Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was in the search for a chicken tortilla soup because it's one of my favorites. I found a recipe and then I modified it to make it more to my liking. The first time I made it my best friends were coming in from California for a visit and it was a cold yucky day. They loved it and my hubby did too. 

The next time I made it, it was just for home but I modified it and it was even better. So the next time I needed to make something for Lent dinner at church. It's quick, easy and yummy so I thought it would be a good one since I had to work during the day before church. 

So I almost forgot to make it before I left to work so I quickly put it together....the first steps are to add the following ingredients to your crock pot.

About 4 large chicken breast 
1 -  carton of chicken stock
3 1/2 - cups of water
2 cans - Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic  (I use the jar kind)
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium sized finely chopped yellow onion

I added all of these to the crock pot and left for work. When I returned home I took out the chicken and started to chop it up with a fork. It was super tender and easy. to chop/shred with a fork. 

When that was done I added

1 can black beans 
1 can fire roasted corn 
1 large bunch of chopped cilantro

Add everything back to the pot including the chicken let it cook for about an hour and then it's all done! Serve it in a bowl and add some extras such as:

Sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips all optional of course  

Hope you enjoy!
~S. Cousins

Making an Entry Table

HOW TO MAKE AN ENTRY/CONSOLE TABLE!!!!

So I have been looking for an entry table for awhile now I can never find the right size or the right price. Most of them are too long. And the prices on furniture nowadays sheesh I am only a teacher!
So with my budget on a budget but wanting something nice I searched and search Pinterest and found an interesting Pin:

So I was thinking $18 I can handle that. But let me say there are a few items that I didn't have so my total costs were about $40 but I still consider this a great project. So I read the blog entry and it was very detailed....I did make my own adjustments but her measurements were spot on.

Desert Domicile DIY Table

I have the link listed above because she deserves all of the credit.

I went to Lowes and got all of the wood cut. Some other things that I needed that were not included in the $18 price include:

1. Liquid Nails 
2. Screws (I used wood cabinet hanging screws)
3. Caulking gun
4. Stain
5. Paint Brushes
6. Spray Paint

So these things have to be added to he price if you don't have them at home also. I used a stain from Ikea to match the furniture already in the living room and office. Overall this was an easy project.

This is how it all started on my patio and then I built the rest of the legs and let it sit overnight but then the next afternoon it still was not dry (Gotta love Florida humidity) So we decided to use the screws that I had brought....Well I underestimated how hard it would be to get them in but my hubby used his muscles to help while I held it together.

 

Okay so this is what it looked like before stain and paint.  I think that it turned out great I was just happy that it was level and did not come out crazy especially on my first build. 

Then it was time to stain. I love the way the black-brown from IKEA turned out I did use two coats the first one was just not what I wanted so then a little poly to seal it all up. 

This picture is after the first coat of stain 

I taped off the sides and as to not mess up the stain and spray painted the top board and with a sand color. The blogger I got this from did it white but that would not go with my color scheme.  I mean I guess that you could just stain the entire thing but that is not the look I was going for.

I did two coats of spray paint and then I used a spray poly that I got from Michael's to seal it all up. The top dried rally quickly also.

And the final look is.......

I totally love it and can't wait to decorate it for Christmas!!!!

I am so happy at some of my little projects I have started another post tomorrow...how to organize your kids backpacks!!! So sick of mine being everywhere but not where they are supposed to be. Until next time...

SC