Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm joining up with Andrea from Momfessionals, and her friends for this Friday Favorites post.

The weather has been PERFECT this week, and inspired me to pull out all my fall decorations and spruce up my house for my favorite season.  The highs have been in the seventies, and the lows in the fifties.  I love cooler weather!  Also, I have been saying "sweater weather" for way longer than Bath and Body Works came up with that name for one of their famous candles.

Speaking of....well, more about that in a minute.

I have some actual useful things that are on my favorites list this week.  Usually I post about my favorite happenings, but I thought I'd switch things up a bit.

I'll start with what's for dinner tomorrow night.  Taco soup {and all things soup} are one of my very favorite things about cooler/cold weather.  I could eat soup every night of my life, and never find one that I didn't like.  My friend made the recipe for broccoli cheese soup that I gave her a couple weeks ago, and she's had me thinking about that for a few days.  I'm thinking it'll be on the dinner menu next week.  But taco soup and chicken tortilla soup are my favorites.  Taco soup is so easy to make!  For my family, I brown about three pounds of ground beef, with a little diced onion and garlic thrown in for flavor.  Once that's done, I add in three packets of taco seasoning mix, two packets of ranch dressing mix, about four cans each of corn, chili beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes, a jar or two salsa, and a couple or three containers of tomato juice.  I add water to thin it a little, if I use two tomato juices.  You just let it simmer on low for a few minutes, maybe about twenty or thirty, and I like to serve it with Fritos or tortilla chips.  For toppings, I add sour cream, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro.

YUM.

I cannot WAIT for dinner tomorrow night.

{Thanks, Google, for your image.}  I love fall.  It is my very favorite season.  I love to decorate for this season, and for Christmas.  I would love to decorate for all the seasons, but realistically, I'm not going to ever do that.  I used to do more when my kids were young, at least with things like window clings for each holiday, but they don't really care about all that anymore.  Fall is my best, though.  Hands down.  And honestly, I combine fall, Halloween {just jack o'lanterns and scarecrows}, and Thanksgiving, and call it all "fall".  I do take the Halloween stuff down the day after.

Here's a hint of what I did yesterday.  I'll show more next week, when I do a little "come on in" tour of my house all decked out.

 I found a new favorite nail polish this week!  I will probably get this color a lot before spring comes.  It's called Suzi and the Arctic Fox.  It's the newest OPI line {Iceland} and I love it.

If you're familiar with any of the older colors, it's similar to Road House Blues.

Of course I know that.

Teenage girls believe that nail polish naming is my super power.

Every fall makes me want to watch Gilmore Girls all over again.  I don't always do that, but I started watching all over again this week.  There have been some days that I've woken up not feeling great or rested, so that's what I've done in the mornings.  And maybe for one whole day.  Maybe.

Every time I watch, it reminds me that this is my favorite show ever.  I think I say that about three different shows, but seriously.  This one wins.

About those Bath and Body Works candles, this one is my favorite.  I know it's so cliche, but I really do love this one.  I don't love the pumpkin flavor (pie, lattes), but I do love the scent when it's added in with another scent, like cinnamon.

These candles make me hungry, though, and that's not great.  But my house smells yummy.

On Wednesday, I went and ran errands with my mom, and one place we stopped at was this fabric store, Premier Fabrics.  It's my favorite fabric store!  I say that like I sew, but I don't.  She does, though!  She has a little upcoming project she's working on, so we stopped for that.  I could look at fabric all day long.  I love it so much, and all these bright colors make my heart sing.

Interesting library book stacks are my favorite thing.  I have been on a reading kick, but sadly, this week it slowed down a little.  I think because of my head and the way I've been waking up each day.  I haven't read as much as I would have liked, but I will make my way through all of these quickly, providing they can hold my interest.  If I don't like a book, I have to put it down.  I don't have time to waste reading books I don't love, and I have no qualms with quitting one if I don't like it after the first few pages.  It needs to grab my attention fast.

I know, I have just caused someone to have panic a little, at the thought of not finishing a book.

It's been a great week, and I am looking forward to this weekend, and spending some time with the Goodwin side of the family.  Thanks for reading my blog, friends!  Love to all.

dinner inspiration, January 2024

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I am always up for some dinner inspiration, and I wonder if you would feel the same this week? Here's a compilation of things that we've eaten in the last few weeks. I hope this inspires you! 

On New Year's day, I made a pot of white chicken chili and cornbread. It was delicious! I used some chicken that was leftover that I shredded, and to that I added a couple of cans of corn, some green chilis, and pinto beans with chicken stock and a mixture of milk and cream. I think I used cumin powder as well, but it was amazing! I loosely followed a recipe that I saw on Pinterest, and changed it up according to what I had in my pantry. The recipe called for cannelloni beans, for instance, but I had pinto beans on hand. 

For my mom's cornbread recipe, I use two cups of white cornmeal mix, two tablespoons of flour, some salt and pepper, one egg, and milk (I keep slowly pouring until it's the consistency of thick pancake batter). To my skillet, I added a tablespoon of olive oil and heated it in the oven at 450 until it was bubbling; when I pour the cornbread mixture into it, it sizzles, which is what gives it that crispy crust. I baked it until it was golden brown. 

One night recently, we had smoked sausage cooked in the air fryer, tortilla chips, cheese cubes, and shrimp cocktail that we bought from Costco. I love to buy that from Costco; it's delicious and something we both love either on its own or with something like this. 

On another night we had these bratwursts that I cooked according to the package instructions, spinach squares, and bell pepper and onions tossed with low sodium soy sauce and cooked in the air fryer. The spinach squares are another recipe that I found on Pinterest and loosely followed. Todd loved this night of dinner and had it two nights in a row, he enjoyed it so much. 

Last week I made this chicken tortilla soup, and another night I made taco soup. Click the link for the tortilla soup recipe, but for the thousandth time, I'll share this taco soup recipe again, because it's a huge crowd pleaser. I've modified it over the years to make it a bit healthier, and here's what I do.

I either brown a pound of ground beef, or I use leftover taco meat. To the cooked meat, I add a packet of taco seasoning, a packet of ranch dressing seasoning, and one container of the lower sodium beef broth. I let that come to a simmer, then I add a can of corn, a can of black beans, two cans of kidney beans, and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I let it simmer for 30 minutes, then we eat it with tortilla chips. It's so good, and the longer it sits, the better it tastes. I also like to drain and rinse all the beans, and adding in one extra can of Rotel tomatoes kicks up the spice and makes it even better. I usually add in a tablespoon of cottage cheese to mine as I put it in a bowl, for some added protein and creaminess. 

And lastly, this is what we had for dinner last night, which is a new favorite. I add six chicken breasts to my crockpot, two packets of ranch dressing seasoning, and two packs of the less fat cream cheese. I let it cook on high all day long, then I either shred it or break it into big chunks, but at the end, we sprinkle bacon bits on top, and it is to die for! It's great with either roasted potatoes or rice, and last night we added green beans. Todd loves this meal and it's great as leftovers. I don't have an actual name for this, but I think it's something like King Ranch chicken or something similar. 

What are you eating for dinner this week? I'd love to hear about it and be inspired for next week! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

dinner and a movie

The older I get, the more I love to stay home.  My food is also way better than what is offered in most restaurants, and I don't mean to say that in a braggy type way, but it's true.  I love to cook, and my food is seasoned the way I like it.  The last few times I've eaten out, unless it was Mexican food or sushi, I didn't care for it that much.  I sound old, don't I? 

Last night was not a date night, but Todd, Noah, and I all ended up at the table eating dinner at the same time.  Jonah ate earlier, Graham and Rachel went to a college bible study, and Drew went to a friend's basketball game.  Noah had Rotel with taco meat inside (YUM!) and I made a giant pot of taco soup.

My favorite.  I thought I'd share the recipe for anyone who wants to consider making it for themselves.

Taco soup:

2 lbs of ground beef
2 packets of taco seasoning
1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix
1 can of Rotel
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 large container of V8 tomato juice (or generic brand veggie juice)
sour cream
shredded cheese
cilantro
Fritos scoops or tortilla chips to crumble over the top

Brown the meat, drain the fat, add in the taco seasoning and a bit of hot water to make it melt into the meat.  Add in the ranch dressing mix, Rotel, corn, beans (but drain and rinse off the beans first), and tomato or veggie juice.  Simmer in a covered pot for about thirty minutes.  I like to garnish mine with the shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.  It would also be really good served with cornbread.

It's so easy, and so tasty.  I always double this recipe so we can eat on it all week.  For a healthier option, you could switch out the ground beef for shredded chicken (rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are good cheats). 

After dinner, we ended up alone again, Toddley and I, so we decided to watch a movie.  I have been wanting to re-watch The Firm (filmed in Memphis).  I loved it when I was in high school, and I think I had only seen it that one time.  The movie was good, but the book was INCREDIBLE.  I remember reading it in high school before the movie came out, and it was all anyone could talk about, also because we knew so many people who were in the movie as extras.  (I live near Memphis.)  It was every bit as good as I remember. 

Then I talked him into a fire, and started it before the movie.

So cozy!  I love cold weather.  This is why.  It was a glorious night, and one that I stayed up past ten.  Ha!  I'm always up at four something, so I'm in bed by nine thirty most nights.  Like I said....I am making myself sound old.  ;)

It's another cold night in my part of the country, so maybe this will inspire someone to make something warm and comforting for dinner tonight.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

show & tell Tuesday (travelogue edition)

Happy Tuesday!  I'm linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals for this post.  I don't always do the show and tell type posts, but this one was so fun and easy for me.  I knew right away what I'd share about.

I'll start off with saying that we love to go camping.  This is why~for the fun, the relaxation, the unpredictability of it all, and the memories.  We've had many camping trips over the years, good and bad, and one thing we found out is that we only like to go with friends.  It's much more fun that way, and we have had some doozies.  I'm sharing about our first ever three night camping trip, with some of our very best friends, the Dicksons.  They used to live next door to us, but nowadays, they're three and a half hours away.  We go visit them whenever we can, though, so it's like nothing has changed.  Except for that path that led between our houses~it finally grew back from being so worn down for years.

This was back in October of 2011, when we went to Blanchard Springs in Arkansas.  It's somewhere in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

Sweet little unassuming Arkansas town we drove through.  More about this town at the end, though.  I'm going to go in order.

Travis suggested this campground.  I like to leave home around lunch time, and get set up before dark.  We also like to stick kinda close by...it's a lot of work going camping, and if the drive time is shorter, it's a bonus.  All of it is hard work, but the in between part is what we live for.  Setting up is hard, too, and moods are usually not the best, because someone is ALWAYS hungry.  This was the time of day we finally arrived to the campsite.

Right off the bat, I knew this would be an unforgettable trip.  As much as I love to camp, I HATE SPIDERS.  Travis had warned me that there would be many on this trip.  (gulp)  When we first got there, I made the mistake of shining the flashlight on the ground, and I saw hundreds (thousands, maybe) of granddaddy longlegs.  As much as I hate all spiders, I am most terrified of those!  The legs freak me out, especially because they come off so easily.

Notice all the hoodies and all the extra quilts and blankets, and how you can't even see Jonah's head on the left.  It was FREEZING.  We used to sleep on sheets of foam covered with sleeping bags and blankets, but nowadays we do air mattresses again.  I miss the foam days, though.  I always sleep so good outside.

Literally, it was freezing.  It was 32 degrees or less.

But look how beautiful it was!

In making breakfast that morning, we attempted our first round of campfire cooking.  Travis had learned that you could make biscuits and cobblers in a dutch oven by burying it under the coals.

#epicfail

The middles were actually pretty good.

We ate eggs and bacon, too.

One of the best parts about camping is all the exploring that happens.

This wasn't far from our tent...you can see our vehicles behind the post.  Do you see what's on the post?!  It's a "baby" tarantula.

I almost died.

I'm pretty sure Travis did this to keep his ears warm.  It stayed in the forties and low fifties that day and I froze half to death.  I'd go wash my hands in the bathroom all the time to have hot water and warm air blowing on me.

We were also right by the bathrooms, which came in convenient, but more about that in a second.  See all the cute little kiddos?  Myles and Zander are still some of Jonah's and Noah's best friends.  Zander chased me ENDLESSLY with granddaddy longlegs this whole trip.  He also called them his best friends.

Look at all the kiddos!  There are two more nowadays, that Travis and Katie have currently.  This was before Caleb and Ellie.

The views were amazing!

This last picture pretty much sums up the whole trip.  I love the ones of Todd and Travis.

To this day, this is my favorite camping trip we ever went on, and the views definitely helped.

We would do all the cooking and we'd make the boys have kitchen duty.  They would also help collect firewood and sticks and after those things were done, they'd be free to go explore on their bikes.  Because you NEVER go camping without your bikes.

I'm pretty sure this picture above was day two.  The days did get warmer progressively, but to tell you how cold it actually was, know that before we left home, I had made and frozen a giant pot of taco soup.  I stuck it in our cooler to act as ice for the trip and on the second day at one o'clock, it was still mostly frozen.  I cooked it low and slow, and added water often to help in the thawing process.

We explored more the second day and that night had a delicious dinner of taco soup and peach cobbler.

And s'mores.  You cannot go camping and not have s'mores every single night.

On day three, this is what Travis and Todd did for a few hours.  They were trying to get more wood and came up with a system for throwing a rope in the tree and pulling a branch down.  I'm not sure if that's allowed or not, but I've never laughed so hard watching two men do something.  I referred to them as Dumb and Dumber.

For dinner the last night, we had hobo packets.  You take ground beef, potatoes, onion, and green beans and add butter, salt, and pepper (all on a piece of foil) and seal it all up and cook it for about 30-45 minutes over the campfire.

It's the best thing ever.

On our last night, in the middle of the night, Noah became sick and started throwing up and kept on doing that for several hours.

I was so tired of making the trek to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so I grabbed our camp chairs, our sleeping bags and pillows, and we slept sitting in the chairs in the bathroom.

It was still so cold, but we were so toasty warm in the bathroom!  I died laughing when Katie walked in during the middle of the night, and about jumped out of her skin when she saw us.

He was fine when he woke up the next morning.

We packed up and headed home after lunch on Sunday.  We went through small towns again, and remember the picture at the top of the cute little unassuming town?

Well, they have random speed mountains (bumps) set up throughout the town, for anti-speeding purposes, I assume, and we hit one of them.  I am pretty sure our vehicle left the ground, as did the wheels on the trailer we were hauling, and everything went EVERYWHERE.  We had things fall, and break, and that pot of taco soup went all over the place, even on the ceiling.

We laugh about it now, but it wasn't that funny at the time.  We made more memories that I can even recount on that trip, and to this day, it was my most favorite camping trip ever.  It was our first camping trip with the Dicksons.  At least two more happened, possibly three, before they added baby Caleb to the mix.  I think on our last trip, Katie was pregnant.  Believe it or not, this was not the worst trip, though all those things happened.  Our worst ever trip was to Tishomingo in Mississippi, when we had two boys go into a stranger's camper, Katie and I were both sick, I locked BOTH SETS OF OUR KEYS in the suburban, and the rain forced us to pack up early and go home after our first night.

Even though not every trip is a success, they're all memorable, and we've learned that this is why you go with friends.  You tend to laugh more, too, which helps.

I'll post again soon on how we do camping.  It's a ton of work, and you have to pack every little thing you could possibly imagine, but it's worth all that effort.  We never relax more than when we go camping as a family.  Now that I've written about it, I want to go again.  Except that I don't do camping when it's hot.  I prefer the cold, when bugs aren't so rampant.

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.

Monthly Musings, January 2026

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm joining in today for the Monthly Musings blog post with Patty. I'll jump right in! 

1. Describe your winter so far in one word. Long. 

2. What winter activities have you never tried but want to? I would love to try going down a snowy mountain in an innertube! 

My sister Debi did this last year with some family who came to visit them in Colorado. I would love to give this a whirl someday! I will say that I got on a four wheeler this week for the first time in 35 years. It was so much fun! 

3. Favorite winter beverage? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Iced coffee? All of the above. 

4. Least favorite winter chore? I don't necessarily have "winter" chores. I will say that I shoveled in front of my garage for a solid hour on Sunday. I had a mountain of snow outside the garage, and I was trying to make it flat enough to be able to drive out easily.

5. Soup or chili? Share a recipe if you'd like. I am team soup all the way! 

My favorite soup is chicken tortilla. Here's an old blog post where I shared the recipe. (This post dates back to 2011; I've been blogging for twenty years!) The other soups pictured are taco soup, potato soup, and clam chowder. I love them all! 

6. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate...both or neither? I love milk chocolate the most, but I don't discriminate, either. 

Of these pictures above, my favorites are the frozen yogurt and that cookie you see from Chick Fil A.

7. Share your Galentine's or Valentine's day plans. I have both! For Galentine's me and Kendra are going over to Marilyn's house for dinner, dancing, and a craft we've been talking about. I'm excited! For Valentine's day, I'll be with Chris, but I don't know what we're doing yet. 

8. Do you dress festive for Valentine's day? Is the air breathable? Is January long? Does my hair always look like a rat's nest? (The answer to all of these is yes.) I love to dress up for a theme! Here are a few samples. 

I love to wear pink and red any day of the year!

9. Do you make any sweet treats for Valentine's day? I don't now, but I used to when my sons were little! I used to have a "we love our kids" night each year on that day. I'd make their favorite meal, and then I'd make little individual mini molten lava cakes.

10. What is your love language? My love language is physical touch and quality time. They're equally tied for first place. Chris is great at both of these! I also love others in the way I need to be loved. 

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!

Jenn ❤️

P.S. Don't forget that it's almost time for Share 4 Somethings! Each month on the last Saturday of the month, we will meet back here to talk about something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward, and something we're making space for. I hope you make plans now to join me Saturday!