Chili Cheese Nachos

I consider myself somewhat of a nacho connoisseur. My husband and I will eat nachos whenever the opportunity presents itself... which is often since we will go out of our way to find restaurants that offer nachos. But I have yet been able to master the perfect nachos at home. Until now!

Ingredients
Tortilla chips (the thicker the better
1/2 lb ground beef
1 15oz can of Hormel chili - no beans
2 15oz cans of chili beans (I like S&W the best)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cheese sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
8oz cheese (I picked up the nacho & taco blend for extra seasoning)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional (for topping)
Jalapeños
Diced tomatos
Sour cream
Avocado

Directions
Preheat the broiler to 525 degrees (or whatever the default broil setting is on your oven). Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the beef is close to being done, add in the Hormel chili and spices. Heat chili through, set aside. Heat the two cans of beans in a sauce pan. Cheese sauce: melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook for one minute - it should be bubbling. Warm up the milk in a microwave while the flour is cooking. Add warmed milk to rue and whisk thoroughly. Let the milk mixture cook for 5 minutes to allow thickening. Add in all 8 ounces of cheese and mix. Spray a little canola oil into a 13x9 baking pan. Arrange tortilla chips in pan. Add a layer of chili beans with a slotted spoon onto chips, followed by the chili meat and lastly the cheese sauce. Add jalapenos or any other toppings you prefer. Follow the same steps for second layer. Cover entirely with shredded cheese. Pop into the broiler for about 5 minutes.

And waa-lah! The perfect chili cheese nachos. Be careful though, they're addicting and it's much easier than you think to down an entire pan in one sitting. Enjoy!

2014, so far

January has been a month of getting sh*t done. Isn't that how it always goes, though? A new year rolls around and suddenly you're like oh... I guess now would be a good time to get to my never ending to-do list. Whatever the reason behind it though, I am feeling accomplished. So far in 2014 I have...

Set up a joint account with my husband.

Signed up for our local gym.

Spent more time with my sister.

Cut out soda from my diet completely.

Ordered the prescription reading glasses I've desperately needed for years.

Quit overspending on nonsense.

Purchased Katy Perry tickets for her concert in September!

Kept the apartment clean during the week (instead of only cleaning on Sundays).

Tried new recipes and ate out less.

Paid off all my medical bills. (!!!)

I still need to work on finally changing my last name and getting a Utah driver's license. And I am still on the hunt for the perfect full-time job. Justin and I have turned our focus to cleaning up our credit and starting to look for a house. I think 2014 is going to be a great year for our family.

Thanksgiving Inspiration

This may be the quickest I've taken down my Halloween decorations, like, ever. I’m a put-up-Halloween-decorations-in-September-and-take-down-right-before-December kind of a girl. But this year, Justin and I are blessed with the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with his family in our home! Everyone is flying out the Wednesday before and staying through the following Sunday. There will be trips up to the snow, Utah football and of course a day full of food and family. It’ll be my first time cooking for more than four people, and my first time putting up Thanksgiving decorations! Needless to say, planning has begun for decor, menu and how we are going to fit ten people in our two-bedroom apartment. Here are a few ideas I’m loving:

{ one // two // three // four // five }

Continuing to decorate with pumpkins are a must for me. I’ll just be trading out my giant orange pumpkins for mini and painted. The pinecone garland is seriously adorable and looks super easy. My family has always gone around the table and said what we’re thankful for, and these printables are a cute way to keep up the tradition. I’m still debating between cider or a DIY hot cocoa bar, but the mason jars with straws will be present either way. I am beyond excited to host my first holiday dinner with family!

25 Before 26

Today is my twenty fifth birthday! I can't really believe I'm quarter of a century. I still feel so young most days: pretending to tight rope walk on curbs, dancing in my underwear while I get ready, enjoying a good lollipop whenever possible. It's odd how when you're younger you'll assume you will have life figured out by a certain age. For me, I thought I would be married with at least two kids by now. While I have been married for over a year, our baby plan still has a couple years to go. I must say I'm pretty content with where I'm currently at in life. Twenty four was a big learning for me with being a new wife and dealing with sudden illness and I'm ready to see what this new year brings me.

Which brings me to the topic of this post! I had seen the idea for a "25 before 26" list on Brimleys Take Flight (before she went private) and thought it was absolutely fantastic. I love the idea of a good bucket list, but I wanted to gear this one more towards where I'm at in my life right now.

001. Complete a photo a day project.
002. Read one book a month.
003. Complete the 52 list challenge.
004. Change my name legally to Nelson.
005. Go on a girl's trip with my best friends. (Vegas trip in April)
006. Float the Weber River.
007. Visit somewhere I've never been. ( San Francisco in June)
008. Try Bikram’s yoga.
009. See a movie at the Sundance Film Festival.
010. Watch a sunrise.
011. Visit local thrift shops.
012. Spend a weekend camping.
013. Put together our wedding photo album.
014. Set aside a craft day each month.
015. Obtain my goal weight.
016. Move into a 3-bedroom apartment. (moved in to our first home on April 26th)
017. Create an organized mail and bill center.
018. Start wearing full makeup again.
019. Take vitamins.
020. Try out a new recipe twice a month.
021. Overhaul my closet.
022. Pay off all my medical bills. (completed end of January!)
023. See a new artist in concert. (Ellie Goulding in April)

024. Participate in a 5k.

025. Find a full time job that I love. (started in February)

There are still a lot of things I'd like to do, and I have plenty of time to accomplish them. While none of these are too lofty of goals, I plan to use them as inspiration for the type of year I'm hoping to have. Here's to being twenty five!

Sunday Funday

Yesterday marked Justin's first full day off in twenty five days. We decided to take advantage of his time, the weather and a Groupon, and headed up to Park City for some lunch and shopping.

We stopped at Blue Iguana for tacos, leisurely strolled through Main Street and ended up taking a ride on the ski lift. It took about twice as long as we had anticipated, and the top was freezing cold, but it was a breathtaking view all around us. We could hardly believe there was already snow on the mountains! But I'm so happy to embrace the changes fall brings us. It was peaceful and lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed the break in our crazy schedules. Nothing makes me happier than quiet moments with my husband.