Happy Birthday to my baby boy!

Wow, it has been nine years since my last child was born. Where has the time gone? He officially turned nine at 117pm today. He is an awesome kid and I cannot wait to see how he grows as a young man! Actually, I can wait, but you catch my drift. Today he is sharing his birthday with his cousin Emily, who turns one, and his late great-grandmother. Happy, Happy Birthday Brendan!

Chicken Tortilla Soup....

Okay, so I am hooked on dip and soups right now. Why? I truly don't know, but I thought I would share an easy evening soup that doesn't take hardly any effort. I usually get one of those rotisserie chickens from Costco, Sam's, or even the good ole Food Lion. When I get home I like to shred it to pieces to make life easier....

Chicken Tortilla-type Soup

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 28oz can whole tomatoes

1 15oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles

1 15oz can corn, drained

1 150z can black beans, drained and rinsed

5 cups water

3 chicken boullion cubes

chili powder

garlic powder

cumin

salt and pepper

fresh cilantro(for garnish if you like)

tortilla chips, crushed (for garnish)

Saute celery, onion, and carrots until tender. Add to pot tomatoes, water, boullion cubes, spices(adjust to your taste), and bring to a boil. Next, add chicken, corn, and black beans. Return to boil and then simmer for approx. 20 minutes. Use tortilla chips for garnish on top. My kiddos love cilantro on top, but not everyone likes the taste of cilantro. Hope you enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

I've been on a dip kick lately and I saw Rachael Ray make this dip the other day on her show. I didn't write it down at the time as I figured I could go to the website and get the recipe. Well, I couldn't find it anywhere on the website so I'm doing my best to re-create from memory...
Note to self: when cutting and taking the seeds out of the jalapenos, remember to wash your hands because when you accidentally lick your finger later on it may cause your lips or tongue to burn. (I'm speaking from experience today :).)

Here goes:

2 fresh jalapenos, minus the seeds if you don't want the heat

1 brick cream cheese, softened

8 oz sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese or taco flavored cheese

crushed tortillas chips for the top

Your choosing of chips or veggies for dipping

The recipe originally called for the jalapenos to be blackened and then chopped. I didn't do this, but I did chop the jalapenos and then sauteed them in a skillet to soften them. When softened, I mixed the jalapenos, cream cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup cheese in a mixing bowl. After mixing until smooth, I transferred the mixture into an oven safe dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and finish with some crushed tortilla chips. Place in 350-degree oven for approx. 15 minutes or until heated through. After taking it out of the oven, let sit for a few minutes to cool. Enjoy with your favorite chips or veggies!

I decided to take the seeds and membranes out of the jalapenos this go around since I didn't know what the heat level would be. After trying the dip, I may leave some seeds in for heat the next time.

The Beast is Gone...

We used to have this big, beautiful oak tree in our back yard. Notice the past tense word "used". Today the massive beast came down. We've been in our house about three and a half months and since day one, the hubs has had this grand idea to have the tree taken down. He's had a bazillion people come and give estimates. He finally settled on one and today was the day the tree came down. (He was afraid that there would be major damage for a number of reasons if the tree stayed up.) Anyhoo, the guy that we went with had originally come over early one morning and gave this ridiculously inexpensive quote. It was on paper, etc. So, when he comes by today he stated he must have been asleep the first time or the tree must have grown an awful lot in two weeks. Well, he did the tree anyway as he was being honest. It's nice to know there are still some honest business people in the world as he could have easily declined to do the job. Let me tell you, the backyard is a mess! Lots of dust, dirt and holes. When it fell it crushed a nice fruit bush, too. Obviously I wasn't too thrilled about the whole situation, but it will hopefully keep the house from being damaged in the long run. And do you know that the hubs actually asked me to help him clean the rest up??? Ha! There is one helacious oak tree laying in my backyard along with two good sized holes. He'll be having fun cleaning up that bad-boy on his own...but being the sucker I am, I'm sure I'll end up helping out in the long run....

And they made it...

All three of the kids started school today and they all came home unscathed with the exception of a schedule snafu for the oldest. The middle schooler didn't get shoved into a locker (yet)~thank goodness! In fact, the youngest of the three, who normally hates math and has automatic meltdowns, came home and did math homework without complaints. Who knew? Is the world coming to an end? I am hoping for an awesome year...

School Days...

So not much has happened lately. It's been a while since I've visited here and unfortunately I have nothing much to offer. Today is the kids first day of school. Now the three of them are in three different schools. Wow. I still can't help but feel a little overwhelmed for them on that very first day. Sometimes it feels as if I am more nervous for them then they are. The oldest is in 10th grade and it feels like I just sent her to middle school. We're not always seeing eye to eye, but she should know how proud I am of her. And to top it off, as of this Friday she can technically get her driving permit!! Watch out! The middle child started 6th grade today. He seemed as cool as a cucumber. If he's nervous, then he is keeping it all inside. And then the youngest. This is the first year that he is having to rely on himself at school and not have his big brother there. I truly think he was a little apprehensive but he will be just fine once he gets back into the routine. His bus driver seemed super nice and one of the neighbors said she is great so that puts my mind at ease as he is my tenderhearted child. I enjoy my quiet days off, but at the same time I am anxious to see how their first day went. So, to my dear kidlets, have a great day, you're going to do just fine. I am very proud of all three of you!