easy napkin folding tip

My daughter is turning 18 next week. We are having a party this weekend and I wanted to do something a little different with the napkins because I had 2 different size and different print napkins. So I googled how to fold a napkin. I found this wonderful website that has a lot of different ways to fold napkins. http://www.napkinfoldingguide.com/ 

The website has step by step instructions and photos. I picked one that looked easy.These are the 2 napkins that I had.

 First, I unfolded the smallest size napkin and laid it out flat on the table, pattern side down. Then I unfolded the larger napkin half way and laid it in the center of the fold mark in the middle of the small napkin. If you line up the fold marks on the napkins it makes it much easier to get the napkins to lay flat.

Next, I folded both the napkins back up following the original fold lines, so that it looked like this.

Then turn the open side of one corner back and fold it part way down so that you can see a border of the smaller napkin at the bottom. 

Turn the napkins over and fold both sides back about 1/3 of the way.

Turn napkin back over and it should look something like this.

Add the utensils in the pocket and you have a fancy little folded napkin pocket for the party.

This is something easy and fun to do to add a little special touch to the napkins and utensils.

Homemade Hamburgers

I love a good hamburger with plenty of flavor. I have been making my hamburgers the same way for as long as I can remember. This is a simple recipe but it is always good every time I make it. The ketchup and mustard gives the meat flavor and moisture. The breadcrumbs help to hold the meat together when you put it on the grill. If I do not have any bread crumbs, I will crumble up saltine crackers or even ritz crackers. For the buns, I like to buy the french hamburger rolls from Publix and toast them in the oven for a few minutes.

Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 tbs mustard
3 tbs ketchup
salt
pepper

Mix all the ingredients with the hamburger meat.

Roll into patties and place on the grill. I like to slice an onion and grill it with the hamburger patties.

Grill until done.

Serve with all your favorite toppings and condiments. I like to put a slice of cheese on the hamburger patty right after it comes off the grill so that the cheese begins to melt. YUM!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found a new recipe on pinterest this week and had to try it out today. This is the original link to the recipe: http://jonandjenmiller.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-chicken-tortilla-soup.html

I love this recipe. It is so good. And very easy to make. Just put everything in the crock pot and let it cook. It reminds me of chili with chicken. I made a few changes to the recipe. I only used 1 can of chicken broth. I did not add any water and I used chicken breast with ribs because it was on sale and I do not mind taking chicken off the bone especially if it's cheap chicken.

 Also, I used the packet of taco seasoning. I don't think you could mess this recipe up even if you tried.

Ingredients:
2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans Ro-Tel
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn
1 onion, chopped
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth (I used 1 can)
1-2 cups of water (I did not add any water)
1 Tbsp garlic powder*
1 Tbsp chile powder*
1 Tbsp ground cumin*
1 Tbsp dried cilantro*
*Instead of these spices, you could include a packet of Taco seasoning if you prefer.*
tortilla chips
sour cream
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Put all the ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot and stir.

Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they're at least partly submerged in liquid.

Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours. When the chicken is done, remove from pot and shred. Return to pot and stir.

To serve put a few tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, ladle soup over tortilla chips, top with shredded cheddar cheese, aad a dollop of sour cream, serve with more chips if you like.