Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Soup

In the winter time I am a big soup fan. I have been looking for a good soup recipe lately and I think I found one! It is easy and it tastes great! In fact, the more I make it, the more I like it!

Here are the ingredients. I doubled the recipe when I made it and so I have more pictured here than you actually need if you are making the normal amount. The ingredients include: corn, white beans, black beans, refried beans, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, ro-tel tomatoes, an onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning, chicken, and Fritos.

First you chop an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Once they are chopped you add them to a pot and let them cook for a little bit, stirring occasionally. You want them sauteed but not burned.

Next add the ro-tel tomatoes, the diced tomatoes, and the refried beans.

Stir them together and it will look something like this! Then you can proceed to add the rest of the ingredients. Add the beans, broth, and corn. Drain the corn but not the beans.

Then add the taco seasoning, lime juice, cilantro, and 1-2 cups of shredded chicken.

Stir together and then cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Place individual servings in bowls and top it with avocado, cheese, Fritos, and whatever else you may like! It looks and tastes delicious! Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 10 oz can of Ro*tel tomatoes
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of refried beans
1 15 0z can of black beans
1 15 0z can of white beans
1 15 oz can of chicken broth
1-2 15 oz can(s) of kernel corn
1 packet of taco seasoning mix (1 oz)
3 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
1-2 cups of shredded chicken

*Optional but highly recommended: avocados, cheese, Fritos (or tortilla chips), and sour cream

Directions:

Saute the onions in a large pot. Add the chopped garlic. Let them soften but not burn. Next add the chopped tomatoes, the Ro*tel tomatoes, and the refried beans. Stir together. Add the beans, chicken broth, and corn. Drain the corn but not the beans. Stir.

Add the taco mix, lime juice, cilantro, green chilies, and chicken. Cover and simmer for an hour.

Serve with avocados, Fritos, cheese, and sour cream.

*NOTE: Ro*tel tomatoes are spicy! If you want less spice, add less than one can.

This soup tastes great the day after it is made too! Enjoy!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cracker Dip

I had this dip at a Christmas party recently and it was AMAZING! I could not stop snacking on it throughout the night...and luckily, neither could anyone else! I made it for my family recently and it was a hit with them too. It tastes very fresh and it is easy to make! Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients: White Sugar, Cumin, Jalapeno, Cranberries, Green Onions, Cilantro, and Cream Cheese. It seems like a unique combination, but trust me when I say its good!

First chop up a bunch of green onions and 1 jalapeno pepper.

Combine in the food processor: 1 bag of cranberries, the green onions, the jalapeno, and cilantro to taste. (I usually add about 3 tablespoons.)

It should be chunky when you are done processing it. You don't want it to look like a smoothie when you are done. Chunky is definately better! Put it into a bowl and add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of cumin.

Stir it until it looks something like this! It might look a little different but it tastes delicious!

Spread 16 oz of cream cheese onto a platter.

Top with the cranberry salsa like stuff. Serve with crackers and eat! I used ritz and wheats thins and they both were great with it. I know this is a unique combination but I really do love it! Enjoy!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cracker Dip

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 bunch of green onions

1 jalapeno pepper

3 Tbsp. cilantro

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. of cumin

16 oz of cream cheese

Directions:

Spread 16 oz of cream cheese onto a platter. Chop up green onions and the jalapeno. Put cranberries, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor. You might have to do 1/2 of the ingredients at a time. Put chopped up ingredients in a bowl. Add sugar and cumin and stir. Put cranberry mixture on top of the cream cheese. Serve with crackers. Enjoy!

Wassail

There is nothing like a delicious drink to warm you up in the wintertime! I especially enjoy this drink around the holidays but it tastes delicious all winter long! One of my favorite parts about this drink is that it makes your whole house (or apartment) smell delicious! This makes a lot but you can always refrigerate it and heat it up later. Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sugar, 8 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole allspice, 24 whole cloves, 1 gallon of apple cider, 6 cups of orange juice, 4 cups lemonade, 3 quarts of water.

First you will fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water.

Add the sugar, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and cloves. Stir around until sugar is dissolved. Bring these ingredients to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.


As it simmers it should turn into a reddish color and look something like this!


While it is simmering you should mix up a container of lemonade and a container of orange juice. Just follow the directions that are on the container.

They look like this when you are done. (This picture probably isnt necessary but I took it anyway!)


After the ingredients in the pan have simmered for 2 hours you will strain the ingredients to get out all of the spices.

When you are done straining it return it to the original pan.

Add the apple cider, orange juice, and lemonade. Put it on low heat and stir occasionally until it is all warm.

YUM! It looks so good! I drink mugs and mugs of this stuff whenever we have it at my house! It tastes best when served warm. Enjoy!

WASSAIL

Ingredients:

3 quarts of water

2 1/2 cups sugar

8 cinnamon sticks

4 whole allspice

24 whole cloves

1 gallon apple cider

6 cups orange juice

4 cups lemonade

Cooking Directions:

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Strain and remove spices. Pour the liquid back into the pot and add apple cider, orange juice, and lemonade. Heat on low until warm. Serve warm. Enjoy!

S'mores Treats

I found this recipe the other day on the make-it-do website and made it. They were delicious! I love snacks with cold cereal in it and this one is good! It is easy and quick. I made it for my cousins the other day and they loved it! To find this recipe and step by step directions on how to make it, visit the make-it-do website here.

Here is a close up in case you want to see how good these look! Enjoy!

Kath's Caramel Popcorn

This caramel corn is AMAZING! I seriously LOVE it! My mom made it all growing up and it is a family favorite! She got this recipe from her cousin Kath. It is easy to make and it is the perfect time of year to make it.

Here are the ingredients: 2 cups of brown sugar, 1 can Eagle Brand milk, 1 cup butter,1 cup of Karo syrup, and 1 1/2 cups of popcorn kernels.

Pop 1 1/2 cups of popcorn kernels in a popcorn popper. Once popped it should fill 2 big bowls. Try to pick out the kernels that don't pop as you go. Set the popcorn aside while you make the caramel. Yum!

Melt the butter, brown sugar, and karo syrup in a saucepan.

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil. Boil until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F or a softball stage.

It should look something like this... Once it is hot enough, remove from heat.

Add the Eagle Bran Milk and stir to combine.

Pour evenly over all the popcorn. Sometimes I split the popcorn into 3 bowls to make it easier to mix up. You can make these into popcorn balls or just eat it straight out of the bowl. Either way, it is delicious!

Here is a close up. I promise it is even better than it looks! Enjoy!


Kath's Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter
2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Karo Syrup
1 Can Eagle Bran Milk
1 1/2 cups of popcorn kernels

Directions:
Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil. Boil until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F or a softball stage. Remove from heat and add Eagle Bran Milk. Pour over Popcorn. Eat and enjoy!!

Marty's Raspberry Jello Dessert/ Salad

I never know if I should call this a salad or a dessert. It tastes like a dessert to me but I have heard to it referred to as a salad....because there's Jello in it? I am not sure. Either way, it is delicious! Some of my friends have been asking me to post this for a while now and I am finally getting around to it. It is fairly easy and very delicious! Just make sure you have some time when you make it because it has to set in the fridge for a couple of hours! I hope you love this as much as I do! Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients: frozen raspberries (yum!), pretzels, sugar, butter, cool whip, cream cheese, and raspberry jello.

For the first layer you need to crush up pretzels until you have 1 1/2 cups of crushed pretzels. I like to crush them in a handy thing like this but I have also just crushed them by sticking them in a zip-loc bag and hammering them.

Next you melt a cube of butter. Add 1/2 cup white sugar and the crushed pretzels to the melted butter and mix it around with a fork.

Dump it into a greased 9x13 pan and spread it around until the pretzel mixture is evenly spread. Bake it at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

When it comes out it should look something like this! Not too different from the last picture but the sugar, butter, and pretzels are sticking together better now. Let it cool before adding the next layer to it.

Now we can move onto the 2nd layer. For this layer you need to soften 8 oz of cream cheese. Then mix it together with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1- 8 oz container of cool whip. I usually mix it with a mixer.

It should look something like this after you mix it up!

Spread it onto the pretzel mixture once the pretzel mixture has cooled. Refrigerate it until it is cool. I usually just stick it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. It depends on how much time you have while making the dessert/salad.

It's time for layer #3. For this layer you dissolve 6 oz of Raspberry Jello into 2 cups of boiling water. Remove from heat and immediately add 1 bag or 2 boxes of frozen raspberries. Stir it around until the raspberries are not sticking together anymore.

Then pour the raspberry mixture on top of everything else. Refrigerate for around 2 hours or until the Jello is firm.

Then you serve it! You will love it and will want to eat more than one piece for sure! I can't get enough of it whenever I make it! I hope you love it too!

Marty's Raspberry Jello Salad/Dessert

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups of crushed pretzels
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cube of butter

Press crust into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool.

2nd Layer:
8 oz of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
8 oz of cool whip

Cream together and spread on crust. Refrigerate until cooled.

3rd Layer:
Dissolve 6 oz of Raspberry Jello in 2 cups of boiling water. Add 1 bag or 2 boxes of unsweetened frozen raspberries. Refrigerate until Jello is firm.

*This is best if you make the Raspberry Jello layer the day you plan to eat it! Enjoy!