BARTER SYSTEM & COMMENTS

Well a icy Hi there and hello from my little igloo to yours! How are you doing this morning? Well, like I said, dispite the fact it is only 27 degrees outside, I'm here. You can see my breath in the house too, so you KNOW its cold LOL! Well, guess what today is kids? Its "COMMENT DAY"!! If you don't know about it, check out the post on Monday, January 4th and all will be revealed!

I plan to keep myself warm by moving around the best I can and cleaning a bit. I'm not taking to this cold real well, so we'll see how much I can get done. When I was out at my mom's yesterday, my Dad and I had a large piece of pegboard out in the garage that we trimmed (there were holes cut in it, etc) and I brought home, so I have a couple extra boards now to hang up to use. I really want to get those up today. And I found the breast cancer fleece I have been waiting for, so another blanket in store for me to make today... my DS18 made this one last night for a friend of his who just had a baby. He took it with him today to give to the sister at school, but I forgot to get him to take a picture of him with the finished blanket! But it was just too cute. And he did a really good job... he actually really likes making them. I say there is nothing wrong with that. At the very minimum, he will know how to make blankets to keep himself warm if he ever needs it! LOL! We worked out a barter system too. He wants to make a couple for gifts for people he knows, one being his grandmother back in North Carolina. He knows that I hurt in the wrists if I do them for too long... SOO I buy the fleece and he puts them together. He has to work on ones I want or think would sell or give as gifts as well and in return (his paycheck if you will) would be the blankets he wants for those people. I think its a fair trade... he thinks its a fair trade... and its something for him to do! So if he wants 5 blankets for people, he has to do 5 for me as well in labor... It shows him that his work and time are valuable and gives him a sense of responsibility I think... even a bit of work ethic if you will.

Now for those of you who follow College Football... don't even speak of last night's game! I am so bummed about my beloved Longhorns losing its not even funny! And I swear if the hubs rubs it in about "Crimson Tide" one more time, this Longhorn is gonna shove a LONG HORN where he will least appreciate it! LOL.. but you want to know something? I think what bothers me more is something I heard on the news that (excuse the language here) TOTALLY pissed me off! Its about a retail store chain and what they did with all the "preprinted" championship stuff... See a sporting goods store called Academy had tons of items made if the Longhorns won and was going to open up directly after the game to sell championship merchandise. If they did NOT win (which ended up being the case), they were going to shred up and destroy everything! OMG Are you serious????? Do you know how many homeless or low income family need clothes and warm items??? OMG it infuriates me! Wasteful people and companies!! WASTEFUL! They just guaranteed I will NEVER set foot in Academy again! And the really bad thing is a Yahoo headline this morning features 2 more retail chains guilty of the same thing on a dialy basis!! Check this out! H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods

Alright, time for food! One of my favorite topics and I am starving! Its the cold I'm tellin' ya! I don't see how a bear can sleep through all this and not be hungry all the time! OMG its horrible! LOL... ok so I want HOT! I want temperature hot and I want SPICY hot! Warm me to the bones! I think its Mexi-nite! I want to make some chicken tortilla soup, jalapeno burgers, some hot cheese queso dip with warm tortilla chips, and some hot sopapillas drizzled with honey for dessert! Keep the Mexican theme with some spiced hot chocolate to drink! Keeping it warm darlins... so here's today's recipes for your enjoyment!



"Lil' Kick Jalapeno Burgers"

Ingredients

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons light beer or water
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
3 slices pepper Jack cheese, cut in half
6 dinner rolls, split
6 tablespoons salsa
6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
6 tablespoons shredded lettuce

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Top with cheese; cover and grill 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on rolls with salsa, sour cream and lettuce.

Easy Mexican Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

3 tablespoons instant hot chocolate mix
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch chili powder
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup boiling water

Directions

In a large mug, mix the hot chocolate mix, chocolate syrup, cinnamon, and chili powder. Pour in the milk. Add the boiling water and stir.



Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
Topping
1 cup non-fat tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

1. Sauté onion, garlic, jalapeño and green pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.

2. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large pot and bring to a boil.

3. After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred.

4. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.

5. Serve, topped with crushed tortilla chips if desired.

Well guys and gals, that's all for today. Time to get up and moving and productive! Keep warm out there wherever you are and I will talk to you soon! HUGS!