mail!

There’s something about getting snail mail and packages that just really makes my day. :D

Jun (better known as “Dingbat” or “Hubby” on my phone) sent me yams, an Asian pear and tea because I told him I’d been missing Asian markets. He also sent a couple cards and notes with a plethora of happy and colorful drawings along with it. (This is partially why I agreed to marry him 7 years ago. ;) I need to find a straight equivalent of him and he needs to find a dude equivalent of me. :O Til then, I shall be his beard (not that it’s actually necessary)!

This is wonderful. :D

:D!

Rachel & Jaclyn sent me a variety of teas and candy so I could stay warm over the winter! :D (Probably also because I mentioned that I missed Trader Joe’s. :x

I also won a roller cooler bag as part of a raffle last month at Hospital Day. This was pretty much the best thing I could’ve won because I carry around a giant bag of food with me every day. <3

I have the coolest friends ever. :]

I also mailed off all the packages I was supposed to send out today…and couldn’t stop myself from buying a bunch of stuff on Amazon. 5 full seasons of TV shows I adore + 2 of my favorite movies for a grand total of $34.47 was just too good to pass up. I’m also stressed out and retail-therapying because site selection is tonight.

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words of truth

“I like food and sleep. If I give you food or talk/text with you all night, you’re special to me.”

Sun Tea

I first learned of the concept of “sun tea” from Rachel a couple years back, but never actually made any until I was here, where Adam recently claimed to have added a couple extra “teabags” into my brewing sun tea. I’ve made green tea and barley tea thus far (the one pictured is barley tea). Next up is probably black tea!

You’ll need a big pitcher, preferably glass. I have a plastic one because it was $2. :x When it’s done, I usually stick the pitcher in my fridge so I’ll have tea ready whenever I don’t feel like drinking plain ol’ water.

Sun Tea

You can kinda see my reflection, haha.

Ingredients:
-2-4 tea bags, depending on how strong the tea is
-filtered water

Instructions:
1) Fill the pitcher up with filtered water.
2) Submerge tea bags into the water. Close the lid.
3) Set in a sunbeam for 4-5 hours.

 

Apple Chocolate Chip Cake

This was one of the last things I made with Rachel/Jaclyn during my trip down to socal. :O It was also what was responsible for their mom breaking her diet, which makes me feel horribly guilty. ;_; (She’s been on a 750 cal/day diet since August of last year, when she had heart surgery.) I wholeheartedly believe that she has more willpower than most people I will ever meet.

I don’t quite recall all the ingredients, but if you get the boxes of cinnamon swirl quick bread (pictured later), the side panel with the recipe for Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake is the one to follow (for the cake portion).

Apple Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:
-2 boxes of Pillsbury Quick Bread Cinnamon Swirl Mix
-chocolate chips
-8 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
-2 eggs
-1 1/3 cups milk or water

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375. Follow the instructions on the box to make the batter. (Mix dry with wet ingredients.)
2) Distribute half the batter evenly into baking pan. Layer apple slices (slightly overlapping) and scatter some chocolate chips on top.
3) Distribute the rest of the batter over the top. Add cinnamon topping, another layer of apple slices, and chocolate chips.
4) Bake for ~1 hour, or until it passes the toothpick test.

Middle layer.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is under absolutely no circumstances a healthy dish. (It’s super filling/hearty though, so if you finish one, you’re basically good to go for a while.) I’d probably use a different type of cheese next time, and a ton less of it because cheddar is technically my least liked type of cheese. :O There’s definitely all types of experimentation that could go on with this recipe. I’m super curious about this red chocolate sauce Nadia used to get from her mom. We loved her forever whenever she made enchiladas. <3 Or gorditas. Or basically anything. I miss 6F days. :[

Chicken Enchiladas

Pictured with black beans and Spanish rice!

Ingredients:
-1 taco seasoning packet (in this case, Kroger brand)
-white wine (from Trader Joe’s)
-garlic, minced
-chicken (breast or thigh)
-flour tortillas
-cheddar cheese, shredded
-chicken tortilla soup (obtained from Jim’s [a local deli in LA-ish area])

Instructions:
1) Cook the chicken with white wine, garlic and taco seasoning packet in a crock pot for the day. When it’s done, take the chicken out and dispose of the extra liquid.
2) Shred the chicken.
3) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Add a little cheese to the middle of a tortilla. Put 2-3-ish tbsp shredded chicken (I put a small handful; my hands are pretty small. Try not to be too greedy.).
4) Fold the enchiladas and place them in a pan lined with aluminum foil to lessen the amount of cleanup necessary. (This provides a really good visual for the amount of filling, as well as how to fold it. The enchiladas we made had a tad more than this.)
5) Pour the chicken tortilla soup over the enchiladas and top with shredded cheese.
6) Bake in oven for ~30-40 minutes.

You can also wrap em’ in foil and freeze them so you can eat them later if you can’t eat them all in one sitting!