Getting in the Holiday Spirit

A few weeks ago Michael and I went to Target after dinner. We always cruise through their dollar bins up front because sometimes they have some cool stuff (and really good stocking stuffers!). Well, I found some awesome stuff, I think the pictures will speak for themselves.

This is Missy in her reindeer outfit. It would fall down over her eyes so she would just stand there until we fixed it for her, it was hilarious.

Petree Turns 2!

This is pretty late but better late than never. Petree turned 2 on November 6th and we celebrated with some puppy cookies. Ever since we got Petree he has had a pretty sensitive stomach. We have taken him to the vet or emergency clinic way more than once because he would have these episodes where he would start throwing up and wouldn't stop. He would get so dehydrated that they would have to put him on an iv drip to get fluids into him. The episodes got less frequent so we figured that it was just a sensitive stomach and that he was growing out of it. Well, about a month ago he started throwing up and wouldn't stop so Michael took him into the vet where they kept him all day and gave him an iv. That afternoon they called to tell us that they had tested him for pancreatitus and the levels of whatever they were testing were through the roof, higher than the highest number possible on the test. I'm so glad Michael took him in, I'll admit I just figured it was another one of his episodes and he'd be fine in a bit. So now he is on a low-fat diet and we are hoping that he will be ok from now on. I'm glad we finally know what is wrong with him so that we can take care of him better. I love my bub. Here are some pictures of his birthday:

And one for posterity:

White Chicken Chili

Man, it has been a long time since I last posted! It has been really busy since we moved into the house and Michael made some changes to my computer, so it has been awhile since I have been able to download pictures. My goal is to catch up with everything (blog-wise) next weekend. But for now I have this awesome recipe for white chicken chili, it is SO good. I have made it twice in the last week. And Michael doesn't like it because he says it's too spicy, so more for me!

White Chicken Chili

1lb boneless, skinless chicken boobs, cut into small chunks
1 med. onion, chopped
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oil
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained (you can use white navy beans if you can't find the great northern beans)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies (you can add two if you want it really spicy)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
0.5 tsp pepper
0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
0.5 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan or pot saute the chicken, garlic powder and onion in the oil until the chicken is done. Add the beans, broth chilies and seasonings. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and whipping cream. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if you're into that (I love it). You can serve it with tortilla chips, although it's good with cornbread, too. Makes about 6 servings.

I found that the whipping cream and sour cream made it really thick and it tastes delicous. However, to make it a little bit healthier you can just add the whipping cream and then after the chili is dished up put just a spoonful of sour cream in each bowl or skip the sour cream altogether. If you want to make it without sour cream and whipping cream, add 3 tbsp of flour when you add the beans, chilies, etc. this will thicken it up a bit without adding the calories of the whipping and sour cream. Try it once with the sour cream and whipping cream, it is good!