Fiesta Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Time to confess: this blog gig hasn't been top-priority for me this past week. Whhhhat? There are other things more important? You're appalled, aren't you? There's my list of daily things that need to be done, and my list of things I wish I had more time for. Pinterest is ashamed of me and Shutterfly shudders at our massive digital mess.

This photo is desperately lacking vibrancy. Call me an amateur!

Aren't days too freakin' short? My baby's naps are, THAT I know. The older I get the faster time zooms by. Why is that? Am I the only one experiencing this phenomenon?

I'm the creeper who enjoys thinking and walking through graveyards (during the day). It gets good gears turning. Am I making the most of my short life? One day I'll have a gravestone. Will my life lived have made an eternal difference?

Whoa, did I just dive waaay too deep for you? This IS a food blog, right? Yeah... but with it, you get ME (cheesy smile). The privilege of my doing the blogging is that I get to blab my (not always coherent) thoughts to you.

On a lighter note, my child loooved this Fiesta Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup...

No, really, she did...

The things I do to coerce my child to open her piehole...

"Winner, winner, tortilla-soup dinner!"

For reals, she downed this soup several dinners in a row and hooed for more (literally, like an owl). And you'll do the same. I can't steal credit for this splendid concoction and, for once in my life, I feel zero urge to tweak it. It's utterly perfect as is. It takes me less than 10 minutes to whip together and the ability to dump frozen chicken into the crock pot in the mornings brings songs to my heart.

If you want more instruction and gorgeous step-by-step photography on this keeper recipe, check out Heather Likes Food. This is the only recipe I've tried of hers but it's crazy yum. Serve it with tortilla chips, sour cream, fresh cheese and avocado... delish!

Photo credit goes to heatherlikesfood.com

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 NIV

FIESTA SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Prep time: 10 min.

Cook time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
• 1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained
• 10 oz frozen corn kernels
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (no need to thaw)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado for serving

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except for the cilantro and lime juice in a slow-cooker.
2. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.
3. Remove chicken from soup, shred into bite-sized pieces and return to soup.
4. Stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice.
5. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado if desired.                

All recipe credit goes to Heather Likes Food!      

Raspberry Coffee Cake

I have to admit I am a little sad summer is coming to a close. Okay, I know summer vacation has been over for a few weeks (and autumn starts tomorrow), but I'm holding onto these last warm summer days. My family had an amazing and busy summer. We went to Colorado and Door County, moved out of our apartment and bought a house! All while keeping up with our two rambunctious toddlers.

Even though I am going to miss summer, I love fall. Football games, the crisp cool air, apple orchard, bonfires, all of it. I love the anticipation of the holidays and am really getting excited to start making holiday-themed recipes!

Another good thing about autumn? Fall raspberries. My parents moved to Minnesota about a year ago and their new garden is full of raspberries in the fall. I enjoy eating them plain, but who doesn't like to throw together a nice yummy coffee cake?

This coffee cake is the perfect treat for a play date or dessert. The tartness of the raspberries is balanced by the sweet mini-chocolate chips. If you can get ahold of fresh raspberries they really add to the flavor. And of course, this recipes goes well with a warm cup of coffee!

"Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
- Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

RASPBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Prep time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 40 mins.
Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup confectionary sugar
• 1 tsp. milk
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Cooking Directions

1. Combine raspberries and brown sugar and set aside.
2. Combine flour, sugar, mini chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Mix together yogurt, melted butter, egg and vanilla flavoring.
4. Stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients.
5. Prepare a 8 inch round cake pan with butter or shortening (I used a square pan, but a round one will work better).
6. Spread 2/3 of the batter into the cake pan.
7. Spoon the raspberry mixture over the batter and then spread the rest of the batter over the raspberries.
8. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until knife inserted into batter comes out clean.
9. Make a glaze with 1/3 cup confectionary sugar, 1 tsp. of milk and 1/4 tsp. vanilla flavoring.
10. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.
11. Enjoy!

Delicious Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

Have you tasted ham and bean soup? Do ya love it/like it? Or maybe the thought of being a gassy mess after indulging freaks you out? (don't run away - that concern will be calmed!;)

This deliciously creamy soup brings back a flood of sweet memories. My Grandpa loves to brag about his ham and bean soup. While Grandma's their master-mind chef, Grandpa concocts a few things and when he does he can't shut-up about his creations. I truly think he's just SHOCKED he can make something that tastes so good. And, boy, is it gooood!

Upon sitting down with our tasty bowl of soup and sweet cornbread, Jason immediately began gushing over his love for this meal. He questioned why we don't have it more often. I thought for a moment and realized it's because I often cook on the fly, scrambling for an awesome meal that we happen to have all the ingredients for, two hours before suppertime. Ahhhhh! A practice so not conducive to this recipe because it requires the beans to soak overnight. Truly, I need to get my last-minute butt in gear and pre-think meals just a bit more, effectively diminishing meal-stress!

To address the gas-factor... yes, it's true, beans can deliver hard-to-digest components that create air bubbles inside, which rarely exit the body pleasantly. I'm no scientist, nutritionist or expert but have read and heard that there are 3 reason to soak your beans:

• So your house doesn't smell like flagellants (just had to use that word). Soaking your beans diminishes the culprits that cause unwanted secretions.
• To diminish cooking time
• If you want tender beans

There ya have it people - soak your beans. PLEASE. How do you do it? Glad you asked. I suppose there are a few methods, but I just rinse mine (to eliminate any stems or debris), cover them with cold water and soak them overnight.

The next morning I drain the beans with cold water and chuck them into the crock pot along with everything else. Aren't crock pot meals fantastic?!

Now, put the lid on your crock pot, set it to low and let it cook for 8-10 hours. A lovely aroma will flow through your house the entire day, getting you so ready to dive in at suppertime.

I'm still playing the "trial and error game" when it comes to nailing the perfect cornbread. For now, I used this recipe from Food.com. I crave a tasty, sweet, moist cornbread that doesn't crumble all over my plate. This recipe satisfied most of my cornbread dreams, but I will continue to search for that "hidden treasure" recipe that's out there somewhere!



"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
Proverbs 11:2 NIV

DELICIOUS CROCKPOT HAM AND BEAN SOUP

Prep time: 20 min.

Cook time: 8-10 hours

Yield: About 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried great northern beans
• 1 ham bone
• 2 cups diced, cooked ham
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large carrots, shredded
• 3 large celery sticks, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tsp dried parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Soak your dried beans overnight: rinse off any stems or debris, amply cover beans with cold water, put a lid on and let them soak all night.
2. The next morning rinse your beans with cold water and throw them into the crock pot along with remaining ingredients.
3. Set your crock pot to low, cover, and cook for 8-10 hours.
4. Before eating, remove your hambone and separate any delicious meat off, throwing this back into the soup. Discard the bone and fat.
5. Serve your soup WITH cornbread (cornbread is quick and easy to throw together). Ham/bean soup and cornbread complement each other SO well! See above for the cornbread recipe I used.

Helpful tip: For this recipe and other ham recipes I make, I like to buy a whole, precooked ham. I bring it home to slice and chop it up. I separate the ham into quart freezer bags - 2 cups in each. It lasts for a while and saves us money! Woot-woot!

Chocolate Cinnamon Banana Bread

Growing up my nickname was Hannah Banana. My dad called me that, many of my coaches used that nickname and many of my friends. Of course, with a nickname like Hannah Banana I had to like bananas. And I do!

Banana's are an amazing fruit. They have tons of potassium and all that really good stuff (obviously I'm super knowledgeable about nutrition). Beside being amazing on their own, I really like things that have banana in them. I love banana smoothies, banana chips, banana splits and banana pudding. But most of all I love banana bread.

There are so many types of banana bread. You have classic banana bread, banana nut bread and, of course, chocolate chip banana bread. The list goes on and on and the recipes for these breads can fill a book. I wanted to try something new.

So, I looked at various recipes for classic banana bread (which I have made and loved), and stumbled upon a yummy chocolate banana bread recipe. I had to modify many of the ingredients based on my baking supplies, and the bread I made actually turned out really yummy. I had four-taste testers and they all approved, so I'm hoping you enjoy it too.

Note: You can add chocolate chips or nuts for texture.

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." 
- John 6:35 (NIV)

CHOCOLATE CINNAMON BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

• 3 large very ripe bananas
• 1 tsp. butter for baking pan
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 large beaten egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. powdered sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare to use the center rack
2. Use teaspoon of butter to prep a 5x9 loaf pan 
3. Using a blender or fork puree bananas until smooth
4. Add melted 1/3 cup of butter to banana puree
5. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar and salt into the banana puree
6. Then add egg and vanilla extract to mixture
7. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and cinnamon
8. Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture in the large bowl
9. Gently stir them together until everything is mixed together (do not over mix!)
10. Bake for 1 hour
11. To ensure the bread is done, place a knife or toothpick in the bread and make sure it comes out clean
12. Flip the pan over when the bread has cooled slightly (the bread should come out in one piece)
13. Place on plate and dust with powdered sugar
14. Serve with butter

Asian Spring Rolls

This recipe is a labor of yum. It was totally worth the time investment and demands it's position as a new go-to recipe in the Kane-Crib. Jason and I have the unforgettable memory of biting into our first Asian Spring Roll... the fresh taste and texture is embedded in our minds and mouths.

A few years back, some Korean friends invited us over for supper and served us Asian Spring Rolls. Wowzers, so good!! We were given this fascinating rice paper thingy that we dipped into warm water, allowing it to become translucent and fun.

Then we jammed all kinds of fresh goodies inside...

And rolled it up, dipping it into a delicious sauce.

My mouth waters just reminiscing. Fer reals.

I don't own the exact recipe that we ate then, but decided I HAD to try making Asian Spring Rolls at home. 'Cause if you loved it, why not recreate it and enjoy it for the rest of your life on earth? Genius thought.

I learned lots while putting together this recipe. I researched recipes online, watched YouTube videos, tried various ingredients inside the roll, and tweaked the peanut sauce several times to get it to a happy-place.  And now, time to broadcast my new-found wisdom... you're welcome ;)

• If you can, use Rice Vermicelli Noodles in your rolls. I tested them with and without and highly vote them in! They add texture and substance and help keep the roll from falling apart when bitten into. Plus, they're just plain cool.

• Just shred your veggies, dude! I initially cut the veggies into strips 'cause some recipes called for this. But the veggies just tore through the rice paper when I attempted to roll it up. Fail.

• Crab meat = yum. Confession: I use crab sticks and chop them into pieces - they're cheaper than real crab and still taste great to me. You can substitute ground pork, tofu or shrimp if you prefer these proteins.

• If you assemble your spring rolls on a large wooden cutting board (like I did), either wet or grease the wood first. Neglect to do this and the rice paper will stick to it, adding unnecessary wrinkles to your forehead. 

• If you can access fresh herbs, throw 'em in! I used fresh basil leaves and there was a significant difference in taste when I ran out. Fresh cilantro and mint leaves are also great additions.                                                                                                     

• Do your best to eat your spring rolls fresh. We couldn't eat all that I had prepared so I refrigerated and saved them for another day. Simply, not as good. The rice paper became funky dunky.

You really have a lot of freedom with what to stuff inside. Our recipe includes what we thought was tasty and authentic but you can certainly tweak it if you find an item that offends your t-buds.

Don't know how to fold your rolls? There are many different methods. I found this video helpful.

Alright, enough said, time for you to cook "outside your box" and try this fantastic meal. Well, technically it's an appetizer, but we like it so much we make it into DINNER!

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 NIV

ASIAN SPRING ROLLS

Prep time: 1 hour

Yields: 15-20 rolls

Rice Paper and Filling Ingredients

• 16 cm. Rice Paper. I used THESE, found at Walmart
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded cucumber, unpeeled
• 1 cup shredded radishes
• 3 large eggs, scrambled
• 1 1/2 cups chopped crab or crab sticks
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped
• fresh basil, cilantro or mint leaves
• 1/2 of an 8 oz. package of Rice Vermicelli Noodles, cooked and drained according to directions

Peanut Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
• 4 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
• 4 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 medium garlic clove, crushed
• 3/4 tsp. ground red pepper, more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp. sesame seed oil

Directions

1. Prepare all your filling ingredients and set them aside on an easy-to-grab-from plate or dish (see above photo)
2. Mix the peanut sauce ingredients with a whisk and refrigerate until ready to use (you can prepare this way in advance if you wish)
3. Grab a 9 inch pie plate and fill it with hot tap water. Place a rice paper into the water, covered, for 5 seconds. Pull it out and lay it on a clean, flat surface (if you lay it on wood, make sure to moisten the wood surface with water or oil first).
4. Immediately place a bit of each filling ingredient (about 1 tsp. or less) on one side of the rice paper. Once you have each item represented on your rice paper, begin folding it. Visit the YouTube video linked above to see how to do this.
5. Repeat this process for each Asian Spring Roll.
6. Serve your spring rolls whole or cut in half (at an angle). Warm up the sauce in a microwave and dip your spring rolls into the sauce. Delicious!