Pumpkin & Black Bean Chicken Chili

We had this soup for supper a last week, and it was delicious! Perfect for chilly fall nights! It says to add avocado pieces on top; if you don't like avocado, you don't have to use it. However, I think it adds an interesting flavor, and I love it in my chili!

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chicken Chili

Serves 7-8 people

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained but not rinsed – lightly mash the beans from one can and keep the others whole.
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree
3/4 c salsa 
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into dice sized pieces
1 4 oz can mild diced green chiles
2 to 2 1/2 c water
1/2 c diced green pepper
1 ½ T olive oil
2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
3/4 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
Juice of one lime
Fresh cilantro, avocado, & grated cheese for serving

Directions:

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add in chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink. Pour in beans, tomatoes, salsa, chiles, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce hit to a simmer. Stir in pumpkin puree and cover the pot, letting cook on a light simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. When ready to serve, stir in juice of the lime and taste to adjust salt level is needed. Place in bowls and top with fresh cilantro, avocado, and cheese for serving.

Slow Cooker directions: 

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add in chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to slow cooker and turn to low heat setting. Stir in beans, tomatoes, salsa, chiles, 1 cup of water (note that this is different than if you are making it on the stovetop), and pumpkin puree. Attach cover and let cook on low for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. When ready to serve, stir in juice of the lime and taste to adjust salt level is needed. (You can keep it on warm if you plan to make it ahead of time.) Place in bowls and top with fresh cilantro, avocado, and cheese for serving. Eat with tortilla chips, if you so desire.

I hope you like this easy, delicious recipe! 

Personal Book Recommendations

     We've all been there. You have a free night, but you have no idea what to do. You almost feel like reading a book, but you've read all the ones you own. 

     Voila! This is where I come in! Here is a list of books I have read and actually enjoyed. Next time you have a night at home, and you're bored out of your gourd, just pull out this list! :D

     These books are mostly for girls/women, so I wouldn't recommend having your brother read Little Women or Pride and Prejudice, if ya know what I mean! :D 

     Ones with an asterisk (*) next to them are available for free on Kindles through Amazon. 

Books:

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*
• Good Wives (sequel to Little Women) by aforementioned authoress
• Jo's Boys (sequel to Good Wives) also by aforementioned authoress 
• Pride and Prejudice (if you have time) by Jane Austen*
• Emma by Jane Austen*
• Persuasion by Jane Austen*
• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle* (quite hilarious, really)
• Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux*
• Lucy Winchester by Christmas Carol Kauffman
• For One Moment by Christmas  Carol Kauffman (extremely good book!!)
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (it sounds boring, but it really helped me!)
• Lies Young Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (warning: there's a little bit of language...but it's really funny! There is also an old movie that is equally is good and funny as the book, available on Netflix, I believe.)
• Left Behind series by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

P.S.- Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys are available on Amazon for only $0.99! That's three whole books for only $0.33 each! And it includes illustrations! Find this amazing deal here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=good%20wives&sprefix=good+wives%2Cdigital-text.

Pretty Fall Pictures!

Here are some pictures of gorgeous fall trees and berries I saw yesterday. I love fall! So incredibly much! Not ready for winter quite yet! :P

 This pretty tree was at the end of our street. I just couldn't resist taking a picture of it!

 Bittersweet Berries at Kalmbach Memorial Park in Macungie, PA

 The leaves are just so pretty this time of year! Even though they are dying... *sniff*

 Me and my lovely mother! 

 Aren't these trees just perfect! God's handiwork is hard to ignore this time of year, with all the beautiful trees! (Kalmbach Memorial Park)

My favorite tree! :D (Kalmbach Memorial Park)

~Home Sweet Home~

50 Random Facts About Me

This is my first blog post ever! To begin, I thought I would tell you 50 random facts about me, so you can get to know me better! So here they are, ladies and gentleman:

*drumroll*

1) I have brown straight hair.

2) I own two pairs of Converse sneakers, one hot pink (now faded) and one gray with a coral double-tongue.

*Edit: I now own three. The newest addition is mint green.

3) I have four siblings (two brothers and two sisters), all older than me.

4) I love candy, especially gummy bears and peach rings, even though they are literally just chewy sugar. Maybe that's why I like them...

5) Someday, I want to go to Europe and see France, Ireland, England, and Spain. Not Italy. The only Italian thing I like is pizza.

6) I share a room with my 20-something year old sister, Amanda.

7) I had braces for 4 1/2 years! Yeah! 4 1/2 stinkin' years! No gum or gummy candy or popcorn! But now I have a pretty smile! :D

8) I love the colors gray and yellow together. So beautiful. 

9) I also love chevron. A lot. (It's a pattern.)

10) I will have a nephew in May 2015! #cantwaittobeanaunt! <3

*Edit: Jonathan Haddon Rains was born on April 30, 2015. #imanaunt! <3 <3 <3

11) I was saved on September 22, 2012.

12) I love downloading cool fonts to my computer! I know, I'm a geek! :D

13) I love school. Seriously. I love school!

14) My birthday is June 11. Now that you know that, you have no excuse not to get me a gift on my birthday. :D It's also my Nana's birthday and King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii.

15) I hate rollercoasters.

16) I detest tomatoes.

17) I like, no, I love shooting my gun.

18) IMPORTANT FACT: I love volleyball! 

19) I think I'm addicted to peanut butter! No, really, I think I am!

20) "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" are two of my favorite old shows. Probably because they're old school and hilarious and clean. I highly recommend these two shows. Watch them. Now. Are you still reading this? ;D

21) I love cooking and baking. Actually I like the results.

22) I've always wanted to be an airline stewardess. Always.

23) One of my pet peeves is when people think they are more important than they really are. Does that bother you, too?

24) I LOVE COFFEE!!!! Especially peppermint mocha from Starbucks.

25) I can play the piano, though not enough to brag about. 

26) I love peaches. They are so good!

27) My favorite ice cream is coconut. Delish! :P

28) I love Christmas music! Even in June or July!

29) I'm obsessed with anchors!

30) According to my older and somewhat wiser brother, Ben, I am really bad at horseshoes. I agree. I am pretty bad.

31) My favorite colors are mint, aqua, coral, and navy.

32) I don't like Frozen. At all. Sorry. No, wait, I'm not sorry.
*Edit: I still don't like Frozen. Not sorry.

33) I love gerbera daises and gladiola.

34) My favorite flower, however, is sunflowers.

35) My dream truck would be a black, Jacked-up Ford F-150 with leather seats and a loud roar!

36) I love Grumpy Cat!

37) I love mustaches so much that if I could grow one, I would! :{

38) I love reading Jane Austen books!

39) I love milk chocolate above all other chocolates.

40) My favorite month is May, because that's when Baby's coming! :D And it's the month when all the pretty little flowers start blooming and the air gets a little warmer and I don't have to wear a coat anymore!

41) I have loved horses ever since I was a little girl, though I have given up on asking for one every Christmas.

42) I love Irish, British, and Australian accents! 

43) I am part Irish and German. My great-great-grandmother came over from Ireland at age 14 with her brother. Cool, huh?

44) I was born on a Monday (Monday's child is fair of face; take it however you will...). Visit this page to see what people born on a Monday are like: 

http://www.dayofbirth.net/leftlinkmain.php?day=mon#.VEBwT_nF-to.

45) I love watching Jane Austen movies, like Emma, Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility.

46) My favorite verse is Psalm 68:19, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." What an amazing verse!

47) I could eat frozen yogurt all day, every day. But I would probably get really fat! :D

48) I am neither right nor left brained. I have a "golden brain," whatever that means. According to the results of a test I did, my "spontaneous, impulsive, and free-flowing right brain creates an exciting and adventurous world, while [my] left brain helps [me] make sense of it and keep track of everything." So true. It's like they know me!

49) I was home schooled (yes, I'm one of those) from from preschool to 6th grade, then to Emmaus Baptist Academy (http://emmausbaptist.tumblr.com/) for 7th grade and am now home schooled again for 8th grade. And it is going quite well, I might add!

50) I derive great pleasure from watching thunderstorms! As long as I'm inside and not in danger of getting struck by lightning! 

Well, there ya have it! 50 facts about me! I probably could have written 50 more! Well, maybe 2 or 3 more. Nope, I couldn't have written anymore! :D

Thank you so much for checking out my blog! Keep checking back here to see if I've posted anything new!

Oh, yeah. Exciting news: I'M GOING TO HAWAII IN APRIL!!!!! Yes, you read that right! I'm seriously flying to Hawaii with my parents and staying there for about 2 weeks! Be jealous, everyone! :D More posts to follow about that thrilling trip!