Super-Easy No-Lettuce Salad

Yum!

This is what is for dinner tonight. Along with some chicken and broccoli. I love a good salad, as much as anyone else, but I find myself getting sick of lettuce sometimes. I will even go so far as to methodically pick everything out of my salad and leave the lettuce. I think it's because the lettuce is the common denominator in every salad, and I tend to get bored with it after a while. This salad is one of my solutions to lettuce boredom. It is delicious too, and super healthy. 

What you need:

1 green pepper, diced

4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, cut into slivers

4 or 5 red, orange, or yellow small peppers, sliced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

salt/pepper to taste

What you do:

Chop the veggies and mix together in a bowl. Mix the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small dish until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix again. Then put it in the fridge for a few hours until you are ready to eat. This step is really important, because the flavor gets considerably better as the time goes by. This makes a great side dish for any dinner, plus it is super pretty. I always make it in a glass bowl, because I like the way it looks. 

Coffee shop crazies

Currently I am sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a delicious cup of coffee and people watching. And let me tell you, there are some crazies up in here! Now the coffee is nothing special but the environment is nice enough to get some papers graded.

However I have experienced enough people watching to make myself feel a lot more normal. Allow me to illustrate. The man in the chair next to me sounds like the kid in a wheelchair from Malcolm in the Middle. And he's not shy about joining your conversation. Or about watching videos with the sound on and laughing. Hysterically. Loud hysterical giggles.

Then there's a lady who has a bad back. You might wonder how I know that. That's because she told me. She told the barista. She told Giggles. She even took Giggles's seat because it was softer. But don't worry, he's used to sitting in hard chairs. After all, he has been sitting in one for 12 years. Must be rough.

Then there's recently divorced guy. Again I know this because he told me. I know his kids aren't too happy and that he is trying to begin dating. Between you and me though, I know why he's divorced. After I got settled and started grading he came over and started talking about an article in the New York Times. The article is about a how our bodies are keeping us fat. Apparently if our bodies get used to a certain weight, then if we lose weight our bodies will fight us to get back to that weight. Who says that to a stranger?

Then there's motorcycle man. His helmet is on my table and when he sat down RIGHT NEXT TO ME, he opened with the very cool opening line of,"I'm nosy...what are you reading?" Now he and divorced guy are talking about knives. Perhaps they are southern mobsters.

Then there have been 2 police officers. One of them shook my hand and the other one talked with motorcycle man about knives.

Now this might be a normal day at any given coffee shop but what I am finding it hard to believe that these are the ONLY people who have come in here this afternoon. I am tempted to come back every day to see if this trend continues.

I guess the one thing that I have learned is that I am not the weirdest person in my little town. That's something, I guess.

Christmas Reflections

• This year, my husband I and I spent our 3rd Christmas as a married couple. I can hardly believe it. It doesn't seem like it has been that long, but it has, I checked:) My husband loves Christmas. He LOVES it. He loves giving gifts, decorating, celebrating. He loves everything about it. He is a very thoughtful gift-giver and gets so much joy from giving a great gift. He spoils me. This year, he got me some amazing gifts that I am incredibly thankful for. 
• I was sick on Christmas this year. I don't know who gave me the cooties, but I did not ask for them! Seriously, it was on my list of things I specifically did not want for Christmas. I spent all of Christmas Eve coughing and was so stuffy I couldn't taste Christmas dinner. The food looked amazing though. 
• I am excited to get all of the Christmas stuff put away. I feel disheveled when the decorations are out and the furniture is in a different spot to accommodate the tree. I don't like change, so it will be good to have things back to normal. I am even going to put the mistletoe away this year. It has been hanging in our doorway since last Christmas. 
• We have spent a lot of good quality family time with my inlaws. They are so good to me. God knew what I needed when he gave them to me. I secretly believe that I am their favorite, but that is probably because I took my husband off their hands. 
• I am loving my time off from work. Being a teacher certainly has it's perks, and vacation time is the best. Of course, I still have some work to do, but at least I don't have to teach all day. My time off has given me some much needed me-time. Time to be lazy. Time to read. Time to drink a cup of coffee. Time to be a better wife to my husband. And the best part is that I still have a week left! 
• This year I tried not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. I didn't over-commit myself to lots of parties, too much shopping, or too many self-made deadlines. It really made Christmas enjoyable for me. My husband and I worked hard to plan ahead and shop early for Christmas. The only real shopping we did in the month of December was online shopping and that made for a really happy me. Nothing can steal my holiday spirit like a trip to Wal-mart a few days before Christmas. 
• Now I am looking forward to the new year. I like getting a fresh start. I like to make goals for myself and trying to follow them. I have already begun on my list of resolutions. I don't believe that making a resolution will make me follow it or make me a better person, but it is a good time of goal-setting. Simple goals like flossing my teeth every day, drinking more water, being a better friend, establishing a plan for world peace, solving the U.S. debt crisis, eliminating skinny jeans from the world, formulating a way to keep bad things from happening to good people. You know, the usual. 

I pray you and yours had a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! 

Fear not

Have you ever given much thought to the phrase "fear not"? Recently, I have thought about this over and over. While I was teaching the Christmas story to my students this year, I was drawn to the verse where the angels told the shepherds to fear not. Obviously, it was not a normal evening for the shepherds in the field when the angels appeared and announced Jesus's birth. I am sure that the shepherds were afraid and the words "fear not" were of comfort to them that evening.

When things don't happen as planned or expected, fear usually appears. I am not usually one to divulge weaknesses about myself, but fear is a very real thing that I deal with continually. Whether it is something silly, like coming in an empty house while it is dark or checking the bathtub for lizards, I am a big wuss. I have fears that don't even make sense, like a fear of falling and breaking my elbows, or a fear of having my armpits touched. Then I have bigger fears. Getting up in the middle of the night, staying home alone all night, speaking in public, failing. This list could go on and on. I even have unspeakable fears. Fears that I am so afraid of that I can't even speak them aloud, for fear that saying them would make them come true.

I don't want to live my life crippled with fears that keep me from doing all of the things I want to do in my life. So, as I prepare to get my New Year's Resolutions ready, this one tops my list. I am going to face fears this next year. Now I am not going to let people touch my armpits or fall down on purpose to see if my elbows don't break, but I am going to do some things that I have let fear keep me from. So stay tuned, I have some big things to face, and it is my goal to not let fear keep me from doing them all.

Bah Humbug!

I have been accused recently of being a Scrooge, and I can't say that I completely disagree with that title. This year I am having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit. We have our shopping finished. Our tree is up. There are decorations everywhere, but somewhere between watching people stuff cart-fulls of presents into their already full SUVs and hearing tales of people's homes being robbed and having packages stolen from their front porch, I have lost some of the joy of the season.

If you know much about me, you know that Christmas was never a big deal for me growing up. We were poor and we didn't have much at all, so the holiday was never something to get too excited over. We did always read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas morning, and I do love that tradition. Now that I am married to a man who gets as excited about Christmas as Santa himself, I try to enjoy the season as much as possible. I don't need a million presents to make me feel special, but I do love a gift that shows that someone really knows me. My husband is the King of Gift Giving. He is incredibly thoughtful and is an amazing gift giver. He makes Christmas really special.

So now it is my responsibility to get myself out of this Scrooge-like state.  I am going to buckle down, focus on the reason for this festive season, and try my hardest to get in the Christmas spirit! On tonight's agenda, gift wrapping. Complete with hot chocolate and a Christmas movie. Perhaps that will do the trick!

Souper new soup recipe!

Tonight we enjoyed a new soup. It was far better than I thought it would be, and I am pretty sure it will make it into the fall/winter soup rotation. Oh, and it was a crock pot recipe, which makes it even better!

We shall call it creamy chicken enchilada soup. 

What you need:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 big yellow onion
1 green pepper
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn
1 can of enchilada sauce (we used medium heat, I highly recommend it)
1 can of Rotel (just the regular one, tomatoes and chilies)
2 cups of milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
Any kind of shredded cheese
A huge amount of cilantro, for garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste

What you do:

Dump the beans, corn, and Rotel, chopped onions and chopped green pepper into crock pot. Give it a little stir. Lay the raw chicken breasts on top of this glorious pile of goodness. Pour 1/2 cup of the chicken broth over the chicken.  Then in a sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for about a minute, then add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and whisk until it is smooth. Let it begin to bubble and then take if off the heat. Slowly add the rest of the milk and the can of enchilada sauce. Once it is well whisked, add it all to the crock pot. Cook it on low for 6-8 hours. After it has cooked, take out the chicken and chop it into teeny pieces and then toss it back in with all the other stuff. I cooked it for about another 45 minutes and the smell was so amazing, we had to eat it!

We topped it with a bit of monterrey jack cheese and loads of cilantro. My husband put some sour cream in his. It was a hit! I highly recommend it. I love a good soup, especially when it is cold outside.

Mmmm! Mmmm!

I was ready to eat, but my husband demanded that I make some cheddar biscuits to go with it. I can't lie, they  were so good. Perhaps I will share this recipe one day:-)

Yum, yum! This was a great meal. A perfect meal for a chilly, cloudy Saturday in.

A month of updates

I cannot believe it has been almost a month since I have updated my blog. This has probably been the busiest month of my life. School is a flurry of activity, my husband and I have both had birthdays, we took a trip, I took a trip, and most importantly, I haven't had a Sunday afternoon nap all month! That is probably the best indicator of a busy month! So, here is a quick recap for those of you who are dying to get caught up on my amazing life (insert appropriate sarcasm here).

• My Birthday Bonanza--my birthday was on the 8th, which just so happened to be the time that the 9 weeks at school ended and the day before our teacher's conference in Pensacola, needless to say, it was a difficult time to have a birthday. But, my AMAZING husband surprised me with tickets to see Wicked in Atlanta on my birthday! I have been dying to see it, but every time I have tried, I couldn't for various reasons. It was just as perfect as I knew it would be. The theater in Atlanta is incredible and the show was the perfect birthday present. We spent the night in Atlanta that evening and raced back the next morning. 

The spectacular Fox Theater in Atlanta

• Quick trip to Pensacola--The moment we got back in town from the birthday trip, I had to change clothes, pack a bag and head to our teacher's conference/convention in Pensacola. We left on Sunday and got back Tuesday evening. It was a good trip. I got some good ideas to use in my classroom and I found some awesome things in their teacher supply store. Unfortunately, when I got back, I realized that I did not have my keys. No car. No way of getting in my house. No spare. Thankfully, my mother-in-law rescued me. 
• Grading, grading, grading--This year has been killer with all of the grading I have. I have a large class. I have great students. I have a TON of grading though. I think I have spent more time grading so far this year than I have in the last 2 years combined. And now we are starting on research papers. 

• Hubby's birthday bash--My husband's birthday is on Halloween. I jokingly call it the devil's birthday:) This year his parents hosted a mystery party at their house. We each arrived in costume and throughout the evening had to try to figure out who was the thief. In between each of the rounds there were some hilarious games and contests. We had a pumpkin carving contest, a dance contest, a rap contest, charades, and a few others. It was SO much fun! I even won a few of the contests! 

Can you believe that this one didn't win? 

• Chuckwagon Festival--This last weekend our church hosted a fall festival. This was a blast! Hubby and I worked at a booth. At our booth, kids would shoot a Nerf gun at a pyramid of cups and knock them down for candy. It was so much fun. I will admit that I shot a lot of kids with the guns. We had a pitch-in dinner and I made a yummy Peruvian soup. It was my first real attempt at it, and it was so delish! I will have to make it again sometime. 

This is really just a small snippet of what has gone on this month, but I can tell you that I am so thankful that it is November. We have a few days off this month, and for that I am extremely thankful. I need a few days to rest and recharge. I need to plan for Thanksgiving, I need to clean my house and finish the laundry and maybe take a quick trip to the grocery store, but for now, I will relax. At least for a few minutes.