Chicken soup for the Texan soul

I had a version of this soup in San Antonio - IT'S AMAZING and easy!! Open for interpretation - add more or less of anything to your taste!  I hardly measure anything, so its all an approximation!

Chipolte Chicken Soup


1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 lg or 2 sm onions 1-2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
2-4 Chipotle in Adobo sauce - add spoon fulls of sauce to broth mince chipolte 1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt 3 (14 oz) can chicken broth 1-2 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1-2 cups frozen corn
1-2 Sliced zucchini 1/4 cup fresh cilantro 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges 
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used a roasted chicken from the store
2 (6-inch) tortillas, cut into strips Cooking spray  (or just tortilla chips)
saute onion and garlic with chipotle and cumin 
add broth, vegetables including some cilantro, and cook.  Add chicken last minute with extra cilantro and avocado.

Crock Pot Virgin!

I've never done a crockpot dinner - thats right, I am a crock pot virgin!  This looks really easy and very yummy!  Let you know how it turns out!!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 white onion, chopped finely

1 (16 oz.) can chili beans

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 (10 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning

3 whole skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, thawed or frozen

Stir onion, beans, corn, tomato sauce, dice tomatoes, and taco sauce into a slow cooker. Sauté the onion before to make sure that they are not crunchy. Lay the chicken breast on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly so that it gets covered by other ingredients. Set slow cooker to low heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours on low if your chicken is thawed. May take 4-5 hours on low if your chicken is frozen.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Stir shredded chicken back into the soup. Your technically supposed to cook it on low for another 2 hours in the crockpot but you really don't have to. I never do. It's very forgiving. You can leave it in longer if you want too.

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips.

inner strength!

Inner Strength 

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills, 
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, 
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, 
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it, 
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,

If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, 
           through no fault of yours, something goes wrong, 
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, 
If you can face the world without lies and deceit, 
If you can conquer tension without medical help, 
If you can relax without liquor, 
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, 
If you can do all these things, 

Then you are probably the family dog. 

Love my bear naked!

Market Street Raspberry Almond Torte....FABULOUS!

MARKET STREET'S

Raspberry Almond Torte

This is one of my very favorite desserts! I got the recipe from the Market Street website!   It is SO GOOD! I definitely recommend trying this one out!

Sponge Layer 5 egg whites 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar pinch of salt Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until thick. Continue beating while slowly adding sugar and beat until stiff and shiny but not dry. Set aside. 5 egg yolks 2 tablespoons sugar pinch of salt 2 teaspoons cornstarch ¼ cup melted cooled butter ½ cup finely chopped, lightly toasted almonds Beat yolks, sugar and salt together until thick and creamy  (at least 10 minutes). Add cornstarch and mix until well combined. Fold in melted butter  and chopped almonds. Fold this mixture into egg white mixture.  Divide batter between two 9" cake pans that have been lined with  parchment and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in the pan. Pastry Cream 3 cups milk 1 cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 6 egg yolks 2 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch ½ cup milk (additional) 4 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons vanilla ½ teaspoon almond extract 4 egg whites ¼ cup sugar (additional) 1 pint container of fresh raspberries Place 3 cups milk in a saucepan and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over top.  Let set for 5 minutes for gelatin to soften. Add sugar and salt, place over  medium high heat and stirring constantly, bring to a simmer.  In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, flour, cornstarch and ½ cup milk.  Whisk until well combined. Whisk some of the hot milk mixture into the yolk  mixture, and then return all to the saucepan. Whisking constantly, bring to a  simmer and remove from heat. Add butter and extracts.  Beat egg whites and ¼ cup sugar until will hold soft peaks.  Fold hot mixture into egg whites until well combined and let cool. To Assemble: Place one of the sponge layers on a serving plate.  Spread a ½ inch thick layer of pastry cream over top,  to within ½ inch of edge of layer. Place a ring of raspberries  around edge of pastry cream and sprinkle remaining raspberries equally in the center. Add another layer of pastry cream over raspberries,  spreading evenly. Place second layer, top-side up, over pastry cream and  press gently. Sift powdered sugar over top, serve and enjoy!

best pumkin chocolate chip bread`

Brooke's Pumpkin Bread Yields 2 Medium Loaves or a million baby muffins

STUFF?
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, really soft, half melted really
3 large eggs
1 16 oz can of pure pumpkin
1 cup mini chocolate chips

HOW?
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray two medium loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, dump in the sugar. Take the butter and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, so that it is half melted. Dump it into the sugar. Add the eggs. Cream these three ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and combine well.
4. In three batches, add the dry ingredients mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch. Mix in chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake side-by-side for about one hour or until an inserted knife comes out clean the top is golden. The mini pumpkins baked for about 25 min. Or bake muffins or mini muffins (Perfect bites!)

Some people's voices.....

The tone of certain people's voices just makes my skin crawl. Really there are 2 types that make me crazy....the first is a nasal-y abrasive bray - like a donkey - and they think the funnier something is the louder they get....it makes me want to hit them! we were at lunch at wall street today, which normally is a loud place to eat lunch, but we were sitting next to the loudest woman in the place - we were screaming at each other from across the (small) table. when they left it felt like you had been hit in the face with a hose for the last 30 minutes and they finally turned off the water!....it was amazing....we could hear each other again with out screaming!

the other type comes from a dark place deep down in the deepest parts of my soul... when someone i particularly dislike looooves to hear themselves talk, and are always right, and it always has to be their way or no way at all makes my blood boil! the sound of that persons voice honestly makes my queasy. oh well....im sure no one else knows what i am talking about.,...right?

Good Chinese and Thunderstorms

i am just chilling out tonight. there were great thunderstorms and i got some yummy Chinese take out - very good! it has been a long week and i am so ready for the weekend. although it will be busy - i have to get ready for girls camp (yay for being a camp counselor...in TENTS). it will be in cloudcroft, so the weather should be nice. i really hope so.

i am so ready to be out of midland. for good....i am just getting bored, i guess. so at the moment i am just biding my time. soon enough i guess. i have to learn to be patient...ew...

lately i have been reading a lot of "fluffy" books....you know, like harry potter and twilight lol. i think my brain is actually SHRINKING! so now i am i knee deep into war and peace... i actually really like it so far. but ya, i was way overdue for a real book with some teeth. barnes and noble classics for the win!! kate was the inspiration - she started reading it and wasn't bored 100 pages in so i thought why not!

i know this is all a little random, but i am all over the place tonight. my head is going 100 mph, i need to lay off the caffeine i think. i cant stop thinking about what is next. i want the next adventure. like i said ....i am BORED. i want to do something fun, something different, something hard! nothing is hard lately - just stressful. the grinding monotony is wearing holes in my soul. i want something so much more than what it is so far.

so what sounds good? spain? boston? portland? i cant pick yet....lets just see what happens!
crossing my fingers now...

TREKKIES

Hahahah - Hello, my name is Brooke. I am a closet trekkie. it has been 1 day since my last viewing. so ya, the new star trek rocks! i cant wait to see it again!! was funny - laughed the whole way - and just enough cheesy moments that bring back all the old great trekkie moments.

lets see.....today put one house under contract (crossing fingers) then i had an open house on my house, went to a BBQ and went to mothers day shop.....we were going to go see star trek again, but that fizzled ( i am determined to see it a couple more times) then went and hit literally 4 golf balls with buck (he laughed at me a lot.....i need to practice lol) so not much going on today, but it was a good day....great weather, enough to do so i wasn't bored, not too much drama ;)

tomorrow on the other hand could be disastrous. holidays are normally NOT fun at my house (i think out of habit by now) so i would totally hide out, but have to grin and bear it i guess. who knows maybe it will be great..... i said maybe. crossing my fingers again.

k - i am crashing now, caffeine wearing offf.....going to read until i fall asleep.

happy traaaaaaaails to yoooooooou .....until we meeet agaiiiin......

funk

So - I am trying to sell my house.  i have been in it for over 2 years and i love it, but i am sort of at a crossroad.  i dont want to stay here in midland.  i want to go back to school for either nursing or ultrasound or radiation tech.  something that i can do anywhere.  so in order to do that i need to dump come of my debt and concentrate on school.  this requires moving back home (well probably not requires, but it will make it a lot easier to pay for school).  i am not excited about that part, but it will be over in a couple years and then i can leave.  

i am crossing my fingers that my house will sell soon, so i can get on with my plan.  once i have dwelled on it for months and thought it out and planned it once i set it all into motion i get impatient to have it all done with.  i am not by nature a patient person.  even as a realtor it is nerve racking to have your house on the market...an irrational response, but i cant help it.   

on top of that my moms mother is dying.  we were never very close.  but we went to see her nonetheless.  the bright side of the road trip was that my aunt flew in from spain and we got to play with her for a few days.  i think mom should go back and see her sister one more time before she leaves the country again.  i am planning on taking mom to see her once i sell my house.  (not the best way to save money, but it will be worth it to go with mom.)  

i am still in a funk.  i think it is because i am having to be patient.  it grates on every nerve to wait for something i want.  lol.  but i think it is a good plan....i just have to wait....and wait....and wait....  and i know it is a silly thing to be worried about, but since the house is on the market i have taken my dogs over to the parents  house, and i miss bear.  i want to take him back to the house, but i don't want to clean up the land-mines in the back yard for the buyers again hehehe...

oh well.