I have come to the realization that I’m not much of a food blogger. This week I tried another recipe called chicken and dumplings, but popular vote required me to change the recipe a tad by not adding the dumplings. I ended up baking the biscuits instead, so here we have creamy chicken soup with a side of biscuits. It still turned out great with plenty of flavor from all the herbs and seasoning. I even brought a soup mug of it for my husband while we watched our daughter during soccer practice.
*Note: This recipe originally calls for peas and carrots, but my family isn’t a fan, so if you like more veggies, go ahead and add them in. I think next time I’ll throw in some broccoli. I didn’t allow my carrots to cook long enough (some were tender and others added a crunch factor my family didn’t vibe with), so keep that in mind before adding the milk and flour.
Hello Everyone! I’m sure you have probably noticed that I have slowed down on my posts. To be honest, I began this blog so that I would have the guts to start putting my writing out there again. I didn’t know what type of blog to create because in all reality the blog prior to this one was about my single obsession with running. For now, I’ll still continue to add more recipes that I have had great success with my family as well as my thoughts about whatever I have on my mind. One day I will put my memoir about my love affair with running, but I’m not quite ready to share that part of me. I have to a certain extent, but there is a lot I have held back. I need more time to pass before I’m ready.
I have turned my attention away from blog posts in an effort to work on my novel. It’s been in the works for a while now, but I can finally say that I’m slowly nearing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It’s NANOWRIMO (National November Writing Month) and coincidentally last month I starting listening to the Write- Minded Podcast, from the creator of NANOWRIMO. There was one podcast, in particular, that gave me the push I needed. One writer said, “Don’t stop writing until the end.” I’m happy to say that I reached the end of the novel. I’ve been pushing along with edits, so hopefully, I’ll have it completed by the beginning of the new year. This is the first time I have actually said this out loud other than to my family. It’s a hard thing to come out of one’s shell, but it has to be done.
I can say that I have had to overcome several roadblocks that kept me from writing a story. There’s that nagging self-doubt that what I have to say is not worth reading, but then there’s also that other feeling that I can’t escape and that’s the desire to write. What’s the worst that can happen, right? People will love it or they won’t, but at least I had the courage to get it out there.
So, as I try to make this more of a reader friendly post, I’m realizing that simplifying my post is much more effective than writing some long drawn out one. To be honest, when I’m looking for a recipe on the internet which takes me to somebody’s blog, I’m the one who clicks on the “Jump to Recipe” button. To save you the trouble, all you have to do is finish reading this paragraph and you’re there. The overall family consensus was that they loved my take on the creamy potato soup and were sad when there wasn’t enough to go around the next day. Take heed and make more.
It has taken a long time to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is by far my favorite recipe to date. Cookies I have made in the past have had too much flour or too little. I have also found a happy medium where chocolate chips are concerned. I always thought my kids loved the chocolate chips only to find out 17 years later that she’s not a fan. My common sense solution is to set aside a dozen pre-scooped portions for my non-chocolate chip lover.
A couple of tools I have found useful in my cookie making process over the years has been my medium sized cookie dough scoop and parchment paper (easy cleanup) so you don’t have to bother scrubbing your cookie sheet afterwards.
Since all ovens are different I tend to go with the least amount of cook time and go from there. I have found that 10 minutes in the oven yield the perfect bake time. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Every day we are given choices and a lot of these choices influence our habits for good or bad. Habits provide us with the things that we can control i.e., our attitude, what we eat, read, wear, listen to etc… For the past few weeks, I have been consumed with forming good habits in one specific area: writing.
With writing I am constantly battling my inner negativity monster and a slew of self doubts. I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to establish a regular writing routine. I don’t know if any of you writers out there feel the same way, but for myself I used to give into my moods. If I wasn’t feeling particularly good or too busy or too tired on any given day I wouldn’t write. I’d give in to the excuse that I can’t be creative when I feel _____. I have learned that it takes at least a month to form a good habit. In 2016 I purchased a journal called {21 Days} Make or Break a Habit. I think I fell off the wagon seven days in. Four years later, I still use the journal, mostly to take notes and write.
Discipline or Motivation?
When I’m struggling I find myself giving me a pep talk that goes along the lines of something like this, “Enough with the excuses already!” I can name a few at any given moment as I’m sure many of you can. I mentally go back the quote below when I’m feeling an “But I don’t want to” percolating inside.
You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined.
I used to believe that motivation was enough to get things done, but the truth is motivation fades just as quickly as a feeling. If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal, right? And that’s where discipline takes over.
Consistency
I have included a downloadable workbook that you can use on your own journey to good habits. Always remember that consistency is what will make or break your habit. I encourage you to spend a moment each day to write about your habit and your main reason for establishing it. One sentence will suffice. Reminding yourself daily will further assist you to instill it in your life for good.
Click the download button to start your good habit now!
Which do you prefer? New England Clam Chowder or the San Francisco version? The first time I was introduced to clam chowder was by way of Progresso Soup. It’s watered down, tastes like the can it comes from and the clams are uber chewy. Definitely not the best first impression. This brings me to a brief walk down memory lane.
The next time I was introduced to clam chowder was while visiting San Francisco with my parents when I was a teen. Here’s some backstory, my stepdad worked in refrigeration in San Francisco. He loved that city. He had a small apartment right off of Geary Street and would spend three weeks in the city and then drive home to Hinckley, Utah to stay for a week. For some odd reason, he enjoyed it and I didn’t mind it myself, since we didn’t really get along. Thinking back on it, it was strange that our family lived like this for years. My mother worked at the Delta Middle School and I attended Delta High School.
In the summers, I would go out to San Francisco to spend some time with my parents, so they could share with me all the different foods they felt I was missing out on. I can tell you that my first-generation Asian American self was not accustomed to the diverse foods San Francisco offered. As a teen, I spent most of my time at my friends’ homes where they served American fare. I didn’t enjoy these food excursions in San Fran because it meant that I would be eating a lot of foods I didn’t like. Tripe was high on my dislike list and to this day, I’m still not a fan. I have grown accustomed to eel since then, but I don’t have much of an Asian palette. Sometimes I think my kids are more Asian than me. My third child, Isabel loves octopus and even my 1-year-old will eat sardines and rice in the morning.
Anyways, back to the story. One day my parents took me to an American restaurant, I truly never thought I’d see the day. I had the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl and it made a memorable impression. The likes I have not seen until I made this recipe. I did find out that the primary difference between the New England Clam Chowder and the San Francisco version is that the latter is served with sourdough bread. Can you believe that’s the only difference?!
My husband loved it so much that he had three bowls of it. Unfortunately, sourdough bread in the rounds is hard to come by out and I haven’t gotten around to baking it. Sourdough in slices isn’t nearly as satisfying, so I ended up making the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits from a box. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try!
This week I decided to use ingredients that were readily available in my pantry and freezer. What better soup to make than the Chicken Tortilla Soup! Most soup bases require either chicken or beef stock, so when I’m out of chicken stock, I usually have chicken bouillon cubes at the ready. They also pack in a lot more flavor. 90% of the time I have a package of chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts on standby. I love how quickly you can make dinner with one package of chicken. Another thing I usually keep in my pantry is a big can of diced tomatoes. I have listened to my mother’s suggestion on this item. She has always said to buy canned tomatoes so you don’t have to worry about the rotting factor. I have thrown out a lot of tomatoes because I get to them too late. The only time I buy fresh tomatoes is when I’m making ceviche, a recipe I’ll share another time. I don’t know why, but we usually have tortilla chips in our pantry. We don’t eat them on a regular basis, but they are great to have when you want to add a little bit of crunch in a Mexican dish. For this particular recipe, I used a cup of crushed Doritos and then garnished it with cantina-style chips. They gave it the perfect crunch factor.
Chicken Tortilla Soup is a great one-pot meal and I’m all about those kinds of dinners. I use more pots and pans making spaghetti! Truth be told, I didn’t want to go to the grocery store, just to get ingredients for one recipe. You can spruce this soup up with fresh cilantro and avocadoes, but again I usually shy away from both of those ingredients unless I’m making ceviche.
You guys, Fall is literally around the corner and it begins the day after my birthday! I’m not thrilled about celebrating my birthday, but I am anxious for some cooler weather. If you’re a Floridian like myself, it’s hard to tell when our eternal summer is going to end. In other states there are tell tale signs that autumn is approaching, but here it feels like each day is just as hot as the next, am I right?
Those of you not living in the Sunshine State, here’s a comfort food that your family is sure to love as the temperature drops. My second oldest, Lexy, and foodie in her own right, says it almost tastes like the kind of soup you get from Panera Bread. She packed it up for lunch the following day and a classmate of hers thought it came for Panera. I’ll take the “almost” as a win.
There are a number of self-improvement books out in the market. I have read my fair share and there’s no doubt that another author will come out with a new and improved way of dishing out the same information in a different form. Out of all the books I have read so far, there are a select few I would recommend to a friend.
I have read and listened to the following books a few times and each time I take away something new. The following is a list of my favorite books on personal growth. You know, the stuff that makes us better humans. Changing yourself for the better can be painful, but it also makes you a stronger person in the process. If you have a book you’d like to recommend, please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
#1 – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen R. Covey
“Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily express our character and produce our effectiveness… or ineffectiveness.”- Stephen R. Covey
It has also been said that everyday we are either taking one step closer to our goal or taking a step away from our goal. We have the ability to change our habits for better or worse, so why not choose new good habits now. As long as we live on this earth we have the ability to say to ourselves that we are never too old to change.
#2- The Success Princples- Jack Canfield
“If you assume in favor of yourself and act as if it is possible, then you will do the things that are necessary to bring about the result. If you believe it is impossible, you will not do what is necessary, and you will not produce the result. It becomes a self-fulling prophecy.”- Jack Canfield
I haven’t read any of his books that made him famous (i.e. Chicken Soup for the Soul), but this stands out as one of my favorites. He provides particular success principles in bite size form to make it easier to apply in your life.
#3- The Untethered Soul- Michael A. Singer
“Everyone knows you can’t deal well with a situation if you’re getting anxious, scared, or angry about it. The first problem you have to deal with is your own reactions.”- Michael A. Singer
When you are able to see your feelings for what they are, you will be able to take a step back and realize they are just feelings. Remembering that you are not your feelings is one of the steps towards an untethered soul.
#4- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck- Mark Manson
“Because happiness requires struggle…Real, serious, lifelong fulfillment and meaning have to be earned through the choosing and managing of our struggles.”- Mark Manson
He also talks about in length how we go about dealing with our problems. The first is denial and the second is the victim mentality. How do you deal with your problems? I can see how easy it is to blame others for our problems and from my own experience I can see how denial made it appear to solve my problems. Little did I know, I wasn’t dealing with my problems I was compounding my issues.
#5- You are a Badass- Jen Sincero
“You need to raise your frequency to match the vibration of the one you want to tune into”- Jen Sincero
Believing in ourselves has got to be one of the most challenging aspects of living this life. We all have different life experiences, but we can all agree that negative talk comes from what we hear in our own heads. See for yourself how raising your frequency in a positive way can change your day. I didn’t believe it until I applied it in my life. Like attracts like. If you continually focus on the negative things occurring in your life that is exactly what you’ll attract. Positive vibrations will attract positive events and people into your life.
I can’t believe we are headed into another weekend. My days blend together. Kylie has me up a couple times a night, but for the most part, she’s a good sleeper, as good as a two-month-old could be. On the downside, Brooklyn came down with a cold and it’s making its way through the family. So far my husband and I have only had a sore throat. Hopefully, it won’t be anything more than that. What better time for a classic soup, right?
Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of the plain old egg, I have had my share of hard boiled eggs, but my favorite kind of eggs are usually covered in cheese or made into eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce. I have ordered egg drop soup from take out Chinese restaurants, without realizing just how easy it is to make at home. Although, I am a quarter Chinese, this is a soup I never encountered growing up until my 20’s. If you have ever wondered what goes into making egg drop soup, look no further. It only took me another 20 years to find out how to make it.
There’s a packet you can buy in the Asian or International section of your local grocery store called Egg Flower Soup, but after you make this at home, it pales in comparison. From start to finish, it takes about 10 minutes. There are so many variations of this soup out there, so go ahead and be creative. Think of this soup as a base and put your own ingredients in it (i.e., mushrooms, green onions, seafood, or fried wonton strips).
Quick and easy egg drop soup that your family will love.
