Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This is so good. It's adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens, and today I just layered it like a lasagna because I forgot to heat up the tortillas and they were stiff and cracked. It was sooo good, and my kids loved it! (Which is super rare.)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2-1 chopped onion
3 good-sized garlic cloves
a few tbsp. EVOO
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. milk
a little bit of ground cumin
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
corn tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8-ounce carton of sour cream
1 cup milk
shredded "fiesta" cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the chicken and toss with salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of cumin (a little goes a very long way), then cook over medium to medium-high heat along with the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
Meanwhile, stir together the cream cheese and 1 tbsp milk with about a 1/4 tsp. cumin. Then add the chicken and veggies. For traditional enchiladas, warm the tortillas roll up about 3 tsp. of the filling mixture in each, and place seam down in a greased baking dish. For the layered kind, cut the tortillas in half and layer like a lasagna. Then, for the sauce, combine the soup, milk, and sour cream in a bowl and pour over the top. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350* oven for 30-35 minutes, then remove and cover the top with cheese, then return the pan to the oven to melt the cheese for a few minutes. You can serve with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes on top, I bet that'd be really good.

The Plan.

May 21--Em's last day of school.
May 22--Daddy flies in from Houston.
May 23-27--Pack up the POD and clean up the house.
May 28--Hop in the car and head to southern Indiana to visit my sister.
June 1--Head to Campbell.
June 2 (maybe 3)--Head to Texas.
June 15--AARON!!!
June 21--Head to Washington.
June 27--Arrive in Washington.
June 30--Our 9th anniversary.
July 3--Lilith Fair.


Wow, this summer's going to leave me exhausted.

My Walls are Bare and White.

Some people's home are lovely. Pretty colors on the walls. Picture frames full of their family's precious memories. Decorative plates hanging around, big initials of their last names behind the TV, centerpieces, candles, all kinds of pretty things. And every time I walk into the home of someone with a beautiful, cozy, homey home, I admire their pretty walls and pictures and candles, and wonder why in the world my home doesn't look this way? Now, anyone who knows me knows that housekeeping is not my strong suit, so maybe I should be more focused on getting the dirty clothes off the floor, but this blog is about my walls, not my floor.

I want pretty walls. I have spent my entire life renting, so maybe that has something to do with the white. The only time I remember painting was when I was pregnant with Emily. They would let you paint as long as you painted it back to white before you left. Her room was more of an alcove, and I didn't want it to be all pink. I tried a green, but Aaron said it looked like a hospital, so I picked blue. My parents and sister all helped us. We painted the whole thing blue, with big fluffy clouds, green grass, butterflies, bugs, and a big yellow sun. , I loved that room. It was beautiful, and everyone who loved my baby had contributed. We never did have to paint over it, because they decided to tear down the married student housing and no one would be renting after us. I remember the day I drove past and it had been torn down. I cried, and I tried digging through the rubble for a piece of the wall, but it was too deep. Maybe that's why I never put my heart into decorating again, because my little Betsy heart was so broken by my baby's room's destruction.

My mom never really decorated, either. The only thing I really remember hanging on the walls were these candle sconces. They were black wrought iron, with these little orange glass votive holders. I loved those things.

For spring break, I visited my friend Laura. Laura's home is beautiful! She has a big "P" on her wall behind her TV. She has end tables that match the TV stand. Her dining room is this lovely shade of green, and she has pictures everywhere; on the walls, on the tables, in the guest room. Her home is just lovely! She just has an eye for decorating. She can go to Hobby Lobby and randomly pick something out that will just go. I'm so jealous of that! I don't have the eye like she does. I'm so afraid of putting a bunch of stuff on my walls and having it be a big discordant mess. I was talking about this with my friend Tosha. We both talked about how we don't have that eye and we are jealous of those who do. But at least Tosha has some nice stuff on her walls! I have nothing, except the guidon that 5th Group gave Aaron when he left. It's great, I just need more.

I know we are moving in two months, but I figure now is as good a time to start this process as any. We are a military family. We move a lot; at least every few years. It's time to stop treating our homes as temporary, and time to make each place we live feel like what will be our home, for however long it is our home. And this is our home, for the next two months. It's time to make our home feel like a home.