Happy Friday!

We’re off to the beach for a week!

Back when I lived in Tulsa and dating hubs long distance, I used to go to the liquor store after work and buy myself a bottle of white zinfandel. (Yes, in Oklahoma, you can only buy wine and liquor in a LIQUOR STORE. And, they’re even closed on Sundays….. I KNOW. And can we talk about my lack of wine taste and knowledge? Let’s just say, moving out West has done WONDERS for my taste buds.)

No, I didn’t buy a bottle every night, but the nights I was feeling lonely and my room mate was at her boyfriend’s for the 4th night in a row, I’d pour myself a glass of pink courage, open up my spiral notebook and place my heart down on paper.

He was my inspiration. (or the wine might have had something to do with it too.) Either or, looking back on this time reminds me of a life less complicated. I wrote down my thoughts on PAPER, spiraled notebook paper to be exact. No computers, no Iphone, nothing fancy. Just a pen and some thoughts was all that was needed.

I was cleaning out our ottoman the other day, (due to the lack of order and the 358 crumbs that had fallen through the main crack over the past 5 years) and ran across my wedding present to hubs. It was a black, leather-bound album with a handful of poems I had written about him that first year. (Wasn’t that THE BEST PRESENT EVER?)

Now, I can tell you, neither one of us have pulled it out and fawned over it since I gave it to him, but every once in awhile I enjoy going back in time and reminding myself of how it all began when life was less complicated and a bottle of pink, cheap wine was all it took for me to cement my heart to enjoy for years to come.

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Wow, and I thought chocolate chip cookies were easy to make. These guys? Even easier. No scooping out dough, rolling into decent balls, nothing. Just spread into brownie pan, cook, cool, cut and serve! We have burned through this entire batch rather quickly. Before the pan was close to empty, I took 10 and froze for a rainy day.

Chocolate Chip Blondie Bars

original recipe: Eat at Allie’s

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Mix the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans and press the batter out into the prepared pan. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, about 24 minutes. (I had to cook mine 6-8 minutes longer.)

Cool to room temperature.

Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Been busy all week volunteering at a local Vacation Bible School. Both boys are involved. Rt is in the actual program and Hola is in the child care while I work in the 4/5 yr olds Arts & Crafts room. As you can see, both of them are having the time of their lives and I spent my down time in the laundry room!

Mmmmm. Chipotle burrito bowl. Now that is what I call, YUM. Want to recreate one at home? Well, then get out your slow cooker and marinate some chicken in the fridge all day and you’re on your way! I saw this recipe this week and HAD to try it. Perfect for assembling ahead of time, then just layer away when dinner approaches.

Chicken Burrito Bowl

Original Recipe: Annie’s Eats

Serves 2. (Double recipe if needed.)

Spicy Citrus Black Beans

(I used slow cooker)
1 can black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 pepper, chopped or minced (bell, Anaheim or jalapeno depending on your taste)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. pureed chipotles in adobo (I didn’t have any, so this was omitted.)
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Juice of 1 lime (I only had lemon juice.)
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste, plus more for garnish (I left this out since I am not a huge cilantro fan, nor did I have any.)

Place the beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly.  Add beans and rest of ingredients to slow cooker layer by layer. Mix through. Cover. Turn heat on low and let cook until needed.

Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (once again, only had lemon juice)
1/4 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 jalapeno pepper, ribbed, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl or zippered plastic bag.  Mix well. Add the chicken breast to the container.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. (I only had mine in a couple of hours in the fridge. They were fantastic, but if they had longer, I can imagine how good they’d be.)

Heat grill to medium-high heat.  Oil the grates to prevent the meat from sticking. Once the grill is heated, cook the chicken until nicely browned and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into small bite-sized pieces.

Rice

2 cups rice.

Cook as directed. (I popped in a 2 cup bag of brown rice in the microwave for 3 minutes. DONE!)

Salsa

Add your favorite salsa as one of the layers for that extra kick!

To assemble bowl:

Start with a layer of rice, then the beans from the slow cooker. Top with chicken pieces, salsa and shredded cheddar cheese. Add sour cream, if desired.

Enjoy!

Join me over at Style Lush where I talk about raised containers for those with less space to garden!

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I have been looking for a delicious chicken salad recipe to whip up for quite some time. I get so stalled with what to make for lunch and end up broiling a Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger with a side of cottage cheese. It works, but I was really wanting something homemade and a little more upscale. Iowa Girl Eats recently posted this and I HAD to try it. Luckily, I keep on hand dried cranberries and sliced almonds, so this specific recipe was ideal. Plus, the addition of curry powder and soy sauce really made this chicken salad most divine. (And btw, there is no mayonnaise in the ingredients, only Greek yogurt! Well, in most cases, but not mine.)

Chicken Salad

Original Recipe: Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

6 oz shredded chicken (I bought mine in a pouch.)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 green onion, sliced (I didn’t have any, but it still tasted great.)
2 small ribs celery, chopped

1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt (Only had 1/4 cup, so I did use an additional 1/4 cup mayonnaise)
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tsps soy sauce
squeeze of lemon juice

salt, to taste

Combine chicken through celery in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over chicken mixture. Toss to coat.

(makes 3 sandwiches)

Enjoy!

Rt said, “These are for you, mommy.”

Taken from the front yard hedge, my son gave me some flowers.

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(I added the shot glass as it was the smallest “vase” I had.)

Do you own a slow cooker or crock pot? Then, I have the recipe for you! Besides layering each ingredient which includes frozen chicken, cans of beans and corn, all you really need is a can opener to get this meal off and running first thing in the morning.

My great friend Allie, who’s my local chef and mommy friend gave me my first experience using my crock pot. It was SO easy. Why didn’t I do this sooner? (BANGS HEAD.) The flavors work really nicely together since they are slow cooked and the chicken is completely tender. The cream cheese added at the end makes for the perfect creamy sauce.

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

Original Recipe: Eat at Allie’s

1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (I used a frozen medley of veggies including corn, peas, green beans and carrots)
1 jar all natural chunky salsa (Used Trader Joe’s Salsa Autentica)
3 large chicken breasts (frozen!)
8 oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese (I used 3/4 of the bar to bring down the calorie/fat content)

In a crockpot layer black beans, corn, ½ jar of salsa, chicken breasts, and the other ½ jar of salsa. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. (My slow cooker cooks quite fast on setting 3. So, I put my meal together at 1p.m. and still had a perfect dish by 5:30p.m.)

Remove the chicken from the Crock Pot and shred into big chunks. While you are shredding the chicken, add the cream cheese to the Crock Pot. Mix until melted. Place the shredded chicken back into the Crock Pot and stir to combine.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

8 years ago today, hubs and I got hitched.

This is what he gave me.

This is what I gave him.

*crickets*

Not even a card.

(I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.)

WIFE FAIL.

Update: I was able to swing a card at Safeway while breaking a $20 for the babysitter during our Date Night. Not too shabby if I say so myself.