I love Autumn!

I love the cool, crispness in the air and leaves crunching underneath my feet. I love leaving the windows open at night and grabbing an extra blanket in snuggle under. I love how the change in weather signals the excitement of fun holidays just around the corner. I love the beautiful vibrant colors of the leaves and the warm comfort of homemade soups, chili and the smells of apples, vanilla and cinnamon.

I thought since summer was officially over yesterday, I needed to pull out my all time favorite chili recipe. It is SO good and SO easy!



White Chicken Chili
2 cans of Chicken Broth (add extra to make it more soupy)
4 cooked Chicken Breasts, diced
1 tsp. Lemon Pepper
1 tsp. Cumin
1 clove minced Garlic
1 Onion, diced
2 4 ounce cans diced Green Chilies
3 TBS Lime Juice
2 15-ounce cans of White Beans (Great northern beans)
Tortilla Chips (Lime flavored are the best!)
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh Cilanto

Sauté onions and garlic in a little oil until soft and a little brown. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 or more minutes. Pour over a bowl full of tortilla chips, shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with a little cilantro.

Yummy! Now I have to go grocery shopping...

Flickr Thanks - brettmsly & jive turkey

Diet Coke with Lime

It's 6:00 AM. Is it too early for a Diet Coke? Really, I am not kidding? I have developed an addiction for the yummy, yet deadly concoction. Again.

After High School I worked in a Flower Shop for several years. Every February life got crazy around Valentine's Day. I would gulp gallons of Diet Coke just to be able to function the 20 hour work day.

After a serious withdrawal (not kidding! Headace, shakes... It was awful! I can relate to alcohol, meth or heroin withdrawal! Really!) I swore I would NEVER get hooked again. I did good! Till now. Now there is Diet Coke with Lime.

My in-laws are HUGE pop drinkers! In the "beautiful" living arrangement we have (which hopefully will change SOON), EM is in a room with us, right next to Grandma and Grandpa's room. So she has caught-on to waking and crying for 1 minute, till we grab her and let her sleep with us. Point being, I don't sleep great!

Now I am vulnerable and sleep-deprived! Diet Coke with Lime offers me a promise of a good caffeine buzz and no calories. I LOVE it's tangy citrus flavor and vigorous bubbles that wake me every morning, and sometimes twice in the afternoon.

*sigh* It's bad. It got worse when I read this. Yea, like I have a choice to continue to drink it now! Wretched Internet Search!!