Mandatory Monday – What I’m Loving this Week

Mandatory Monday is a weekly blog post that was originally inspired by the release of Just the Essentials.  Every Monday, I’ll share some of the things I’m loving in the current week!

We’re starting February with a snow day! Even my husband got the day off. We live in Colorado, but we never get snow days. My husband remembers one when we were in school, but I don’t remember any.

So we’re cozy in the house today, and I plan on getting some extra writing done.

With the weather in mind, here are my essentials for this week:

• Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate: Have you guys had this hot chocolate? It’s so very good. (It’s also part of my Eldentimber giveaway, so make sure you enter.) Sadly, we have no cocoa mix in the house right now…on a snow day. I know. Bad planning on my part.
• Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – Snow day reading! I’m about 65% through this book, and I’m loving it. I adore Audrey’s voice (Sophie Kinsella is awesome that way), and I can truly relate to the story. I had anxiety as a teenager, not nearly as crippling as Audrey’s, but still. It’s spot on, and I love how it’s presented in a humorous way. There’s some swearing in it, and there are some little quirky things I don’t agree with, but all in all, it’s been a great book.
• Creamy White Chicken Chili – This is the perfect winter meal. I made this for the first time last night, and it was amazing. We all loved it, and it made a lot! We’re going to have it again for lunch today. The recipe originally came from eMeals, but I tweaked it a bit. Here’s what I came up with:

1 – 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

 1/2 onion, chopped 

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped 

4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 pieces

6 cups chicken broth

4 cans Kuner’s white chili beans in sauce (if you can’t find them, you can use cannellini beans)

8 oz can green chilies

1 TBSP cumin

1 cup half and half

1 cup sour cream

fresh cilantro, chopped

 1. Saute the onion and jalapenos in butter or olive oil until soft (if you’re starting with raw chicken, you can cut it up and cook it with the onions and jalapenos.) Add chicken, beans, chilies, and cumin. Simmer for ten minutes.

2. Add half and half, and bring to low simmer. Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. 

3. Top each serving with cilantro, if desired.  

That’s all for today! I’m going to enjoy the snow. And by enjoy, I mean I’m going to look at it from inside. Have a great week!