Currently Erik and I are saving up for our 1st real vacation since our honeymoon, so I'm trying to make some cheap but good meals. One of the best soups you will ever eat is my mother's Tortilla Soup. I don't make it as often as I should because it's a little labor intensive, but it's so worth it. I'm working all weekend (Yuck!) and I usually try to make something with lots of leftovers, because there is no way I'm coming home after working 12 hours to do more than reheat food in the microwave. Enjoy!
Mom's Tortilla Soup
1 or 2 large chicken breasts- $1.00 ( I only used 1 with skin on and bones in)
2 zucchini- $1.01
1 yellow squash- $0.82
3 big carrots- $0.35
2 McCormick taco seasoning packets- 2/$1
32 oz. chicken broth- $1.99 for 1 box of organic HEB brand chicken broth
1 can Rotel- $0.65
1 onion- $0.89
Boil your chicken breasts in a big pot with salted water. Skim off any weird chicken foam that floats up. (Seriously, what is that foam?) Take out chicken breasts and pick chicken clean of any meat. Set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid. You can do your veggies 2 different ways. I finely chop all of mine in my mini food processor. If you don't have one of these just chop them up however you like. Saute your chopped onion in a separate pan in a little butter and olive oil. After a few minutes add the carrots, zucchini, and squash and saute for 5 minutes. Add your two packets of taco seasoning to this mixture. (I guess if you wanted to be really cheap you could add your own spices, but it would alter the taste.) Add back your shredded chicken to your reserved cooking liquid, plus the sauteed veggies. At this point you can judge to see if you need all 32 ozs of the boxed or canned chicken stock. You may not, so just add what you think you need. Simmer this for about 20 minutes and it's done. I serve mine with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips, but a big slice of avocado would be great too!
Final cost: $7.71
Erik will eat this tonight for dinner because my boss is taking me out to eat at Buzzard Billy's for getting employee of the month. We'll definitely eat this Friday night for dinner and possibly lunch on Saturday. That's 3 meals worth of soup for less than 8 bucks!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Best Brownies EVER
Ingredients:
1 box of brownie mix
oil and eggs required to make brownie mix
2 candy bars, whatever you like ( I used 2 Cadbury milk chocolate bars)
Make brownie mix according to directions on the box. Pour half of mix into 8x8 inch pan. Unwrap candy bars and lay on top of brownie mix. Pour the rest of the mix onto the candy bars, completely covering them. Bake as directed. Eat some and horde the rest.
I love this idea for brownies because you can put your favorite candy bar into it, although you probably want to use one that is relatively flat. Thanks to my coworker Lori for this idea.
1 box of brownie mix
oil and eggs required to make brownie mix
2 candy bars, whatever you like ( I used 2 Cadbury milk chocolate bars)
Make brownie mix according to directions on the box. Pour half of mix into 8x8 inch pan. Unwrap candy bars and lay on top of brownie mix. Pour the rest of the mix onto the candy bars, completely covering them. Bake as directed. Eat some and horde the rest.
I love this idea for brownies because you can put your favorite candy bar into it, although you probably want to use one that is relatively flat. Thanks to my coworker Lori for this idea.
Monday, February 9, 2009
25 Random Things
1. I don't mind housework, but I will NOT wash dirty dishes. That's Erik's job, along with taking out the trash, and I can't even remember the last time I hand washed a dish.
2. When I like something, I get really obsessive for a while. When I finally read the Twilight series, I think a part of me freaked out with a need to read all four books as quickly as possible. Of course I saw the movie, too, and perused the website, got the soundtrack for Christmas, etc.
3. I am an introvert with an occaisonal need for socializing. I'm perfectly content to be at home by myself (with the dogs) and I often make trips to stores by myself. However, when a social event arises I'm always excited to go and see people. I also love having people over for dinner.
4. I get really uncomfortable when people discuss politics around me. I do have a political view and no, I didn't vote for Obama, but I don't like to talk about it.
5. Foods with mushy textures are revolting to me. I can't stand applesauce or anything like that.
6. I have been best friends with the same three girls for 10 years. No one gets me (except Erik) like they do, and I can be completely myself around them. I miss them so much!
7. I met my husband Erik at the Weakley County Soybean Festival at the library book table. It wasn't love at first sight because I was all hung up for some other guy, but a month later we were dating and 2 months later I knew I would marry him. 2 years later Roxy won Most Photogenic at said festival's pet contest!
8. I was criticized by many people for getting married at 20 years old. My response is, I know what I want and I know that marrying Erik at 20 was God's plan for me. I don't necessarily believe in being engaged for 2 years or something like that just because one of you is still in school. I'm a testimonial to the fact that it can and does work!
9. My two hobbies are cooking and reading. I don't cook a three course meal every night for dinner, mainly because I work 3 12-hour shifts a week. I do love to use my crockpot. I have made some real doosies-one I particularly remember is Paula Deen's Mexican Chicken casserole. It was so gross!
10. I used to never eat anything with the word "casserole" in the title. Occaisonally now I do.
11. People ask me all the time if working in Labor and Delivery has made me not want children. The answer is no. I do want kids someday and now I have a "birth plan" sorta thing in my mind of how I want my labor to go. Unfortunately there's something known underground as the "nurse curse" which is basically when nurses have bad labor experiences, like an emergency c-section.
12. I went into L&D because it was the "least gross" area of the hospital in my mind. While there are certainly no bedsores or trachs on my floor, there are some really gross things. Fortunately for me we starve the ladies in labor so when they puke it's just bile. I can deal with that. But there are grosser things than vomit!
13. I am a dog person. If it were possible to have dogs without the mess and fur, I'd have at least 5. Corgis are my favorite and since they tend to shed a lot, I will definitely never have 5 at one time!
14. I am also a tv person. Now that we've cut our cable down to just basic (you wouldn't believe how much money you save, and you don't even miss those old shows) I have my main shows that I watch like The Office, 30 Rock, Fringe, Lost, Biggest Loser, and Regis and Kelly.
15. I would say I like living in Texas, but I don't love it. It's hard living so far away from your family and old friends. Texas does have its perks. There are lots of places to visit, people are friendly, and the economy is pretty stable compared to the rest of the country. The Mexican food is not as good. How I miss you Don Pancho's!
16. I am an avid reader. I espeically love books in a series because I always want the story to continue. I love our library because I can request the books online and they have them ready for me at the counter when I go. When I don't have a book going I feel like a part of my life is missing. Books I have recently read are: The Private Patient, Multiple Blessings, and The Thirteenth Tale.
17. Walmart, you are the devil. I hate your low prices and your rows and rows of your store brand. Of course you don't have the brand that I have a coupon for. I hate your self check out lanes and your produce. I hate that I can't beat your dog food price anywhere else. You are the bane of my existence!
18. On the other hand, I love shopping at my HEB Plus store. I can get organic milk for $2, great produce, and a variety of cheeses I've never heard of.
19. When it comes to movies, I love sci-fi, adventure, and comedies. This is one of the reasons Erik and I got along so well to begin with. I will not watch romantic comedies except Return to Me, which, if you haven't seen it, you need to.
20. I have one of the most dysfunctional families of anyone I know. For my family who is reading this, I love you and love that you visit my blog. However, we are dysfunctional and it's a fact.
21. I have dreams or nightmares almost every single night. I have never been a good sleeper and this may be part of it. If I'm dreaming something particularly disturbing I can usually wake myself out of it, but I can't ever change the dream.
22. One of my OCD tendencies is chapstick. I must have a tube of Blistex medicated chapstick at my side at all times. This includes my scrubs at work, on my nightstand at night, and currently on my coffee table as I write this. At any given point I have 2 or 3 tubes floating around my house. Sadly, I have roped Erik into this fetish now he's the same way.
23. My car is always messy. There are usually cups or glasses, papers, and trash in my car and I never clean it out. Finally Erik gets so fed up with it that he cleans it out. I love him.
24. I am a very loyal person. I'm people loyal, brand loyal, restaurant loyal, and patient loyal. Unless of course they are an absolute jerk, then I just don't care. A lesson-be good to your nurses! We work hard not to get fired by putting up with your crap!
25. If you know me, you know I have opinions. About everything. I've gotten better about thinking before speaking, but sometimes I still slip up and insert my foot into my mouth. I mean well but I'm just saying out loud what everyone else is thinking.
Thank you for reading this exhaustive list. If you have a blog I would love to read 25 things about you!
2. When I like something, I get really obsessive for a while. When I finally read the Twilight series, I think a part of me freaked out with a need to read all four books as quickly as possible. Of course I saw the movie, too, and perused the website, got the soundtrack for Christmas, etc.
3. I am an introvert with an occaisonal need for socializing. I'm perfectly content to be at home by myself (with the dogs) and I often make trips to stores by myself. However, when a social event arises I'm always excited to go and see people. I also love having people over for dinner.
4. I get really uncomfortable when people discuss politics around me. I do have a political view and no, I didn't vote for Obama, but I don't like to talk about it.
5. Foods with mushy textures are revolting to me. I can't stand applesauce or anything like that.
6. I have been best friends with the same three girls for 10 years. No one gets me (except Erik) like they do, and I can be completely myself around them. I miss them so much!
7. I met my husband Erik at the Weakley County Soybean Festival at the library book table. It wasn't love at first sight because I was all hung up for some other guy, but a month later we were dating and 2 months later I knew I would marry him. 2 years later Roxy won Most Photogenic at said festival's pet contest!
8. I was criticized by many people for getting married at 20 years old. My response is, I know what I want and I know that marrying Erik at 20 was God's plan for me. I don't necessarily believe in being engaged for 2 years or something like that just because one of you is still in school. I'm a testimonial to the fact that it can and does work!
9. My two hobbies are cooking and reading. I don't cook a three course meal every night for dinner, mainly because I work 3 12-hour shifts a week. I do love to use my crockpot. I have made some real doosies-one I particularly remember is Paula Deen's Mexican Chicken casserole. It was so gross!
10. I used to never eat anything with the word "casserole" in the title. Occaisonally now I do.
11. People ask me all the time if working in Labor and Delivery has made me not want children. The answer is no. I do want kids someday and now I have a "birth plan" sorta thing in my mind of how I want my labor to go. Unfortunately there's something known underground as the "nurse curse" which is basically when nurses have bad labor experiences, like an emergency c-section.
12. I went into L&D because it was the "least gross" area of the hospital in my mind. While there are certainly no bedsores or trachs on my floor, there are some really gross things. Fortunately for me we starve the ladies in labor so when they puke it's just bile. I can deal with that. But there are grosser things than vomit!
13. I am a dog person. If it were possible to have dogs without the mess and fur, I'd have at least 5. Corgis are my favorite and since they tend to shed a lot, I will definitely never have 5 at one time!
14. I am also a tv person. Now that we've cut our cable down to just basic (you wouldn't believe how much money you save, and you don't even miss those old shows) I have my main shows that I watch like The Office, 30 Rock, Fringe, Lost, Biggest Loser, and Regis and Kelly.
15. I would say I like living in Texas, but I don't love it. It's hard living so far away from your family and old friends. Texas does have its perks. There are lots of places to visit, people are friendly, and the economy is pretty stable compared to the rest of the country. The Mexican food is not as good. How I miss you Don Pancho's!
16. I am an avid reader. I espeically love books in a series because I always want the story to continue. I love our library because I can request the books online and they have them ready for me at the counter when I go. When I don't have a book going I feel like a part of my life is missing. Books I have recently read are: The Private Patient, Multiple Blessings, and The Thirteenth Tale.
17. Walmart, you are the devil. I hate your low prices and your rows and rows of your store brand. Of course you don't have the brand that I have a coupon for. I hate your self check out lanes and your produce. I hate that I can't beat your dog food price anywhere else. You are the bane of my existence!
18. On the other hand, I love shopping at my HEB Plus store. I can get organic milk for $2, great produce, and a variety of cheeses I've never heard of.
19. When it comes to movies, I love sci-fi, adventure, and comedies. This is one of the reasons Erik and I got along so well to begin with. I will not watch romantic comedies except Return to Me, which, if you haven't seen it, you need to.
20. I have one of the most dysfunctional families of anyone I know. For my family who is reading this, I love you and love that you visit my blog. However, we are dysfunctional and it's a fact.
21. I have dreams or nightmares almost every single night. I have never been a good sleeper and this may be part of it. If I'm dreaming something particularly disturbing I can usually wake myself out of it, but I can't ever change the dream.
22. One of my OCD tendencies is chapstick. I must have a tube of Blistex medicated chapstick at my side at all times. This includes my scrubs at work, on my nightstand at night, and currently on my coffee table as I write this. At any given point I have 2 or 3 tubes floating around my house. Sadly, I have roped Erik into this fetish now he's the same way.
23. My car is always messy. There are usually cups or glasses, papers, and trash in my car and I never clean it out. Finally Erik gets so fed up with it that he cleans it out. I love him.
24. I am a very loyal person. I'm people loyal, brand loyal, restaurant loyal, and patient loyal. Unless of course they are an absolute jerk, then I just don't care. A lesson-be good to your nurses! We work hard not to get fired by putting up with your crap!
25. If you know me, you know I have opinions. About everything. I've gotten better about thinking before speaking, but sometimes I still slip up and insert my foot into my mouth. I mean well but I'm just saying out loud what everyone else is thinking.
Thank you for reading this exhaustive list. If you have a blog I would love to read 25 things about you!
How do you like my new look?
It's an understatement to say that I love viewing other people's blogs. That includes friends of my friends and people who actually blog for money. For a while now I've been seeing these adorable layouts and yes, I have been coveting them! This great website thecutestblogontheblock.com helped me redesign my blog and I love the new look! Even better, it was free! Now that I'm an administrator for this blog I've added some new links so check them out!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Our whirlwind 2 weeks
It's been a while since I posted but we've been very busy here in Texas. Because Erik is on the quarter system at Baylor, he takes final exams every 3 months. Basically that means for 2 weeks Erik spends all his time studying, breaking only for meals and we don't see very much of each other. I thought that would be a good opportunity to fly to Arkansas for Ethan's 5th birthday on Jan. 31st. Before that, though, Roxy desperately needed a bath. This is her hiding under Erik's desk before her bath. The shot I didn't get is when she ran out of the house after her bath and rolled in dirt.
So on Friday Jan. 30th I drove to Dallas Love Field ( can I just say that I hate Dallas? The traffic is so bad!) by myself and flew to Little Rock. On Saturday Ethan's party was at his daycare which also houses a gymnastics place.
Here is the birthday boy! He had a pirate themed party complete with a pirate hat, eyepatches, and swords.
Ethan and his friends got to play at this huge play-place, (think McDonald's x 10), an obstacle course, trampolines, and a treasure hunt. This is my favorite shot of Ethan jumping off the huge bouncy-thing. He had such a good time!
5 years old! I just can't believe it!
I had such a good time and I got to see my grandparents as well. We watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, played lots of Wii tennis and ping pong, and then I had to fly back. The flight back was really terrible. Every single seat was full and a rather, um, hefty lady sat next to me. Plus the plane kept dipping and shaking. At one point I was so nervous I spilled my ginger ale all over the flight attendant. I'm not usually a nervous flyer, but I was so ready to be back on the ground! Immediately I went back to work on Tue-Wed-Thur. On a good note, I was Providence Labor and Delivery's Employee of the Month for January! You are nominated by your peers, and I found out later that my preceptor Karen nominated me. I was actually quite surprised, because I had such a hard time adjusting to these people when I first started. It will look great on my resume someday!
Today (Sunday) after church Erik had to go up to the law school to work on his next quarter's assignment, so I thought I would do something nice for him. For me, doing something nice for somebody always means cooking or baking them something. I had a pint of strawberries in the fridge and some chocolate chips so I made chocolate dipped strawberries! I actually added some butterscotch chips because I didn't have enough chocolate, and they were great! Yum!
So on Friday Jan. 30th I drove to Dallas Love Field ( can I just say that I hate Dallas? The traffic is so bad!) by myself and flew to Little Rock. On Saturday Ethan's party was at his daycare which also houses a gymnastics place.
Here is the birthday boy! He had a pirate themed party complete with a pirate hat, eyepatches, and swords.
Ethan and his friends got to play at this huge play-place, (think McDonald's x 10), an obstacle course, trampolines, and a treasure hunt. This is my favorite shot of Ethan jumping off the huge bouncy-thing. He had such a good time!
5 years old! I just can't believe it!
I had such a good time and I got to see my grandparents as well. We watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, played lots of Wii tennis and ping pong, and then I had to fly back. The flight back was really terrible. Every single seat was full and a rather, um, hefty lady sat next to me. Plus the plane kept dipping and shaking. At one point I was so nervous I spilled my ginger ale all over the flight attendant. I'm not usually a nervous flyer, but I was so ready to be back on the ground! Immediately I went back to work on Tue-Wed-Thur. On a good note, I was Providence Labor and Delivery's Employee of the Month for January! You are nominated by your peers, and I found out later that my preceptor Karen nominated me. I was actually quite surprised, because I had such a hard time adjusting to these people when I first started. It will look great on my resume someday!
Today (Sunday) after church Erik had to go up to the law school to work on his next quarter's assignment, so I thought I would do something nice for him. For me, doing something nice for somebody always means cooking or baking them something. I had a pint of strawberries in the fridge and some chocolate chips so I made chocolate dipped strawberries! I actually added some butterscotch chips because I didn't have enough chocolate, and they were great! Yum!
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