"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~Charles M. Schulz

I totally disagree with that statement above.

However, I do think that everyone who reads this post should to go this link:

http://radiobase1.clearchannel.com/front/image_contest2.asp?s=A6889271C4BCB3A3557BA5BEA5B19D84939EB49BB6B4678DD1CF8B998EAFA6BDBD777CA6CCC6C2BCA1897D675D7F71887FA4BC6F91796F66A6B5AF948C6A618499A7A0737C7D63646F6E946E9791B58DA06271

And vote a "10" for Erin's dog Mindy. Not because I think she's particularly cute (although she's not bad as far as dogs go), but because I want Erin to win so she can come with me to Harry Potter World! Which I'm sure you'll all agree is a worthy cause!

So vote away!

Chicken Soft Tacos!

So I thought I put this on my blog a LONG time ago . . . but I guess that I didn't! So I'll share with everyone since Cami wanted the recipe! It's so easy and so delicious!

Chicken Soft Tacos (Crock Pot Recipe) Makes 6 servings

1-1 1/2 lbs. frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14 1/2 oz. can low sodium diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 envelope low sodium taco seasoning

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker

2. Mix tomatoes and taco seasoning. Pour over chicken.

3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

4. Serve in soft tortillas. Top with salsa, cheese, and guacomole.

Enjoy! :)

“It`s not the load that breaks you down, it`s the way you carry it.” ~ Lena Horne

Last night, Lena Horne passed away. To tell the truth, I don’t know much about her. But, I am jealous of her for all the wonderful things she got to do in her career. A duet with Frank Sinatra, shared billing with Gene Kelly, an appearance on the Dean Martin show . . . and those are just the things that I’m jealous of! The list goes on. . .

I couldn’t find a copy of her Sinatra duet, but here is “Stormy Weather”, the song she is/was most famous for.

Tamales!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! In order to celebrate, I made tamales tonight! I actually wasn’t able to eat them, but everyone else said they were really good, so I’m going to share the recipe! They are vegetarian tamales, so sorry if you were hoping for some meat. This made about medium-sized tamales.
VEGETARIAN TAMALES!

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa (corn flour)
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1/2 cup broth
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups corn (fresh or thawed frozen will work)
• 1 1/2 cups cheese (mexican cheese or cheddar, reserve about half for filling)
• 4 ounces roasted chilies(fresh roasted skinless peppers work too)
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• parchment paper or corn husks (I used corn husks)

Directions

1. If you’re using corn husks, start soaking them in a bowl of water.
   
2. In a food processor blend corn and cheese until corn is in nearly a meal consistency.
   
3. Add butter, masa, salt, sugar, pepper and baking powder and process until the mixture is loosely mixed.
   
4. Add broth and mix until just smooth.
   
5. Place about 2 tbsp of mixture into soaked corn husk or parchment paper.
   
6. Fill with some cheese, slices of roasted chili pepper and tomatoes.
   
7. Close parchment paper or corn husk around filling, trying to cover filling with masa mixture. If you have trouble closing or have too much filling try using less in your subsequent tamales.
   
8. Roll wrapper closed, roll and fold over ends and set aside. (I shredded one of the corn husks and used it to tie the tamales closed).
   
9. Once they're done they can be refrigerated or frozen, or placed immediately in steaming tray above boiling water for about 30 minutes, or until masa mixture is set.
   

Then you unwrap them, and serve with some hot sauce or salsa!