Chick Fil A Tortilla Soup Clone

A couple weeks ago, we took a field trip to Chick Fil A. Since I am watching my calories right now, I opted to eat their tortilla soup for lunch. With only 230 calories, I thought it was a wise choice. It was amazingly flavorful and delicious and was really more like a chili, with two kinds of beans in it. That day, I set out to find a recipe that was just like it, but I could not find anything online with similar ingredients. I looked on the Chick Fil A website to see the list of ingredients, and I about lost my lunch. Figuratively speaking that is. The list of chemical additives is attrocious, including MSG and the like. Yuck.

So with a little experimenting (which always scares my children), I came up with a delicious version of my own, with all natural ingredients. I was so happy with the way it turned out, and my boys said "Mom, this one is a keeper!" Mission accomplished.

I did tweak the spices quite a bit, as I like a bit of a bite to it, so you can adjust to suit your taste. And if are willing to be patient, I think this soup is even better the day after. Forgive me, but I did not take a picture.

Chick Fil A Tortilla Soup Clone

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 can cannelini beans or any white bean

shredded rotisserie chicken, or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp each cumin, pepper, chili powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Few dashes hot sauce

1 cup sour cream

Cornstarch to thicken if needed

salt to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in a bit of oil, until soft. Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients (except sour cream and cornstarch) to pot. Bring to a boil, and then simmer. Just before serving, stir in the sour cream, and salt to taste. At this point, I mixed some cornstarch with water, and added to the pot to thicken it a bit. You can decide how thick you want it, and can also add more sour cream as a thickener if you wish. Garnish with crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, avocado, and cilantro.

L.A. Racing Nascar Experience

Almost a year ago, I purchased a Nascar racing experience for Dave for his birthday on Groupon. Do you use Groupon? I have found some great deals! This one was an amazing price compared to what they normally charge, and I knew it would be right up Dave's alley.

Yesterday, we took the drive out to Irwindale to the Toyota Speedway. What an amazing day! It was such a neat experience not only for Dave, but also for the boys and I! I highly recommend it.

We got there a bit early, so we got to watch the first group of racers that were in the time slot before us. It was good to acclimate to the way they run things, and to see what they do out there on the track. The entire operation is very organized and well thought out.

Here's a happy man at the entrance to the building. Look at the excitement in his face. Ready to race!

Here is a shot of the track from the grandstands. It is a half mile oval.

After you take a half hour class on how the whole thing is set up, what to expect, and how to operate the vehicle, you wait to be called for your turn. They send out four drivers at a time, and you get to drive 20 laps. Here is Dave getting suited up.

Putting on the spiffy jacket.

They communicate to you by one-way radio, and your personal spotter pretty much tells you everything to do, when you are clear to pass, etc. Here is Dave just after getting his earbuds taped down.

Pretty much ready to roll!

They ride you out to the track in this golfcart. I even got to go with him onto the track, so I could get close up pictures of him in the car. So fun!

Climbing in through the window! Since they are real late model Nascar race cars, there are no doors, headlights, etc.

Strapped in, steering wheel attached.....window net about to go in, and we're ready to race! He had such a blast, and it was so fun to watch from the grandstands. Austin timed his laps, Luke took video, and I took stills! Such a manly thing to do, I tell you! What man doesn't love to smell race gas and drive as fast as he wants??? Priceless experience! And a trip to Spaghetti Factory on the way home pretty much topped it off!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the DeShongs!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!

Rejoicing in this truth and the truth of God's Word this Christmas.

Let the festivities begin!

Christmas Memories

Every year since my kiddos were really little, we have had the tradition of cutting out and decorating sugar cookies. It began as a tradition my sister and I would do together at her house when her kids were still young, and my sister patiently endured the complete and utter mess all the lil-uns would make in the process. Seriously, sprinkles, little decorator balls, and the like could be found weeks later on the floor, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Yeah, that was fun. The point was, the kids loved it so much, and even though their cookies looked more like horror movie characters rather than angels and gingerbread men, it was the making and enjoying traditions that mattered most.

Today, we still do this every year, and the kids get SO excited to this day when they see me place an enormous ball of cookie dough on the table. These days, they can roll out their own dough, cut the shapes, and frost and decorate the cookies with precision care. It is so cute to see their creations, and to see their creativity. For instance, Austin made a "special" hybrid gingerbread man with one missing limb. Uh-huh. Whatever.

Every time we do this, I am reminded that another year has gone by, and I honestly don't know where the time has gone. I say this a lot, but I am at a loss as to where the last, say, 8 years have gone. I have vivid memories of having three toddlers/babies all at once, but once we started school, it all seems to be a blur. Every new school year came and went, and before you know it, your kids are big. Taller than you. Going to drive soon. Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!! I miss my babies! OK, well I don't miss the logistics of having babies, I just miss that they are small and cute. However, I can say with complete honesty that I am enjoying every minute of having older kids even more. To watch them accomplish things on their own, develop talents and abilities, understand spiritual truth and reckon that in their own hearts.....I am so thankful.

Days are still hard in so many ways, as we are in the trenches of homeschooling and everything else that goes with that. Some days I want to throw in the towel and be done. But Dave always reminds me why we do it. To invest in our kids lives and enjoy every moment. It's hard to remember to enjoy every moment when it's so difficult day by day. But sitting on the sidelines and quietly observing my kids decorate sugar cookies somehow brought me to that place...(See you knew I would get back to the cookies somehow).

God has given me so much to be responsible for, yet so much to be overwhelmingly thankful for. God has sent His son into the world to be my Savior! Christmas couldn't be any sweeter than this.

Time Flies.

Our little boys, Christmas 2003. We went from this..............................

To this! In 8 years flat.

Here are our big boys in 2011!!!!

My how things have changed. Loving these big boys.

Salted Caramels were a fail.....

Update to my previous post! I just tried this recipe for Salted Caramels for the first time today. I have always wanted to try caramels, and these with the sea salt on top were calling my name. I glanced at the ingredient list, and since it looked pretty simple, I didn't hesitate. Little did I know when I would go to make them today, that it would take about 50 minutes of standing over the pot stirring until it reached the hard ball stage. I just didn't anticipate it taking that long. The thermometer just crept incredibly slowly towards my target temperature, as I was thinking to myself, "Self, these BETTER be good, and worth all this effort!" It was finally time to pour them in the pan and cool them. Later this afternoon, I pulled them out of the fridge to cut them. Thankfully, to make it easier, you line the pan with foil, and all you need to do it pull the whole thing, foil and all, out of the pan, peel off the foil, and cut into nice tidy little rectangles like the picture. Uh-huh. The moment I went to peel off the foil, I knew it was going to be a disaster. The foil stuck, even though I had greased it like the recipe said. I cut them into nice little pieces which looked great until I tried to pick them up off the cutting board. Apparently the heat in my fingers was optimum temperature for melting the caramels, and they became a sticky gooey mess! I salvaged my un-tidy little rectangles, and placed them in layers in a storage container. They do taste good, and I love the addition of the salt. But, definitely NOT worth the effort. This recipe will go into my virtual trash can.

On another note, I also whipped up my no-fail Peppermint Patties recipe. It is one I know will work every year! However, at the very end of mixing the filling in my trusty KitchenAid Artisan mixer, old Trusty gave in! My heart stopped, as I have grown SO dependent on my mixer, use it ALL the time, and really am quite spoiled to even have it. Today was just the beginning of all my holiday baking, and my mixer quit on me!!!!! I really did think it was the end of it. Sweet Dave decided to take it apart for me to see if it was just a part that needed replacing. He came to me with a greasy broken part on a paper towel, and asked if I could find the part online. Sure enough, a little Googling later, Amazon had the exact part for under $14! Yippee!!!! I was ONE happy Mama. I then proceeded to order the part and whip up my cookie dough truffles by hand. Like with a spoon, by hand. Wow, I really am spoiled, and VERY thankful for my mixer.

So onward with the baking!!! Oh, and here's the recipe for the Peppermint Patties:

Creamy Peppermint Patties

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1 tsp peppermint extract

9 cups powdered sugar

semi-sweet chocolate chips

canola oil

Whip the cream cheese and extract with a mixer. Slowly add and mix powdered sugar a little at a time, until it comes together. It will be VERY stiff. Form into 1 inch balls, roll them in your hands to soften, and then flatten into patties. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate several hours or until firm.

Melt about 12 oz. of chocolate chips with 1-2 tablespoons canola oil in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, until smooth and melted. Dip the patties one at a time, and return to cookie sheet. When finished with all of them, return to refrigerator to harden. Store in refrigerator or freezer in ziplocs or airtight containers.

~Enjoy your holiday season!

Edible Christmas Gift Lineup

Merry Christmas!!!

First of all, I just can't believe Christmas is almost here. The older the boys get, the faster the years go by. This first semester of school has literally flown by, as we have had our busiest year yet. This is our first Christmas back in our house. Last year, we opened presents by the fireplace in our little hotel suite at the Marriott. A little untraditional, yes. But you know what, in some ways we enjoyed the simplicity of it all. I couldn't do my holiday baking and cookie making, we couldn't have a tree, or decorate the house. All that made the season so much less busy!!! But I missed it. My kids missed the annual treats I make that they have come to love, they missed putting their own collections of ornaments on the tree, and we missed our cozy comfortable house. It was so nice to pull out the decorations after not seeing them for two years! We bought our fresh tree last week, and it is fully Christmas around here.

Next week I will begin my annual baking and candy making extravaganza. All my gifts to friends, kids youth group leaders, neighbors, Dave's office coworkers, etc. are homemade food. First of all, it's an inexpensive way to make gifts. Secondly, one batch of each item goes a long way. I just make batch after batch, store them all in the freezer, and then assemble gifts as necessary. I like to use those cute little white Chinese take out containers to give the gifts in. You can buy them in bulk at Smart 'N Final. I wrap the food in tissue and put a bow on the handle. So cute.

So here is my holiday line up this year. Some old favorites, and some attempts at something new!

Toffee - An old favorite I have been making for probably 15 years! I got this recipe from my sister. A hard caramel bottom layer, spread with chocolate and pressed with chopped almonds, then chopped in irregular pieces like a bark. For some reason, this easy recipe really impresses people!

Peppermint Patties -I found this recipe a few years ago, and they are amazing. Just like York, but better! A mint patty dipped in melted dark chocolate.

Bordeaux's - My first attempt to make something like See's famous candy that I love so much...they are maple espresso cremes dipped in chocolate.

Salted Caramels - Another first for this year. Uh, yum.

Cookie Dough Truffles - Balls of cookie dough dipped in melted dark chocolate and embellished with sprinkles or other decorations.

I am planning on posting recipes to follow, and I will keep you posted on how the new recipes work. In the meantime, if you would like any of these recipes to try right now, email me or leave a comment!

Ruth's Chris Potatoes Au Gratin

Now that the holidays are in full swing, I thought I would share this little gem of a recipe. It would be a great addition to any of your holiday meals, and it is super easy.

Austin actually found this recipe. He had the privilege of going to Ruth's Chris while he was in Washington D.C. with my dad, and they had ordered these potatoes. He liked them so much, he wanted to try and make them at home. He has also recently started the tradition of cooking our family dinner every Sunday...it was just something he wanted to do, and I wasn't about to complain! He is a great cook, and also does all the grilling for our family. Yep, I'm one happy Mama! Anyways, he looked up the recipe and gave it a try. We were all drooling when it came out of the oven, all cheesy and crispy around the edges. And it was sooooo delicious. I made them again last night with our tri-tip, and was delighted once again. I doubled the recipe for a 9 X 13, but a single fits nicely in a square baking dish or pie plate. The only substitutions I made were to use 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup half and half, instead of the heavy cream and milk proportions they use. There was no lack of richness or creaminess whatsoever.

Here is the recipe:

4-5 medium russet potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 T flour

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh black pepper

1 T butter softened

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter each of those slices. Beat together the cream, milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper by hand just till well combined. Coat the inside of a large baking dish with the softened butter. Arrange the potatoes in the dish and pour the cream mixture over the potatoes. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake another 40 minutes or until the potatoes are starting to brown on the top. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the potatoes are tender.

Enjoy!!!

First camping trip of the season!

We just got back from a wonderful weekend away in beautiful California City. For those of you who think the words "beautiful" and "California City" should not coexist together, you are sadly mistaken. I think I witnessed the most beautiful sunsets, and it was incredible to watch the moon rise over the horizon into the starry sky. Sunrises and sunsets are really quite spectacular in the desert, and I love the big sky and all the stars. Our Creator is so creative!

It is so exciting for me to watch my boys enjoy the sport of dirtbiking like their Daddy has for many years. What a great thing for them to experience together, and such a "boy thing" too. I mean, what boy wouldn't like dirt, motorcycles, and soda? Pretty much sums up our trip.

Anyways, we had a great time with some great friends. Magnum loved his first camping trip, and was a great camping dog. Summer on the other hand.....I think we will leave her home next time!

Here is a video my friend's son filmed while we were there of the kids riding. See if you can spot Luke's "no-footer". Enjoy!

Pizza Dough

I have been on a quest for the best homemade pizza dough for years. I have probably blogged about it before and you are tired of hearing about it. Well, I finally gave up, because every dough I tried either baked up with an unappetizing texture, or was way too much work. I resorted to using Trader Joe's dough, which quite frankly, is cheap, easy, and pretty good! At what, $1.49 per dough, that is still a remarkable cheap way to put dinner on the table. But I have finally beat that! Trader Joe's has NOTHING on this recipe. Try .40 per dough! Take that!!!

If you follow my blog, you may have read about my discovery of the Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day...if you haven't read about that, you can find it here. Well, the pizza dough is a variation of this method. An even easier variation to boot, if that is even possible. It is so simple. Simply mix the ingredients together in a bucket, let it sit for 2 hours on the counter, then refrigerate. The batch makes 4 pizza crusts, and can stay in the refrigerator for up to two weeks! When you are ready to make pizza, you pull off a hunk of dough, roll it out onto parchment, and you are ready to add your toppings.

For years, I have made pizza every Wednesday night for dinner, since Wednesday is our night down at church for Awana/bible studies. Pizza is an easy meal to serve, and simple to clean up, so we can get out of the house quickly after dinner and be on time to where we need to be. I can now make a batch of this dough, and it will last for two Wednesdays in a row (two pizzas each week), minimizing the work even furthur. I buy a two pound hunk of mozzarella at Sam's club, which is the perfect amount for two weeks dinners. So half a hunk = two pizzas. I make a homemade sauce which is enough for 2-3 weeks, and just freeze the leftovers in little containers that I can pull out Wednesday morning. Add some pepperoni or whatever toppings I have on hand, add a salad, and dinner is served. Here is the recipe for the pizza dough. Perhaps you will institute a pizza night at your house!

Pizza Dough (From Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day)

makes 4 one pound loaves

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tbsp yeast

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

6 1/2 cups unbleached flour

In a large bucket or bowl with lid, mix all ingredients except flour. Add flour, and mix with a large spoon until well combined. Place lid loosely on bowl or bucket, and let sit on counter for at least two hours. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.

To bake, preheat pizza stone or pan in oven at 550. Make pizza by stretching dough onto parchment with floured hands. Add flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Add toppings and slide onto hot stone. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is browning.