So for those of you who don’t know, most of the week it’s been cold here in Texas. So we decided that one easy and scrumptious dinner would be Crock Pot Tortilla Soup. Something I could “set and forget” and it would be ready by the time everyone else came home. The recipe is quite yummy and simple.

Our cast of characters: Chicken, Peeled Tomatoes, Enchilada Sauce, Chopped Green Chile Peppers, Garlic, Onion, Water, Chicken Broth, Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf, Frozen Corn, Cilantro and Corn Tortillas.

We begin with the chicken. Now as you can see this chicken is the smart cuts, but I don’t think the chicken is very smart since it’s going to end up in the soup and ultimately in our tummies.

So we need to send these chickens to the Spa. Give them some time in the hot tub.

Once they’ve had a good 20 minutes or so in the Chicken Hot Tub, we take them out, put them on the cutting board and get to shredding.

After the chicken is completely shredded into yummy goodness, bring out the onion and the garlic. Chop up the onion and mince up the garlic.

Now we’re going to put the chicken into the Crock Pot.

Open the can of peeled tomatoes and dump them into a bowl. Mush and smush. Mash and smash. Put the tomato mash into the Crock Pot along with the chicken.

Add in the can of Enchilada Sauce

The can of Chopped Green Chile Peppers

The Garlic and the Onion

Take a peek into the Crock Pot to see just how delicious those ingredients look together.

Now it’s time to add the liquid. The Water and the Chicken Broth.

And our spices: Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt, Black Pepper and the Bay Leaf.

The last player to jump into the mix is the Corn. Give it a good stir and turn the Crock Pot to low for a good 6 to 8 hours.

Right before time is up, either bake or fry up some tortilla strips. Use these as topping and for dunking into your soup.

I do have to say that I did find this recipe better as a leftover with some shredded cheddar sprinkled over the top. For some reason, the flavors just seemed to pop. I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for that good Crock Pot meal.

Original recipe found here.

Are you a 2012 Senior? Do you want to have great pictures that capture the fabulousness that is you? Are you willing to share your experiences with others? Would you spread the word about our work?

If you answered yes to all of the above, then you just might be the perfect candidate to be one of our Senior Superstars!

Our Superstars get some great deals! Free sessions, free contact cards, and free $$ for referrals.

For more details, please see our Senior Superstar page. To submit your application, please use this form.

2011 Seniors, it’s not too late to schedule your sessions! For Georgetown Seniors we do have a cap and gown on hand for those shots for the parents!

I know this little man’s mommy is anxiously awaiting a sneak peek, well the whole gallery, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I’m not completely done editing, so the gallery isn’t up yet, but I didn’t want to disappoint her 100%, so I’ve included some sneaks for her!

I was excited when I saw that his momma submitted his photo for my Fresh Faces contest. I had the pleasure of photographing his mommy in 34 degree weather at the same location while he was still warm in her tummy. We diligently watched the 10 day forecast starting 10 days out. 30% chance of rain, 50% chance of rain, then back down to 20% chance. We even adjusted the shoot time by an hour hoping to miss the incoming storms. We were determined to capture this little fresh face come heck or high water. And that’s just what closed half of the park, high water. Areas affected by flooding were closed until further notice. So all the idea I had in my head had to be quickly adjusted. No cake shoot where I wanted to do it with a flat ground.

Improvise, improvise, improvise.

So I trotted around the park, (obviously missing some of the postings about closure), until I hit big orange nets. So I went back over all the spots in my mind and decided on a few. And just in time, for up drove momma, Little Toot, and big brother. He was not one to stand still for very long. Happy little boy, always on the go. But such a serious face. Momma and big bro tried every trick in the book to crack a smile. Some worked, for split seconds. Was that all we needed?

We shot for a bit, and after a quick wardrobe change for our little superstar fresh face, headed over to the playscape where his two favorite activities were banging on things and climbing up the slide. Of course he didn’t get very far, but it was amusing for us. Ladies don’t swoon over what is about to be shown next. It might just be total adorableness overload.

After some play time and swinging with big brother, we headed down to the pond to catch some fishing shots. I have one that I absolutely LOVE, but I’m saving that one for momma’s gallery. Sorry, readers. Maybe momma will get a print to hang up and you can go visit it.

After fishing was nakie time. OK not completely nakie, but down to his skivvies…uhhh Huggies. Two of Toot’s favorite things were up next, nakiness and cake. Mmmmmmm. And this little man not only had 1 cake from his most thoughtful mommy, but another cake from yours truly. What kid doesn’t need two cakes? One of sugar, spongy sweetness, and the other of chilly, smooth ice creaminess. In both cakes, all he was really interested in was the candle. No matter where it was, he tried to get it, lick it, stick it on the cake for more icing. There were protests when brother took the candle and tried to hide it. So we gave it back and made it work.

A few minutes and two cakes later, everyone was covered in icing. Toot from head to toe, and mommy and me almost as much. But it was yummy and fun. (There was no diet that day for anyone. We couldn’t resist the temptation of either delicious frosting and cake.)

It was a fun session that kept me on my toes. We scored some cake smashing pictures, captured some brotherly love, and snapped the fresh face. Thank you to all who voted in our contest, making this little man one of our Freshest Faces. And thank you to his Mommy for sharing this absolute joy of a munchkin with me and with you!