Colombian Ajiaco Soup

Colombian Ajiaco Soup

(simplified Americanized version
of Bogota chicken & potato soup)

Hi! Remember me? I know! I really didn't fall off the planet.

We just recently returned from an 11 day trip to Bogota,
Colombia. By the time our trip had ended, things were already
going haywire due to the Corona virus sweeping the planet.
Thanks everyone for not saving us any toilet paper!
Truthfully, I was scared to death that we wouldn't
be able to fly home. Some countries in
South America were closing their borders
and I knew Colombia at some point would follow.
I was even afraid after we got in the air they would
turn the plane around and make us go back.
Hey, I loved Bogota, but I was getting mighty homesick.
If we could just get to Ft. Lauderdale I knew we could get
the rest of the way to Arizona one way or another.
Well, things weren't quite as exciting as I had feared.
We got back to Arizona without a hitch and I was immediately
itching to make this soup!
While in Bogota, this recipe was served to us twice and
I ordered it one more time in a restaurant.
I just couldn't get enough of it.
I love it's beauty, it's simplicity, and the special flavor of the guascas,
which I had never tasted or heard of before.
The closest thing I can compare the flavor to is artichokes.
It's a special plant that grows around Bogota,
hence this is also sometimes called Bogota soup.
Apparently it grows in the US in a couple of places too.
You can make my Americanized version start to finish in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

5 medium russet potatoes

5 small red potatoes

2 TB chicken bouillon powder

2 cans chicken (Costco)

1 can corn, drained

2 TB dried guascas (Amazon link)

Toppings/Sides:

Cooked white rice

Avocados

½ cup sour cream

3 TB drained capers (Amazon link)

Directions:

Cut the potatoes into small’ish chunks and put into soup pot.  Cover with water just barely above the potato line. Cook until potatoes are soft, but NOT MUSHY.  Use a potato masher to partially mash the potatoes right in the water. You still want chunks of potatoes, but enough of them mashed that it thickens the soup.

Add the remaining soup ingredients and let simmer a few minutes until guascas is rehydrated.

Serve with sides.  

In Colombia they don’t use canned ingredients, it’s all fresh, and the corn is actually cooked in the soup on the cob.  It’s really pretty, but I’m not really a corn still on the cob kind of girl, so I used canned. They cook their chicken from scratch and sometimes even serve that shredded on the side.  Also, in Colombia you do not put your rice and avocados into your soup, you eat them separately as sides. So if you want to be authentic, do that. But I sorta like to just throw it all in there and enjoy it together.  I feel guilty even saying that, cuz tradition is tradition and I’m just raking this over the coals. The Colombian people are the most gracious giving people I’ve ever met and I hate to downplay tradition, but my laziness is winning on this one.  Bottom line...I like recipes that are easy and fast!  And most importantly, it tasted exactly the same!

                Chow Chao!

Cranberry Snow - A Beautiful Holiday Treat!

CRANBERRY SNOW

A friend shared this with me several years ago 

when a group of us were swapping favorite holiday recipes.  

I wasn't too sure if I'd like it, 

but she swore it was amazing.  

She was right!

It was an instant hit with my family!!

It's like 'healthy' candy that you just pop into your mouth.  

One after the other.....

again and again and again!

It's better made the night before serving 

so it has time to air dry thoroughly.  

Ingredients:
1 regular size bag of fresh cranberries (2 lbs)

Sugar
1 egg white
Gallon size Ziploc bag

Directions:
Add one teaspoon of water to the egg white and beat by hand with a fork in a small bowl.

Put 1/2 of the cranberries in the Ziploc bag.  Add only half of the egg white mixture to the cranberries, zip shut and thoroughly coat the cranberries until they're all shiny.

Add 1 - 2 cups of sugar to the shiny cranberries, zip shut and gently toss them until as much sugar as possible sticks to the cranberries.

Spread out on a large waxed paper covered cookie sheet and allow to air dry completely (preferably overnight).

You're gonna love 'em, so go ahead and make the other half of the cranberries and the rest of your egg white mixture while you're at it!

This is an amazing addition to any holiday relish tray or great by itself!

I'd recommend only making as much as you think 

you'll consume in a 24-48 hour period.  

It's best at room temperature and the cranberries 

will get mushy if left out for more than a couple of days.  

That's usually not a problem for us cuz 

we scarf them down pretty quickly. 

Enjoy and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Relief Society Birthday Party Picnic - The Ants Go Marching...

Celebrating the 174th anniversary of the 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' Relief Society organization

with a picnic themed birthday party!

Mason jar flower vases with a junque bow and a string of buttons

Favorite Chicken Salad on Croissants

A few friends have asked me lately for my chicken salad recipe. Since I never really had it written down, this has forced me to be more specific with what's in it. It changes based on what I have on hand, but these are basically the ingredients I use. 

Costco canned chicken

Canned pineapple tidbits

Chopped red onion

Mayo

Plus any other delish dressing you have (ranch, Asian, whatever)

Bottled cole slaw dressing is really really good too

Coursely chopped cashews

Thinly sliced celery

Halved grapes
Frozen peas

Salt and pepper

That's pretty much it. :)

                                   

As you can see, last time I made it I made a LOT!  My family (especially Maddie) loves chicken salad croissant sandwiches big time, so they (her) were very happy that I had extra to bring home. ;)

Frozen Hot Chocolate

It's just so hot here right now.  

Most of the year I love Arizona, but August....well, not so much.   

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

The very first time my husband and I went to Mexico together
was while we were dating and it was amazing! 

It was partly amazing due to my discovering 

MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL!

One particular evening I wasn't in the mood for heavy tacos, 

and honestly, I'm not even really a fan of regular shrimp cocktail,

but that night I must have seen it at someone else's table

and decided to give it a try.

From then on, I always looked forward to our trips so that I could order more!

After we'd been married a couple of years, there was a new Mexican restaurant that opened up near our home that advertised the same Mexican shrimp cocktail that I thought I could only get in Mexico.  Unfortunately that restaurant only stayed open a short time.  :(

I finally decided to do some research for a recipe 

(because I wanted it for my whole family),

and after a bit of tweaking to make it my own, 

this is what I have come up with.

It's a family favorite!

The best part is, it's very healthy and totally guilt free!

Eat all you want, my friends!

It won't make you fat!!!

Mango Marshmallow Poke Cake

Best Tomato Dip, Salsa and Guacamole

By request 

here are the recipes for the three dips we served on Super Bowl Sunday, 

as seen on my Instagram and Facebook feeds.

Banana Pineapple Nut Bread

Cuz let's face it, sometimes you just don't have enough rotten bananas!

Super Yum!

Banana Pineapple Nut Bread

makes 2 large loaves

Ingredients:

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 whole can pineapple chunks, blended until smooth & frothy

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

6 Tbs oil

1+ tsp vanilla (cuz I like a lot)

6 eggs

5 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1+ cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional, but I like a lot of these too!)

Let's Talk About Food Storage

My smart and savvy friend, Ann, asked me if I'd help her do a presentation on food storage.

I just so happen to know a thing or two about food storage, and it's always good to learn more.

In the process of updating our knowledge, Ann suggested I share our info here.

"We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being." 
Julie B. Beck

Where to start??

There's SO much info out there, I'll just give you a summary of the best links we've found, and you can go right to the source and get just the info you want!



I love this no-nonsense video that gets right to the point of why and how to have food storage, and where you can hide it in your house!
QUICK FOOD STORAGE VIDEO

BRILLIANT way to hide and rotate your cans!
YouTube Video...hide your food storage

12 Unusual Whole Wheat Recipes From The Vault

I have been collecting wheat recipes for a gazillion years!  I used to make these recipes on a regular basis and rotated my wheat storage like a boss!  I've gotten lazy and don't rotate my food storage like I used to.  I'm reviving these recipes from the vault in an effort to eat more healthy, rotate my food storage, and to save money!

Normally you would just buy a bag of wheat flour in the grocery store and maybe bake with it or make pancakes.  These recipes have nothing to do with store-bought flour.  Here I'm talkin' you own a wheat grinder and at least a 50 lb bag of wheat!  This is for the hardcore food storage girls!  ;)

Wheat in it's different forms:

Wheat flour

Via

Whole kernels

Via

Cracked kernels

Via

To 'crack' a kernel you will need to process a whole kernel through your wheat grinder.  Not all wheat grinders can do this (check your settings).  All you want to do is barely scrape the edge of the kernel enough to break open the hard outer shell, thus allowing more water inside of the kernel when you cook it.  Hey, just found this video for you on how you can crack your kernels in a regular food processor.

To soften the whole wheat kernels or the cracked kernels, put in medium saucepan and cover 1" above with water.  Cook over medium heat for at least 20 minutes, making sure there is always plenty of water.  After the kernels are soft, rinse off in a strainer.  These softened kernels can be used in different ways.

CRACKED WHEAT SEAFOOD SALAD
(I made this one as a sample at a food storage presentation and it was a huge hit!)
 1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup catsup
1 diced tomato
2 cups cooked cracked wheat
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can drained tuna
Mix.  Serve on tomatoes or with chips.  Also good as a side dish salad.

Hot Link and Chicken Gumbo

This has been one of our very favorite recipes for M.A.N.Y.  Y.E.A.R.S!

It's a hearty soup that will warm and fill your tummy!

It has been so warm and beautiful here in Arizona, it hasn't really felt like soup weather,

buuuuuuut, I'm always greeted with such big grins from my family when they see that this is what's cookin!

It's super flavorful plus a quick and easy dinner.

Prep Time:  10 minutes

RECIPE:

4 cups water

4 bouillon cubes

1/2 lb hot links or Polish sausage, cooked and sliced (the hot links from Costco are fantastic!)

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice (save time by throwing in a cup of uncooked rice and extra water, if needed)

1 bottle Classico spaghetti sauce (Costco)

2 cups cooked diced chicken (or 1 can cooked chicken from Costco to save even more time)

1 can drained corn

1 green bell pepper, diced

I just throw it all in together and let simmer for 10 minutes.  All the flavor comes from the hot links and it's got just a little bit of a kick to it (not too much though).  Seriously, you will LOVE this soup!

FYI:  I always double it!  It's great leftover too!!!

Fresh Pumpkin Puree Made With Your Microwave!

Thanks to my really good friend Suzi, I've been inspired to cook and freeze my pumpkins instead of pitching them in the trash, like I usually do.

I've cooked them a couple of times before, but it's been many many years

AND

Suzi has a way of doing it that I've never heard of before.

She cooks 'em in the microwave, instead of hassling with a big pot of boiling water.

I hate big pots of boiling water!

I had 6 of these darling little pumpkins

(that I got for free from my HOA after their pumpkin patch event).

Break the stems off (save the stems for another great project I'll show you later).

Cut the pumpkins in half.

Scoop out and save those beautiful, delicious seeds to roast.

Soak 'em in water.

This will make 'destringing' them much easier later.

You can't tell, but this bowl is also full of water.

Can you believe how many seeds I was able to get out of those pumpkins?

*happy dance*

Up until now, this is how I've always seen it done.

But here comes the 'new' part...... 

Annual Holiday Open House

It's only the very beginnings of October and
 I've ALREADY HAD MY HOLIDAY PARTY!
Now I can just enjoy the rest of the holidays and be totally relaxed, right?

Yeah, right.  ;)



Meet my beautiful vendors!
Carol from Thirty-One Bags
Jen makes her own jewelry
Meaghan from Tastefully Simple
Andrea from Scentsy, Grace Adele AND Velata
Bethany and Brittany from Jamberry

The party was great!
I had wonderful vendors who worked hard,
the food was delicious,
(much of which was from Tastefully Simple),
and the turnout of friends was even better than last year!
My house was buzzing with ladies having fun shopping, eating and visiting with one another.
I love when I see my friends make new friends with my other friends!!!


The table looks similar to last year, but believe me, the recipes were different.
Next year I may need a new tablecloth just to mix things up!  lol
You can find a few of the recipes from last year's blog post
and yeah, pretty much the rest was provided by Tastefully Simple!

Sooooo here's what happened........

Chocolate Mousse from an Irishman

Girls, you know those times when you NEED chocolate, like, BADLY?!

Well I'm hookin' you up with something super chocolaty that will make you smile!

And it's easy!

Creamy Alfredo with Grilled Chicken and Hot Links

No really, I'm not a food blog.  

Lately it's been all recipes, 

but I promise there's so much more to come

...just give me a minute to recover from the crazy month of June 

that was filled with out-of-town family and trips.  :)

If you like rich, creamy, cheesy, and probably bad-for-you creations, this recipe is for you!  

A family favorite!

Creamy Alfredo with Grilled Chicken and Hot Links

Sauce:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup minced shallots (approx 5 large shallots)
1 qt heavy cream
2 cups light cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Other:
5 handfuls of egg noodles, cooked as per package directions
5 large grilled chicken breasts
4 grilled hot links (I get mine in a big package at Costco...they are also wonderful in Chicken Gumbo)

Saute the shallots in the butter for a couple of minutes, until transparent.
Add the creams, salt and nutmeg.
Cook over medium-high, stirring often, until cream thickens.
Add grated cheese just prior to serving.

I think you could put this sauce on pretty much anything and it would be delish!  

We mainly love it like it's served in the photo......

over egg noodles and topped with grilled chicken and grilled hot links.  

Oh. My. Yum!

Enjoy!!!

Easy As {Buttermilk} Pie

This is my family's very favorite pie.

We are the only people I know who make it.

Corned Beef Chicken

Here's a simple, but super flavorful baked chicken recipe.

I hadn't made this recipe in years, which means that

 Cowboy and my younger kids hadn't had the chance to enjoy it.

The recipe has been in my head all this time.

Yeah, it's that easy!

Best Sugar Cookie Of Your Life!

No, really, you will LOVE this cookie!

Many many years ago, when I was a young woman living in Utah, a local bakery Granny B's sold

this same type of cookie fresh daily at the gas station checkouts.

You just grabbed your cookie right out of a 9x13 pans sitting on the counter, 

not individually wrapped.

Yeah, super sanitary, right?

But they were SOOOOO good, no one cared about the germs.

A big pink cookie and a HUGE Diet Coke and I was set on breakfast!

What To Do With All Those Hard-Boiled Easter Eggs

If you're like me, you have a huge bowl of boiled eggs left from Easter sitting in your fridge.

Are you thinking, "What am I going to do with these?"

Don't throw them out or let them go to waste, cuz there are a few good things you can do with them!