taco Seasoning

You may need to go to the store to buy some of the spices, but it still works out a lot cheaper and a lot healthier than packages.  Just do it.  Don't be lazy!