This is my new favorite recipe. I get so tired of beef tacos, and for some reason had never really made just plain chicken tacos at home. Well, consider me converted. Nowadays Clark is lucky if he gets beef, because these are awesome and so easy.

The great thing about this chicken, too, is you can use it for so many different things. In tacos, over black beans and rice, as fajita meat. When my dad was here we made fajitas at home (as well as when my friend Linden visited) and it was a huge success. So healthy, easy, and delicious.

Are you sold yet?


Ingredients:
Serves 2-6 people.

- 1-2 lbs of chicken
Note: Spices/taste will be stronger if you only use 1lb of chicken. I made it with 2.
- 1/2 C salsa
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- juice from one lime

Directions:

- Spray your crockpot with cooking spray and put your chicken in it.
- Pour your salsa, hot sauce, garlic, and spices over your chicken.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 2-3 in your crock pot. Shred your chicken before serving.

Yep. It's that easy.


Recipe adapted from designed by dawn nicole.

I pretty much let Clark dictate what's for dinner when he's home. By that I mean I give him certain choices of new and old, and he selects.

I was so glad when he picked this one.


Ingredients:

- 1.5 C salsa of your choice
- juice from one lime
- 1/8 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- homemade taco seasoning or half a package of prepared taco seasoning
*Note: I used the homemade recipe linked above, but did have about 1/3 of the seasoning left over.*

- 1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
- 1 lb chicken breasts


Directions:

- Spray your crockpot and place your chicken inside. Sprinkle your taco seasoning over the chicken breasts (turning them over to fully coat); store leftover seasoning if desired.
- Add all your other ingredients to the crock pot with the chicken. Cook on low for six hours or high for about 3.5.
- Serve with desired sides (we chose rice and beans and salad (not pictured)... yummy!).


So easy and SO good.

Recipe adapted from KeyIngredient.com.

Today I've asked one of my dearest and oldest friends to post and share her story. ShaCarol is trying to raise money to go to Belize to work with people who are deaf and hard of hearing. But, why read what I have to say, when ShaCarol herself has prepared something so wonderful for you?

Last spring, ShaCarol visited Gallaudet University—the world’s only University developed for deaf and hard of hearing people. Look closely… she's saying, “I LOVE YOU!”
Hi, everyone!

I’m ShaCarol. Emily, as usual, is being an amazing friend and sharing some space on her blog for my behalf. So I do hope I entertain you all with my ramblings and insight. Emily and I have been friends ever since the 8th grade, yeah, I think that’s right. I don’t quite remember exactly how we became friends, but then again, that’s how all of the best friendships start. Emily says it started with me telling her my name and her constantly forgetting it. Hm. Anyway…about eleven years later and we’re still Emizzle and ShaCizzle. Farther apart, but closer in heart. Hey, I just made that up. I’m pretty good at this writing thing.

Anyway, I thought before I get into the meat of this post, it would be helpful to really explain my background and connection with Emily.

Emily knows me really well. She knows how I often like to ‘play it safe.’ She knows how shy I am. She knows how I like to stay in my comfort zone and appreciate the familiar. And she knows when I do stick a foot out of my bubble—it’s a pretty big deal. The bubble I’ve wanted to pop lately is my inspiration to travel. I have never been out of the country and recently I’ve had an opportunity present itself to me. But of course, like most things, not without a price.

Let me rewind.

You see, I’m a graduate student. Last spring, one of my professors mentioned a trip she had taken and how she would really like to see me join in the next year as I may be able to help students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

“I’m a part of something bigger…” My school system’s deaf and hard of hearing staff and students made their mark on a collage to show their togetherness and support of the field of deaf education.
There I go again, jumping ahead of myself. Rewind. You see, I’m a teacher. To be specific, I teach students with hearing loss. Usually, right about now, I get a resounding, “Woah! You know sign language?” Yes, I do. However, in actuality, many of my students use listening and spoken language. You’d be here for days reading if I went in detail, but if you’re puzzled by what I’m saying, take a look at THIS. But this is kind of irrelevant….the point is I teach deaf kids and it’s a pretty awesome gig.

Alright, fast-forward.

Because of my background in deaf education, this professor of mine really encouraged me to join her group on their next trip. Her thoughts were that I may be able to provide some educational insights to this community where their deaf and hard of hearing children virtually have no language whatsoever.

What an amazing and rewarding opportunity, am I right?

I love and adore my students here in NC. But being able to work with students in a different country is just an experience I can’t pass up and that would inevitably benefit me as a teacher and my current students. I would be changing them. They would be changing me. It would be beautiful to experience that transaction. I’ve heard about the benefits of traveling and I can only imagine how tremendous time spent with these students could be, but I’ll never know until I leave my bubble.
This trip I have so ambiguously hinted at is to Belize. Yes, Central America. So, actually, not too far away. A 7 hour flight. It will be the 2nd week of March, the 10th-15th. The group that regularly goes is called 4 the World. 4 the World writes it best in on their website: “We collaborate with communities across the globe by empowering them to identify and solve their most pressing health and educational needs.”

At first I thought, there’s no way I can miss an entire week of work to do this. Nah. I’ll try and see if the leader can set something up over the summer (which would be a long shot).

In October, I even met up with the leader to get some more details about the program and what we would be doing. I expressed my hesitancy about missing work, but that little voice in the back of my head kept nudging me. It was my desperation to break out of the mold and seize the opportunity NOW instead of letting it pass by again…and again…and again. As Emily would say, “No day but today.”
All this to say, I’ve decided to step out of the bubble.

I’ve been trying to fundraise for this trip to Belize. However, I’ve realized I’m quite awful at talking up things. I have received a few donations so far, but not yet enough to commit to the trip.

This brings me to my personal request. For all of you that have been so kind to take the time to read, or skim, through this, please click the attached link and consider making a donation. If you can’t make a donation, that’s okay, I still love you.
There are other ways you can support my endeavor. You can forward this blog post to a friend or two…or ten. You can tweet out the attached link to your friends. You can say a prayer, or two, or ten that I am able to meet my goal. You can pray for my safety in traveling. You can pray for the wisdom and courage to lead these children and educate them. You could send me an e-mail with some uplifting words of encouragement to get me through this process.

I would like to reach my goal of $1350 by Jan 1st.

With your help, I am excited to seize the opportunity presented and step out of my bubble. With Emily’s help, I’ll be sure to post again and let you all know how my journey to the outside of the bubble goes.

Signing “CHEESE” and smiling for the camera at Hanging Rock State Park back in 2009!
Happy Holidays,
ShaCarol

Want to help my dearest friend with her goal? Follow this LINK, share it, and help her break out of her shell and help those in need in Belize.

I love making meals in my crockpot. Let's face it: it is SO easy. I just stick it in there and (usually) don't have to worry about it.

Clark said this is his new favorite. I had to create a human shield to the food to make sure we had some leftovers as I planned. So, be warned.


Ingredients:

- 1 lb. stew meat (or boneless beef chuck roast sliced into thin strips)
- 1 C beef broth
- 1/2 C low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 C brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp sauce (from the crockpot after dish is cooked)
Frozen broccoli florets (I used about 2 cups)
White, Jasmine, or Brown Rice, cooked (I used brown)

You can also make fried rice to go with it! Check out a recipe here.

Directions:

- In your crockpot, whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Gently place your beef on top of the liquid, then toss to coat.
- Turn the crockpot on low and cook for four to five hours, or high for two to three. This depends on your crockpot, so check on it near the end. Mine took about 2.5 hours.
- When it's done, in a small bowl, whisk together your cornstarch and 4 tbso if sauce to create a slurry. Pour into the crockpot and stir to mix well.
- Add your broccoli florets (after the slurry), and cook on low for another 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce and cook your broccoli.

Serve over rice. Prepare to be amazed.

This recipe was adapted from Table for Two Blog.

Want more oriental dishes? Check these recipes out!

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

[Baked] Sweet & Sour Chicken

[Easy] Mongolian Beef

I like to keep it simple when Clark's on the road. Let's face it: who wants to spend hours cooking a complicated meal, and then eat it alone? Not this girl. Of course I eat with Michael, but 90% of the time he won't eat what's on the menu. I'm hoping this changes in years to come. It will... right?


This is easy, delicious, and I felt like I was spoiling myself, so a total win. Michael tried a bite and didn't exactly approve, but he's not a meat person right now.

Ingredients:

- 6 chicken thighs without the bones (about 1.5 pounds)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (preferably low salt)
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/4 tsps cornstarch
- 2 1/4 tsps water
cooked rice

Directions:

- Place chicken in crockpot.
- Mix sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper in a bowl.
- Pour sauce over chicken into the crockpot.
- Cook on low for 2-4 hours (chicken should be soft, easy to separate).
- Take out chicken and place on serving dish (place dish in your microwave to keep warm, or at least cover it).
- Degrease fat from sauce with a flat spoon.
- Place sauce in another pot on your stove and bring to a boil.
- Mix cornstarch and water into the sauce. Stir until combined and sauce is thick.
- Place chicken on top of rice and pour sauce over.

Serve and enjoy!

This recipe was molded from Day Dream Kitchen.

God Bless those who have and continue to serve our country as well as their families whose jobs are just as tough. Don't forget to thank those you know for their service!

Michael and I have been struggling with sleep... again. While he seems to have a bedtime set(between 8 and 8:30 these days, he's been waking up between four and five determined to get up. I may be a morning person, but even four in the morning is ROUGH. I had success one morning in telling him we weren't getting up, and we slept until seven... but every other morning it's been by five am AT THE LATEST that we were out of bed. Needless to say I sometimes feel like I'm in a bit of a daze.

Easy dinners are my favorite. When using my crock pot I do have to plan ahead, but I love letting things cook all day and not having to really worry about them. When Mrs. Healthy Ever After posted this recipe, I immediately added it to my to-try-list, and boy am I glad.


It's the best. thing. ever.

AND MICHAEL EVEN ATE THE TURKEY!

Enough said... if you love Thanksgiving food, then you'll love this recipe.

Ingredients:

- 1 box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (sans seasoning)/ 3/4 C wild rice
- 1/2 to 1 small butternut squash, cut into cubes (I used half because I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the flavor)
- 1 to 2 lbs turkey tenderloin (I just used 1)
- 1 onion (I used white), cut as you like
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 C chicken stock, low sodium
- 1/4 C dried cranberries
- 2-3 C chopped kale

Directions:

- Put your rice in the crock pot. Top it with your squash, onion, and turkey. Sprinkle with your seasonings (thyme, salt, pepper).
- Pour your chicken stock over it all. Cook on high for three hours or low for six hours, this also depends on how much turkey you use.
- Add your cranberries and kale in the last hour of cooking.


Ready... set... DEVOUR.

Original recipe found at The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.

I. Love. This. Recipe.

When Clark was gone for round one of his new job, I lived off of it for a good week. Seriously. Serving it over rice, or in a wrap, or just the bean mixture without the chicken (note the vegetarian label)... it's just delicious. And SO easy!

Have I mentioned how much I love my crock pot lately?

Well, I do. I LOVE MY CROCK POT.

OK... on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 14 oz (I think) can diced tomatoes with chiles
- 15 oz can black beans
- 1/2 to a whole 15 oz can of corn
- 1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 C chicken broth/ water with chicken bouillon (or vegetable if you're making this a vegetarian/vegan meal... without the chicken, of course)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin (minimize if you don't want so much spice)
- 1/4 to 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you wish)
- salt to taste
- 3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

- Combine your tomatoes, beans, corn, cilantro, chicken broth, garlic, and spices in the crock pot. Mix it up nicely.

- Lightly salt your chicken and lay it on top.
- Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. Somewhere in there, turn the chicken over so it cooks more evenly.
Can you see the chicken?

- 30 minutes or so before serving, shred the chicken. Stir it into the mix so it's well combined.
- Top with scallions (not pictured) and serve however you wish! Shredded cheese goes great with this as well.





Want some other crock pot recipes? Check these out!!

Spicy-Sweet Crock Pot Barbecue

Beef Tips

Kansas-Style BBQ




Adapted from the fabulous SkinnyTaste.com.

Hello! My older sister (over at Standpipe & Sprinkles) was gracious enough to send me a temporary camera. Obviously that means I'm finally back on blogging schedule. So sorry that I went missing for a little while.

The good news is a lieutenant from our local police department drove over today to let us know that they caught the person who was stealing in our area! Now we just need prayers that our camera can be recovered.

This recipe is super easy, incredibly delicious... and did I mention easy? I am IN LOVE with my crock pot. Seriously. Especially when the hubs isn't around to help, it makes it so much easier to throw ingredients in the crock pot and let it work the magic so I have an easy-to-retrieve-dinner that won't create super fuss and panic in our house at "that time of day".

Ingredients:

- 1 lb stew beef
- 1/2 C cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 C Sprite zero
- 1/2 onion, quartered
- 1 package of dry onion soup (I used Lipton)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

- Put everything in your crockpot. (Doesn't THAT look appetizing?)

- Cook on low for six hours, or high for about 3 to 4. Check on it half way through to give it a good stir and make sure nothing's overcooking or anything like that.

- Serve warm with some yummy sides!

Yep... that's it. What did I tell you? Super easy.

My husband said he imagined it was something like Julia Child would make (this is his way of paying me a compliment that he thinks I'll receive extraordinarily well... and it works). He did request that next time he thinks it would taste extra delicious served over mashed potatoes or something. I'm not sure that's Julia Child's style... but we'll go with it.

Inspiration for this recipe came from: LaaLoosh.com.

Want some more crock pot recipes? Check these out!
Kansas-Style BBQ

Baked Potato Soup

Spicy-Sweet Crock Pot Barbecue

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup