Random Things

I just finished reading The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure, which my mom loaned me.

I have been a big fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder since I was a little girl. I have read the entire series several times, and still enjoy reading them every now and then as an adult (I really like re-reading books). I have even envisioned my mom and I someday visiting The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri together someday. But my interest in Laura and her books pales in comparison to that of Wendy McClure! This book chronicles her adventures as she visits each one of Laura's homesites and attempts several Little House activities, such as churning butter, twisting hay sticks, grinding wheat in a coffee mill, etc. It was funny and I enjoyed it! But unless you love the book series, you won't be interested in this book. 

Its fall, my favorite season, and I have been making some of my favorite fall soup recipes (even though its still quite warm here in Texas). I don't think I've ever shared recipes on my blog! Here are a couple of my favorites:

Potato Soup (adapted from a weight watchers recipe):

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen cubed hash brown potatoes

1 packet of Pioneer white gravy mix

1 or 2 boxes of chicken broth (depending on the thickness you like)

salt and pepper

toppings (we like cheese and sometimes bacon)

Bring broth to a boil in a big pot. Add potatoes and simmer until they are tender and kind of falling apart. Add gravy mix and salt and pepper to taste. At this point I like to partially blend it with an immersion blender so that it still has some potato chunks. You can skip this or blend it completely. 

This recipe is always a BIG hit with my husband, and it is so easy and fast!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (from my friend Mary Catherine)

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken - skin removed and shredded

2 cans of cannelloni beans - rinsed and drained

1 jar of salsa verde - any kind

1 box of chicken broth

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

toppings - tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, or avocado - whatever you like

Combine chicken, beans, salsa, broth, and cumin and bring to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. That's it! Shredding the chicken is the most time consuming part. This soup is delicious leftover. 

Lastly, Chad and I went to the movies this weekend which we rarely get to do. We went to my FAVORITE theater: Movie Tavern on West 7th. We went to see Taken 2.

We really liked the original Taken, which is a really exciting thriller (but violent!). Taken 2 was good but not nearly as exciting. I enjoyed all the scenery in Istanbul, Turkey - a city I would like to visit someday.

I owe a BIG THANK YOU to our friends Clay and Jessica for babysitting at the last minute!!