GAL-entine's Day Guide

I happen to be someone that loves Valentine's Day... always have.  Even when I was single, I didn't quite understand the hate for this day.  I mean really, isn't everyone always saying to love one another?  And then turning around and hating on a day dedicated to love..?   Ok yeah, I get it... it's a "hallmark holiday"... unnecessary upcharge, lavish displays of love that seem to only serve the purpose of out-doing each other... that stuff I don't get.  To me, it's just everyone taking a very simple idea and making it ridiculously complicated (what else is new nowadays)  But when you take away all the stupid crap, it's just about showing each other, significant others, family, friends, whoever it may be, that we love them.

Showing our girlfriends love during this time can be very rewarding and pretty simple to do!  How about planning a GAL-entine's Night for you and your friends?  What's that, you ask?  Oh well here's my friend Leslie Knope to explain...
LOL Love that woman!  So if you'd love to host a GALentine's Day this year, I've linked some super cute items for you below!!! They'll help you entertain, get comfy and look cute!  And don't feel like you have to plan a whole night... it can be as simple as a few girlfriends in their PJs, painting nails, baking cookies (*cough* or eating the cookie dough *cough cough*) and watching chick flicks!

{product links below}

And remember, it doesn't have to be about bashing what you DON'T HAVE... rather, just celebrate what you DO HAVE... great girlfriends to share a fab cocktail with!  Speaking of, here's a couple of simple cocktail recipes!

{Rasmopolitan}

picture and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) citrus-flavored vodka
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) raspberry-flavored vodka
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) Chambord
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Simple Syrup Simple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Raspberries for garnish
• Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add vodkas, Chambord, lime juice, simple syrup,  & cranberry juice. Shake or stir until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with raspberries; serve. (Originally from MarthaStewart.com)
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• {Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Martini}

picture from MarthaStewart.com

• 1/4 cup Mint-Infused Simple Syrup, plus more for rim
• 3 chocolate cookies, finely crushed, such as Nabisco Famous Wafers
• 10 raspberries
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Ice cubes
• Directions: Fill a shallow dish with enough simple syrup to just cover the bottom. Place crushed cookies into another shallow dish. Invert a martini glass into simple syrup and then immediately into crushed cookies to coat the rim of the glass.  Place raspberries in a cocktail shaker; crush with a muddler. Add simple syrup and muddle again. Add vodka and cranberry juice; fill shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into prepared martini glass. Serve immediately. (Originally from MarthaStewart.com)

Do you have a favorite girly cocktail or item to share?  I'd love to hear about it!  Are you planning a girls' night this year?  How do you spoil your girlfriends and show them love?  Comment below!  Let's spread the LOVE!

mad for plaid + a comfy crock pot recipe

I am MAD FOR PLAID this fall season!!  I've been wearing a ton of plaid flannel shirts lately... big comfy shirts to lounge around as well as more fitted items and dressing them up!  Plaid is everywhere!

I love mixing and matching multiple plaids.  But my favorite trend right now has to be mixing plaid with animal prints!  I love any plaid with a great leopard print clutch or shoes... pumps or flats.

Whether you're a classic flannel shirt kind of girl, or you'd like to incorporate plaid in an accessory or interesting way, there's something for every girl here!

{Shop these items by clicking thumbnails}

What's your favorite?? I really really love the cape and the backpacks!

So now that you've got some comfy outfits planned out, I also wanted to share a quick and easy, super yummy recipe!  This is great because it can be cooked relatively fast on the stove, or you can let it simmer all day in the crock pot!  I'm all about the crock pot in autumn!!  There's something so great about chopping fresh ingredients early in the day and smelling everything simmer slowly throughout the day!  Similarly, if you work outside the home during the day, especially in a cold climate, there's nothing like coming home to a meal that's already cooking and ready, that greets your nose at the door.

I really like making soups.  I've never been a big soup person, but then I got a crock pot and realized how much I loved just throwing a bunch of veggies in the pot and making an easy soup with whatever I have laying around!  It's the perfect item to pair with a salad or a grilled cheese or a baked potato, depending on how hungry you are.  And there's nothing easier to have leftover than soup because it's super easy to store, transport, and reheat.

One of my favorite soups to eat, but something I've never made, is Chicken Tortilla Soup.  My usual routine, when it comes to cooking, is looking up multiple recipes for the same thing, checking my home to see what ingredients I have, and then mixing and matching elements of the recipes into my own creation!

I am not a very experienced cook, but I do have to say that I've done a good job of catching on to seasoning by taste instead of measuring.  Usually people like baking OR cooking, but not always both.  This is mostly because they are two drastically different approaches... measuring everything precisely, or throwing things together sporadically.  I actually like both.  I love baking, always have... and now I'm loving cooking.  And cooking is a different kind of fun; it's an experimenting fun.

So, I basically found a recipe online with great reviews and pretty much followed it, but did just a couple of things differently.  I want to be clear that this is not my recipe, so please refer to the ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE from food.com and see below for my adaptation!

please note: The recipe I followed says 8 servings... I copied many of the measurements for ingredients, and used less chicken broth than the recipe called for.  I chopped and added all ingredients into my crock pot and then topped it off with broth, so I honestly didn't measure.  I have a very small crock pot (2 person) and this ended up making about 3-4 servings total

Like I said above, this adaptation was for me and my husband, in a small crock pot.  You may want to experiment with measurements and continually taste as you are going.  We ended up with a very flavorful, thicker soup and it was delicious!  Also, the original recipe calls for cooking this soup quickly in a pot on the stove.  I prefer cooking in the crock pot so that the vegetables really have a chance to soften and all the flavors are incorporated thoroughly.  My steps below are for my crock pot version, please follow the original recipe above for the quicker stovetop version.  

1. Sautee onions, garlic and celery in olive oil, season with salt & pepper.  Cook until everything is tender and add all ingredients into the crock pot.  I left out the carrots from the original recipe because I honestly don't remember ever having a chicken tortilla soup with carrots in it... am I wrong?  I don't know... but it just goes to show that you can use whatever you have and feel free to leave out anything you don't like.  I also used olive oil instead of corn oil because, well, I don't have corn oil and I really like to cook all of my vegetables in olive oil. You could really use whatever you have.

2. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles to the crock pot

3. Cook chicken thoroughly however you like.  I recommend cooking the chicken in the same pan you just cooked your veggies in.  This way you are picking up all of those flavors left on the bottom of the pan.  (I opted to use my leftover chicken breast from a restaurant because I wanted to use it up.  Another great option is using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your favorite deli), chop into strips or cubes, and add to the crock pot

4. Note: I had planned to chop and add some jalapeno but I forgot to buy one at the store.  This was divine intervention because after tasting this recipe, it definitely didn't need it.  The green chiles really add enough kick.  If you are making a larger batch of soup, you could consider adding some diced jalapeno if you like your soup extra spicy

5. Add taco seasoning and top off with chicken broth.  I honestly couldn't tell you the exact measurement of broth; I filled the crock pot to about 1/2 inch from the top)

6. Stir all ingredients together and put lid on crock pot.  Cook in low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

7. Immediately before serving, cut tortilla into small strips and add into the soup.  I had flour tortillas on hand so that's what I used.  I would, however, recommend using corn tortillas since they are a little thicker and harder.  The flour tortillas immediately soak up the liquid, so use them sparingly.  They do get mushy which usually I don't like, but actually I really liked some soggy tortilla in this soup!  If you want crunchier pieces, definitely use corn tortillas, or simply use tortilla chips.

8. Top each serving with shredded cheese (and a slice of avocado if you like) and serve!

*Another note: I intended to add the sour cream from the original recipe and I forgot it when I was cooking!  So I expect that the soup would have tasted even better with it and probably would have been a little on the creamier side!  I am going to make sure to not forget it next time!

I was surprised at how good this soup turned out!  Chris and I both really enjoyed it.  We ate some leftover tortilla chips on the side (also takeout from a restaurant... seriously y'all, take everything you can in your to-go boxes!! It's food you PAY for so don't leave it behind!) and some store-bought salsa.  It was such an easy meal and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day.  

This is a perfect meal for fall, so I hope you'll try to out and let me know what you think!!  Hooray for comfy clothes and comfort food!!! Do you love Fall as much as me?

Recipe Rewind

It's cold.  It's gloomy.  It's time for Chili!  My adventures in cooking continue to branch out and I've tackled homemade chili a few times now.  Yesterday's was the best so far, according to Chris.  So here's my recipe rewind!

Crock Pot Chili

(made using 2 qt. crock pot/ serves 2-3)     

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper chopped (or any pepper you like, I used both green & yellow for color)

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 14-ounce can beans (I used a can of Target's Market Pantry chili beans for more chili flavor.  I did drain a little bit of the sauce out, but not completely.  You can use any beans you like- red, black or white, drained)

1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned

1 jalapeno, chopped (I don't use any seeds; you can if you like it really spicy)

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder (rough estimate, I'm going to be honest I don't measure this; I season to taste)

1/2 cup beef broth

1 pound ground beef, cooked & drained

-Cook ground beef in skillet until brown.  I season to taste with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning. Drain any fat and add beef to crock pot.

-Add all ingredients to crock pot.

- Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.

ENJOY! Pretty simple, huh?  Is it just me or is the crock pot the best dinner tool ever?

{Do you have a recipe to share? Let me know! I'd love to feature you}