How i love thee: my crock pot

Call me old fashioned, call me lazy, but cooking with a crock pot is seriously awesome! Just throw a bunch of stuff in, and 6-8 hours later, dinner is ready and it's like you've been slaving in the kitchen all day. When, in fact you can go skiing, shopping, on a bike ride, on a walk, or surf the net for hours while dinner is cooking itself!

Today, since it was chilly and overcast, I decided to make my favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup.
For those of you that like to fool your dinner guests into thinking you've been cooking all day, here's the recipe for you!

3 Chicken Breasts frozen
1 Can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes (mashed)
1 Can (14 oz) Red Enchilada Sauce
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Can (4 oz) Chopped green chile
2 (or 4!) cloves of garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock (I didn't use the whole quart..maybe 3/4)
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. chile powder (or cayenne if you like more heat!)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (10 oz) package of frozen corn (I like Trader Joes, "Roasted" Frozen corn)
1 can (14 oz) Black beans, drained

Throw into a crock pot, stir around and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Take chicken out 1 hour prior to serving and shred. Put back into crock pot.

Garnish with:
lime wedge
cilantro
avocados
sour cream
sliced green onion
cheese
tortilla threads or chips

Yo Quiero!
-Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Cheer Up Charlie!

Today I got a hankering for some serious candy. Not just a drugstore chocolate bar or some waxy licorice, but real, truly handmade confections, served by sweet old ladies with hairnets and a smile. Well, hubby obliged and took me to Buffet's, a fantastically retro sweet shop that is family owned and operated since the 1950's.
Well, I got just what I needed, glorious raspberry bark in varying shades of pink, caramel and chocolate covered marshmallows, licorice jelly beans (a gift for mama), fantastic caramel popcorn. Each was delightfully wrapped in cellophane and tied with perfectly curled ribbons. And of course, the cutest little old ladies provided the most superb customer service!
Happy me!

- Jessie, Santa Fe, NM

Chirp + Chatter Comes to Life

I am blessed to have an intimate circle of girlfriends who are immensely talented. Whether it be baking a superb apple pie, designing a greeting card, painting a masterpiece, decorating a cake, dressing their kids, choosing throw pillows, or writing a poem, they all do it with flair and see the world they live in with a creative twinkle in their eye.

I want to have a forum where all of us talented ladies can come together and share the daily treasures we discover as well as have a supportive panel to nurture and inspire. So, my friends, this is where Chirp + Chatter comes to life.

-Jessie, Santa Fe