Jul 31, 2011

I love me some yarn.

yarn3

Yarn is not just for knitting and crocheting anymore. We’ve all seen the yarn balls, wreaths and letters that are to die for.  (Especially when they’re made by the lovely Heather Leigh, check out the ones she made for a recent Craft Show)

yarn1Photo: Heather Leigh Designs

I bought some storage holders on sale, but have yet to use them since they didn’t really match anything. So I decided to wrap them in yarn to match my “office” area.

Check it out:

2011-07-29

I love them now.

# kristanlynn
xoxo  

Jul 18, 2011

Chicken Chili Recipe

Ok. I’m not the greatest cook in the world. And while I love to bake AND cook. I don’t really know what compliments what. I tend to just throw garlic powder into everything and call it goo.d. HAH.
I promise, this recipe will NOT disappoint. Every single time I’ve served this, I get a message in the days following, asking for my recipe.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken breasts
◦ 1 can of Newmans Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa
◦ 2 cans Northern Beans
◦ 1 Can Black Beans (This is optional, mom doesn’t use it in ◦ hers. I like the added color/flavor it adds)
◦ 1 carton Chicken Broth
◦ 1 bag of shredded cheese
◦ Tortilla Chips of your choice

Let’s cook it:
1.  Cook the chicken. I pan fry it. My mom buys a roasted chicken. Others have broiled it. Any way you choose, just make sure it’s cooked and then shred it.
2. Combine chicken, salsa, un-drained beans and 3/4 bag of cheese in crockpot.
3. Stir it up a bit then slowly add chicken broth. Only add about 3/4 C to start with.
4. Simmer on low until the cheese is melted, adding splashes of the broth till you get the consistency you like.
5. Serve with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream. (I HAD to say dollop… LOL) and tortilla chips. Garnish with some fresh cilantro.

Tips:
I like mine to be on the thicker side, so I barely use a carton of broth, other’s like it soupy and use almost the whole carton.
◦You don’t need a crockpot to cook this, a friend of mine doesn’t have one and cooks hers on the stove.
◦ If you do have a crockpot, I suggest letting it simmer for as long as possible. SERIOUSLY. The longer it sits simmering, the better it tastes. I’ve put mine on the night before.
◦ You MUST use Newmans Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa. This is what gives the dish it’s distinguished flavor. (I’ve tried other brands of the black bean and corn salsa, they all suck)

How much does it make??
WAYYYY TOO MUCH. hah. It will feed ATLEAST 4 people., but more likely 6 people. We usually have it for lunch and dinner the following day if it’s just the two of us eating.

Special THANKS to my Mommy, who passed this recipe onto me.


# kristanlynn
xoxo  

I would love to try some of your favorite recipe’s. Link them up here. Old and New welcome.

Jul 12, 2011

DIY Homemade Ice Cream

ice cream 3
Photo Credit

 

I was gonna wait to post this tomorrow, but with the Heat Index hovering somewhere around 115 today. What the hell….

Let us cool off with some homemade ice cream.

It would be much easier if I had a ice cream machine (which I reallyyyyy want) but ice cream in a bag works just as well.

You probably don’t even have to go buy anything for it either. Which makes it a major PLUS in my book.

What you’ll need:

2 TBLSP sugar
◦ 1 Cup half & half (or light cream)
◦ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
◦ 1/2 cup salt 
ice
◦ gallon-sized Ziploc bag
◦ sandwich size Ziploc bag

Lets get started:

1) Mix the sugar, half & half and vanilla together. Pour into a sandwich baggy. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal tightly.

2) Now fill the gallon Ziploc bag halfway with ice and pour the salt over the ice; add the bag of half and half.

3) Make sure it’s sealed tightly and start shaking.
Shake, Shake, Shake for 5 minutes. (Your hands will get COLDDDDD use gloves or a dish towel)

4) It should only take 5-6 minutes of shaking. Open the gallon sized bag and check to see if the ice cream is finished.
Once finished, rinse the salt off the sandwich bag.

5) Scoop into a bowl OR pop a spoon straight into the bag (like Craig)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So, is it good?
Well, we made quite a few bags of it, and it was devoured in the matter of minutes. So you tell me.

What’s your favorite way to cool off when it’s too hot to bear outside?

# kristanlynn
xoxo