Tortilla Soup

I am usually not a fan of leftovers.  Actually, I hate them about 90% of the time.  Turkey and Thanksgiving leftovers usually fall in the "not a fan of the next day" category but I got this idea from my favorite crafy girls.  I copied their idea for tortilla soup using leftover turkey, but here is the recipe I used instead.  We thought it turned out awesome!

Ingredients:
2 soaked and seeded ancho chilies (found in the produce section, you have to soak them in water ~1 hr to re-hydrate)
2-4 tomatoes, depending on size
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
2-3 Tbsp oil (extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil...whatever you have)
4 corn tortillas (plus 2-3 more for garnish)
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken (or turkey) (*if using chicken, I just buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and pull apart)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)
salt
shredded cheese (we like pepper jack or monterey jack)
sliced avocado
lime juice

1.  Puree the seeded, soaked ancho chilies, tomatoes, garlic, and onion.

2.  Fry in oil for a few minutes

3.  Add 6-8 cups chicken broth, 4 corn tortillas (cut into pieces), shredded chicken/turkey, and cilantro

4.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until thick (the longer the better!).  Add salt to taste

5.  While soup is simmering, cut extra corn tortillas into thin strips.  Heat a small skillet with vegetable oil on high.  Fry strips for a few minutes (until crispy).  Set aside on a paper towel and use for topping.

6.  Serve soup with crisp tortilla strips, cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime juice

*I also added in some left over corn we had and it was great!

Thankful

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for these:

Being married to this amazing guy

My family - including a new sweet sister-in-law

The cutest babies EVER...my niece and nephew!!

A new big, amazing family

The best friends I could have ever asked for!

Girls Weekend

My good friend from high school, Brittany, came to visit last weekend!  I love when you get to hang out with old friends...and even though you may not talk or see each other very often, things are just the same as they were when you spent every day together at swim practice.  On the agenda was shopping, sushi, and the Broncos football game. 

These are the beauties that I got on sale at Nordstrom... Love them!!

(*I got these in gray)

Here are a few pics from football game.  We ended up having amazing seats about 11 rows up from the field.  Britt has been a big Broncos fan since she was little and it was her first game- she was really excited!  Besides it being cold out and the Broncos losing- we had a great time!  Can't wait to see her again!

A Few of my Favorite Things...

I LOVE this time of year and that the holidays are coming up!  I like to get a head start on Christmas shopping which means making Christmas lists early.  Here are a few of my favorite things topping my list this year:

If you've ever had your feet in a pair of these, you need no convincing on how AMAZING they are.  Worth. Every. Penny.  (I got the short Uggs a few years ago and they have gotten worn out- time to replace!)

I have this same North Face jacket in brown and I wear it all the time!  Perfect for Colorado-ish climates where jacket weather ranges from September to May.

The one thing on our registry that we didn't get... I have gotten much more into cooking the last year or two and I love the All-Clad pans we already have.

J Crew is my favorite store.  I love 99% of the things thay have.  LOVE THEM!!!!  This magical piece is my favorite among them... the most perfect fitting cardigan!  You can wear it with everything! (jeans, dresses, business casual- everything)  I already have it in 7 different colors and want every other one they sell!  The tricky part is waiting until it goes on sale and hoping they still have your size.  Let's face it, J Crew is a little overpriced but almost everything goes on sale at some point.  I eagle-eye this item online several times a week.  (don't judge)

Shoes.  There really is no explanation needed for this one.  Most of my friends have the same NEED for an extensive and diverse shoe collection that I do.  {Brian doesn't understand it so I have learned the art of justifying "unauthorized purchases", such as new shoes, very well!}  Here is one that I almost didn't want to share b/c its always nice to have a "cute shoe" good find that sets you apart.  But... since these little gems are made by my favorite craft girls I had to divulge.  They call them JuJu Shoes... basic ballet flats that have snaps on them and come with interchangable "shoe charms" to mix and match with whatever you are wearing that day.  Definitely check them out on the KoJo blog or at their Etsy shop.  I'm seriously loving these!

Family Resemblance

Like father, like daughter....   If she wasn't so cute this would probably count as cruel and unusual punishment.

My brother and niece, Halloween 2009

(*the pictures are a little blurry...yes, she does have a mohawk and mustache)

Halloween

I don't have any cool pictures from carving pumpkins or dressing up for Halloween this year :(   Our pumpkins that were for carving were frozen outside from the snow storm (see below) and we were at the OU football game in Norman on Halloween night!  We spent last weekend in OK catching the game and catching up with some of our favorite friends!

Hanging out with sweet Isabella (Rick & Christi's baby girl)

We ran into Gordo on Campus Corner... I miss these guys so much!

With Christi before the game

This was our first game to use our new season tickets... amazing view of campus!

Snow Day!

This is a week late but we had Denver's biggest October snow storm in 12 years last week!!!  We had over 2' at our house and I had a great day and a half off of work.  Definitely paying for it this week as I scramble to wrap up major projects.  When it rains- it pours! 

*Don't judge the horrible last 2 pictures...they are for effect only