White Chicken Chili (Crock-pot)

I have made this twice now with two different recipes. I couldn't find the first one I used so I decided on this one even though I knew it was pretty different from the first one that I made. I found this on Pinterest which took me here. 

What You'll Need:

2 chicken breast (I used 3 to make it a bit thicker)

1 can Rotel

1 can corn, do not drain

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

8oz cream cheese

What You Need To Do:

~Place chicken in the bottom of the crock-pot

~Top with Rotel, corn, beans, dressing mix and spices. Mix together. 

~Top with cream cheese.

~Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

~If you are home, stir to incorporate the cream cheese after about 2 hours or so. 

~Shred chicken into large pieces.

~Add chicken back in and stir. Allow to heat back through. 

~Serve over rice or in tortillas or just eat it in a bowl!!

The Verdict:

We ate ours over brown rice with a nice side of cornbread. It wasn't very soupy. More creamy. That would be the cream cheese (duh). Overall, I really liked the flavor. It could do with a little more heat from our stand point. Maybe a can of green chilies or more chili powder. But I can not wait to eat the left overs tomorrow for lunch!!

Do you have an awesome chili recipe? Share it if you do!! 

Beauty Review

I have seen this product all over Pinterest so I decided to give it a try! Its E.L.F. Studio Mineral Face Primer in clear. Its an amazing price ($6) and can be found at Target! You can also order it here. I have large pores on my upper cheeks under my eyes, and I always wondered if a primer would help them look less visible. Also, with how hot it is here, I have a problem with my makeup melting off half way through the day.

Here is what the website says it will do:

"Transform your face into a flawless and smooth canvas with the Mineral Infused Face Primer. Developed to combat against excess oil, flaky dryness, enlarged pores and fine lines. This clear multipurpose skin primer will prepare your skin so makeup goes on evenly for a long lasting satin finish."

My Verdict:

I tried it under my powder foundation and my liquid foundation. I will say that for both it helped with the melting. My makeup stayed on all day both days. I did not think it did anything for the look for my pores in the powder foundation. I saw a slight bit of difference with the liquid. All in all I don't think it was a waste but for me I did not see any difference in my pores. I will continue to use it on the days I know I will be outside more to help my makeup from melting off in the heat!!

Have you tried this primer? Or do you have a primer that works great for you? I wanna hear it!! 

Oven Baked Tacos

I have seen this recipe all over Pinterest. So, I thought I would give it a try and see if it was as good as people claimed. There are several adaptations of this recipe out there so I just picked one and went with it. I chose this one. But I cut it in half because I knew we would never eat as much as they were making.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (You could do turkey or chicken as well)
1 small onion, diced (I left this out because we don't do onions in our house)
1 4oz can diced green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning (You can always sub homemade as well. I usually do homemade but I was in a hurry tonight so I just went with the envelope)
1 8oz can of tomato sauce 
1 16oz can of refried beans
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I didn't measure, I just put it on to my liking, which is a lot)
10 hard taco shells (I actually only made 7 but they came in a package of 10)

Steps:

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees

~In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain off excess fat. 

~Add chiles, taco seasoning, tomato sauce and beans. Mix well and cook for a few if the mixture seems a little runny. (I simmered it for about 3-5 min)

~Spoon meat mixture into taco shells and place in an 8x8 pan. (I did about 2 heaping spoonfuls for each taco) Sprinkle cheese on the tacos. 

~Place tacos in oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese in melted. Remove from oven and top with any desired toppings. (I am not a huge topping person so I left mine plain)

The Verdict:

I loved them. I thought they were way better than what you would get from the beloved Taco Bell. Much healthier and much tastier. The hubby thought they were filling. I am going to take that as a good thing.

There were some reviews I read that the tortillas got soggy, but I didn't have that problem. They were a bit softer on the bottom but they were not soggy.

I hope you try the tacos and like them as much as we did! They were super easy. 

Let's try this again...

Its September. Time for back to school and the end of the blissful summer. I thought I would give this whole blog thing another shot. But this time, I am just going to do whatever I feel like at the time. No more posting about certain things on certain days. I think that is what tripped me up before. With the big D word rapidly approaching I will need things to keep me busy and sane. Se, we'll try this one more time. If I can't keep it up this time I will stop all together. I promise. 

Tomorrow I will post a yummy recipe. Tonight, my bed is calling my name.

~Aubree

Buffalo Chicken Shreds

Hello all! This week I am sharing a recipie that is super versitle! You can use this chicken in so many ways! I got this recipe from Pinterest which took me to Skinny Taste. The recipe is for lettuce wraps and we do that too but this chicken can be used for tortilla wraps, sandwiches and more!!

You will need:

1lb chicken breasts

1 celery stalk

1/2 onion, diced (Hubs doesn't like onion so I leave it out)

1 clove garlic

16oz fat free low sodium chicken broth (Or regular. Whatever you prefer)

1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's Buffalo Wings sauce)

Instructions:

In a crock pot combine chicken, onion, garlic, celery and chicken broth. The broth should cover the chicken. If it doesn't you can use water to make up the space. Cook on High for 4 hours.

Remove chicken from pot. Reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks and return to pot. 

Add add broth and sauce. Stir. Cover and cook on High for another 30 min.

                                                          

And thats it! I made my chicken into a tortilla wrap this time. I put some ranch and cheese in there with the chicken! We had mac and cheese and tater tots with our meal tonight! 

Like I said before, this chicken is super versatile! The awesome part is that the left-overs are great too! Unlimited number of toppings as well! 

Hope you like this super easy recipe!! 

Look for Less~Selena Gomez

Her songs are catchy. I'll give her that. But she has horrible taste in...men...can I call him that? I'm lookin at you Beibs!

Anyway, I am a fan of her style. Today's look is a street look. I don't agree with all of the styling but I am a sucker for oversized sweaters.

This sweater is by Free People. It is actually sold out at the moment but other sweaters like it are about $130. Her boots are Fergie and run about $120.

I found quite a few sweater/sweater dresses that would help recreate this look.

You can get this one here for $37.80. 

You can get this one here for $36. I like that this one is in the same wintery theme as Selena's.

You can get this one here for 22.50. This one is personally my fav. They have so many different colors and that is an amazing price!!










I HATE the fact that she is wearing sheer tights so I would suggest leggings or even those awesome lined tights if you are out in the cold. If you aren't a leggings person you could totally rock some skinnies under these with no problem! These Madden Girl boots would look great with any of these! And at $47.99 they are well worth it!!

I hope you are all having a great week!! 

Super Bowl Snacks!!

Hello all! Sorry for the late post!! Past few days have been busy!! I thought I would share two of the yummy snacks that I made for the Super Bowl!!

The first is Buffalo Chicken Dip. My friend Alison made this for my baby shower and then again for baby boys 1st birthday. Let me tell you it is soooo yummy! You can get the recipe of the back of the bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce!

You will need:
 8oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing (I used ranch)
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce (I used the buffalo wing sauce because I already had that on hand)
1/2 cup cheese (The Frank's recipe calls for blue cheese or mozzarella but I used cheddar because that's what Alison used)
2 large cans of Swanson Chicken, drained

You can make this in the oven or in the crock pot. I had other things that would go in the oven so I decided on the crock pot method. I mixed all the ingredients together and also tried to break up the chicken chunks as best I could with a fork. Then cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or low for 2 1/2-3 hours. I cooked on high. Stir throughout the cooking process to make sure everything is getting all mixed in there!

This is what it looked like in my bowl! I forgot to take a picture of it done in the crock pot but I am sure you get the idea!!

Now this dip is amazing! I feel like I should make it for every function! I know my friend, Alison uses the regular Frank's when she makes her's and I do remember her's being a little hotter than my version.  So, if you would like to kick it up I would suggest that! I was happy with the heat level my buffalo sauce gave me but I still think I will try it with the original Frank's very soon!! Also, Alison uses chicken breasts that she boils and then chops up. I had every intention to do that but time got away from me! I will try that next time!!

Next up we have a recipe I found on Pinterest. They are called Rotel Cups! The blog that it was on you can find here.

You will need
3 packages mini fillo shells, can be found in the frozen foods by the pie crusts
1 can Rotel, drained almost all the way
1 bag real bacon bits
1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 cup mayo

Mix your Rotel, may and bacon together until blended. Add cheese and mix.

Fill your fillo shells. Try not to over fill them. I did have some leftover mixture. I lined my baking sheet with waxed paper so there were no yucky messes to clean up on then pan. Pop in the oven at 350 for 15-20 min. The cups will look golden and bubbly when ready to come out! Mine only took 15 min!

Here are the finished cups! I added a little more cheese on the top just to get a little more cheese in there.

I liked these. I didn't get to one until they had cooled down so I might not be the best judge. But everyone else who got em while they were hot said they were super yummy! 

There you have it! I hope you all had an awesome Super Bowl. Did you have any fav commercials? What was the best snack at your party?

Look for Less~Mila Kunis

Hey everyone! Happy Hump day! I hope everyone is having a good week. Mine is dragging but thats what happens!!

So, Mila Kunis is hot. Just agree with me. As much as you don't want to just do it. It will make you feel better! This look comes from Celebrity Style Guide. I know I know. So does everything else. This is a great going out look. Would be great for date night. Not that I know what that is of course.

Her blouse is by Balmain and retails at $7,770. I'll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor. Good news is it is on sale for $1,554. Great price right? You can buy that top here, if you have that kinda cash under your mattress. Her shoes are by Giuseppe Zanotti. I really do love his shoes but I can't afford his price. These ones are $695. They too are on sale for $399.97. You can buy those shoes here. Or just drool over them. That's what I do.

So, I am going to be honest with you. I had a hell of a time finding a top that was like this one. And I didn't really ever find one. But I already committed to this outfit so I am going to keep going. I found a few tops that could be used and would make great looks. The first is a more fitted top but it has the sparkle that the original top does. You can get it here for $40. The next is a plain black top but it has the wrap look that the Balmain look does. You can get it here for $24. I personally like the second option. I would pair it with a great necklace! Such as this one for $14.80 and this one for $6.80.

I am sure most all of you have a pair of black pants that you could throw on. And I also am sure that most of you have some black pumps that would look great with this!

I hope I didn't fail you on this outfit. I was going to go back but I had gone too far. Anyone ever feel like that?

Have a great rest of the week!!

White Chicken Chili

Hello there! Is it cold out there or is it just me? I mean here in NC it went from 77 to 40 so I think I am a bit shell shocked. 

Something that is perfect for cold weather is soup. My husband also told me that he could eat it every night. And generally soup is easy to make so I am happy to oblige.

Tonight's recipe is for White Chicken Chili. This come from How To:Simplify. 

You will need:

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1medium onion, diced
2 cups cooked chicken (You can use a supermarket rotisserie chicken to save on time)
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed (I used White Kidney Beans)
1 can corn, drained
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
Juice from 1 lime

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté onion until it starts to be come translucent. (I skipped this step because the hubby doesn't like onions, or more, they don't like him)

Once the onion is done cooking, add shreds of chicken, beans, corn and chills (with the juice from the can). Also add the spices at this time. Stir to combine all ingredients and then add the chicken broth. 

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Add salt and pepper to taste and the lime juice. 

We both thought this was a great chili! It was very good the day after as well. I let the broth reduce a lot so there wasn't a whole lot left for the left overs. That was fine. I just made some rice and topped it with that. 

I hope that if you make this chili you love it. It was a nice change from the tomato based chili that we usually have! 

Do you have any favorite soup recipe?

DIY Friday: Valentine Mantel

Hello all! I know Valentine's day is still awhile away but Pinterest and other bloggers have me wanting to decorate!! So I'm doing it darn it!!

Valentine's Day is not really something my husband and I care that much about. My birthday is 2 days before so it all just gets wrapped into one. Which is fine. But I am a sucker for all the pretty holiday decorations that are out there!

For this project I decided to make a mantel display. I saw the idea for this garland on Pinterest and you can buy a fancy one like it on Etsy but I decided to make my own!

For the garland you will need:
Ribbon (I used 3 kinds but you could use as many or as few as you wanted)
A deck of playing cards
A hole punch

First thing I did was go through the deck and get all the heart cards out. Next I punched two holes at the top of the card. I couldn't find a standard hole punch in any store I went to (don't ask me why we don't have one) so I just used a heart shaped one! The hearts were upside down but it doesn't really matter!

Next, I secured one end of my ribbon to the mantel. I used tape but whatever works to keep it up there go for it! I begain stringing my cards onto the ribbon leaving a little space between them. I then measured how much I wanted the garland to hang and cut off the ribbon and taped it down to the other side! I made my fairly short because we have little hands that grab!

Next, I cut the other two ribbon into about 7in sections. 10 of each color. I tied them in a knot in the space between the cards. And voila! The garland is done!! You could use a lot more ribbon to make it more full if you choose but I liked this look.

For on top of the mantel I didn't want to go too crazy or expensive so I just decided to go with candles. I filled the holders with festive candy. You could use any kind you want! I placed a ribbon on the bottom of each candle holder to tie them in with the garland!

So, how much did this all cost? The ribbon was on sale at $1 each and the playing cards came from the dollar store so they were, you guessed it, a dollar! So the garland cost me $4! The candles and candle holders came from the dollar store also! The candy was $3.19. Kinda expensive since I am not going to be eating them but oh well. I tried to find something cheaper that I liked but nothing really looked right. So, my candles cost me $9.19! All told, the project cost mea little over $13! Not bad if you ask me!!

Here is a picture of the whole mantel! Don't mind the cords. We are trying to figure out a way to hide those better. But I did tie some ribbon around them!!

I hope you liked this week's DIY!! Hope you all have an awesome weekend!!

Kate Beckinsale--Look for Less

Hello all! Who loves neon? Anyone? Well I do!! I love it! If I was more tan it would be all I would wear. Ok maybe not but I would wear a lot more of it!

Today we are taking a look from Kate Beckinsale. I love her. So pretty. Damn it. Anyway, I'll stop hating on the pretty people.

This look comes from Celebrity Style Guide. Kate is wearing a great sweater by T by Alexander Wang. You can get it here S Sense. If you want to get it though it will set you back $155. Not very affordable. Kate is pairing her sweater with dark blue jean leggings for $225! You can get them here Couture Candy.

I found a really great look alike at Gap for $59.95. It is a little chunkier knit than the more expensive one and has an open knit. Kate is wearing dark blue jeans but I personally like the idea of black jeans with this color. Either way, I am sure most of you have both of those in your closet! She is wearing boots with her jeans. I also like black flats.

I hope that you all like neon as much as I do. Or maybe give it a second look.

Buffalo Pretzels

Oh football. Will you ever end? Nah, I don't mind it that much. The thing I like the most though is the snacks. You can't watch football without some kind of snack. Course I can't do much without some kind of snack so ya know.

I am obsessed with these pretzels. I think I ate them all. The hubs tried a few but he is not really into pretzels so ya know. Thats ok. More for me. I found these babies on Pinterest. Where else right? The link from there takes you to A Taste of the Best.  

You will need:

12 cups pretzels (I used the sticks and just a one pound bag)

5 ounces of butter, melted

1 package of ranch dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I think I actually used waxed but it worked all the same) Pour pretzels in a large bowl and set aside. (I used a 9x13 dish because it was easier to mix them around in)  In a small bowl, melt butter. Add the ranch mix, celery salt and buffalo sauce. Mix it all up. Pour over pretzels. Stir to coat. Transfer to baking sheet. (I used two because my large one was dirty...ooops) Spread out the pretzels. Bake for one hour stirring every 15 min. Let cool. If you can.

Like I said I ate pretty much all of these myself. When I wanted some I would pour some in a bowl and warm it up for about 15 seconds. I like them warm. Seems to make the flavor come out more. Now like it says in the blog it is not much of a buffalo flavor. Next time I make them, which will be once the chex mix is gone, I am going to try and add a bit more to bring out more of that flavor.

Thats it! Easy, easy! I can't wait to make more football snacks for the Super Bowl. Best part other than the commercials. Oh and Beyonce will be preforming this year. Time to put on my black leotard and do some dancing!!!

New year...better blogger?

Hello friends!! Long time no chat I know! I was not as good as I thought I was going to be with the whole blogging thing. I LOVE it don't get me wrong but I may have been a bit too lazy to go to the office and do it every night.

Well my personal new years resolution was to be better about it. Buuuut then our computer died so I was a little screwed. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who got me an awesome MacBook! So now I can blog to my hearts content! That and since it is a Macbook I can still sit on my butt on the couch and blog while we watch West Wing!! What could be better!! 

So, starting Sunday there will be blogs! I vow to be better! Much better! Hope you are along for the ride. And if not, thats ok too. I don't mind hearing myself speak. Or reading myself type. Or whatever.