Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes. I make it in the slow cooker. It requires very little prep other than chopping a few veggies and opening a few cans and smells good while it is cooking all day!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 Bell pepper (any color), chopped*
1 28.5-oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup salsa, any intensity (we usually use medium)
2 14-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t cumin
1 t basil
3-4 crushed garlic cloves
3 or 4 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients, add one cup of water, and stir in your slow cooker or Crock-Pot. Turn the slow cooker on 'low' for 8-10 hours. At the end of the cooking time, shred the chicken breasts with two forks (they will be very tender).

I like to make rice to go with this soup. We also like to add sour cream, cheese, and fresh cilantro to top off the soup. I sometimes make corn bread or corn muffins to round out the meal.

*I added Banana Peppers from our garden when I made this yesterday! You can also add canned corn or fresh corn cut off of the cob.

Finishing the Unfinishable Project 6--Car Seat Harness Covers

These things looked SO easy to make! But I just couldn't get the edges finished in a way that looked good. At first, I bought bias tape that was too narrow. It was 1/2". Then I tried to use a ribbon, which didn't work out at all:

I finally had to go buy some 1" bias tape.

They cover the straps on the car seat. Or in the bike trailer.

Making Yarn from T-Shirts

Do you have lots of t-shirts you'd like to repurpose into something fun? If so, this is how to turn them into yarn. You can then use that yarn to make lots of fun projects with your crochet hook.

Maybe knitting needles would work, too, but I don't know how to knit, so it's all crocheting here!

The goal is to have one long piece of t-shirt fabric. Smooth out the shirt on your cutting surface.
I folded mine in half because my cutting mat is tiny. Now cut the bottom part off. (You don't have to use a rotary cutter. In fact, I ended up using scissors to clean up the edges mine left.)Now cut the shirt off below the printing. You can't use the printed part of the shirt for this project, it doesn't curl well.
Flatten it out if you've folded it like me. Cut 1" strips but stop about an inch from the top. If you don't stop you will be sorry!Now, place the strips over your arm. It will look like some crazy '80's style fringe. You are going to cut from the first strip diagonally to beyond the second strip. Then you can disconnect the first strip to start making a long strip. (If you screw up the first one, no big deal. I had a few accidents.)

You will hopefully have one long strip.

Take the strip and pull it between your hands to make the edges curl.

Wind it into a ball and you're ready to start your first crochet project with your t-shirts!

Groupon

Do you receive Groupon emails every morning in your inbox? (Go to Groupon.com for an explanation if you have no idea what I'm talking about!)

I've been getting them for a year now and just ordered my first one today. It is a deal for Gap; you spend $25 and you get $50 in merchandise to use in the store only. I don't know if this is being frugal or not.

Though I do keep my clothing purchases to a minimum, sometimes I have to buy something! So hopefully this will help me purchase a new fall item for a reasonable price.

My husband considers things like this 'impulse buys'. What do you think?

Want to Make: Dusting Alternative

Ok, that title may be misleading. This isn't an alternative to dusting.
(Maybe you could just run a fan on every surface and that would save you from dusting.)

But instead of buying a Swiffer duster, make one yourself! I am doing this sometime soon, for sure! I already made my own Swiffer dust mop cloths.