Archive for January 2012

Simple Fruit Crisp

Monday, January 30, 2012 § 0

I really wish  I had a picture of this to share with you, but it was a last minute bake and I completely forgot! I used pears, but you could try lots of different fruits. I love that all of the ingredients are usually in my kitchen. It's easy to throw together for last minute guests, or to use up the forgotten fruit in the back of the fridge. I think the brown sugar baked in the fruit makes this delicious!

filling:

~3 cups fruit (peeled, seeded and chopped-I used 3 pears)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

crisp topping:

1/2 c. oats
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375. Toss fruit in lemon juice then mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and brown sugar.  Put mixture in a greased 8x8 or 9x5 baking dish. In another bowl mix oats, butter, brown sugar and salt- go ahead and use your hands, it works best. Crumble over fruit.  Bake 30-45 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!



Our New Favorite Tortilla Soup

Friday, January 27, 2012 § 0

We eat a lot of chicken tortilla soup around here, it's one of my favorite meals (after buffalo chicken sandwiches)! I usually just make it up as I go, but yesterday I wanted a little change. I stumbled upon  "Easy Three Ingredient McAllisters Chicken Tortilla Soup," and immediately thought of my dad. McAllister's was  a frequent after church stop for my parents (until it closed with no warning a few months ago), and dad always ordered this soup! 

The recipe called for: 
1 24 oz. jar of salsa
 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
16 oz. chicken stock
optional: beans, chicken, shredded cheddar, etc

Sounds pretty good, but I knew I wanted to pep it up a little. KC told me he liked this more than my usual, and it comes together pretty quickly!

OK, it doesn't look like much, but its hearty and delicious! The salsa taste is strong, so make sure you like the salsa you choose. 

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
~1 c. bell pepper, chopped (I used frozen)
~1 c. corn (frozen or drained can)
16 oz. chicken stock
12 oz. salsa verde
12 oz. red salsa 
1 can beans, black or cannelloni (drained and rinsed)
 1c. cooked brown rice (I used an Uncle Ben's ready rice package, there have been lots of coupons for them lately. You could skip the rice, but I wouldn't!)
chicken (I used 2 breasts, well seasoned with taco seasoning, baked and chopped)
8 oz. package cream cheese

Saute garlic, onion and peppers with a little olive oil in large pot. Add corn, chicken stock, salsa, beans and rice and bring to a simmer. Cube the cream cheese and stir in until melted. Season as needed and serve. Serves 2 (me and a very hungry Marine) with leftovers for my lunch the next day.  You could easily serve this with quesadillas to feed for 4 or so. 

Lamp Revamp

Thursday, January 26, 2012 § 0

 When I moved out my parents gave us a few old lamps to brighten our new place. Two of them are adorable, antique, and fit right into our living room and guest room. One of them had a great shape, but the gold-and-marble motif was just a little outdated, so it stayed tucked away in an unpacked corner of our office. 

Today that little guy got a quick update!

I started by cutting a small piece from a grocery bag and taping over the workings with painters tape. From there all it took was a few coats of Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze and he's as good as new! 

See that wine bottle hanging out in the back of a couple pictures? It's going to be a lamp too! KC found these "cork stopper lamp kits" on amazon.com and they are giving our 2 buck chuck  bottle a new life. Now I just have to find a perfect shade for it.


Nutella Peanut Butter Granola... What better way to enter the blog world?!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 § 0


It's good stuff!! 

KC and I decided to start this blog months ago, when we found out we would be moving out here to the Mojave... And then procrastinated for at least 6 months.

Good news! I made some killer granola yesterday and decided its time to share with the world! 

Nutella Peanut Butter Granola

-2 tbsp. honey
-1 tbsp. Nutella 
-1tbsp. peanut butter
-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 c. oats

Preheat oven to 375. Mix honey, Nutella, vanilla and pb in a medium bowl and heat about 20 seconds in the microwave, until it melts a little. Stir in oats. Crumble over a greased cookie sheet and bake 7 minutes or so, until slightly browned. Allow to cool until crispy and enjoy! Who knew granola was so easy??