Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of Corn
• 2 Chicken Breasts Cooked and Cubed/Shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Can of Rotel Tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 Can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• Chicken Broth
• Fresh Cilantro
• Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine corn, chicken, tomatoes, beans, cumin, onion powder, and chicken broth in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 4 hours.  Serve topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

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FREE Olaf (Disney's Frozen) Printable Valentines

I am in full Valentine's Day mode... creating project ideas, designing my kids' valentines cards for school, and pinning like crazy. I had already created custom Frozen Valentines in our Etsy shop, but decided I should do a quick free printable with our favorite snowman, Olaf. I might actually like this one better than the one we have for sale:) !

It is very easy to download and print these. First, you will want to click on the picture below to open a full size preview. Then, right click and save the image to your computer.

After saving, open up the picture in your picture manager software. Since this is a jpeg file, and essentially like nay other photo you save to your computer, you will have the option to print it in different sizes. Each printer is different, but you can see I chose to print mine as wallet size (2.5x3.5) and selected the option to print "9 per page." Make sure you UNCHECK any "fit to frame" options. If you wanted these bigger, you could print them as 4x6 photos.  You could also print these at a photo shop, you would just have to use a photo marker to write in the name.

 Enjoy!

**If you are sharing on your own website, please provide a link to our original post. Do not claim this as your own. Thanks!

Taco Cups

I have said this at least a dozen times... One thing that our family can all agree on eating is Tacos!  Here is another way to change up the regular old tacos and an even better way to serve them at a party!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• Your FavoriteTaco Seasoning
• Refried Beans
• 48 Wonton Wrappers
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Salsa
• Sour Cream

Makes 24 Taco Cups

Cook the ground beef and add taco seasoning according to season packet.  Preheat oven to 375.  Place one Wonton wrapper in each space of a regular size muffin tin.  Smear (now that is one word I have NEVER used when writing a recipe lol) about a tablespoon of refried beans on top of each of the wrappers.  Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the taco meat in each cup, then sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top of the meat.  Add another Wonton wrapper and gently press down.  Add a little more meat and cheese.

 Bake for about 10 minutes or until Wonton wrappers are golden brown.  Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.  I placed mine on a small bed of cilantro rice, but you could easily add the rice before the lettuce.  These little taco cupcakes are perfect party food or dinner time!

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Minecraft Party Printables {FREE}

 We have two super fun, FREE printables for your Minecraft Fan! Below are links to our Google Drive page where you can download the PDF's for a Minecraft Happy Birthday Banner and a Minecraft Candy Wrapper.


Minecraft Candy Wrapper

Minecraft Banner Link

Minecraft Candy Wrapper Link

We also have matching Minecraft Invitations, Water Bottle Labels and Treat Bag Toppers (all personalized with your child's name) in our Etsy shop.

Terms of use: You may post a link to our blog on your page, but you cannot link directly to the documents. Feel free to use the images above, but please include a credit and link to our blog. Thanks for looking!

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7-Up Biscuits

This is another one of those recipes that I have been seeing on Pinterest for several years, but I just finally decided to make it last month.  I didn't think to put it on the blog because I see it all the time, but it is so good and so easy that I just had to share it.  I have seen it on Six Sisters Stuff and Plain Chicken blogs.  I didn't change it up at all, just sharing with you how yummy it was!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Bisquick
• 1/4 Cup Butter (melted)
• 1/2 Cup 7-Up
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 450.  Melt butter in the bottom of an 8x8 glass dish or Pyrex pie pan.  Gently combine Bisquick, 7-Up, and sour cream.  Sprinkle a little bit of additional biscuit mix on the counter.  Gently pat, don't kneed, dough.  Using a glass make about 9 biscuits out of the dough.  Place each biscuit in the dish with the melted butter.  Bake for 11-12 minutes or until a light golden brown.

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Mojo Chicken with Creamy Garlic Bowties

My whole family agreed that the new recipe that I created tonight is a keeper.  It wasn't exactly what I started out to make, but I think it turned out even better.  I am so glad that I actually kept track of what I put in it, because I often just throw stuff together when trying new things.  Mark this as a success!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Mojo Marinade (This is made by Wegmans, but Lawry's also sells a similar one called Mesquite with touch of lime)
• olive oil
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 3 Strips of Bacon Cooked and Crumbled
• 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 3 cloves Minced Garlic
• A Couple Dashes of White Wine
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese 
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1-16 oz Box of Farfalle Pasta

Pour marinade over chicken and let sit in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  In a medium size skillet drizzle a little olive oil.  Pour chicken marinade and all into skillet.  Cook chicken thoroughly.  Remove chicken, slice, cover, and set aside.  Bring pasta water to a boil.  Add a splash of white wine to deglaze the chicken skillet.  Add garlic and pepper and simmer for a minute.  Add in cream and whisk together for about two minutes.  Add in Parmesan cheese while continuing to whisk.  Sauce will thicken as it stands.  If it gets to thick add a splash of wine to thin it out.  Pour sauce over pasta.  Plate the pasta with a few slices of chicken and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top. 

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Whisper Phone Reading Tool

My oldest son is in first grade and is progressing into a great reader, but it isn't coming super easy to him.  His teacher has given us lots of suggestions as to how to improve his skills.  One of her suggestions was a Whisper Phone.  Of course I had no idea what a Whisper Phone was, she showed me an example of one that she uses in her classroom. I tested it out and it was pretty darn cool.  The children have time each day for independent reading and at this age it is best done aloud.  Everyday they spread out around the classroom and read out loud.  It is a little loud and chaotic to have 25 students all reading out loud at the same time, so when she mentioned that she would love a classroom set of these I completely understood why.  This weekend my husband made one for us and a classroom set of 30 for the teacher.  Now the kids can whisper read to themselves into their phone.  They still get the benefits of being able to hear what they are reading as they work on fluency and pronunciation.

These Whisper Phones are really easy to make and cost about a dollar a piece.

Materials:

• A 4.5" Piece of 3/4" PVC Pipe (Home Depot Model SKU #22075- this is a 2 ft piece)

• 2- 3/4" PVC Elbows (Home Depot model# 406-007HC or Store SKU# 187976)

Simply cut the pipe to 4.5 inches and then attach the elbows to both ends.  The phone can easily  be decorated to personalize.  I love how easy they are to clean, just put them in a sink of bleach water to sanitize.

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Disney Bucket List 2014

Each time we visit Disney World I create a bucket list of fun and exciting things for us to do.  Some of them are new to us and some are old favorites.  I like to find a few special things that are at our resort because you just never know when we will stay there again.  I enjoy finding the perfect mix of hidden magic and must do experiences.  We are very lucky to visit often but every time we go the experience is different.  This list is for our January 2014 trip.  I know that we won't do/see all of these things, but I like to have the list so that we can continue to try new things.  My must do list is very long and it grows after each visit.

1. Find DiVine-DiVine is a street performer at Animal Kingdom.  She is hard to find for a couple of reasons.  She is fully decked out in face paint and foliage to blend in with the surroundings.  She is rarely listed in the times guide, but from what I hear you can ask Cast Members for details.  
2. Ask for Ketchup at Whispering Canyon Cafe- This is a table service restaurant located inside of Wilderness Lodge.  I have been told that something crazy will happen when you ask for ketchup at this restaurant.  I guess we will have to wait and see...
3. See the Trains and Geyser at Wilderness Lodge- Fire Rock Geyser is a geyser that erupts at the top of the hour throughout the day.  It shoots water 120 ft into the air.  Nestled inside the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge is Walt Disney's personal train collection.  You don't have to be a guest at this resort to enjoy it.  It is available for all to see.  
4. Lunch at Be Our Guest- Be Our Guest is the newest Quick Service/Table Service restaurant at Magic Kingdom.  During our last trip we scored a dinner reservation and it was GREAT.  You can check out my dinner review here.  This time we are hoping to eat there for lunch.  During lunch it is a Quick Service restaurant with lots of yummy sounding options.  You can even get a cupcake topped with the "Grey Stuff."  So don't forget to "Try the Grey Stuff, It's delicious!"
5. Try a Dole Whip-  This is a pineapple soft serve float that according to most Disney Addicts is a "MUST HAVE" snack.  I have taken a sip of a friend's Dole Whip and liked it but I have never had one of my own.  No one else in my family has ever tasted this signature snack.  There is always a line at Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom, but I plan to wait this time!
6. Meet Anna and Elsa in Norway-  Anna and Elsa are the stars of the newest Disney movie "Frozen."  We saw the movie back in November and LOVED IT!  We don't often wait in line to meet princesses because I have two little boys, but this is one exception they are willing to make and that makes this Mom happy:)
7. Visit Talking Mickey- At our visit in November we able to get FastPasses to meet the Magician Talking Mickey at Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom.  This was one of the most memorable moments of the entire trip.  It actually brought tears to my eyes.  My little ones have not stopped talking about it, so it makes the list AGAIN!
8. Watch Electrical Water Pageant-  This is a water parade on the Seven Seas Lagoon.  It can be seen from 5 different resorts at various times.  We plan to let the kiddos play in the sand and relax and watch the lights pass by.  
9. Watch Lights Motor Action Stunt Show- This is a high action stunt show that includes a favorite character, Lightning McQueen.  We saw this show a few years ago and would love to see it again.  Make sure to check the times guide because it is only performed a few times a day.  I have also heard a rumor that the show may be phasing out.  
10. Chip and Dale Campfire Sing a long-  Each night at 7pm Chip and Dale host a campfire sing-a-long at  Fort Wilderness behind the Meadow Trading Post.  S'mores kits and marshmallow sticks are available for purchase for $5 or feel free to bring your own.  We have attempted to do this in previous visits, but it has always seemed to hot to sit at a campfire.  This is our first trip in January and the weather should be perfect.  
11. Wake up call from a character- I have never done this, but from what I have researched all you have to do is request a wake up call and the next morning a character will call.  I will let you know how it goes in my bucket list update after the trip.  
12. See Turtle Talk with Crush-  This a one of our favorite attractions at Epcot because it is always a good laugh and never the same experience.  It makes our list because we missed it last time. 
13. Meet Ralph and Vanellope- These characters from Wreck-it Ralph are available for photo ops and HUGS inside the Magic of Disney Animation.  
14. Draw a character at Animation Academy- Inside the Magic of Disney Animation you can watch a 9 minute film on how characters are drawn and then an animator will draw a character live as you watch and follow along to make a character of your own.  

We are going again!!!  Here is the link to my latest Bucket List

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Greek Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• Lemon
• 8 Chicken Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 oz Container of Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley

Combine yogurt, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, juice of 1/2 lemon, and zest from 1/2 lemon in a bowl.  Mix well.  Pour over chicken and marinate for about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.  

I served with brown rice, and Zucchini Fritters.

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Banana Berry Oatmeal in the Oven

Christmas morning (ok every morning) is crazy around here.  I made this oatmeal casserole because it is quick and easy to put together and it can easily be reheated so we can eat as we are hungry.  I have also made this on Sunday and reheated throughout the week for a delicious breakfast.  The chocolate chips and bananas make this a hit at my house!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Quick Oats
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Raspberries (or sliced strawberries)
• 2 Cups of Milk (I used 1%)
• 1/3 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons of Butter (melted)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 Ripe Banana

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  In a bowl combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, half of the raspberries, and half of the chocolate chips.  Pour that mixture into the baking dish.  Then arrange the remaining berries and chocolate chips on top.  Slice the banana and place it on top of the oatmeal.  In a bowl, whisk together egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla.  Pour mixture over top of fruit and oats.

Shake the baking dish side to side to help the liquid settle and cover all of oats.  Bake for 30 minutes.

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