A week of Baking!

Last week both of my kids had birthdays. I found some really cute cakes and ideas to incorporate on pinterest and decided to bake for both of their classes and also their birthday party. This resulted in a week long baking event including cupcakes for each of them and cakes for each of them. I hope you enjoy!

This was for Rhett's KDO class. Caterpillar cupcakes with gummy worm legs

                                            

This was for Sydney's class. She loves Green Eggs and Ham so I made it into cupcakes.                                  

This Monkey Cake was for Sydney at the birthday party, with a colorful center and homemade chocolate and banana whipped icing.

                                                                                                                                                            



And the Monster Cake was for Rhett for their birthday party. It had homemade almond whipping icing and colorful cake layers on the inside. 

The cakes and cupcakes were a big hit and I had a lot of fun making them!

Kid's designer beanbag chair

Designer Beanbag Chair

This is my first ever beanbag chair. I have several fabrics and will be posting them as I make them.

Here is my 4 year old son being my guinea pig since his sister was in school.

I got the pattern and tutorial here. They also have adult size chairs that I will also be making and posting.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 Swanson Chicken Stock (26 oz)

1 can Chicken Broth

1 white onion, chopped

7-10 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

2 bunch cilantro 

2 can Rotel (preferably Mexican Lime and Cilantro Rotel)

2 can Petite Diced Tomatoes

Chicken Powder Base (or can use bouillon cubes)

Corn Tortillas (I prefer 30 ct white), cut in strips and fried until crispy (then sprinkle season salt over)

Cheddar & Monterey Jack, grated and blended together

Cube the chicken breasts into bite size pieces while raw then put it in a pot (at least 7 quart pot) with all of the Chicken Stock and the can of Chicken Broth. Cook on Medium heat. While that is cooking, pull the cilantro leaves from the stems and chop (discard stems). Once chicken is cooked, add cilantro, onion, garlic, Rotel and diced tomatoes to the pot. Do not drain the Rotel or Tomatoes. Add approximately 3 Tbs of the Chicken Powder Base, to taste.  Heat to boiling, then reduce to low and simmer with lid on pot. (The chicken will get tough if you leave it boiling for long) At this point it is basically done and you can eat when you want, but the longer it simmers, the better the flavor will be. Stir occasionally.

When ready to serve, layer the fried tortilla strips, then cheese, then soup on top.

You can reduce this recipe by half, but still use the whole can of Broth when cooking the chicken.

 **You can substitute fried tortilla strips for restaurant style chips.