Add a side of Spanish rice and you're ready to eat

One of our staff members is lucky enough to be married to a retired fireman. During his time at the fire station, all of the firefighters would take turns making dinner for each other. His favorite recipe, dubbed “Station 22 Chicken Enchiladas” is now a favorite in their home.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 15oz. can mild enchilada sauce
2 8oz. cans mild diced green chilies
2 8oz. cans sliced black olives
2  roma tomatoes diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 large flour Tortillas
1 bunch of green onions chopped
sour cream and salsa as a garnish

Ready to go into the oven!

Instructions:
• Put chicken in a large pot, cover with water, cook at a soft boil for 1 hr.
• Drain hot water and cool chicken with cold water.
• Shred chicken meat by hand into bite size pieces in a large mixing bowl.
• Add 1 can of green chilies, 1 ½ cans of black olives, ½ of the diced tomatoes, 1 ½  cups of shredded cheddar cheese, ½  of the green onions chopped. Mix well.
• Fill tortillas with the chicken mixture so they can easily be rolled up and placed close together in 9”x 13” baking pan.
• Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce over all of the enchiladas in the pan, sprinkle remaining:  shredded cheddar cheese, green chilies, sliced olives, diced tomatoes and chopped green onions.

• Cover pan with foil, bake at 350° for 1-1 ½ hrs.

Serves 5

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My husband Ben and I are busy people. We both work full-time, and when Friday evening rolls around, we enjoy spending our free time with friends and family. That’s why it’s no surprise that during the weekend, there’s no time to clean our house before we’re back at the office.

Recently, Ben came up with a great idea to make our home a priority: Clean one room in the house, once a month.

The idea is to pick one room in the house (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, etc.) and clean it from top to bottom for one day of the month. This includes moving furniture and dusting, wiping, vacuuming, and anything else you can think of to deep clean the room. It’s also a chance to decide whether or not you want to redecorate or reorganize the space.

By making each room a priority, it reminds us to appreciate our beautiful home.

We decided our “clean day” in January would be Sunday, since most fun events on the weekends are usually Friday and Saturday nights. Once we decided on a day, we stuck to it—even if we received a tempting last-minute brunch invitation.

Last month we focused on the bedroom and started cleaning the bedroom closet, and worked our way to the master bathroom. We went through our closet and pulled out piles of clothes we didn’t wear anymore. We made one pile for donation, and another to give away to friends and family who we thought might like them.  We washed our sheets, dusted end tables, cleaned the windows, and vacuumed the carpets.

That night, it felt good to know our bedroom was now a clutter-free, peaceful retreat. And guess what—we even had time to go to dinner with friends!

Freebie: We’ve made a free to print room list for you to try the One Room, Once a Month technique for yourself. Click the image below to download. Make sure to come back to our blog and keep us posted on your monthly cleaning.

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It was a cool, rainy evening when I found this wonderful comfort food recipe for my husband Joe and I, “Risotto Butternut Squash With Cheese.” It was a perfect choice for fall, and we paired it with some skinless chicken breasts and a glass of Chardonnay. It turned out to be a delicious spontaneous meal—and a romantic evening!

Read more »

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In honor of Kitchen Month, our very own eCommerce Producer, John, was willing to share his mom’s delicious blackberry pie recipe. Mom would be so proud! Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Download Recipe >

Mom’s Blackberry Pie

Ingredients:
2 bags frozen Marion blackberries
2 cups sugar
5 Tbsp. dry Tapioca
¼ tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter
1 box Pillsbury Pie crust

Instructions:
Combine Berries, sugar, lemon juice, tapioca, and salt.  Line pie pan with pastry crust. Add filling mixture and dot with butter.  Cover with top pastry crust.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes then bring oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool for at least an hour or it will not be set up and will be runny.  Enjoy!!

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Scout

I’ll never forget the day we became parents.

I was away on a weekend trip with the girls when my husband Brad, texted me the words “I found him.” I knew exactly what those words meant.

He had found the puppy he’d been wanting.

My first reaction was shock, followed by slight panic. Were we ready for this commitment? We had been talking about getting a puppy someday. But I never imagined that, that July weekend, we’d adopt a real puppy.

When I arrived home that afternoon, Brad had the 7-week old puppy in his arms. He looked like a little furry black ball with tan paws and a white streak on his chest. Brad decided to call his new best friend, “Scout.” It didn’t take long before Scout became part of our family.

On his first night in our home, Scout woke up whimpering every 3 hours. It was like having a newborn baby—but thankfully we didn’t have to change any dirty diapers. Brad, just like a patient father, carried Scout outside to go to the bathroom every night. We wondered if we’d ever get sleep again. Then we read that puppies have small bladders, so this routine would be temporary. Luckily, it was true and those trips dwindled down from 4 times per night, then two. Now, at 4 months—Scout sleeps throughout the entire night (well, most of the time).

But every day we are faced with new challenges. Scout still hasn’t figured out that he can’t go to the bathroom on our carpet whenever he wants. Brad spends his weekends cleaning up doggie doo from the yard. Perhaps I should consider getting him the handy Doggie Dooley Kit? Anybody out there tried it yet?

Like any young, energetic puppy, Scout wants to bite everything and anything: leaves, rocks, socks, dishcloths, clothes, shoes—even our hands and legs. We try yelping when he bites us, then we ignore him and walk away. Sometimes he runs after us—biting at our ankles instead. Anybody have any recommends to remedy this situation?

I’m sure I’ll be back asking more questions, as we face new puppy challenges…

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When you bring home a new puppy or kitten, a mess is almost always guaranteed to follow. We’ve discovered some great products to make taking care of your pet easier, no matter what comes up.

Pet Trainer

Problem: Your new pet won’t stay off your couch or counter tops.
Solution: The Pet Trainer has a small vibration and alarm that keeps your animals from going where you don’t want them.

Arctick™

Problem: You found a small tick on your pet, but you don’t like using chemicals.
Solution: Arctick™ freezes and kills ticks instantly. It’s safe, effective, pesticide free and easy to use.

Snoozer™

Problem: Your pup gets excited when you’re driving and wants to sit on your lap.
Solution: The Snoozer™ Pet Safety Harness lets him enjoy the trip without letting him dash from one window to the next.

Spot Gone

Problem: Muddy footprints and accidents, your pet likes to take it out on your nice rugs.
Solution:  Spot Gone helps to remove stubborn stains. Apply it directly to the stain, brush lightly and blot.

Puppy tip: When you bring a new puppy home for the first time, he may miss his mom and siblings. Place a ticking clock or a warm water bottle next to his bed to give him comfort.

See more clever pet products >

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Electric Chinese Lantern

Roasted vegetable; corn on the cob; apple pie. While these could easily be the ingredients for a neighborhood barbecue, they’re also the perfect ingredients for a memorable autumn celebration.

As you’re starting to sense the end of the summer season, why not have a fall-themed celebration to welcome the winter ahead? These ideas should help get you started:

• August, September and October are prime times for grape harvest for many wineries. Host a wine tasting party, and have guests bring a bottle of wine of their choice.
• Have a dinner party, using fall ingredients such as butternut squash soup, corn on the cob, pumpkin, cranberries and apples.
• Decorate tables with hearty winter squashes and mini pumpkins. Use colorful oranges, yellows and reds. You can even paint your pumpkins using silver or gold point to add a colorful accent.
• Have candy apples and an apple-dunking contest for the kids. Give your guests jars of apple-butter jam as a party favor.

Ready to get started?

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When we heard about Disney Family Fun magazine’s “homemade ice cream from a baggie” recipe, we had to spread the word. It’s a fun activity to do with kids and it’s super easy to make. What a great idea!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salt (Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)
Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)
1 pint-size ziplock® bag
1 gallon-size ziplock® bag

Serves 1

Instructions

1.     Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.

2.     Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it’s done.

3.     Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag.

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