What-What?! Week of May 22nd

This week was pretty slow; go to work and do stuff, come home and sleep.  We had started a project at work about a month ago, but we hit the first milestone and then all the other departments decided that what they had described to us when we were gathering requirements isn't what they really wanted.  So that's on hold and we're doing bug fixes.  Which is kinda nice because I'm allowed to do development work for bug fixes, so I've been doing that.

Southwestern Style Chicken Soup

This is very much a 'do what you want' soup.  I've made it with quite a few variations, depending on what we had floating around the house at the time.  I like to serve it with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, olives, and avocado.  If you like it spicier, then adding some diced jalapenos would do the trick.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken (breasts, thighs, whatever), cut into small pieces
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1 Bell Pepper, chopped
• Oil -- a few tablespoons
• 1 can of Diced tomatoes (or Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, salsa, etc.)
• 1 can of Chili beans (usually we get the pinto beans in chili sauce)
• 1 can of Black beans
• 1 can Chicken broth (or two cups homemade)
• Salt
• 1 Lime (if you have it; it's still good without)

Brown chicken, onion and bell pepper in oil.  Add canned goods and bring to a simmer.  Let simmer for 30 minutes.  Add juice from the lime (if available), and salt to taste.

That's it for this week..

What-What?! Week of December 15th

Today is my middle child's birthday party.  He's turning four years old this coming week, and this, too makes me feel horrifically old.  We'll be having chocolate cupcakes, topped with this delicious chocolate chip frosting -- which almost has the texture and taste of fudge (be sure to use powdered sugar, though, you'll regret it if you don't).  It is so good!  I had about a million tastes as I was making it. :)

Ants, Ants, Ants!

The house is covered in ants.  In the bathroom, in the hallway, but most obnoxiously in the pantry.  I have cleared out my entire pantry, and it's not a small space; I have more pantry space than my mother does.  It was horrific.  I might have cried.  So for most of the week, I've had groceries all over the place, and I can't just leave them someplace easy to get to, because then the 18 month old will just be into them, squirting mustard all over and knowing all the packages open.  The husband and I were finally able to put groceries away on Thursday afternoon, after we got all the ants blocked off.  The upside to all this is that my pantry is very organized now.

Simple Wonton Soup

Last Sunday, I did make this really fantastic soup.  It's simple, but has all these delicious flavors, plus a bit of spice, and really fit the cold, cold weather we've had here.  Like most soups, it can easily be customized to whatever veggies you have on hand, and is surprisingly fast to make.  The wontons that I used are the frozen kind from Costco, but I bet some homemade ones would be absolutely divine.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium Carrot, chopped
• 1 Green Onion, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Butter or oil
• 2 cups or 1 small can Chicken Broth (homemade is best, but use what you have)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Padang Sauce (can omit or substitute with peanut butter if you don't like it spicy)
• Dash of Crushed Red Pepper
• Salt to taste
• 10-12 Frozen Wontons
• Other vegetables, as desired (cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, etc.)

Saute vegetables and garlic in butter/oil until almost done.  Add chicken broth, water, soy sauce, Padang Sauce,  and crushed red pepper.  Bring to boil over high heat, then add wontons, and bring back to boil.  Cook wontons an additional 6 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.  Enjoy!

This makes two hearty servings, and could be stretched to four people pretty easily with some rice or other side.  If you plan on having leftovers, I suggest only cooking as many wontons as you want to eat right away; wontons left in the broth will continue to release starch, creating cloudiness.

News:  Flip Phones via The Wall Street Journal

I thought that this was pretty hilarious, because I have a flip phone -- a simple little LG.  I like it.  My husband recently got a smartphone for work, which in some ways is quite convenient, for taking pictures and finding directions, and so on.  But, he has to charge it up all the time, and it's got a giant screen that can break, and real buttons are (in my opinion, of course) better in every way.  I think a flip smartphone has some real possibility, though the one they mention in the article still has an outside screen that can break (mind you, most flip phones do, but this ones outside screen is still huge).

(img via engadget.com)