New England Minute~Newport, RI

Nail Files. Week # 26

This week I have on Essie's French Affair & No More Film. I thought they looked kind of cool next to each other.

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It's my Birthday

1 of my birthdays. Not sure how old I was here.

The cake. 2012

Made by Amber. A siggy designer on CafeMom.

Wordless Wednesday~Happy 15th birthday JoJo

Crunchy Salsa Chicken Bake

I made this meal tonight. I found it in a magazine & it was really good. My hubby said for me to definetely make it again.

Crunchy Salsa Chicken Bake
 
Ingredients
 

1 (12 count) box ORTEGA Yellow Corn Taco Shells or Whole Grain Taco Shells, each shell broken into pieces
1 bag (20 oz) cubed, cooked chicken
1 packet (1.25 oz) ORTEGA Taco Seasoning (or 40% Less Sodium Taco Seasoning)
1 jar (16 oz) ORTEGA Thick & Chunky Medium Salsa
1/4 cup ORTEGA Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce (mild, medium or hot)
1 cup light sour cream
1 can (4 oz) ORTEGA Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles
1 cup pimiento stuffed olives, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided use
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the broken chips into the baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the taco seasoning. Rub the chicken cubes with your fingers to thoroughly distribute the seasoning. In a medium bowl, combine the salsa, taco sauce, and sour cream. Stir in the chiles, olives, and cilantro. Pour over the chicken and combine thoroughly. Stir in 3 cups of the cheese and the chicken broth. Pour the chicken mixture into the 9x13-inch baking pan over the broken taco shells. yields: 6 - preparation time: 20 min - cooking time: 30 min

Mommy & Me Monday

Self portrait taken on Saturday. A little too close-up. haha.

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Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

My new ear piercings

Last Friday I was in the mall & decided to have my ear pierced 2x in my right ear. I had been thinking about it. So it was sort of a spure of the moment thing, but not really. They didn't come out quite as cute as I thought they would. The 1st piercing bled a lot & she almost wasn't going to be able to do the other piercing (till another day), but it did stop bleeding. It's been a week & it still hurts. Tara keeps bumping it. I can't sleep on that side. That's kind of a problem because I always sleep on that side. I also can't talk on the phone on the right side. Also a problem. I wish I had the left ear pierced instead. So for 6 months I have to spray it with a sea salt spray that they gave me & clean it once a day in the shower. This is what my ear looks like (that photo was taken the day I had it pierced).

Below is similiar to the photo that I saw on Pinterest. I got 2 instead of 3. I think mine will look better when I can switch the earrings to cute rhinestone earrings that are different sizes.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

I made this recipe this week. Hubby said that it was his favorite crock-pot meal that I've made so far. I loved it too & think the fresh herbs (from our garden) on top, really made it taste so much better. I used chicken breasts because I don't like thighs or legs. I also couldn't find red peppers in Walmart, so we didn't have those. I cooked it on high for 4 hrs.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
www.skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8
Size: 1 thigh, 1/2 cup sauce, veggies • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts* Calories: 126.2 • Fat: 2.8 g • Protein: 13.9 g • Carb: 9.2 g • Fiber: 0.6 g • Sugar: 4.1 g Sodium: 271.6 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso my favorite!)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 large onion, sliced 1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for topping

Directions:
Quick method: Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. When the timer beeps, remove lid and keep the crock pot on HIGH one hour to help it thicken. Better method but requires more prep: Heat a large skillet over medium-high, lightly spray with oil (I use my Misto) and brown chicken on both sides a few minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker. To the skillet, spray with a little more oil and add onions and peppers. Sauté until juices release and the vegetables become golden, a few minutes. Add to the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken and vegetables, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

Nail Files. Week # 25

Today I have on Color Club's Wild at Heart. It's 1 of my fave dark purple shades that I have.

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Birthday Freebies

Today I went & got a few birthday freebies. Sorry about this bad photo. I knew the Coolata wouldn't last long, so I want to take a pic quick. The other free gift is from Sephora. It's a Sugar Kisses mini lip duo. Both smell so good.

Wordless Wednesday~Magazines from the Library

New outlet mall

There's a new outlet mall in Merrimack, NH. We went there on Saturday night. It's really nice, since everything is so new. It just opened a few days ago. They have an indoor food court, so that is really nice. We were rushing around because we got there late. Next time we will take our time & go into more stores.

Mommy & Me Monday

This photos was taken after Tara's dance recital. She looked so pretty & I was so proud of her.

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Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Vacation next week

We are going away next week for my birthday to Newport, RI. I'm really looking forward to it. I've never been there. There's tons of mansions, shops & beaches.

Nail Files. Week # 24

The other day I went into Sally beauty & got this Finger paint nailpolish inVermillion Dollar  painting. It's a reddish-orange with shimmer. I've already gotten a few complements on it. I have it on my toes too.

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Birthday packages are fun

My pen pal sent me a package yesterday. The make up is awesome. I love lipstick/lipgloss. I've never owned anything Dior.

 The shirts below were her friends, but they don't fit her anymore. I love all of them.

 The rubber stamps were also her friends.

Thanks so much Jenn. I love everything.

Wordless Wednesday~Pinterest Faves

Garden photos

Anthony finally finished the garden on Sunday. He added some poles to the corners & stained & painted them. So I can finally add the photos to my blog. I love the way it came out. He put a lot of work into it.

Mommy & Me Monday

We took this photo on Friday when we went Strawberry picking. I'm having fun trying to plan fun things for us to do this Summer.

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Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Dance recital

These 1st 2 photos were taken at the dance rehearsal on Friday.

My little beauty backstage before the show.

It was so awesome to see her up on stage. I was so proud of her. She did great. It made me wish I had done something like this when I was a child, but I can experience all of this through her.