the Sunday Special - Chicken Tortilla Soup

My mom started a tradition years ago when my sister and I still lived at home. Every year around Halloween, she made Chicken Tortilla Soup and my sister and I have both continued this tradition on our own. Over the years, I started adding more and more veges to mine, but this year I decided to be true to the original recipe.... measuring the ingredients and all :)


Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons oil
1 chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 can beef broth (14.5 oz)
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon steak sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked chicken chopped
Tortilla chips
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack
Paprika

Heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add all other ingredients except chips, cheese, and chicken. Simmer for one hour. Add chicken until hot. Layer crushed chips, cheese, soup and top with a little cheese and paprika.

4-6 servings



And before I run off to enjoy the rest of Halloween.... here are our costumes!

map + road

Theater Outfit

I'm off to the Crown UpTown tonight to see a Halloween play. Nick's Uncle is performing there for the first time. It's so fun to have a reason to "dress up".

Project Thursday - Halloweens Past

Today I'm going to find the materials I need to make my Halloween Costume. ok ok, I know it's almost last minute, but isn't that how everyone decides on a costume?

Just for fun, here are a few of my costumes from Halloweens Past.

yeah, ive got the look down

with the eyes


me and my cookie

see, i wasnt grouchy the whole night

in my can

this was the funnest costume to make. i already owned the belt and shoes (tho i did make/add yellow stars with rhinestones to the shoes).



this jacket was still wet (from spray paint) when i went to the party. it was seriously painted moments before we left the house. btw, im wearing a wig because my hair was dark then

eating a sandwich...in a hotel in Omaha, NE...about to represent Kansas at a national retreat
(i didnt make the dress. it was store bought in Omaha the day of the event)

this was actually just for fun one day. i just felt like lettin my dark side out. i didnt let it out of the house though :)

ok, time for some thrift shopping! Happy Halloween Weekend everyone!

Weekend in Arkansas

We spent the weekend in Arkansas visiting Nick's mom. Her boyfriend has horses and a four wheeler so we had fun playing with both. I hadn't been on a four wheeler since I was a kid. I had Nick take it easy so it was a fun, exciting ride (instead of a scary, tense ride). He was encouraging me to drive, but I declined. Of course, I didn't mind posing for a picture :)



We fed and petted the Horses. We didn't end up riding them because one of them was refusing to saddle up. That suited me just fine.




Saturday we drove to Mountain View, Arkansas.

We checked out the stores, had a catfish and hush puppy dinner and then enjoyed the different jam sessions. Some call it pickin' while other's call it a hoedown. Either way, it was a fun time listening to live music under the full moon in the beautiful fall weather.

We're headin' out today. We haven't decided yet, but we're thinking about staying in Oklahoma City tonight leaving only a short drive to Wichita tomorrow.


happy travels!

jessie b

hello strangers

I have been caught up with life lately and living without internet for the most part. As a friend of mine teasingly pointed out, I have been "squatting" in my own house for the last 3 weeks. It sure shows you (well, me) how much we really need in life. A plate, a cup, one set of silverware, a pan, an air mattress, a few outfits and travel-sized bathroom necessities.

I have been hard at work finding new renters for my house and checking off home projects. For fun, I have been riding my bike and garage saling (usually both at the same time) and the garage sales keep coming here in Kansas. The weather is so lovely that I want to linger awhile longer. The weather and the birth of a special little boy are the only things keeping me from heading back to Tahoe now, because I have renters!! Yay! On to the next project. Right? Right!

Wednesday, I will be officially homeless..... again. But that's a good thing really. The baby should be here any time now, but realistically probably the last weekend of the month or the first week of November. Nick is wanting to take a quick trip to Arkansas to visit his mama for a few days (probably start heading that way on Wednesday or Thursday). Next week, we'll come back to Wichita and enjoy time with friends and family and hopefully I'll be busy shipping off all my handmade goodies to their lucky new owners.

I am almost done taking all the product photos. Next, I need to figure out how I'm going to ship them safely and for the best deal. I'm a little concerned the shipping costs might detour buyers. details. details. On to more fun. I gave one of my rooms a much needed face lift and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. That post is coming soon! And outtakes from today's photo shoot would be fun to post too.

For now, pictures of my cute friends will have to suffice you.

the expecting parents... my good friends Gretchen and Dave
(taken at my favorite bar in Wichita, listening to one of my favorite bands of all time)

my rad friend Holly covered in silly string.

Wifi is a luxury these days. I have been driving all over to find it. Wow, there are so many places that have wifi now. I'm at one of the old trusty coffee shops now and hope the pumpkin spice latte turned 'decaf' coffee (you know, it gets cold before you drink it so I had them warm it up by adding a lil' coffee) doesn't keep me up. I'm not used to drinking coffee so it makes me jittery. Well, the wifi time is tickin away. tootles for now.

jessie b.

Featured Friend Friday

Last March, I met Trish Wild in San Francisco and fell in love with her story. Trish has been a nurse for many years, but her real passion is her horses. She decided to retire early and spend more time on the trail. I think she says it best.



"But always, my big dream was to ride long distance. To ride away with only what I could carry with me. To live simply in the open. To meet people and experience cultures along the way. But most especially, to live with my horses day in and day out. This has always been my dream.

So finally, the time has come. My three sons are now on their own, living their dreams and taking care of themselves. They make me proud. It's time for me to finally follow my dreams and make them reality.

I have decided that I will ride from my home in Colorado to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's a rather arbitrary choice. It's really all about living with my horses 24/7 and letting the wind blow us in the direction of the day. I want to head south, because I've spent time in Mexico, Central, and South America, and I love the culture, the people, and have always felt welcome there. These places are horse oriented, and have a long history of horsemanship and horse culture. I dream of who I will meet along the way and what adventures this lifestyle might bring. One day, I would like to ride into Buenos Aires, having ridden the 10,000 miles it takes to get there. I have set a departure date of 10/10/10, because it seems like a good date to leave. An auspicious date." (quotes taken from her first posting A Lifelong Dream)

I realized that 10/10/10 was fast approaching and decided to check on her status. She has been riding all over the United States and recording her adventures on her blog THE EQUINE NOMAD. I guess there has been some question of whether or not she will be allowed to cross the border into Mexico. She is still planning to do the trip, but has a little more planning to do to get over (or 'across') this hurdle.

So if you are into horses or just living the nomadic lifestyle...simple and carefree, have a looksy at her blog. Having met her in person and seen her passion for life and adventure, really makes me want to get out there and live mine.

Happy Friday! and Happy Trails to you! .... where ever you are headed.

Project Thursday

Project Thursday...well project Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... you get the picture. The big picture project is the house. Today's project is making over the 'bug room' (aka playroom, scrapbooking, crafty room). I'll show before and after pictures as soon as I'm done.

September Favorites

Ah, September. How I love thee. No hard feelings October, you're pretty nice too. But I love September. After seeing all the pictures I've taken in the last month that never got posted, I've decided to share them here collectively now so they don't get filed away and never shared at all.

September 2010 Favorites

a new yummy, healthy place.... Green Acres



garage saling goodness...





fun nights of PICTIONARY!!!


Some Lego 'art'



walking in the sunflowers with my nephew





bike rides in pretty neighborhoods...



discovering new favorite artists at Final Friday



and Thrifting!!