The very beginning......

Wahooo!!  Welcome to the beginning of my blog!  I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for some time and 2012 is the year to do it!  I am excited to share with you my love of cooking and baking and hopefully give you some ideas to make your life in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable.  As I contemplated a name for my blog, it came to me that the best time of each day for me is when my whole family is around the table for a meal.  This is where we talk about our days, hear about the latest issues in middle/elementary school and sometimes, laugh ourselves silly!  It has become somewhat of a lost art to gather at the dinner table these days.  It is not always easy and it is not always at 6pm, but it is important to our family to gather like this each day....our time at the table is precious.  So, I hope to encourage you, challenge you and inspire you!  I am no gourmet chef, but I have a love for food that began when I was just a little girl.  I have vivid memories of being at my Grandma's house and pushing up a step stool to the counter so I could help in the kitchen.  I come from a long line of amazing home cooks and I find immense joy in cooking and baking for my family. 
I plan to share with you some old family recipes, some newly discovered ones as well as some super short cuts for those busy nights.....and as luck would have it, tonight was one of them!  I work part time at a physical therapy clinic and today was a work day, quickly followed by an 8th grade basketball game.  I knew that dinner prep time would be virtually non-existent, so I went to my go-to crock pot recipe.  A few summers ago, we had gathered at the local swimming pool to let the kids burn off some of their energy and catch some rays.  We began to visit about what we make for meals and sharing some ideas.  This one I knew I had to try!  I love crock pot meals, both for when I have no time and for during the summertime, when my kitchen is at least 100 degrees!!!  Those of you who live here in Iowa know EXACTLY what I mean...ugh.  So here it is.......Salsa Chicken!

Put several boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crockpot....I buy a big bag of frozen chicken breasts at Sam's and what I LOVE is that I can slap them in there totally frozen!
Mix together 1 can of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of salsa ....use your favorite kind!  I've had great luck with fresh salsas as well.  Pour this over the chicken and lid it up!  Cook on low for at least 6 hours, but it can go much longer, just makes the chicken nice and tender.  Tonight's chicken cooked away on low for 9 hours.  Now you can head off to work, school, gym, shopping, whatever, knowing that your dinner is simmering away, waiting patiently for you to arrive home later.
OK, when you are ready to eat, take 2 forks and shred the chicken right in the crockpot. (you may want to drain off some of the liquid).  Shred completely and then mix in 1/2 cup of sour cream.  You are ready!  We eat this on flour tortillas with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes...you could also serve it over rice.  It is so easy and so yummy.....it took me literally 30 seconds to throw it all together this morning before I headed out to work. 
So there you have it......the first recipe that I believe you will love, especially on the nights that you have to run in 20 different directions.

Enjoy!  
Stacey