what's cookin' in my crock pot?

Well, on Tuesday, it was nothin'!!
There was a pork roast IN my crock pot. But it wasn't cookin'. It was just sitting there. All day. Ruined. What a disappointing thing to find after a long, hard day at work!

I absolutely love to come home to the smell of dinner cooking. So crock pots are the best invention for working moms, in my opinion. Easy. No work cooking. That's for me! So on Tuesday morning I put a pork roast in, along with some chicken broth to keep it moist. I turned it on low. Bragged to a coworker about the yummy meal I had planned. Just forgot one small detail.
Plug. It. In.

Today, however, there is something cookin' in my crock pot. At least I think there is. Chicken breasts. Tonight I'm cooking spicy chicken tortilla soup. A family favorite. And I put in enough chicken to also fix curry chicken salad. Yum!!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 onion
1 T olive oil
1 big can diced tomatoes (I run mine through the blender)
2 cans chicken broth
1 jar green enchilada sauce
1 small can green chilies
1 can tomato soup
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. worcestershire
1 t. tobasco (I just put in a dash or two)
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

Chop onion & brown in olive oil. Combine remaining ingredients together in a soup pot. Simmer at least an hour. Add warm chicken.

Serve with chips, sour cream and shredded cheese.

I got this recipe from Meg at whatever. It's super yummy!! And here's the chicken salad recipe, just in case you're interested:

Curry Chicken Salad

2 1/2 c. chicken, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/3 c. finely chopped celery
2 T grated onion (I run mine through a garlic press)
1/2 c. craisins*
1/2 c. miracle whip
2 T sour cream
3/4 t. curry powder
1/8 t. cajun seasoning

Mix chicken, celery, almonds, onion & craisins. Then combine miracle whip, sour cream & seasonings and pour over the chicken. Chill at least one hour.
Serve on croisants.
*I actually leave out the craisins and serve on multi-grain bistro crackers.

This post has been part of Thursday's Writer's Workshop with MamaKat. Now go check out what's in other crock pots.

homecoming fest

Last week was high school homecoming and as part of the festivities, there were several activities (which kept me busy throughout the week).

On Tuesday, I went to an art show where 4 of my students received awards for their orange and black art work.

The 3-D tiger won first place in the first through third grade division. The other 3 received honorable mentions. I couldn't resist sharing their talent!!

On Thursday, there was a city-wide pep rally with a faculty homecoming crowning ceremony. Each school nominated a king and queen candidate and the public voted for the candidates with money. All the money goes back to the respective schools. As luck would have it, our school won.

The king is my best friend's hubby, who happens to be our school's PTO treasurer.

Saturday morning ended the celebrations with a parade downtown. I rode in the Lincoln float. I even perfected my wave!!

It was fun to be queen for a day (or two)!!

teacher tuesday...grant award!!

Last Wednesday my grade level partner and I were awarded a grant to purchase books to teach social studies and science. We're really excited about this because it will allow us to more easily integrate reading with those subjects. We are going to buy leveled readers on topics including economy, simple machines, animal life cycles, government and citizenship (just to name a few!)

It's always exciting to be given money to go shopping!!

dinner and a movie

Our church's Women's Ministry hosted a ladies' night out which included dinner and a movie. Steel Magnolia's (yes there were plenty of tissues to go around) and a good ol' southern homestyle dinner. Yum!!

Our hostesses did a fabulous job of putting together a fun night!!

And an 80's movie party just wouldn't be complete without BIG HAIR!!!
I did not participate in that part of the party! Been there, done that!



It was a great night with great food and great friends. Thanks ladies!!

been on a blogger break

I bet you've wondered where I've been (or maybe not).
Last week was an extremely busy week and can you believe I didn't even have time to take my computer out of my bag after work? It's the truth!!

The past week or so included big hair, some royal fun, shopping, a pedicure, time with family and so much more. I'll be posting more details throughout the week.

But for now, I'm pooped. So that teaser will have to hold you over.