December Daily Album

I am committing to doing a December Daily Album this year. I have seen Ali Edwards do one for the past 2 years, and this year it's my turn. Hopefully I will love it and do one every year! What's a December Daily Album, you ask? It's an album (ding ding ding) that has a page for each day in December to commemorate all the little things we do in preparation for the holiday, and basically life for that month. Baking cookies, decorating, shopping, snuggling, drinking hot chocolate, more snuggling, etc. You get the idea. :)

The first step is gathering your materials and assembling the album PRIOR to December, so that way it's just a matter of journaling, adding pictures and really concentrating on the moments as they occur. I am already a bit behind, but I am determined to do this! I will have pics and progress posted soon. For now, check out Ali's blog and see for yourself why this is a fun, creative way to document all those special traditions and moments you share with your family this December.

♥Lara

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

I had a few requests for this recipe on FB, so I thought I'd share it with my blog readers as well...all 4 of you!! Haaaa! I first had Chicken Tortilla Soup at Max and Erma's in Chicago while visiting my Mom. My sister worked at the restaurant and suggested I try it. It was fantastic! Being preggers at the time...well, I craved it when we came home. I even had her send me some!! One day I decided to try making it myself. Now I see it everywhere! Theirs had a cheese base to it. Mine doesn't but I will tell you how you can make yours cheesy later. This is a quick, easy, healthy and delicious soup you will make over and over, I promise!

1 1/2-2 pounds cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic (or use 1 tbsp of the stuff already chopped in the jar, trust me it's awesome!)
1 jar of salsa (your fave kind)
2 cans (small ones or for soupier soup use 1 big one) chicken broth, I use fat free & low sodium
some jalapenos (I use sliced from a jar)
2 tbsp (I kinda eyeball it, so I'm totally guessing) cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder
cayenne pepper (just a dash)
some green onions, chopped, save some for topping as well
1 can black beans, rinsed
cilantro, chopped (I love the stuff so I use about a handful~you be the judge for you :p)
1 boil in bag of Success Whole Grain brown rice (I just cut the bag and pour it in, or you could use left over rice or any rice you normally use, I can't make rice the old fashioned way!)

In soup pot, saute onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil, then start building your soup. Add chicken, the seasonings, salsa, green onion, cilantro, broth, and beans. Bring to a boil, add rice, let simmer for about 30 more minutes, less if the rice is already cooked.
Top with cheese, (monterey jack is my fave) sour cream, green onions. I eat mine with the Hint of Lime Tostitos, Rob prefers Scoops.

You could also add corn, a can of diced tomatoes, or to make a cheesey, add a jar of Ragu Cheesy Double Cheddar Sauce.

I added some pics, this was the last of this batch and I ate it while typing this entry! Yummm!
Enjoy!

♥Lara

Caramel Apples...yummmmm!

Once Fall rolls around, they put out the caramels and about 25 different types of apples in the grocery store. We love doing caramel apples! Not really keen on "candied" but love the caramel! This year I attempted to add "toppings", like mini chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces. Sounds good, right? Well, the "toppings" wound up being on the bottom, where all the excess caramel falls. Ugh! It worked out because no one really wanted toppings anyway. They like them the old fashioned way. Note to self: next year, eat the Reese's Pieces and leave the mini chocolate chips for the pancakes!

Happy Fall everyone!

♥Lara

I just added some new pretties to my etsy shoppe. (oooh I like shop spelled like the in the old days.) Anywho, get a sneak peek here at my new Paper Art Kit "Sweet Cuppie Cake" and my new Travel Journal made with recycled materials. So fun!

♥Lara

Great Etsy Find!

Even though we use the canvas bags for groceries, I still wind up with a slew of plastic bags. Yes, we have a dog, so we all know what they are used for! I was tired of stuffing them into a bin in our closet, so when I came across Rosey Corner Creations on etsy I was quick to order one of her beautiful plastic bag holders. I ordered the blue and brown one below. Let me tell you, it looks so nice in our laundry room and it holds a lot of bags, with easy dispensing out of the bottom. She has many different colors and styles, all equally pretty. Check her shop out here.

♥Lara