spring is in the air

Since it feels like spring is in the air, I thought I would spruce things up a little bit around here. The quote in the picture is the same one that is on the picture in our bedroom that I love. yes, I continue to love birds.

I spent some good time in the kitchen in the past 24 hours and thought I would share a little baking trick that I used again last night as well as a crock pot recipe that came together earlier this week.

First the tip:
If you over bake your cookies, which for some reason I tend to do, I think because they don't brown as quickly on my Pampered Chef stoneware, you can store them in a air-tight container with a piece of fresh bread and the moisture from the bread will transfer to the cookies. I didn't have any bread and used a flour tortilla with the same success. MAGIC.

And for the EASY meal...
1 lb chicken, preferably tenders
1 onion chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1/3 cup water

Set it and forget it! Put it in your crockpot all day and come home to chicken so tender you can pull it apart. You can use it in soft taco shells, on a bed of lettuce, alone served over rice/black beans...and since there are only 2 of us, I am guessing we will use more than one of those options before it is gone.

Suggested bonus items: fresh avocado, refried beans, salsa, tomato-- the sky is the limit on this one!