Mexican Chicken Soup

I am a fan of anything that can be cooked in a crockpot. I work full time and it's great when I can come home after a long day and not have to cook a full meal.

This soup is a new favorite in the Tellier household. I got this recipe in an email from all recipes. I've adapted it a little bit. You can find the original recipe here.

I started this recipe with leftover salsa chicken I had cooked in the crock pot. What is salsa chicken? It's really easy....chicken and salsa. Yep, that's it. Clever right? I usually do four chicken breasts with about one small jar of salsa. I tend to buy different kinds of salsa to see if I can find the perfect one, so every time I make this it tastes a little different. In this photo I used half black bean and corn salsa and half mild pace picante. Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. After cooking, shred the chicken with a fork. Four chicken breasts makes enough for two pots of soup. So put half in the freezer for next time or use it to make chicken burritos or chicken taco salads. Both would be really yummy with this.

Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
salsa chicken
1 10oz bag of frozen corn
1 can of tomatoes
1 can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chile peppers
1 can chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
a few dashes of texas pete

Okay so basically all you do is dump everything into a crock pot, but I'll walk you through what I did.
Jamie has a aversion to onions so I have to be sure that the onions are small enough that he doesn't notice them....shhh don't tell :) So I use my electric chopper to mince the onions after I roughly chop them.

As you can see from the ingredients picture, I used a can of whole plum tomatoes. I got them on clearance at my grocery store. You can use whatever you like. If I had not had those, I probably would've used petite diced tomatoes and just dumped them in. Jamie is also not a huge fan of tomatoes so just mashing the whole tomatoes was out of the question. I went back to my handy chopper and did the tomatoes in there also.

That was the hard part. All of the other cans can just be dumped in as is. Measure out the spices and add those too. Don't let this picture deceive you, add the corn in now too. I realized that I didn't have any frozen corn or canned corn so I had to add mine in later after I made a grocery store run on my lunch break. I would recommend checking to be sure you have all of the ingredients before you start....Learn from my mistakes :)

Easy Peasy, right? Here's what it looks like after everything's all mixed together and has been cooking all day.

The original recipe gives instructions on how to make your own tortilla strips to add to this soup. That's too much trouble for me. I don't think it would be worth my time so I just cheat a little. I just crunched up these and put them on the counter for everyone to add as much as they wanted to their bowl. Tortilla chips are a good option too.

Do what works for you though. That's what I love about cooking. It's adaptable to each individual cook and family. I've eaten this soup with and without the taco shells and it's great either way. Tonight I left the chips out and added cheese and sour cream. Yummy!!

the end of a chapter...

Today I have mixed emotions. Jamie and I have been the youth leaders at our church for the past four years. We officially stepped down on Sunday morning, and tonight will be the first Wednesday night youth group with the new leader. The new leader happens to be my good friend, Kristen. I know she will do a great job and she will definitely be in our prayers. We have walked through this journey and know how to pray for her. Jamie and I are going to stick around and help as needed, but our time "being in charge" is up.
We thought and really prayed about it and felt like this was the right thing to do....for us and for the youth. I had to really examine my feelings when Jamie and I discussed stepping down because I wasn't sure I wanted to let these guys go. We have put so much of ourselves into them and I struggled with feeling like I was being cheated. I even had a few moments when I felt like we were being kicked out. I know that's not the case but sometimes my pride swells up and gets in the way. My flesh was coming out in full force. I realized that I had a lot of repenting to do.... Now I can move on with a "happy heart." After taking a step back and really praying about things, I feel kind of like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I realized that I was feeling stressed about not giving our youth the time they deserved, and then getting mad because I didn't have the time I longed for. I had not been "giving it to God" and that is no way to live!
This time that God has had us being youth leaders has been quite a ride! We've learned a lot about ourselves, each other, and the teenagers in our care. Youth ministry is challenging stuff! I have so much more respect for those called to this ministry than I did before. There are good times and bad times, but this is different than anything I've ever been involved with.
Youth group is fun and difficult. We learned we needed to involve the kids in our lessons with a game, demonstration, or lively discussion for them to pay attention and get the point. You plan and prepare, and more times than not those plans get changed. One question or comment can take your carefully prepared lesson in an entirely different direction. A increase or decrease in expected attendance can render a game useless. We had a pretty small group of about 10-15 kids, and encouraged them to participate. Sometimes we could not get them to be quiet, but sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get them to answer questions.
Teen agers are remarkable! I've gotten to know our core group of kids pretty well. They can be so awesome one minute and then be full of attitude the next. They are emotional, but love so strongly. They are territorial, but loyal. They are always looking for something to do, and constantly on the go. They are ruled by their emotions. They evoke strong emotions in us as well. I am so encouraged by them sometimes and so frustrated by them at other times. Through it all, however, I have grown to love each one of them! One of the coolest parts of youth ministry is seeing the changes that take place in the kids. You get to watch them grow into adults and help shape their lives. It's as rewarding as it is challenging!!!

This photo is from the March for Life 2010 trip to Washington DC. 

We are going to miss "our kids" but we are looking forward to what God has for us in this next chapter of our lives! 

Fair Time

I loved taking Caden to the fair this year! He's old enough now to really enjoy the rides and he gets so excited about everything. Jamie and I took him to the Selma fair the first week of October. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the fried oreos and "cozy dawgs". If you are from Selma, then you know the significance of "cozy dawgs", and if not then let's just say it's the best corn dog you'll ever eat. I really don't even like corn dogs but I always eat a "cozy dawg".

This past Saturday we went to the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery with my Dad. My brother, Johnathan, and his family met us there. Caden and their first born, Hannah, were born two months apart and are the best of friends. I think they were as excited to be together as they were to go to the fair. We were there for a good six hours and those kids rode and rode and rode.

          

Caden's favorite part was the pony ride. He was just beside himself when he saw "real live horsies" and was determined to ride them. Of course we agreed and he had a smile from ear to ear. He thought he was so big. He's all into cowboys right now. He wants to be a cowboy for his day care halloween party. He's so into it that I recorded Hey Dude on the DVR for him and he loves it. Do any of you 90's children remember that nickelodeon show?

We had a great time at the fair this year and can't wait until next year for some more fair food and fun.
Thanks Dad for the wonderful day in Montgomery!!

Six years!

My hubby and I had our sixth anniversary on Saturday. There are times when I feel like it was just yesterday that I was making plans and getting married....and there are other times when it feels like a lifetime ago.
I woke up to a dozen red roses and a very sweet card. I made nutella filled crescent rolls for breakfast...so yummy!! At noon we went to Foster's (our friends' little man) first birthday party. Caden loves Foster and says that he is going to teach him how to do "big boy things like baseball." They are nursery buddies at church. The party was a Curious George themed outside affair. The kiddos played and the grown ups got to visit. It was great! Kristen rocks...she is so creative and all the party decor was amazing. I'm sure she'll have pictures posted soon. Check out her blog here.
After the party we took little man home and went to Pratville for date night. We ate my favorite...sushi. Well, Jamie doesn't eat sushi, but he loves the habachi chicken and shrimp. It was delicious!
After supper we made a trip to Home Depot. Our house needs some updating, but we are having to take baby steps in that direction. Since our downstairs bathroom floor is falling apart and needs to be replaced we have been forced to start there. We picked up some ceramic tile for a great price, but I'm still thinking about paint colors. (I'll do my best to get before and after pictures of the bathroom.)  I also picked up some magnetic paint for a craft project/ Christmas present....I got started on that yesterday.
We saw the movie Courageous to round out our date night. It was a GREAT movie! I would highly recommend it, especially to all of the daddies out there. All in all our anniversary was a wonderful day!

It's fall y'all!

I LOVE FALL!! It's my favorite time of year. I love the leaves changing colors and the cooler weather. I love the smell in the air. I love boots and cardigans and jackets and sweaters and scarves. I love that it's "holiday season". I love seeing my boys in bluejeans and long sleeve button up shirts. I love pumpkins and pumpkin flavored things....especially pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Speaking of which my awesome hubby brought me the afore mentioned treat to work today. I love him! We'll be married 6 years tomorrow....more on that later. :) back to fall loving...This morning I decided that since it is officially fall I was breaking out the boots. Who cares that it's going to be in the upper 80's outside?! Ha! So boots it is :) All of you fall loving people will understand the need for fall even when it still feels a little summerish outside.
Happy Fall Everyone!

I'm back!

I'm back!!  I've totally be a slacker with this blog, but I'm really going to do it this time :)haha
I really want to catch you up on everything that's happened since November, but that would be a rediculously long post. So I'll spare you the details and just give the highlights.

We did a Thanksgiving/Christmas weekend with my Mom in Birmingham. The above picture is at the McWayne Center. Christmas is always a fun time but full of craziness. I spent a weekend in GA with the girls for Sasha's birthday, on the 18th. Jamie and I took Caden to Bass Pro Shop to take his picture with Santa. Caden didn't cry this year, but he still didn't want to sit on Santas lap. However, when he saw Santa for the second time he sat in his lap and did great. Here's a picture of Caden and Santa at his day care.

Jamie and I are the youth leaders at our church. We spent New Year's Eve at a party with them. Jamie and I left Caden at home and took a group to the Pro Life rally in Washington DC in January.

It was a good time, but a LONG trip. We drove and were on the go the entire time. Next time we'll plan a little down time. We spent some time praying in front of the Planned Parenthood in DC and then participated in the march.

My brother, Johnathan, and his family moved to the Birmingham area. He got a new great job. I'm happy for them, but sad for us. We miss them!!

I went with my coworker, Debbie, and a group of eleven teenagers to the beach for their Spring Break. It actually turned out to be a pretty relaxing trip. Jamie, Caden, and I went to Atlanta for Jamie's spring break trip. We went to a Braves game and just hung out. It was nice. The boys got some signatures to add to the collection.

Spring is full of birthdays in my family. My dad, both of my brothers, and my niece have birthdays in March. April is my birthday and was also Easter this year. May is Caden's birthday. He turned THREE this year. Where has the time gone? Another addition to our spring schedule this year was T-Ball.

If you know my little man, you know that he loves anything and everything to do with sports. I was a little nervous about starting him this early (he was only two), but he did great. He loved every minute of it! I'm so glad we decided to let him play.
My cousin, Kristian, along with others from our youth group graduated from highschool this year. Congrats!!

Daddy moved to Montgomery last weekend. He's been working there for years and commuting from Selma. It's going to be much easier on him to be living there. Once again, I'm happy for him and sad for me. Now it's just me and Andrew left of my family in Selma. It's weird. Such is life though, we grow up and move on. Who knows, one day it may be me moving away from my home town.
This past weekend Jamie and I took some of the youth on another trip. We met a group from CEC for Life and went to pray at an abortion clinic in Birmingham. This was not Caden's first time at a pro-life event, but it was the first time he knew what was going on (to the extent a three year old can understand). He knew we were there to pray for the babies and their mommys.

I couldn't get a good angle on this picture, but Caden has his hand extended toward the clinic praying just like his daddy. The whole group left there and drove to Smith Lake to spend the night at some friends' lake house. This is our group from Christ The King.

We swam in the lake and went on a couple of boat rides. Jamie and a few others actually jumped off of a 30-40 foot cliff into the lake. He said it was fun, but I was too chicken to try it. Caden didn't want anything to do with swimming, but he loved riding on the boat.

Well I guess that brings us up to date. I'm really going to try to do this much more often so there's not an information overload every time I post. :) Until next time....

my newest hobby

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE seeing my little boy's face light up when he's excited about something. It's my favorite! :) I made Caden an appliqued drum shirt on Monday and he was thrilled. It's such a great feeling to make something you are proud of and have somebody that is as excited about it as you are. It's even better when that person is your child. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
A while back Mom/Memaw gave me a sewing and embroidery machine. It sat around at my dad's house for quite a while. However, in the last few months I've decided that I really do want to learn to sew. Until this point I've had the attitued that my mom could make anything I needed and probably do a better job at it than I could so why do it, ya know? It was a bad attitude to have, but it's the truth. My mom does live and hour and a half away from me and she has a life of her own. She is not my beckon call girl just waiting around to do things for me, and sometimes it's just hard to get around life to get to her. So, I decided it was time to take initiative and do it for myself.
My inspiration came from seeing another kid on a friends facebook page in the cutest little outifits. In the picture I saw, he had on an appliqued shirt with his name monogrammed on it and matching gingham shorts. I of course sent her a message to ask her where she got the outfit. She responded and I immediately went to the website to see about buying one for Caden. It was more that I spend on Caden's clothes. Let me just insert here that I am cheap. Really I am. In this situation I'm glad though because it provided a little kick in the butt for me. I was officially inspired to use my sewing machine.
My mom was thrilled when I called her and told her I was ready to learn how to sew. She said she had been waiting for the day. Okay so we were both excited. I am one of those people who jump into things with both feet. It's all or nothing for me. I get into something and I want everything that has anything to do with my hobby of the moment. She gave me a few lessons so I could make some shorts for Caden. He is like my little chearleader by the way. He was so happy that I was making something for him. Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as I expected and I still have about 5 pairs of size 3T shorts cut out that are not sewn together. Yeah, I'm like that. It's terrible...I know!
So maybe the actual sewing will come in time, but for now I'm happy with doing the applique and embroidery. I'll post more pictures of stuff I've made another time.