20 Minute Cheesy Enchilada Soup

Today I'm combining my favorite Fall food (soup!) with my favorite cuisine (Mexican!). This recipe is easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner, but also enjoyable for a chilly Sunday afternoon. 



What You'll Need:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of diced white onion
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 of cup flour
3 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
1 10-ounce can of red enchilada sauce
1 14-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
8 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon of salt
optional garnishes: tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, cilantro and/or pico de gallo

What You'll Need To Do:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Chop onion and garlic while oil is heating up.
Add the onion to the pot and saute for 5 minutes or until cooked and translucent.
Add the garlic and saute for an addition 1 minute being careful not to burn it.
Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in half of the chicken stock.
Stir until combined and no lumps remain.
Add in the remaining chicken stock stirring quickly.
Add the chicken, enchilada sauce, black banes, tomatoes, salt, and cumin.
Stir until combine.
Continue stirring occasionally until simmering.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Slowly stir in the cheese until combine.
Serve with your choice of toppings.
ENJOY!



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Homemade Pumpkin Slime

This slime is a gooey good time for the whole family! It includes real pumpkin guts!



What You'll Need:

1 small pumpkin
1/3 cup of liquid starch (found in the laundry detergent aisle)
1/2 cup of clear Elmer's washable school glue
1/2 cup of water

What You'll Need to Do:

Cut the top off of the pumpkin.
Make room in the pumpkin by loosing up all the seeds and guts.
(You can remove some to make room slime)
Stir together 1/2 cup of room temperature water with 1/2 cup of clear Elmer's washable school glue.
Pour 1/2 cup of liquid starch directly into the pumpkin.
Pour glue and water mixture into the pumpkin.
Use your hands to mix.
Enjoy your slime; discard after 2 weeks due to perishable products used!


The Royal Report


Everything you need to know about your favorite Royals...

September 20 

Meghan, with the help of her mother Doria Ragland and her husband Prince Harry, hosted her first event as a Royal.


The event was to launch a charity cookbook. Together: Our Community Cookbook is the culmination of months of Meghan's work with women of the Hubb Community Kitchen whom where affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The luncheon celebrating the cookbook's launch took place in a tent on the grounds of Kensington Palace.


Meghan wore a royal blue coat by Smythe, a sleeveless turtle neck from Luxe, and a Misha Nonoo pleated skirt.


September 24 

Prince Harry and Meghan attended the Coach Core Awards held at Loughborough University in Loughborough, England.


The Duke handed out the awards and both tried their hand at netball.



The Duchess wore a  belted, peplum blouse by Oscar de la Renta and Altuzarra 'Serge' bootcut trousers, and black suede Aquazzura 'Simple Irresistible' pumps.


September 24 

The Duke of Cambridge headed off on his solo tour of Africa. He will visit Namibia, Tanzania, and Kenya as the patron of the Royal African Society. During his visit William will take part in several engagements focused on fighting against illegal trade of wildlife. He is the president of the United for Wildlife and the Tusk Trust both of which protect endangered species in Africa.


September 25 

The Duchess of Sussex stepped out in Givenchy and Aquazurra for her first solo event. The Duchess celebrated the opening of the Oceania exhibit at the Royal Academy of the Arts. She caused quite the stir by ::gasp:: closing her own car door!


September 29 

The Duke of Cambridge visited the College of African Wildlife Management (while on his trip in Africa) to see its work empowering students to address the challenges of wildlife sustainability in Africa.


October 2 

Kate is back! The Duchess stepped out for her first official engagement since having Prince Louis thus ending her maternity leave (she had been seen at Harry and Meghan's wedding, the Trooping of the Color, a RAF celebration, Prince Louis' christening, and Wimbledon this summer). In her return to official work,  Kate visited Sayers Croft Trust Forest School and Wildlife Garden in Paddington, London. The school gives inner city kids a chance to learn about nature and the environment. 


The Duchess's outfit consisted of old and new pieces. The old included her Zara biker jeans and her favorite Penelope Chilvers 'Long Tassel' boots. The new included a jacket and sweater by the Swedish brand Fjallraven Stina. She completed her look with the Joseph Rainer 'Bud Print' blouse.


October 2 

Pippa Middleton Matthew, Duchess Catherine's sister, along with her husband James Matthews were seen arriving to the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in London. The royal sister is in her third trimester of pregnancy.


The couple were seen leaving approximately one hour after they arrived. Kate delivered all three of her children at St. Mary's Hospital.


October 3

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first visit to Sussex! The couple carried out a number of engagements including visits to Edes House, the University of Chichester's Engineering and Digital Technology Park, the Brighton Pavilion, a local charity called Survivor's Network, and the JOFF Youth Centre in Peachaven.



The Duchess stunned wearing her wedding hairstyle, a Hugo Boss lambskin skirt, Stuart Weitzman 'Legend' pumps, Emporio Armani's cashmere 'Double Cloth Coat', and a straight fit silk blouse from Other Stories. Meghan carried a Gabriela Hearst 'Nina' bag.


October 8 - No baby yet! Pippa is spotted out and about in London. Ms. Middleton-Matthews, 35, is pregnant with her first child. 

October 9 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in the first joint appearance since the birth of their third child, Prince Louis. The duo attended the inaugural Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit which was co-hosted by the British government and the Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.


Inside the gathering at County Hall on the south banks of the River Thames in London, the royal couple heard presentations on two case studies of active mental health programs from the US and Slovenia.


Kate recycled a lilac Emilia Wickstead dress we previously saw her wear on her family's tour of Germany last year. She accessorized with Aspinal of London's pale purple colored 'Mayfair' bag made with a combination of crocodile print and Italian leather.


October 9 - Pippa Middleton Matthews was seen out in London grocery shopping. Pippa is 9-months pregnant and is reportedly due to give birth any day!


October 10 

The Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex (sans their duchesses) stepped out together for a reception to officially of the 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference at St. James' Palace in London. Also in attendance were Kenya' First Lady, heads of state, ministers, and officials from nearly 80 countries! The summit summit serves to build on previous efforts to tackle the criminal wildlife trade.


October 10

Kate visited the Victoria and Albert Museum to preview some of the 800,000 images in the new Photography Centre of the museum (the royal mom is said to be an avid photographer herself). The event marks the first time she has visited the museum in an official capacity since becoming its first Royal Patron in March.



The Duchess wore an off the shoulder design by Erdem and Erdem earrings that reportedly cost $1220. She choose Jimmy Choo for her shoes and clutch.


October 10 

Princess Eugenie and her fiance Jack Brooksbank announced their wedding party two days prior to their October 12 wedding. Eugenie has chosen her sister Princess Beatrice as her maid of honor and Jack has chosen his brother Thomas Brooksbank as his best man.


The couple have chosen Princess Charlotte, Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Maud Windsor, and Theodora Williams as their bridesmaid, and Prince George and Louis de Givenchy as their page boys. Princess Eugenie's young cousins, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (14), and James, Viscount Severn (10) will have roles as special attendants. 


October 12 

Congratulations to the newlyweds! Prince Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank tied the knot at St. George's Chapel at Windsor in Windsor, England! More details to come!




Come back next month for another installment of The Royal Report!



5 Cute (and easy!) Couples Halloween Costumes

Halloween season and invites for costume parties have arrived! I love a great couples costume when I can convince my husband. Because he's hard to convince, I like to pick options for costumes that we can make from items already in our closet!

//1// Magician and Rabbit


This costume is super easy. Grab his interview suit from the back of the closet and match all your white clothes together. All you need to purchase is a pair of bunny ears and a cape

//2// Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's Fixer Upper



Get our your jeans, boots, baseball caps, and chambray to become the perfect DIY couple Chip and Joanna Gaines!

//3// Barbie and Ken


Think preppy and pink to become Barbie and Ken!

//4// The King and Queen of Hearts


Create your own t-shirts and add a crown! 

//5// Garth and Wayne from Wayne's World


Easily transform into these characters with teased hair, t-shirts, flannel, and ripped jeans.






DIY Pumpkin Face Mask

Pumpkin can be used for more than just jack-o-latterns, pies, and lattes. It happens to be full of vitamins that can brighten and repair your skin!



What You'll Need:

1/2 oz of pumpkin (canned or fresh)
1/2 of a sweet potato
1 teaspoon of honey
1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt
1 pinch of cinnamon

What You'll Need to Do:

Blend all ingredients together.
Apply to clean, damp skin.
Leave on for 10 minutes.
Rinse off.

Extra Tips:

Sweet potato and yogurt help smooth skin.
Honey hydrates skin.
Cinnamon is antibacterial. 




CTE & Football

Fall means friends, fun, food go along with football! In the past decade, another thing that has gone along with football is CTE.


CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. It is a degenerative brain disease most commonly found in athletes and military veterans. It can affect anyone with a history of repetitive brain trauma. With repetitive brain trauma, a protein known as Tau forms clumps that slowly spread throughout the brain killing brain cells.


CTE can only be diagnosed after death through brain tissues analysis. First, we should be aware of those who are risk. Anyone who has suffered repetitive hits to the head are at risk. In modern day this included boxers, MMA fighters, soccer players, ice hockey players, tackle football players, military veterans, and those who are victims of repeated domestic violence.


There are certain risk factors to keep in mind. Those at higher risk for developing CTE are individuals who have had repetitive hits to the head before the age of 12 and the length of the exposure to head impacts.


There is no treatment for CTE, but symptoms can be managed. Symptoms can include impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and paranoid.  As the disease progresses patients may experience memory loss, confusion, impaired judgement, and dementia.


Working with a cognitive behavioral therapist can help patient manage mood symptoms including depression, irritability, and anxiety. Massage, acupuncture, or medication may be helpful for headaches, and memory training exercises can be helpful in continuing daily living despite difficulty with memory.


According to a New York Times report from 2017, a neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee examined the brains of 112 NFL players. All but one were found to have CTE. Most famously, it was found that Aaron Hernandez suffered from the most severe case of CTE ever found in a person his age. Hernandez was serving a prison sentence for murder at the time of his suicide at age 27.