Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe

Chicken Enchilada Soup is one of my favorite dinners to make.

I am pretty sure I've shared this recipe before but it's worth sharing again! 

Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe 

1lb of Chicken

 1 TBS Taco Seasoning 

2 Large cans of Crushed Tomatoes  

2 cans of Corn (strain corn) 

2 cans of Diced Chile Peppers 

2 cans of Hot or Medium (Red or green) Enchilada Sauce 

The ingredients go right into the crockpot.

Cook on low for four hours. 

It's really that easy!  

The soup tastes great on it's own but can be served with tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese!

The best part about this easy, delicious soup is that it is also Gluten-free!   

I am not a huge fan of corn but this soup wouldn't taste as good without it! 

It's corn! 

The Worthiest and Noblest Cause

Jonathon Roumie is an actor who plays Jesus in the T.V. series The Chosen. 

He is a devout man who lives his Catholic faith. 

If you haven't seen the series the Chosen, I strongly encourage you to watch it! 

This series has become a reality for me and for so many others. 

“God is real, and he is completely in love with each and every one of you.”' - Jouathon Roumie 

 Jonathon Roumie spoke at the March for Life in Washington D.C. this past weekend.  

Thousands of men and women marched together for the unborn. 

Light has shone through the darkness after these past 50 years, after the overturn of ROE V WADE.

“History has been made. Life has triumphed in an extraordinary way,” he said, “and the light of world, who is Jesus Christ, the author of life, his light has burned so very brightly within each and every one of you, irrespective of your specific beliefs, compelling you forward for one reason or another to stand together today to fight for the worthiest and noblest cause possible — which is to allow the unborn the right to enter into the world, and defeat those earthly forces who seek to destroy the very evidence of them.” Jomathon Roumie 

The Lord is my light and my salvation. 

How fitting for Psalm 27 to be the Responsorial Psalm today. 

Jesus is the light of the world. 

He asks us to be a light to others.

A light for women, men and the unborn. A light for Mothers, Fathers and children. 

He asks us to examine the areas of our lives that need His light.

Jesus and Mary ask us to pray the Rosary. 

St. Padre Pio said,"The rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today."

RVW is overturned but the battle is not yet over. 

Our prayers continue for the protection of the unborn and their mothers. 

The March continues, but in the end, we know God won!  

The Goodness of God

The song "The Goodness of God" is my Mom's favorite song right now. 

I thought I would share the song in honor of my mom's birthday today.

When I hear this song or sing this song, I think of my mom. 

All my life you have been faithful.

All my life, you have been so, so good. 

And with every breath that I am able,

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. 

Happy Birthday, Mom! 

The goodness of God shines through your beautiful heart.

Thank you for sharing your goodness and for signing the goodness of God. 

"I love you, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally...My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat it to you as often as I draw breath." (The Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney

Limitation

 “Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. If we look only at ourselves, with our own limitations and sins, we quickly give way to sadness and discouragement. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, then our hearts are filled with hope, our minds are washed n the light of truth, and we come to know the fullness of the Gospel with all is promise and life.” ~ Pope John Paul II

“Our own limitations” stood out to me. 

Limitations are good but too much of anything is not good.

Limitations can be twisted into making excuses or dwelling on the things we cannot do. 

I am guilty of doing both. 

We are our own limitations; not all, but most. 

I am my own limitation by choosing to think only about what is limited. 

We all have limitations. 

We all have moments of discouragement. 

It is in these moments that we turn our hearts to God and pray, 

that our hearts be filled with hope. 

The limitations then become an offering. 

A beautiful prayer. 

God's love has no limits. 

Painting by Erin K. McAtee 

S’mores Treat Recipe

I am trying something new with my blog...

My sister Nicole suggested that I try sharing a recipe with my blog followers! 

I am excited to try something different. 

I enjoy cooking and baking and learning new cooking skills; whether that be from my mom's recipe box or from volunteering with Prairie Mountain Nutrition. 

This was a great recipe to learn and a fun blog to create. 

When we lived in the Tri-cities, my Aunt Wendy made s’mores treats for the Fourth of July.

From that day on, the s’more treats were a family favorite! 

So here I am sharing my first recipe blog!  

The S'mores Treat Recipe 

Step by Step 

Spray Pam cooking Spray in large bowl

I used S’mores cereal for this recipe. One can also use Golden Grahams.

Pour 9 cups of cereal in large bowl.

Ingredients combined in saucepan for this recipe:

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

3/4 cups of Karo syrup

3 Tablespoons of butter.

Pour ingredients in kettle.

Heat until boiling. Remove from heat.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Pour over cereal. 

Stir.

Mix 3 cups of marshmallows in bowl. 

Spray 9x13 pan

Pour and pack in pan.

Let the s’more treats sit for 1 hour.

Form s’more treat balls and place treats on a baking sheet. 

This I volunteered my mom to do because I dislike touching anything that is sticky. 

Parchment paper for less mess and stickiness! 

They are ready to eat! 

Here is the recipe for you to try! 

I made these for my brother and his teammates to enjoy on their bus ride to their game tomorrow. 

Warning: this is NOT gluten free. 

If you would like to try adapting the recipe here is a link to finding GF cereal: 

https://www.amazon.com/Cascadian-Farm-Organic-Cereal-Vanilla/dp/B07QJQ7SR2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JYI2KFNY5YYW&keywords=Cascadian+Farm+Gluten+Free+Organic+Honey+Vanilla+Crunch+cerea&qid=1673643872&sprefix=cascadian+farm+gluten+free+organic+honey+vanilla+crunch+cerea%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1&pldnSite=1

2022 Highlights

I thought I would share some of the highlights from 2022. 

Our trip to Disneyland in January was a fun way to start the year! 

In May, we went to the off Broadway musical, Hamilton in Spokane. It was an amazing performance! 

If you haven't seen the live Broadway performance of Hamilton, I highly recommend watching it! You can find it on Disney+! It is one of my top favorite musicals!     

Side note, Favorite movies from 2022: Fr. Stu, Top Gun, Elvis and the Mother Teresa documentary.  

My sweet friend asked me to be her confirmation sponsor. She chose the name, Blessed Chiara Luce, my favorite saint. I gave a testimony to the Confirmation class and their sponsors. I enjoyed my first year of helping lead Confirmation and I am helping again this year.

 Both Maddie and Nicole were home for the summer and we were all together for Sr. Jordan's home visit in June. We laughed and enjoyed our quality time together.   

We visited friends we hadn't seen in a long time. Yet, when we saw them, it felt like just yesterday! Those are the best friends you want to have.  

I looked forward to my weekly bible and book studies with my friends. 

Reveal the Gift: Living the Feminine Genius by Lisa Cotter was the best book I read this past year. 

The Chosen Study Guide was fun to do one-on-one with my dear friend. 

My 27th birthday party was awesome! The crazy turn out from family made me feel so loved! It was a lot of fun dancing and singing the night away! I still laugh at the thought of people mistaking the DJ lights for police or ambulance lights. 

The trip to McCall will always be remembered! I enjoyed the heated pools,  pretty snow, the lake, my massage and of course the great company! 

My retreat was everything I needed and more! 

On retreat I took to heart, "Jesus loves praise--and rewards us!" 

Praise you, Jesus! 

Thank you for the good and thank you for staying with me through the hard moments. 

Thank you, Jesus!

It has been a year of receiving God's goodness and grace. 

These are just a few of the highlights! 

My heart is full. 

Image by Moritz Knoringer  

Take Heart 2023

I recently shared two of Matt Maher's songs but here is one more! 

I've saved this song for last and you will hear why in the lyrics, 

For unto us is born the Savior of the world

Take heart, oh weary soul, take heart

For help is on its way

And Holy is His name

Happy New Year! 

Take Heart in 2023!  

As the new year begins, goals are made and dreams are dreamt.

This question is asked every new year, "What are your new year resolutions?" 

And every year I don't know how to answer that question. 

However, this year, I've decided that I want to be intentional with each day.

I also hope to blog more often and to try to attend daily Mass as often as I can. 

I find life not only easier but better when I live life one day at a time. 

Rejoicing and taking heart in the here and now. 

And right now, Baby Jesus is with us, in the stables of our hearts.  

Holy is His name!