White Chicken Chili

First off, YUM. Seriously, this is so good, and soooo easy. You must make it. You won't be sorry.

We went to the gym after Audrey woke up from her nap this afternoon (her third nap this week, we're on a roll!!!), and hit Trader Joe's afterward when it was super busy with after-work people. I literally tossed a few ingredients into the cart and headed home with both babies.

It's such an easy concoction that I was able to make it in about 15 minutes, while simultaneously feeding an early dinner to my toddler, making a bottle for my six month old, unloading groceries, and catching up with my husband who had just returned home from work.

This is what I used:

shredded chicken (I used TJ's canned chicken. Don't judge. I have never even thought of using it before, but it called out to me from the shelf when it knew how late we were running for dinner/bedtime. Because I used it in chili, you can't even tell.)

1/2 of a white onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 can of white kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of corn

1/3 jar of salsa verde

1/4 jar of salsa (see picture for size of jar)

about 2/3 cup monterey jack cheese, cubed

about 1/3 cup pepper jack cheese (or jalapeno monterey jack cheese), cubed (to taste...use more pepper jack if you like spice, and use less pepper jack/more monterey jack if you like a more mild flavor)

2/3 cup water

Pour olive oil into a large pot on medium heat, and add the onions. After about a minute, add the chicken and stir. Add the water to the pot, followed by everything else. See, it's easy. :-) Just make sure you stir constantly so the cheese melts evenly and doesn't burn. Turn it down to low heat after the cheese cubes are melted, and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so. Stir every 2-3 minutes during that time. Spoon into bowls and enjoy! I served it with some french bread we had in the freezer. It would also be really good with corn bread or tortilla chips.

Let's Call These "Meat Squares" :)

I am really trying to "shop" from my pantry, fridge, and freezer this week, and came up with a quick and easy (and healthy!) meal for dinner last night. My husband and toddler enjoyed it, as did I, and there are leftovers for dinner this evening. Here is what I used:

1 lb ground beef (we split a cow with a few people and have quite the stash of grass-fed beef in our freezer)

1 package of puff pastry from TJ's

1/2 small onion

a few cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach

few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 T ground cumin

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1 cup of goat cheese, crumbled

Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter while you work. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic to the same pan and saute for about two minutes, then return the beef to the pan. Add spinach, cumin, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, and stir while cooking on medium heat.

Lay out the two pastry sheets, and spoon beef mixture onto one of them. Top with crumbled goat cheese, and place second pastry sheet on top. Pinch edges together to make a large pocket. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Check on it occasionally to make sure it hasn't burned, and slice into it to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Cut into four squares and enjoy!

Audrey's 2nd Birthday Party

Now that I have two children, and they are growing up at lightening speed before my very eyes, you may notice that my blog is becoming a little more toddler/baby/child focused. I still plan to focus heavily on baking and cooking, but will also include some crafts and other fun things. I am NOT crafty, but I am working on it, and enjoying every step of the journey with my little munchkins. :-)

My first baby girl turned two years old on Saturday, and we had a Sesame Street themed party with family on her birthday, and a party with her friends on Monday. I'm really happy with how everything turned out, and wanted to share in case any other moms need some ideas.

Food

Mini meatballs (TJ's precooked frozen mini meatballs, slow cooked in amazing sauce... recipe below)

Pigs in a blanket (TJ's nitrate-free cocktail pups wrapped in Pillsbury crescent dough)

Mac 'n' Cheese Balls (TJ's)

Crab artichoke dip (Whole Foods)

Black bean hummus dip (Whole Foods; this dip is amazing and probably easy to DIY)

Veggie tray....sliced up red, yellow, and green peppers and carrot sticks

Meatball Sauce Recipe

*For 3 bags of mini meatballs, I combined three jars of Trader Joe's organic marinara sauce, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, and 1 cup of blackberry preserves (I used a mixture of blackberry and raspberry this time, but usually just use blackberry; whatever you have on hand will work). Blend well, cover meatballs in crockpot, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Other:

Sesame Street Cupcakes (boxed yellow cake mix, vanilla icing mixed with various food coloring, Oreos for the mouths, marshmallows and m&ms for the eyes)

I used this website for inspiration: http://itsallabouto.blogspot.com/2009/04/sesame-street-birthday.html

I bought a Wilton icing bag set at Michael's for about $8, and purchased the "grass" tip separately for about $3. I have NEVER even been to that section of Michael's before, and knew absolutely nothing about icing cupcakes (except just using a spatula and going to town). If I can do it, you can too.

Elmo/Oscar/Cookie Monster/Big Bird Goodie Bags (I used my friend, Missy Mellen's photos from her son's birthday party for inspiration)

I purchased the bags, in groups of 13, at Michaels for about $3 a bunch. Then I cut eyes, noses, and mouths out of construction paper. It was kind of fun, and took maybe a little over an hour while my wonderful mother-in-law played with the girls. :)

I think both parties turned out well, and Audrey loved seeing her favorite characters throughout our house. We still have a few Sesame Street balloons floating around the house, that I'm sure won't be going away anytime soon. ;-)