What? Sarah Cooked a Meal?!!!?

Lets face it I'm not a good cook it's not the first time I've talked about it. Well I have been taking a cooking class to try to fix this and it has helped a bit. Last night I tried my hand at a homemade soup and it actually turned out so good that I thought I would share the recipe.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 cups chicken stock

2 skinless, chicken breasts
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tsp  chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 oz pepperjack cheese, divided
1 cup cilantro, chopped

Lime

Tortilla chips

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Simmer about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Add tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, and garlic to the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down. Add black beans, corn, and tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add  the pepperjack cheese and stir to melt. Return chicken to soup and cook about 20 more minutes until desired consistency. 

If soup isn't as thick as desired, you can add strips of flour tortillas. They will dissolve into the soup to thicken the broth. Add cilantro, reserving some to top individual bowls if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips,squirt some lime juice and add reserved pepperjack cheese and cilantro if desired.

adapted from this amazing sites recipe.

I woke up so grumpy today so instead of whining I'm just going to post some word of inspiration....

One Year Down Eternity to Go

Anniversary Weekend!!!

This weekend was fantastic! The best in a long time. It was our one year anniversary and Hubby made it so perfect. I can't believe that it has already been a whole year. Here are some pictures form our weekend.

Friday my Aunt Faye came to visit and treated us to dinner at this amazing Italian place, Brono's. She was in town with a few of her friends to run the Wine and Dine half marathon at Epcot. They are seriously the amazing I want to be just like them when I "grow". They remembered it was our anniversary and caused a scene until they brought us this cake...

                                                                     Saturday ate dinner with the family and saw the new James Bond movie... I recommend it. SO good!

Sunday was our actual anniversary and Jon surprised me with a trip to St Augustine. he is the best husband I could ask for. We just explored the city all day with no real plans.  

   

  

Like I said best weekend in a long time.

Linking up with Sami 

Our Dogs are Democrats

Ok so I am not going to say anything about the election other than this....

Yesterday I rushed home from school to go vote and realized I forgot my sample ballot... which is important casue I carefully read over all the amendments for once and marked them oh so nicely so I didn't forget. So I get home run in to get it and find a crumpled pile of shredded paper where my sample ballot once was. Frustrated with my pup, I decided that it was no big deal and ran to go get my moms sample ballot casue we pretty much voted the same and when I arrive what do I find?   Oh you know just another pile of SHREDDED sample ballot...   

Her dog also shredded hers (but she did a much better job of putting the pieces back together than I did See above picture). Apparently our democratic dogs realized that we were leaning to the conservative side and did what any liberal doggy would do and tried to eat our votes!They may seem all cute and innocent but I knew exactly what they were up too! But it didn't work those dang democratic pups may have slowed the process down but I prevailed!! My vote counted ( maybe it didn't get the president I wanted but it still counted)!!

The Day My Biggest Fear Became a Reality

Have you ever wondered how you would act if your worst fear became your reality? Well today I found out exactly how I would act and let me tell you it wasn't pretty.

So here is what happened. I walk into school like it is any other day, sit down  and get my books out. Teacher begins to talk I get my planner out and begin to look through it... You know just wasting time while the teacher does his thing. He starts to go over the days notes so I open my trusty binder to get some paper and then it happened.... A giant COCKROACH crawls right across my page.... I close the binder throw it across the room and yell BIG BUG..... Yes friends that's right in the middle of class I threw my binder and screamed... My super unrational fear of  roaches kicked in and I lost ALL ability to think. Lets just say after I threw my folder craziness ensued. The bug crawled out from the folder and tried to make a run for it. Considering that the class of 40 consists of 39 girls and 1 guy the majority of the class was cowering in the back with me while one brave girl chased down the roach and killed it. Oh and did I mention that all the while my Professor is up front laughing? Yes, he was laughing to the point of tears at me!

Once all the bug was conquered and we all calmed down he says... You did quite a good impression of my wife there.... Don't you guys get used to the bugs... well I mean everyone besides YOU ( at this point he is looking right at me). Seriously the most embarrassing thing to happen to me in a LONG time... I spent the rest of the class with my legs criss-cross afraid to move for a fear the roach would come back from the dead for round two, all the while listening to Roach jokes every few minuets from the professor....

That my friends is real life...

Reminiscing.....

  I am babysitting and bored... so very bored.... so I am going through my old pictures and it is just making me oh so happy so I thought I would share some of my favs...

Best Vacation ever  

Ugly Sweater Party 

$11 blow up pool... First day it was warm we bought it and by the time it got blown up  it was too cold to swim....

New Years 2008? 2009? I may not remember the year but the night will go down in  history
  ( I think I was the only sober person with in a 100 mile radius )

Wheel of Fortune... I have probably been on TV more than you have.... 

First Flowers from a boy... aka now Hubby

Last single birthday and last week before moving to Utah to be with said Hubby 

One of MANY pictures that seem to appear any time I would leave my camera ANY where

Hoedown number 3 :)

No explanation 

Pre mustache crazy We were the true hipsters...

All of these girls in one place... epic 

Scaring the crap out of Roommates.... every one needs a monkey suit right?

:) Baking with the boys

These kids... Pretty much the best days of my single life 

The guys who convinced me they played for Buckcherry

First condoms I ever bought :)

Vivian's trip to the club 

Finally, Another Blonde in the Family

Once upon a time I married this guy...

And I was the odd ball Valerio ....

 

But NOW I am no longer alone... 

We inducted Lisa into the Valerio Family. 

They had such a beautiful wedding here are some pictures we took

      

 

Another Blonde Valerio.... and maybe another one soon 

( or maybe wishful thinking)