Recipe- Frito Soup (or easiest soup to make- EVER)

Yes, I know....first recipe and it's SO not gourmet but this is a soup we've eaten for ages and is a total staple in our house (most ingredients you will have on hand). Every time we eat this we mix it up...usually by accident.  EASIEST SOUP TO MAKE- EVER.

Frito Soup

1 lb ground meat (turkey, sausage, hamburger, stew meat, etc)
2 14oz cans of corn (we use ONLY sweet frozen corn.  Costco's is the best)
1 14 oz can of kidney beans
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce 
3 14 oz cans of your choice: black beans, navy, garbanzo beans, etc
1 cup of shredded cheese 
1 lg bag of Fritos Corn Chips- scoops or regular (Fritos make it legit but we also use Tostito Scoops alot)
S&P to taste
Chili Powder or Taco Seasonings to taste
Optional: top with sour cream 

Brown the meat (turkey in this instance) then season with S&P and Chili Powder or Taco Seasonings to taste

My husband does NOT like tomatoes so he usually purees the tomatoes to make a sauce before adding in the beans.

While you are browning the meat, empty the canned foods  (DO NOT PRE-DRAIN THE JUICE)  and corn into a large pot.  Cook on medium heat until warm (usually 20 minutes). 

After it's done, drain fat from meat (our turkey never seems to have any) and stir into soup. Try to not overcook the meat.

Serve topped with cheese and chips (in this case, we used Boulder Canyon chips from Costco- thanks Buffy for introducing us to them!).   For a cool zip, you can also top with sour cream!  There you go- so easy your kids can make :D

Eatin' Out 'N' About at Sweet Necessities ~ Enumclaw, WA

On a Tuesday Afternoon....
1215 Griffin Ave Enumclaw, WA 98022 360-802-5475

No web-site or on Facebook

This is one of those fab-to-die-for little gourmet chocolate places that you don't expect to find in a small town and we count ourselves lucky to live by!

The Hungry Housewives just finished lunch at Cafe Panini practically kitty-corner to here and decided to introduce our friend Dani to Sweet Necessities' amazing mochas (they use REAL FUDGE for the mocha flavor.  To DIE for.)

Though there is only one person in front of us, we have a little bit of a wait.  They are known for quality ...this is not fast food!  I feel a tad bad for the mom with the kid demanding ice cream behind us but not enough to let them go ahead because the others could be finished with their drinks before I'm seated.

The front counter is FILLED with the prettiest chocolates you'll ever see.  You wish you could buy everything!  Would make lovely gifts to give anybody.

While we wait, we look around and check everything out.  In the back is gourmet pastas, sauces, cards, kitchen gadgets, candy, and gifts.

My other fav thing about this shop is the tea-wall.  Before I worked (briefly) as a Barista, I was a tea only type of girl, and the selection here makes you curl your toys with happiness!

There are a few tables and chairs with cushions with complimentary newspapers to read but we opt to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

It is one of our favorite places for that extra-special-treat (my husband and I went here after our last date) if you want something "good" or a candy stick for the kids.   While we were there, the place filled up with parents and their little ones (though if I'm with my 3 kids and we just want to cool off, my budget's a tad tight to pay almost $4 each for a single scoop ice cream).
Everything tasted yummy...it's a definite must-go!!

Friday Flick- Eat, Pray, Love (released 2010)

The Hungry Housewives and friends went to see this movie as a group to celebrate a Birthday.  We all went -hoping- that it was good though the reviews had not been favorable.

As we walk into the movie theater entrance and hand the guy our ticket, he says, "Let me guess- you're going to see Eat, Pray, Crap."  Oh lovely.  Not sure if that's his opinion on all chick-flicks or just this one but we're STILL hoping for a good movie!

Based upon the best selling book (only one of us have read it), Eat Pray Love is a drama/romance starring Julia Roberts as Liz- a woman who, after seeing a Medicine Man about her love life, divorces her husband and tries to figure out .....everything.  The title itself depicts the chapters of her self-discovery:  she travels to Italy where she eats until she has a muffin top, she then holes herself up in a meditation compound in India (to pray) and then finally she ends up in Brazil where you hope she can learn to love.

I liked the first part of the movie (who doesn't like movies about food?) and adored the part in Brazil (the MEN?  yum.) but I found myself rolling my eyes a few times in the middle.  NOT that it wasn't an important part of her journey, and NOT that I'm scoffing at the lessons she learned....it's just that it seemed to drag on forever (my friend that read it, said it was the worst part of the book, too).  You just wanted to tell them to go home and figure out their problems instead of hiding!  (oops- sorry.  My bad.  Must be my father's "get over it" influence).  

I liked the characters in the movie with the exception of her husband (creepy and kinda...greasy) and the rebound buy (besides being young, what is the attraction???).  But all the others were great- the people she meets in Italy makes me want to visit SO bad!  And though he's rough around the edges, you end up liking Richard-From-Texas that she meets in India and, as I mentioned before, the Brazil men are H.O.T. and you just want to hug the little Medicine Man.  Note: Favorite Brazilian was Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men and Love In The Time Of Cholera).

I don't recommend watching this on the big screen (though it was perfect for a night out for us) but I know I'll be watching it again.  And maaayyyybbbee reading the book (I'll try not to skip the middle!).

Favorite parts of the movie:  everything about Italy makes me sigh.  Also, when you hear one of the Brazilians talking about his kids, it amazes you that his wife left him.  Idiot.

Favorite quotes: "Having a baby is like having a tattoo on your face.  You kind of want to be committed."  "You don't need a man, you need a champion" (sounds even better when said by a hot Brazilian). "You're going to have to learn to select your thoughts the same way you select your clothes every day."  haha- the same could be said about the words that come out of our mouths!

LEAST favorite part of the movie:  her clothes.  Gag.  (which kind of makes the quote above funny).  With the exception of while she was in India, it makes you wonder if the gal had bad taste or that they were trying to "ugly up" Julia Roberts (though the actual character is pretty). 

****************************SPOILER ALERT*****************************

During certain times in this movie, I wasn't sure I liked the main character.  I mean really.  She seemed kinda weepy (the flash backs were weird) and not a very committed type of person.  I'm sure the book goes into more details but I'm assuming her issues stemmed from always having a steady stream of relationships but still....made her a tiny unlikeable.  I think the guy in the end is -just a tad- too good for her!  Though by reading her bio, they are (gasp) happily living in New Jersey.  Also, sadly, her friend Richard-The-Texan that she meets in India recently passed away.  Read more on the author, her book, and character updates at:   http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm