1. Before leaving for any vacation it is always worth it to clean out the fridge. Even if it means staying up until 5 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. departure to a foreign country. (Although, I’m not sure dumping that pasta a week early would have made too much of a difference. Gross.)

2. Real vacations are a must. It’s nice to visit family, but sitting on a balcony overlooking a rustic beach with a good book and a cup of coffee cannot be beat. (Except maybe by the porch of a mountain cabin.)

3. My skin is in fact able to get tan. Took me 26 years to figure that one out.

4. I really, really, really love my dog. And, I think he feels the same way about me. (Seriously, when I typed that, he jumped in my lap and started licking my face as if on cue. No, I didn’t call him over!)

5. I am not a very good sales person, thus my second attempt at Avon is going about as well as the first. Badly. Unless you count my expanded makeup supply as a success. This may be one way that I am very much like my dad.

6. When I make baked ziti I use ENTIRELY too much cheese. It may taste good, but is really gross when you have to clean the bowl a month (or more, I really don’t remember) later. (see #1)

7. I get entirely too attached to tv show characters. Two of my favorite shows, Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy, have been killing me a bit recently. But, I keep watching because I love the characters. It’s a sad, abusive, cycle.

8. I do not think I can ever go back to life without a DVR. Commercials are way to annoying.

9. I much prefer to read a book than watch it on video.

10. I think I’m going to watch LOST this summer. The entire thing.

11. My dog is a tennis ball magnet. It is growing increasingly common for campus golfers to lose tennis balls in the bushes by my apartment. It is also increasingly common for Tuck to disappear into a bush and come out with a ball in his mouth.

12. I had the BEST staff this year. I was so incredibly sad when they all left. It was a good year.

13. I really want to learn to speak Spanish. I just don’t think my brain works that way.

14. I just re-read this before hitting ”post” and realize that I am getting old. I was surprised by how old 26 sounds. At least I have a couple of more days before 26 becomes official.

With that, it’s off to bed. Another day of productive work tomorrow I hope!

Case in point- Fajita Soup

Here’s the background. One of my local grocery stores has a weekly meal deal. They pick an item, that when you purchase a full price, you get a TON of other things to make a full meal for free. A couple of weeks ago the meal deal was fajitas. I purchased pre-seasoned fajita meat for about eleven dollars and got the following for free: sour cream, cheese, tortillas, salsa, a tortilla warmer (bet people outside of Texas don’t know about those). I could have also received some soda, but I don’t particularly like what was free so I passed on the offer.

Now, this meal deal is enough to feed an army, but I was strategic. I froze the cheese and tortillas. Have used the salsa and sour cream for other meals (including snacks for the Bible Study I lead) and separated the pounds of meat into one-two person sized baggies. They were then consequently frozen. Enter, a stocked freezer with enough supplies to make at least 7 one person fajita meals.

So, one day last week I made my first bag. Turns out, I stink at cooking the meat and I wasn’t terribly impressed. But, I was DETERMINED to make full use of my left overs. So, when I came home for dinner I used the left overs and a bunch of other things I had on hand to make soup. And, I must say, for an accidental-on-purpose-leftover meal, it turned out well!

Here’s the accidental recipe. Feel free to alter and or add to as you see fit with things you have on hand.

Ingredients:
All my left over fajita meat (don’t ask me how much, it was the left overs of 1/7 a pre-seasoned package.)
One can of chicken broth
One can’s worth of water
1 to 1/5 tsp of chicken bullion
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes with chili’s
Some brown rice
1 package of Fajita seasoning
Extra frozen, precooked chicken strips

I literally threw all of this in a pot, brought it to a boil and then simmered it until the rice looked cooked. I thought that the extra fajita seasoning would make it too spicy, but I almost think it needs a bit more flavor. I measured absolutely nothing for this soup, and it was liberating.

I made some cornbread to eat with it, but it would also be good with tortilla chips. And in my humble opinion, Coke Zero is a must.

I have a TON of soup left over, so I think I’m going to freeze some of it to save for a day when soup sounds good and I’m too lazy to make it. Not that this required much work. I actually managed to finish a last minute project for work while the stove did all the cooking.

I just never cease to be amazed at how one small item, like chicken fajita mix, can multiply into sooooo much more! If you live in Waco– come over and have some soup. It is like an accidental loaves and fishes scenario.