Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Cool weather, chunky sweaters & Chicken Enchilada Soup

With the cold weather, out have come my chunky sweaters, scarves & mittens. I've also decided to start knitting - my aunt knits a lot and even has an Etsy site (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BVBVknits), so she has inspired me. I know I won't be able to knit all that she does, but I can start with a scarf or something. :)
Back to the cold weather - today I was thinking that I'm in the mood for soup - it just warms the soul. I wanted to use what I had at home already, so I scowered my refrigerator and pantry to see what I could concoct. I found leftover Crock-pot chicken taco chicken from last weekend when we had our friends over and decided to use that and add some things to make Chicken Enchilada Soup. I'll leave the recipe below - and I'll add photos once I have more time.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
2 cups leftover Crock-pot chicken taco meat
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernal corn
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can mexican style diced tomatoes
1 32-oz box chicken broth
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients, except cheese & tortilla chips in a large pot. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. When ready to serve, top each bowl with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and some slightly crushed tortilla chips.
If you decide not to make the Crock-pot chicken taco meat, you can use any pre-cooked, shredded chicken (or put cubes of uncooked chicken into other ingredients and cook soup until the chicken is cooked through), if you use this method, add 4 ounces of cream cheese or a few tablespoons of heavy cream right at the end of cooking.

Other than the tomatoes (which my husband despises & picked out), Bob and I both enjoyed this dish and it warmed us up considerably. Nice to know the Crock-pot Chicken taco recipe made for 5 different meals (lunch/dinner after leftovers and this adapted recipe!)

Leftovers!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Stefani Geurts told me about a recipe she found and tried on Pinterest. She modified it slightly, so I tried her version for dinner tonight and it was a hit with the hubby and my sister who is staying with us while she is in college. When I asked my husband for a quote about our chicken tacos tonight he said, "spicy delish!" The original recipe came from the blog Chocolate Therapy, but with Stefani's modification I had to repost. This is so easy and perfect for a weekend meal or a weekday if you can let your crockpot run all day long.

Here is the recipe:


Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 16-oz jar salsa (any variety)
1 package cream cheese
Taco shells
Your preferred taco toppings

Put chicken, taco seasoning, salsa and cream cheese in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. You will know the chicken is ready when you can easily shred it with a fork or the tongs. I had mine on high for about 5 hours then on low for another 2.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings. We had shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream and Ortega taco sauce with ours tonight.


My Prerogative

This weekend we had a nice Papa Murphy's pizza dinner with our friends The Geurts'. We haven't seen baby Wil for months and he has sure grown! Along with mom and dad, he is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his baby brother in about a month.
As we chatted, Stefani and I got on the topic of Pinterest. We discussed how it is a lifesaver, while the guys shared how annoying it is when we sit on Pinterest and "ignore" them. (As if it's much different as when they watch sports all day Sunday). Anywho, Stefani said that she tried a recipe she found on Pinterest and it was great...easy and great! Now, I've tried a few recipes and other ideas from Pinterest myself and I always want to share with people how awesome the website is in connecting people with helpful websites and blogs, so I started this blog. I don't have a lot of time to come up with my own recipes or brainstorm better organizing techniques, because I have a full time job that keeps me busy most of the time, but I still want to be a good wife and provide a clean house and yummy food for my new husband, so I utilize Pinterest to help me accomplish it. I'm hoping that The Working Wifey can help others who are pressed for time as a compilation of all the good resources out there the web to help keep a beautiful, happy, healthy, budget friendly and organized home.