Theta House Tortilla Soup

It's cold outside! Well, to me it is... I've gotten so accustomed to the 70 degree weather in January, that I forgot we were supposed to have winter! To complement the cooler weather, I decided to sift through my personal recipe box and make some Theta Tortilla Soup. I fell in love with this recipe back in college when Beryl, the Theta House Chef, made this dish a weekly regular. Despite her rule to never run out of food during a meal, the soup pot was always empty whenever tortilla soup was on the menu. It's easy to make, and it takes just 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook. 

Here's the recipe that serves four, but can easily be doubled or tripled to serve even more!

Ingredients:

- 1 box (16 oz.) of chicken broth

- 1 can of stewed or crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp of cumin
- 1 chicken cooked and shredded (go for the pre-made rotisserie if you need to save time)
- 4 corn tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Tortilla chips, shredded cheese, cilantro sprigs, and sliced avocado for garnish





DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Saute onion in butter with cumin and chili powder until soft.

Step 2: Add chicken stock to the onion and bring to a boil.

Step 3: While bringing to a boil, cut tortillas into strips. Also, pull meat from your rotisserie chicken if you have not already done so.



Step: 4: Add tortilla to the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes. The tortillas will soften and thicken your soup!

Step 5: Add crushed tomato and chicken. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 6: Serve with garnishes. Top with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado and cilantro on top.

Bon Appetit!

Christmas in January

Because I slacked off for over a month on my blog, I want to make it up to you... December was a busy month for the Bells, which is the reason for my poor blogging performance. Now that Christmas is over, I am already eagerly awaiting Christmas 2012. Here's is a recap of the Bell's first married Christmas together, as well as some organizational tips and creative projects for next year!

First Christmas Tree: Real of course! The hubs picked up this

beauty at a local Christmas tree farm. She was just the right size. This year's decor included white lights, a box full of Christmas ornaments gifted to me from my mom, and of course presents. My mom is a collector of the Radko and Old World Christmas ornaments because they have TONS of glitter, and they sparkle like no other ornament out there! I mean, look at that tree... the ornaments are practically jumping out of the photo they are so colorful and bright.

If you are a new collector of ornaments, like me, and not ready to spend hundreds of dollars at once on these fine, elegant but fragile beauties, I have a few tips:

Tip #1. Purchase a few ornaments each year. Collecting is fun, and every Christmas season brings the delight and desire to find and seek a few new ornaments. Embrace the fact that you cannot have everything you want right away! Also, if you take a trip, try to pick out an ornament or momento to hang on your tree, It will personalize your tree and serve as a reminder of your trip every time you pull it out of the ornament box.

Tip #2. Speaking of ornament boxes -- you need one. And not one of those crummy cardboard boxes that rots from the heat of your attic and falls apart after three years. My favorite ornament box comes from Container Store, the Wing Lid Stackable Bin. It comes with dividers inside and holds up to 75 ornaments. It is made of sturdy plastic and will keep your pretty danglies in perfect condition until next year... and the next... and the next... !

Tip #3. Try to invest in a few quality ornaments by Christopher Radko or Old World Christmas. The trick is to ALWAYS buy Radko and Old World ornaments AFTER Christmas. On December 26th, all ornaments and other Christmas supplies are usually 50% off, and there are always plenty to pick from. Scout out the stores in your neighborhood selling your favorites prior to Christmas, and then plan a shopping trip on the 26th to purchase them for half off! My favorite Dallas stores include Mary Cates and Co., The Ivy House, and Neiman Marcus.

Wrapping Paper: My inspiration for wrapping paper this year was "brown paper packages tied up with string." The idea stemmed from this Do-It-Yourself example from a blog called "Happiness Is"... I just loved the simple paper and the adorable strings and decorations. Here's how you can get this look yourself for next year. Start with a roll of brown kraft paper. It's soooo inexpensive! You can get a 50 foot roll from your grocery store or local post office for about two dollars. Then, invest in some cute decorations and strings at Paper Source, the go-to store for all adorable D.I.Y projects. Your friends and family will be oh-so-impressed.

Stockings: I invested in a new creative project to get me through the rest of this year and back to Christmas again. I am going to needlepoint stockings for my family. Nevermind that our family is just me and the hubs. We don't even have a fireplace in our home. But, I found this Strictly Christmas stocking on sale and had to have it. I decided I may as well get started on our stockings for when we do have a fireplace of our own. I went to a local needlepoint store to get my husband's name painted on the top cuff. The sales ladies also helped me select the thread colors and other necessary items. You can see that the canvas is painted with really bright colors and the background is white. When it is finished, you will see that this stocking is going to have much more muted tones, a beige background, and fewer ribbons and bows (it's going to be a man's stocking). It's a great rainy day project and great to do during our trips out to the country. When I finish the needlepoint, I'll show you the completed project, as well as how to get it finished and turned into a real stocking! Check out your own local needlepoint store for canvas stockings. There are plenty of great artists, but after a lot of research my favorites are Strictly Christmas, Rebecca Woods (for colorful, whimsical designs) and Deux Amis (if you are into religious and nature designs).

Some other fun things from the Bell's First Christmas:

Beech Family Christmas Eve and Christmas Story Play. Baby Jesus was a REAL baby this year! Welcome Baby Michael to our extremely large and growing family!

Trip to Colorado which included family, skiing at Wolf Creek, snowmobiling and even four-wheeling in the snow! Please excuse the ugly orange hat that the hubs found in the Lost 'n Found at our ranch.

Merry Christmas Hubby! He loves his new Tahoe, and I enjoy riding in it. :)

Best Pot O' Beans

I have a confession... I have slacked on my blogging for over a month. But... I'm back! And the good news is I have some great new recipes for you to try that are easy to make and store well in the fridge or freezer. I love having a spare dish or two in the freezer that allows me to whip up a meal when I am short on time.

I grew up in a house where homemade pinto beans were sure to show up as a side dish in at least one meal per week. Why so popular? Plenty of protein, easy to prep, and kids love 'em. Now that I have to feed big hungry bear every night, I picked up my mom's tradition, and I make a pot almost every week. The best part is, beans refrigerate for up to two weeks and they freeze well too. I've got my recipe figured out just the way I like it, but you can add or subtract ingredients to your taste!

Ingredients:
- 1 pound bag of pinto beans (or any other kind of bean -- white, red, or northern)
- 1 yellow onion chopped (special tip to follow on how to prep in advance!)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on how much you love garlic
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 can Hunts tomato sauce (second best option is 1 can of Rotel)
- 1 teaspoon of oregano (optional)
- 1 slice of bacon or cut up sausage dog (optional)
- 6 cups of water

First and foremost, if you don't already have one, you need a Crock Pot. How are you supposed to go to work all day then spend 4 hours making a pot of beans? Forget about it. The Crock Pot is these best way to simmer a dish for hours while you have your mind on other things. Here is the one I use -- Rival 6.5 quart slow cooker...

Step 1 - Wash and soak the beans. While soaking the beans is not a requirement, it makes them nice and plump. Your beans will turn out fine without soaking, but they will not enlarge and the bean itself will not be as soft when consumed. This happens because the beans are dried before packaging and they only soften with the re-absorption of water. Washing the beans IS mandatory because the package of beans almost always has tiny morsels of hard black dirt either on the beans or mixed throughout. It's a fact of life. I wash and soak simultaneously. Three options here:

A. Best Option: Soak beans for three hours (or overnight is great too!) in room temperature water. The best way for beans to reabsorb water is to give them plenty o'time to do their thing.
B. Second Best Option (my usual method): Boil a kettle of water. Pour over beans already in crock pot, and place lid on top to keep steam in. Soak beans for about an hour.
C. Last Resort but still works: Parboil the beans. Boil water in a pot and flash boil the beans for about 15 minutes. The beans will soften but won't be super plump.

Whatever you do, after soaking the beans, you must drain or strain the water out (dirt WILL rise out) and start over with fresh water.

Step 2: After rinsing, put the beans back in the crock pot. Combine all other ingredients. Did I not say this was so easy?

Here's a little trick... Almost every ingredient on this list, including the beans, can keep in the pantry for a long, long time... Except the onion. I learned a little trick from my mother-in-law on how to preserve onions. I buy them, peel and chop them immediately, then store them all cut up in a ziplock baggie in the freezer. Just take the bag out of the freezer, bang it on the counter a few times to break up the pieces and start cooking with frozen onion. This trick works EVERY TIME with EVERY MEAL that calls for cooked onion. You can saute it, and it works just like regular onion. You can throw it right in the crock pot. So that's my shout to my family in East Texas; thankful for you teaching me tricks like these!

Step 3: Cover crock pot with lid and set timer for 8 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat. I prefer 8 hours because the flavors have more time to meld and soak into the beans.

Step 4: Serve with rice or almost any meal you can think of!

Enjoy!

Peggy's Meatloaf

Hi Bloggers!

Today I am sharing one of the easiest recipes of all time... Meatloaf. I love this dish because it takes very little prep time. Also, it requires just enough bake time to pop in the oven and forget about it, so you can serve drinks and entertain as your friends arrive. It just happens to be my husband's all-time favorite meal. The best part is that most of the ingredients should already be on hand. Once your pantry is stocked, you only need to buy the beef.

I tried several recipes before falling in love with the perfect meatloaf -- this recipe was given to me by my sweet friend and coworker, Peggy. Don't you just love her name?!

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of ground beef per 2-3 people (I prefer ground sirloin because it is the leanest of the ground beefs)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesian
- spash of milk
- 1/4 cup grated onion (optional)
- 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes (optional -- although it adds a tasty little "kick")

Sauce:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup spicy or dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon of honey (or brown sugar)

Step 1 -- Plop the meat in a bowl. Mine is already slightly brown on the edges from defrosting in the microwave. Make sure your meat is completely thawed so you can mix it by hand!

Step 2 -- Add spices to the ground meat and mix together by hand. That's right, take off those rings and get your hands dirty! Mix, mix, mix... Add egg, breadcrumbs, and onion. Mix by hand some more.

Step 4 -- After adding breadcrumb, your meat lump may become a little dry. Add a splash of milk to moisten your loaf and to sop up the rest of those breadcrumbs. Add the parmesian cheese.

Step 5 -- Refrigerate in bowl for up to eight hours or cook immediately. Roll meat into a "loaf" shape and bake at 375*F for 1 hour. More meat and / or a thicker loaf may require more time in the oven. You will need to cook your meatloaf in a pan because a small amount of grease will drip off during cooking. You can use a loaf pan or a baker, which will collect the liquid and will require draining after cooking. I prefer to use a broiler pan, and I cover the base with foil to catch the drippings. It makes for easy clean up.

Step 6 - Time to mix the sauce. Whisk together ketchup, mustard, worcestershire and honey. Spread the sauce across the top of the meatloaf after it has been cooking for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately. I always transfer the loaf to a pretty serving dish and cut into slices for easier serving.

Happy Meatloaf Mixing!

Never Stale Frozen Banana-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever made homemade cookies that NEVER go stale? Try these delicious frozen banana-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies!

I wish I authored this easy recipe myself, but the credit goes out to The Adams Family of Highland Park, Texas. I spent most of my high school days trying to find a reason to go over to their house just to get my hands on Mrs. Adams famous chocolately treats. She genereously kept them in the freezer at all times. They are reasonably healty too!

Directions -- In a stand mixer add:

- 3/4 cup of butter at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar -- cream / mix
- 1 egg -- cream / mix
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon -- mix it again
- 1 cup mashed banana (about four bananas) -- mix some more

-- STOP! HALT! --

Turn mixer off and mix remaining ingredients by spatula. This cookie has heavy flour and oats, so avoid overmixing to keep them light and fluffy.

By hand, add:
- 1 3/4 c. dry oats -- mix by hand
- Chocolate chips... usually a 12 oz. bag.

Do you loooove chocolate? Don't we all... I am a middle child, so I have a tendancy to "out-do" and add a little more. Despite my efforts to cut back in this recipe, I always end up with "a little cookie with my chocolate". Oh well, some flaws you just have to embrace.

You can make them as small or big as you like... Bake at 400*F for 8-10 minutes. If they even remotely look like they are starting to turn brown, TAKE THEM OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!!! Usually 8 minutes does the trick! We like ours more on the doughy side. They are delicious right out of the oven and just as good frozen -- days later or even weeks later! Keep them in a large baggie for a sweet treat when ever you get that chocolate craving.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Is your man a lover of meat and potatoes? Here is a dish that is easy to prep and will melt in your mouth (and melt your man's heart)!

Now, being a working girl, I do not get to spend as much time in the kitchen as I would like. Don't get me wrong, I love my job -- But coming home around 7:00 PM does not afford me much time to prep a complete meal. The solution? Slow cooker meals. I'm talking healthy meals -- from scratch -- that do not require you to slave over a stove all day. All you have to do is prep... wait... and come home to a house that smells delicous and warms your tummy on a chilly Fall evening!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours on low heat (Don’t freak out…. You don’t even have to be home while it cooks!)

Note: The key to pot roast is to cook on low heat for a long time. You can cut your cook time in half without compromising tenderness by cooking for high heat. Alternatively, if you do not have a slow cooker, you can make this meal in a dutch oven and bake at 275*F for 5-6 hours. However, slow cookers are inexpensive and very practical.  I suggest you invest. In my view: bigger is better because we like leftovers!

Ingredients: Look at this list, people. Short, simple, organic. I love knowing exactly what is going into my meal:
- 2-3 pound rump roast (chuck roast is great too but has a higher fat content) -- This will feed one woman, one very hungry man, with plenty of leftovers
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 8-10 yukon gold potatoes
- 2 cups of beef broth or stock
- salt and pepper


1. Prep your veggies -- wash the potatoes; cut and chop celery, carrots, and onion. You can do all this one day in advance. Put all veggies in the base of the slow cooker.

2. Salt and pepper your meat on all sides.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan; sear roast on each side for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat. This step seals all of the juices and flavor into your meat.

 

4. Place meat on top of vegetables. Pour beef broth / stock into the pot.

 

5. Place potatos around the meat and on top of veggies. This will keep them from becoming mashed or soggy.

6. Slow cook for 8 hours on low heat for a never-fail meal that will impress your man. The result? A complete and hearty pot roast that is so tender you can cut it with a fork. I would have uploaded a pic of the finished product in the slow cooker, but The Hubs already helped himself to a bowl before I got home! I gobbled this up shortly after:

To all you ladies out there: my friend Hallie posted a similar recipe on her blog a la Pioneer Woman and titled it “How to Get a Husband”. I can't say I disagree... Thanks Hallie!

Happy Fall to All!

Breakfast for Two... Or Twenty

My husband is the best man in an upcoming wedding. Sticking to his best man duties, he organized and hosted the bachelor party. It was an out of town gathering at a lakehouse for an entire weekend. Now ladies, I know what you are thinking... What will I do with weekend all to myself? In my head, I'm envisioning hot baths, a couple of naps, maybe some shopping on Saturday afternoon. Before I can enjoy any such delights, I have to put on my party planning hat and pack up enough food together to feed twenty dudes. The hamburgers, sausage dogs and extras were a cinch. The tricky thing... breakfast. Men are great at cooking breakfast... for one. Try cooking for twenty hungry men. This takes some planning.

I decided on egg casserole. Easy to prep, easier to bake. The best part is, I can prep this for the hubs a day in advance, freeze, and send him away with two days worth of breakfast. (Side note: I was in such a rush, I did not have time for photos. Sorry friends, blogger fail.)

Step 1 -- Saute one package of Owens pork sausage, which can be found in your local supermarket. Like spicy? Try their hot sausage for an added kick. Drain grease.

Step 2 -- Cut the crust off of several slices white bread (gasp, yes I said it and yes, I did use white bread.). For some reason, white bread just works better, although technically, any sandwich bread on hand will work. Line the bottom of a 9 x13 baker with the crustless slices.

Step 3 -- Sprinkle sausage over bread.

Step 4 -- Sprinkle shredded cheese over sausage. The cheese goes on before the egg to prevent burning during baking. Use your discretion. If you like it cheesy, pour it on. This is a creative step -- different cheeses can dress up your dish. My personal favorite is freshly grated pepper jack, but the hubs will not touch the stuff, so this dish gets plain old Colby Jack.

Step 5 -- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together. Use 10 large eggs for a 9 x 13 baker. Five to six eggs for an 8 x 8 pyrex.

Step 6 -- Add 1.5 cups of milk. Combine with egg mixture.

Step 7 -- Pour egg / milk mixture into the pan, making sure to cover any exposed bread.

Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes. Taking it to a friend's house? Freeze casserole prior to transport and for preservation for up to three days. Be sure to thaw it out before cooking. Best served with corn tortillas and salsa. Your man and his friends will not go hungry.