Author: Lois Houston

I'm a sweet tea drinkin' southern gal who loves to cook, bake, crochet, and read. Check out my blog for posts about parenting, faith, books, crafts, planning, baking, cooking, and life in general.

On a Saturday morning

Outside my window… the birds are wondering why there is no seed in their feeders. I’m sorry, little birds, I’ll get some today.

I am thinking… about all the things happening in Japan and praying for all of the people affected by this disaster.

I am thankful… for my house, my family, my health, and my blessings.

From the kitchen… cake baking and food prep for a get-together tonight.

I am wearing… my uniform-of-choice: PJs

I am creating… uh, nothing right now. Not feeling creative at the moment – hope to find that creative mojo again soon.

I am going… to the grocery later this morning and hoping to sneak in a pedicure and maybe a Starbucks.image

I am reading… The Informationist 

I am hoping…that my Big Girl has a better day today.

I am hearing… Little Bit and her daddy as they talk about their artwork they are creating.

Around the house… things are neat and tidy (for a change)

One of my favorite things… my daily cup of tea (or CUPS, I should say)

A few plans for the rest of the week… my weekly Cup of Joy bible study, a baby shower for a dear friend

Join us at The Simple Woman’s Daybook and write your own entry.

There are no words

I'm sitting here this morning watching the news coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan – simply speechless at the thought of the devastation and destruction that has occurred there… and just after seeing similar images not that long ago in Christchurch with the earthquake that happened there.

I am just overwhelmed with sadness for the people and my heart goes out to all the mothers who are wondering if their babies (young or old) are OK – all the fathers doing the same – and all of those people elsewhere in the world preparing for the aftershocks that will be coming.

All I can do at this point is say a prayer – and remember that everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know (or never know) the reason.

a History lesson

It is always so fun to see life from the perspective of my children’s world… to see how they interpret things they experience and things they are told.

Little Bit (who isn’t so little anymore and may need a new name soon) has been learning about our forefathers in honor of the recent President’s Day celebrations. She brought home her “report” to share with me.

It is absolutely adorable on so many levels.

History LessonIt reads:

“Harriet  Tubman was a slave and was forced to sweep and clean.
George Washington went down in history (continued on the back)
and was very tall.  Benjamin Franklin was reading all day.”

I love her phonetic spelling.

I love reading what she learned about these historical figures.
(interesting perspective, isn’t it?)

I love the summary at the top (“All Good”)

I love all of it.

It makes me smile. 

🙂

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I promised this recipe on Monday, so here you go.What's cookin

It’s my version of a Southern Living Magazine recipe from an ancient issue.

I’ve made it my own with variations and adjustments to suit my family.

We love it.  

Most recently, I made it in the crock pot – everything was frozen, except for the beans and tomatoes, so I just dropped it all in and hit the start button and set the timer for 8 hours. 

When it was dinnertime, I chopped some fresh cilantro and baked some crescent rolls (recipe also below) with a little Southwestern flair.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans (32 oz) chicken broth (or one big box of broth)
1 can kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 can Tomatoes with Chiles
3-4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

  1. Sauté onion & bell pepper in oil in a small skillet.
  2. In crock pot (or large stock pot), add onions, peppers, and remaining ingredients (except cilantro).
  3. If you are using crock pot, set to “Low” and cook for 5-6 hours.
    If you are cooking on the stove, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes.
  4. When serving, top each bowl with fresh cilantro.

 

And here is the bread recipe.

Southwestern Knots

2 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls or breadsticks

  1. Mix butter, chili powder & cumin.
  2. Unroll breadsticks & place on cookie sheet.
  3. Brush with butter blend
  4. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

*You can make these “Italian” for other soups/stews by substituting the chili/cumin with Italian seasoning & parmesan cheese.

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Strawberry Cheesecake that is Good for You?

I know, sounds crazy doesn’t it?

Well, it isn’t!

As long as you’re willing to be creative with your definition of “strawberry cheesecake” that is…

I have a smoothie I make that tastes JUST LIKE a cheesecake with strawberries.

Yum.

And it’s GOOD FOR ME!

“Winning!” (sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie

8-10 oz milk
1 scoop strawberry protein powder (you could use vanilla, too)
1 Tbsp Cheesecake pudding mix (I use the sugar-free variety)
1 Tbps Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (like the coffee syrups)
1-2 packets of Splenda (or your SF sweetener of choice)
1 cup frozen strawberries

Mix in blender & enjoy!!

 

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(not) Menu Plan Monday ~ 7 March

I have a confession to make.

I have no menu plan today. Well, not much of one anyway.

I have spent the entire weekend playing and shopping and generally goofing off with the family.

And it was marvelous.

So, whatever shall I do?

I’ll do what we all do.

I’ll make it up as I go along.

I do have to go to the grocery store today, so I’ll see what is on sale and that will help drive my cooking decisions.

But, this leads me to a question for you – (and this only works if you de-lurk and comment!)

What meals are your go-to meals when you don’t have dinner planned and need something quick?

What are sure-fire hits with your family for which you keep the ingredients handy all the time?

Let me know!mealplanmonday_v2

And, here’s what I have planed so far:

  • Chicken Tortilla Soup – made with some leftover chicken/broth that I had in the freezer (recipe later this week)
  • This cake for dessert.

Beyond that? I’m not sure yet. But I have tonight covered.

Living with a pre-teen

One of the ongoing battles I'm having with my Big Girl these days revolves around getting her to put her clothes away – she can't be bothered with taking the time to put them away and then gets frustrated because she can't find anything when it's time to get dressed for school. (or dance, or whatever)

My mom saved this cartoon for me – and it is so appropriate for the current situation:

Rhymes_with_Orange.20110225_large

Can you relate?

🙂

The merger

We have a local (statewide) lottery – which is supposed to fund higher education scholarships.  They advertise pretty heavily and I am in love with the current commercial.

These kids are just so stinkin’ cute.

“We can open channels to Eu-rope, A-sia, and even South America.”

Love it.