Crockpot White Chicken Chili Recipe

Happy Fall! Today is the first day of Fall, so that means it's officially the beginning of chili weather...Who else loves chili weather?! There is just something about a hot bowl of chili on a crisp Fall night.... My family has been making this particular White Chicken Chili for several years. It's our go-to recipe for a chilly evening at home. This recipe is definitely not your typical chili. It's a mexican inspired white chili with chicken, rotel, cream cheese, and a load of yummy spices! It's hearty and filling, yet quick and easy. Whenever my mom makes it, all of her married kids find themselves "stopping by" to grab a bowl...  It's just that good! The recipe was passed on from my cousin, Danette, and now all the ladies in my family have shared the recipe.

 What You Will Need

1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
2 cans Rotel (I use Mild, but if you like it spicier you can use the Original)
1 packet of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (I use light)
3 medium sized chicken breasts (or 3 large cans of chicken)

For Toppings or Dipping

shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips


Directions

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at the bottom of your crockpot, then add corn (undrained), rotel (undrained), and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on high for 3-3.5 hours. (You can also put it on low for 6 hours). After chicken is fully cooked shred it with two forks inside of crockpot. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Since this is a thicker stew I like to top it with cheese and sour cream, and dip tortilla chips in mine. So yummy! Enjoy!

My 3 Favorite Fall Trends of 2018

Fall Fashion is my absolute favorite. There is just something about cozy layers that gets me excited everytime the Fall season starts to roll around. I love to stick to the traditional, classic plaids, wools, and Ralph Lauren-esque looks during the cold winter months... but this year there are some new trends that are really catching my eye, so I thought I would share with you My 3 Favorite Fall Trends of 2018.

Overall Dresses/Jumpers

This is a blast from the past for me, personally. I grew up in the 90's and everybody wore jumpers. I mean I feel like my childhood was jumper heaven... So, when overall dresses started to make a comeback I was hesitant at first... After a while the new sleek, modern, approach to jumpers really started to grow on me. So, I went on an expedition to find the perfect overall dress to add to my Classically Courtney Collection with Lace & Lilac. After a long search, (what can I say... I'm picky!) we finally found the perfect cozy, caramel colored overall dress. I love that it is so sleek and trendy, yet it will pair perfectly with classic riding boots, boot socks, and your favorite thermal, sweater,or plaid button up. I'm wearing the small in the overall dress and it fits true to size. I'm normally a small or a size 6.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP MY OVERALL DRESS

Newsboy/Cabby Hats

I have been into these hats for years. My sister, Brooklyn, has been a hat girl for life. She has worn this style of hat since we were teenagers. I always loved them, but never thought that I could pull them off. Over the past few years I decided that... life is short... if I like it, I'm going to wear it! ha! So, now I am definitely a self-proclaimed "hat girl"... I wear many different styles of hats all through Fall and Winter, and even baseball caps in the Summer. When the newsboy style hat started becoming popular again I was so excited because it is one of my favorite classic styles! You can shop the hat I'm wearing below. It's only $11.99 with free shipping if you have Amazon Prime, and it's also available in several other colors. I'm wearing the coffee color.



Long, Textured Cardigans

Long cardigans have been popular for the past few Fall seasons, but I am loving the chunky, textured, fuzzy options that are popular this year. I mean what is better than feeling like you're wearing your robe, but looking cute and put-together at the same time?! Ha! I love cozy, warm, layering pieces, and these definitely fit that description. I found the most soft, comfortable, long cardigans in the prettiest mauve and teal colors (also love that these colors are popular this season) and added them to my Classically Courtney Collection for Fall. They are an oversized fit (which I love). I'm wearing a small. You can shop these gorgeous cardigans as well as the denim skirt I'm wearing by clicking the photos below.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP 

MY DENIM SKIRT

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

THE TEAL CARDIGAN

CLICK HERE TO SHOP 

THE MAUVE CARDIGAN

I hope you enjoyed My 3 Favorite Fall Trends of 2018! What are some of your favorite styles or trends this season?

Thanksgiving Traditions

I just love the week of Thanksgiving.. Growing up, family started arriving a few days before the big day, and the festivities lasted all week long. Now that I'm an adult, I'm blessed to have married into a fun-loving in-law family. So, the celebrations doubled after I joined the Metz family. My husband, Michael, and I go back and forth every year between family celebrations. His family lives about 6 hours from us in Michigan and we typically travel there, but this year we hopped a plane to Louisiana to celebrate Thanksgiving with his parents and extended family (grandparents, aunts, and uncles, etc.) in the deep south! So, since we are out of town I prepared a few blog posts ahead of time for the holiday week. Today I'm sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions I've enjoyed over the years. Outfit details are linked at the bottom of the post.

1. Peeling Potatoes with Cousins the Night Before Thanksgiving
Growing up, my best friend and cousin Julianna always came to stay for Thanksgiving. We always got the duty of peeling potatoes the night before. Sometimes others would join in and help. We usually had somewhere around 20-30 for dinner, so it was no small task! Lots of laughs and fun times were had around a giant pile of potato peelings.

3. Reading all the Black Friday Ads Before Dinner
Back before technology took over the world, the ladies would make sure to pick up a newspaper early Thanksgiving morning (or send the men to get one) and spread the ads all over the coffee table, and floor etc. and read all the ads together! So fun!

2. Singing before Thanksgiving Dinner
We usually have a lot of family at my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner. My dad always led us in the Doxology/Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow before we ate dinner. Coming from a musical family, it was so fun to harmonize with all of my cousins, aunt, uncles, and grandparents. It never fails to bring lots of tears to our eyes and help us realize how truly blessed we are!


4. Going Around the Room Telling What We're Thankful For
In the years when we had smaller gatherings, we always went around the room and listed what we were most thankful for. This is a tradition my husband's family also shares. I love how our families put an emphasis on the real meaning of Thanksgiving.

5. Games After Dinner
My family played games here and there over the years, but when I married into the Metz family is when this tradition really started. My husband's family is all about the laughter and games and they always play games in the evening after dinner.

6. Black Friday Shopping
I'm mostly an online shopper these days, but I do enjoy getting out in the hustle and bustle. My sister Brooklyn, Julianna, and I usually go out for at least a few hours late on Thanksgiving night. One year when MP3 players had just been released, Julianna, Brooklyn, me, and my Aunt Michele waited in line outside in the cold for a long while and when we got to the front counter the last one was sold right in front of our eyes. We still laugh about that one and say we'll never do that again! HA! We usually end the night with a trip to White Castle for cheeseburgers, mozzarella sticks, and Big Red! The perfect way to top off our healthy Thanksgiving cuisine. ;)

7. Family Time
All the activities and traditions are always so much fun, but I think my favorite Thanksgiving tradition of all is just spending time with family talking and catching up. I am so grateful for the family and friends I am blessed to have in my life.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?

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I'm loving this cable knit pumpkin colored cardigan! It's so thick and cozy! It's a one size fits all... I normally don't buy anything that is OSFA, but this cardigan was too cute. I was so surprised with the way it fit when I got it in the mail. It looks adorable on. I would say it would fit sizes 4-12. They also have it in several different colors. My boots are on sale for about 50% off and they are so high quality. I got them for a Christmas gift last year. They are also available in wide calf. My skirt and tee are sold out, but I linked a few similar ones for you! :) Happy Thanksgiving!

A Day At The Apple Orchard

This past weekend we decided to make a visit to our local apple orchard. Michael and I visited A&M Farms in Midland, OH, a few years ago and absolutely loved it. So, we decided to take some of our family along this year! My sister, Brooklyn and her husband William along with their kiddos Emma and Winston went with us! Also, my best friend (my cousin) Julianna Mast and her husband Andrew who happened to be in town visiting for the weekend came along as well! We had such a good time together and the apple picking was great! We found tons of trees loaded with Jonagold apples. They are officially our new favorite apples for eating and baking! Also, if you want to see what we made with the apples, I included a fun little video of our apple butter day below! Outfit details are listed at the bottom of the post. 

I'm linking all my outfit details for you ladies below. The fringe hem cardigan is sold out in misses sizing, but it's still available in plus sizes from Old Navy! I linked three super similar cardigans that are all under $40. Also, I linked my exact sneakers. They are true to size and the cutest white leather sneakers with gold accents! I have been wearing them almost non-stop since I bought them a few weeks ago! The dress was a gift from a boutique. You can shop it HERE. I'm wearing the olive color. For length reference, I'm 5'6" and it hits just below the knee. Happy Monday! 

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