Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans of chicken broth
about 6 boneless/skinless chicken strips
a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
a can of stewed tomatoes, undrained
a can of corn, undrained
a can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
a can of green chilies, undrained
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 C. salsa
I add a little cumin and chili powder

Cook in crock pot 3-4 hours on low, just until chicken is cooked and easily shreds...if you are using chicken breast it may take longer..

Top with:
baked tortilla strips, sour cream/guacamole, fresh squeezed lime, pico de gallo, cilantro......

I am Thankful...........

Happy November!

This is an extra special time of year to think about all I have to be thankful for, especially being so far away from almost everything that I love, here are just a few......

a sweet husband
the best family in the world
prayer
great friends
fresh cut flowers
thunderstorms
being a big sister
roasted butternut squash
a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ
beautiful fall leaves
my adorable niece and nephew
student loans.....for now....
not so much when it comes time to pay them back.... :)
the food network channel
carmel apple cider
getting to see family in 50 days!
and of course.....Christmas(the most wonderful time of the year)is just around the corner!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

I finally started working on decorating our bedroom....its not finished yet, but it looks a little cozier than it did before!

BEFORE:

And AFTER....so far.....

On Sunday we had the neighbors over to carve pumpkins. It was a perfect evening.....(except for the tornado warning)...We had yummy cinnamon rolls with orange icing!

The boys got their volleyball stuck in the tree.....and ended up popping the basketball trying to get it out :)

The sunset was INCREDIBLE!!!

We had homemade pizza, ceasar salad, and oh so delicious butternut squash for dinner....and afterward it was finally time to light them up!!

The pumpkin patch

The beautiful pumpkins and gourds

A cute little baby pig....

Crazy little tornado shelter contraption I wish I had in my back yard....

It even comes with seat belts!!

This was the first time I've ever been to a corn maze not bundled up in a big puffy coat....it was a little bit sunny, can you tell? :)
Me and Joel lost somewhere in the corn maze.....

Pretty sunflowers and a cotton field in the background
Joel shooting the corn gun....where we wasted $3 and didn't even get close to the target.....

The pumpkin patch

And the pumpkins we decided to take home with us....

Lasagna

Recipe from: The Sisters CafeHalf of a 1-lb package lasagna noodles(9 or 10 noodles)

1 to 1 ½ lbs ground beef (We used 1/2lb ground turkey and 1/2lb ground turkey sausage)

1 C. chopped onion

1 28oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 6oz cans tomato paste

2 t. sugar

2 1/2 t. dried basil

1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt

1 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 T. parsley flakes

4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese

Prepare lasagna noodles, drain. Cook ground beef(or turkey) and onion. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, 2 teaspoons of the basil and pepper. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl blend ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Put a layer of noodles in a 9x13 pan, a layer of meat sauce, a layer of ricotta mixture and a layer of the mozz/parmesan cheese then repeat all the layers. Cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

(The top picture of Lasagna is the actual Lasagna I made but this beautiful picture is sadly not...Taking pictures of food is actually harder than it seems...it didn't look very appetizing in the pictures I took...not good enough lighting or something... but it was SO yummy! So I had to find a picture from the internet that would make it look as good as it tasted!!)