Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

 This avocado-garnished sweet potato soup looked divine!So we adapted the recipe with stuff we had around 

the house and whipped up a batch.

We baked 5 regular-sized sweet potatoes 

in the oven for about an hour.

When they were almost ready,

 we poured chicken broth-

whipping cream,

and a few teaspoons of Chipotle pepper seasoning into a blender.

Then we scooped out the sweet potatoes while they were still hot,

and tossed them into the blender.

 

Mix everything well and add salt

and more chipotle seasoning to taste.

Serve with cubed avocado and crushed tortilla chips.

We didn't know what to expect, 

but it was a really mild and flavorful soup!

I would absolutely make it again, 

but perhaps add some seasoned chicken next time.

 

Sweet Potato Soup 
2 c. mashed sweet potato
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. whipping cream
1 tsp. chipotle powder
dash of salt
cubed avocado
crushed tortilla chips

Bake sweet potatoes for approximately one hour. Scoop out potatoes while hot and blend with chicken broth, whipping cream, and chipotle powder until smooth. Add salt and serve with cubed avocado and crushed tortilla chips.

Cinco De Amber

If you don't know -
today, May 5, is my birthday!
After a review of my Instagram feed,
it appears I ate my way through the day to celebrate.
I have vowed to start running again, as soon as I see the sun.

I started my day with coffee and a Cinnabon.

Yes, we finally have those "ridiculously delicious,
enough calories for a week" rolls in Fargo.


For lunch, we hit up Mexican Village with family -
because it doesn't seem right not to eat Mexican food
on Cinco de Mayo, and because my birthday meal is free :)
 

This masterpiece was for dinner -

followed by a chocolate lava cake and vanilla bean ice cream.

 

You're right.

After all that food, I better run -

 sun or no sun. 

The way this year is going, we may never see it anyway!

Ruby's Big Day

I still can't believe my little girl is already two!

I already showed you her cake,

 but here are a few photos of her birthday party-

blowing out the candles,

 enjoying the cake,

and of course opening presents!

We got Ruby her very first bike,

complete with a Dora helmet!

 She can already be found tearing around the driveway on it.

Chicken Gloria

I pinned this photo awhile back and am so happy I did!

This recipe is delicious and you don't need much -

Simply salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast 

and lightly dredge in flour.

Add oil to a pan,

and brown the chicken on both sides,

before throwing it into a baking dish.

Next saute the mushrooms in butter,

until golden brown.

Add some wine and cook for a few minutes,

 before adding in the mushroom soup and milk.

Pour the sauce over the chicken -

and bake covered with foil for about 30 minutes.

Then cover each chicken breast with a slice of cheese,

and broil uncovered for a few minutes, until the cheese melts.

This is your finished product -

Serve it up with some crusty bread and veggies.

Makes one heck of a meal!

Chicken Gloria
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/3 c. of flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 (8 oz) container of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. of red wine wine
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. whole milk
6 slices of Muenster cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350°F. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge lightly in flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess. Add oil to frying pan and brown chicken on both sides. No need to cook completely, the chicken will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer the chicken to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add butter to the frying pan and let it melt over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and brown mushrooms until golden. Add any red wine and cook for a few minutes before adding the mushroom soup and milk. Mix well and pour sauce over the chicken breasts. Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top each piece of chicken with one slice of Muenster cheese. Place chicken back in oven uncovered and broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool and serve.

Dora Cake

You know by now that I love to decorate cakes.

So with my little girl's birthday party just around the corner - 

 

I had a cake to decorate!

My neighbor loaned me an adorable Dora cake pan,

so I mixed up some frosting and got to work.

I added cocoa powder to a bowlful of frosting

to make her brown hair and eyes,

and then just kept mixing up colors

and following along the lines of the cake,

until she looked like this -

I also made some cupcakes since the cake was small 

and I was expecting a bunch of guests.

They worked great to have a spot for the birthday message.

She turned out so cute, it was hard to cut her up :)