A Recipe For You: Tortilla Soup

Just wanted to share one of my favorite soup recipes with you tonight.  It's only going to be about 50 degrees out here tomorrow, which feels like good soup weather to me.  This is a really good recipe, and has been my standby tortilla soup recipe for years.  I have tried a few others and liked them, but I always come back this.  I (almost) always have all these simple ingredients in my pantry.

• I have also tried it with cornmeal instead of cornstarch to thicken it.  This gives it a little more texture.  
• In a pinch I often use tortilla chip crumbs instead of frying corn tortillas strips.  They get soggy quicker, but hey - I hate to throw anything away!
• I now use chicken base that I buy at Sam's Club.  It is a lot cheaper and seems the same as "better than bouillon" that I used to buy.  Just think of it as 1 tsp = 1 cube, which makes 1 c broth.
• You can use canned chicken, but I usually keep some cooked, cubed, frozen chicken in my freezer.  When I buy it on sale, or make it to the big city, I stock up, then throw it in the crockpot with some seasoning salt and pepper for 4 hours on high. Then all you have to do is let it cool and cube/slice/shred it as desired and freeze it in appropriate portions (usually about 2 cups for most of my recipes).
• By the way, I made these recipe cards using the Storybook Creator software (no longer available), which enables me to have 4" X 6" prints made to share with friends/family.  Also I can laminate them to protect them, etc.  

Hope you enjoy and stay warm wherever you are!  Happy New Year!

2013: Looking back

Christmas is past, Thanksgiving has come and gone!!! Here we are on the Eve of the New Year, looking forward to what it will hold.  This seems like an appropriate time to look back as well as forward for a few moments.
2013 had been a good year, but far too busy for my liking!  I seems to have flown by so quickly!  We didn't travel much or accomplish any great goals, but there were many small milestones.  Baby girl has changed so much from a toddling 13 month old that didn't talk much to a 25 month old that talks in complete sentences and is learning new words daily.  My second daughter turned 6 in August and has gotten taller, skinnier, prettier, and smarter.  She was reading with some effort this time last year and now reads with ease.  Big girl is now an eight year-old and is getting taller, and prettier by the moment.  She reads on at least a fifth grade level.  She loves Hank the Cowdog books, but reads them too quickly (we need to make a trip to the library!)
We said goodbye to three good dogs this year.  We still miss you Cinco, Sam, and Dixie, I hope God needs some good dogs (Cinco and Sam) to help take care of all those cattle on a thousand hills.  Dixie was a great companion to me for the past 15+ years, and I think of her most nights as I go to sleep.  We did add one puppy dog to our pack this past summer- a very energetic Hangin' Tree cow dog.  She has made my 50 foot garden hose into approximately 25 pieces of 2 foot garden hose.  I love puppies (sometimes).  I think it's time her cowdog training commences.
My cowboy has been very busy, taking care of wheat pasture cattle, calving cows, summer calves, stockers (came in way too light), and now back to wheat pasture cattle.  Please pray for rain, and for the wheat to grow.
I have worked a little more this last year, and feel very torn about that.  I enjoy my work thoroughly and it is great to be needed by my employers and clients, but I also worry that it takes away from my time to teach my children.  I have learned to be much more effective with what time I have as a result.  My girls keep asking why I keep changing how we do our school and I can only tell them we are trying to make it more efficient and easier to do.  I have made them take a little more initiative and work more on their own.  I think that's a good thing, but I also try to keep myself mindful that they are only 6 and 8 years old!
Check back tomorrow for what my goals are for 2014.  I am not a huge fan of making resolutions, but also think it's a good time to set some goals and make myself accountable - as long as they are reasonable!

Daddy date

My girls are so excited.  They have a date tomorrow. I really think that 6 and 7 is way too young for dating, but... I am so glad they have a daddy that loves them and spoils them. I hope that he "sets the standard high."  We often joke that they aren't allowed to date until they turn 30, but we are fairly adamant they won't be "dating" in the traditional sense.  We have asked them to allow us to help them choose suitable mates.  Wile I realize they may change their minds about it when they become teenagers, but I sincerely pray that they will seek our guidance and input in finding Godly and suitable mates they can be good "help meets" for.  I hope they someday have husbands who value them as Christ valued the church, who would be willing to lay down their life for them if asked.  I know I am so thankful for my wonderful husband for loving me so!

Just getting started...

So I've never blogged before, and doubt anyone cares what I have to say, but if you are interested I'll share my daily trials as a Christian, wife, mother of 3 girls, and veterinarian. I enjoy homeschooling my children, cooking, gardening, woodworking, and helping my husband with his cattle business.  I am frugal to a fault (according to my husband), and hate to buy or pay for something I can make or do myself. We live in a rural town in the Texas panhandle. Welcome to my world!
There's not a lot of down-time, which is OK by me. In this vets life there's no time to "Doolittle," cause we need to "do-alot" all the time.