It's the little things. . .

The weekends ALWAYS go by way too fast.  Monday morning at work you typically hear:

"How was your weekend?"

"Oh, great, but it was too quick!"

 Good thing about being a teacher. . teachers get a 10 week weekend.  And let me tell you. . it is well deserved.  They should allow other business/career people take field trips to a classroom for a whole day.  The only thing we can't "show" you is the rewarding feeling and love we achieve teaching those students and seeing them grow and succeed. . and not to say that other jobs are not hard or rewarding. :) 

Okay. . enough. . back to the weekend! ;)

After our eventful and fun Friday night, Ryan and I spent the rest of the weekend enjoying each other!

The closest we get to the beach. . is the pool.  And let me tell you, we MISS that ocean breeze!

With my husband by my side, the pool, and a good book. . life was good.

And ladies. . .here is your challenge:  click on the pool picture and see if you can guess what book I was reading! ;)

Next up: cooking

 

We have been experimenting with our new crock pot that we got a few months back.  What I have learned?  One of the "fastest" ways I can create an easy and yummy meal for Ryan.

Here is what we tried tonight:

Chicken Tacos

Not my picture. . but forgot to take one! :)

DELICIOUS!  We are going to use the left over chicken to make enchilada soup tomorrow night.

Here is the recipe if you are interested:

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people

1 envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso Reduced Sodium)
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I switch between brands, but Newman's Own is my favorite)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. 

 

WAIT!  Not done!  My college roommate from Freshman year:

So sad I can't find more of our pictures right now!! :(

Her name is Lisa and this amazing person introduced me to nutella . . nutella on apples. . .on bananas. . or just straight out of the jar. 

Needless to say, I needed a nutella fix tonight (which made me miss Lisa who is doing WONDERFUL things with her life).

So, we whipped up some nutella chocolate chip cookies.

Yup, icing on the cake. . they were delicious. . yummy. . mouth watering. . 

Here is the recipe for this one too:

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Nutella
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.

3. In a separate bowl cream the butter,  sugar and the brown sugar using an electric mixer. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined.

4. Add in the flour mixture on low speed until combined. Then add in the nutella and mix until Nutella is incorporated.

5. Using a large spoon, mix in the chocolate chips.

6. Scoop large tablespoons of dough and drop onto baking sheets. I usually shape my dough balls so that they are smooth and flatten them a little, to make the cookies bake prettier.

7. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Remove cookies from try and let them cool on wire racks.

After an eventful and relaxing weekend, it was time for us to spend time with our fun and loving cat, Peanut.  A cat that sometimes likes to sit and sleep in um, different positions:

 

 Until next time. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~