Brrrrrrrrrrrrr....time for some white bean chicken chili

I don't know about you, but this winter is kicking my butt!!! White bean chicken chili is the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday or a snow day! It will warm you right up!! Hope you enjoy!

4 15oz cans great northern beans: 3 cans drained, 1 can(not drained) set aside for later in the recipe

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 7oz cans green chilis

1c onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1tbsp ground cumin

1tsp italian seasoning

1/2tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2tsp cayenne pepper(this can be left out if you don't like a little heat)

Garnish:

salsa verde

sour cream

cheese

tortilla chips

Warm oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; cook until softened, 5 minutes.

In a crockpot combine the following ingredients:

chicken, make sure this is covered by the broth

chicken broth

3 cans of beans ----leave the 4th can to the side for later)

onion/garlic mixture

green chilis

cumin

italian seasoning

salt

pepper

cayenne

Cook on low for 5 hours. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Puree the last can of beans in a blender or food processor till smooth. Add pureed beans and shredded chicken back into crockpot. Stir. Cook on low for another hour.

We eat this with tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa verde in our house. It also makes great leftovers!!! Feel free to add more cayenne if you like it even spicier!

Hallmark....when you care enough to send the very best! :-)

One thing I really miss in this day and age is receiving and sending snail mail to friends. What's better than getting a card or an invitation in the mail? Everything is done via text and email! I know that I've lost the "personal" touch and I'm sure a lot of you feel the same. One of my goals(I refuse to call them resolutions) this year, is to send more personalized messages to people. I have friends spread out all over and it's so easy to check on them via Facebook instead of taking the time to send a personal message.

Today I discovered a great feature that Hallmark is offering online. You can go on their website and personalize a greeting card and then have the card addressed and mailed for you! There's also an option to have the card personalized and then sent directly to you, so you can write in it and mail it yourself! It's so quick and easy and it's a great way to let someone know you're thinking of them. Check it out!

www.hallmark.com

By Popular Demand.....Tater Tot Casserole!

This is a fave in our family! It's so popular that Sidnee asked for it for her birthday dinner instead of El Campesino! Pretty impressive if you know how much she enjoys cheese dip from El Camps! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of mushroom
4 cups of extra sharp finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 c sour cream
2lbs ground beef
1 bag tater tots
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook ground beef on stove. Drain. Set aside.
Combine cream of celery, cream of mushroom, milk, sour cream, and cheese in a bowl.
Mix well.
Add ground beef.
Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Pour mixture into 9 x 13 pan.
Line tater tots up in rows on top of the mixture.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.



**I like hot sauce on mine. Bryant adds sour cream on top of his. You can also use 2% cheese, 98% fat-free soup and lite sour cream and it turns out very good with less calories.**

~~Last tip-- Take the bag of tater tots out of the freezer the morning you're going to make the casserole and let them thaw in the frig. The tater tots will get crispier because they won't be as frozen when you put them in the oven. ~~