Awesome, awesome dinner was had in the Horan household last night.
And we even had good company to share it with too, thanks to our pals Sarah and Jeff coming over for the evening. As lazy as I feel like I’ve been when it comes to dinners lately, I actually enjoyed taking the effort to actually use all of our real dishes and actually attempting to make things look nice. Sarah even said I’m fancy. ;)
To start, I made a biiiiiig, colorful salad, filled with lettuce, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrots, onions, some shredded Mexican cheese, and sweet corn.
What was meant to be just a simple side dish wound up turning out super pretty and super delicious.
For our main course, we had slow-cooker chicken tortilla soup (I used this recipe and followed it almost exactly). Thanks to some prep work that I did on Sunday, this dish was all set and ready to go…all I had to do was toss it in a pot on the stove and let it reheat. AND, thanks to it being able to sit for a few days, it had some incredible flavor. I would HIGHLY recommend it.
I decided I’d also do a little bit of a toppings bar for the evening, which could be used for soup or salad. I included some cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, and tortilla strips…all of which made it into my soup. ;)
I also cooked up a batch of cornbread, but it wasn’t as good as my usual stuff. I ended up using a box mix that I had on hand, and while it wasn’t baaaaad, it wasn’t my favorite.
The four of us spent some time after dinner hanging out and watching the show Duck Dynasty…
NOW, tell me…have any of you ever seen this show?! Jay and I had seen it before because our friends Joe & Kate introduced us to it a while back, but I just can’t handle it. The show is just…I have no words. Crazy? Amusing? Odd? Jeff, however, was getting downright giddy talking about it at dinner, so we turned it on for a little while to see what was happening. Ohhh emmmm geeee.
We also had some dessert after dinner (courtesy of Jeff!) but I didn’t wind up taking any photos. It was, however, a super tasty chocolate pudding pie in a graham cracker crust…I must say, I was quite impressed!
Definitely a fun night had by all. Then again, it’s always a blast when we’re with those two. :)
I LOVE Duck Dynasty!!! My husband and I always watch it. It’s so random and a little odd but really funny and I like how wholesome it is :-)
I know! Some shows just take it over the edge (hello, Kardashians), but this is a great show for everyone!
That’s one reality show that my husband and I actually don’t watch!
I love chicken tortilla soup! It’s one of my favorites. I can’t do Duck Dynasty. I just can’t get behind the celebration of being a redneck!
I haven’t had tortilla soup in ages! I love it.
Craving hard now.
And I’m adoring the big bright salad! So pretty.
I haven’t heard of the show before actually, I guess my reality shows lie with the housewives ;) So educational.
DD is an excellent show!!!!!! You need to go back and watch prior seasons. It gets addictive. I love that they are Christian and faith is very important to them. A reality show doesn’t have to be raunchy and foul to be a good show. Their ratings are through the roof. :)
That looks yummy and yes – FANCY!
I just made chicken tortilla soup for the first time last week and it is fabulous stuff! So tasty.
I actually don’t watch Duck Dynasty, but I’m curious to see an episode just because I’ve heard so much about it.
that salad just looks FABULOUS!
Okay this looks beyond delicious!!!
All the colors in that salad do look all fancy ;) I’m the same way when people come over for dinner. I’m like let’s break out the nice dishes and actually use the table instead of the couch for dinner.
I’ve never heard of this show? What is it about? I should just Google it but I’m too lazy haha! I don’t really like boxed cornbread mixes… They tend to me kinda dry/lack flavor.
I never thought about putting avocados on my chili, I’ll have to try that next time. Mmmm I was thinking about making some cornbread last weekend. Might just have to make some soon, I think it’s a sign :)
OMG…put Duck Dynasty on for the first time last night and couldn’t handle watching it. Big fan of reality TV, but wow…that one takes the cake…Had to shut it down!
Salad looks fab…
My husband LOVES that show. He ordered our daughter (due in Sept) a Duck Commander onesie from the website!
I’ve seen Duck Dynasty a couple of times (my husband has it one once in a while) and yeah, I’m not sure how to describe it exactly either…it’s definitely strange, and sometimes they act so oppositie of “the norm” that it cracks me up.
I always feel extra fancy bringing out the real dinner plates when I have company over too… I just hate cleaning up after those gatherings :lol: And is it bad that I’ve never even heard of Duck Dynasty? I think I spend too much time online, because my TV watching has definitely gone downhill.
My husband and I crack up at DD!! I think it takes a couple episodes to get into it, but the phrases are soo funny. I’m with all the people that love how wholesome it is…no swearing, or crazy drama like all the other reality shows and I like that they are Christian. It’s also cool, that for the most part, even though they are billionaires, they don’t live like it, especially the parents. So funny.
That’s hilarious, we were just introduced to Duck Dynasty on Monday night by our friends. It is ridiculous, but we watched it for quite awhile. LOL.
And now I’m putting this soup on my menu for next week. I’ve been all about mexican food lately!
How funny, I love Duck Dynasty. That Uncle Si cracks me up that I’m usually the one laughing out so loud I’m crying. We are hooked. Made me want to plan my next trip to Hawaii, for sure.
I love Duck Dynasty! While it is crazy and eccentric, I think it is hilarious! The is not for everyone though! haha!
I have been loving veggies lately and that salad looks Ah-mazing!!!
I have never watched Duck Dynasty but I may have to change that soon. It seems that everyone has good(but crazy!!) things to say about it!!
I’ve never watched Duck Dynasty. I’ll have to check it out sometime! Your dinner looks awesome! So colorful! I like the idea of putting corn in the salad. Yum!
That salad looks SUPER amazing!! I am loving all of the colors :).
I watch Duck Dynasty and I love it! The things they do and say give me the best laughs. They are just good ole’ country boys which is what makes it easy for me to relate and enjoy it. I don’t know about Si tho, lol, he might be a little more odd then the rest.
I keep hearing about DD but still haven’t seen it! Everyone seems to love it though. Weird. That tortilla soup looks soo good! I might have to try it out this weekend :)
That dinner was pretty fancy! :) I have never heard of Duck Dynasty before. For some reason, Darkwing Duck came to mind at first, lol. Now I’m curious though!
Duck Dynasty might be the greatest hidden gem ever. Everyone would talk about it but I would never even toy with the idea of watching it. When I came home from Easter my dad was saying how it was one of the funniest shows ever, and after one episode I was hooked! It is HILARIOUS!
You are pretty fancy schmancy! ;) That salad looks so good!
Cody looooves Duck Dynasty. I think it’s pretty funny too, but it cracks me up how into it he is.
Your salad is making me crave a salad with corn. It looks SO GOOD. I don’t think I have access to corn at the moment, so that’s kind of a problem. :P
I’ve been trying to decide what to make for my friend who’s about to have a baby… I think she would love this recipe. Thanks for the idea! And, I’ve never even heard of Duck Dynasty!
My husband got me into Duck Dynasty… I was disturbed over it at first but now love watching it with him. It’s so bizarre and hilarious!
LOVE me some Duck Dynasty! Even though they are in the south, it reminds me of my home town in Northern Michigan. It’s like tuning into my relatives every week!
Duck Dynasty is great! So funny. Watch the prior seasons and you’ll grow to love the quirky characters!! It’s a good family show!
Have you tried Trader Joe’s boxed cornbread mix? It’s delish, actually better than many homemade types that I’ve had.
Oh man, I need that salad in my life! Looks so good! Love chicken tortilla soup too! Looks like a great dinner! :)
Love dinners that have lots of components especially if one of them is bread!!!
duck dynasty is so funny, we watch it alot! I love cornbread, but nobody else in my house does so I end up eating it all, so i dont make it that much! I do love it though.
I love DD! They are such a cute family..and actually, super witty/smart too (I’ve heard comments in the past calling them inappropriate names to the contrary). They crack me up, I think they’re hysterical!
corn bread is the best!
I LOVE DUCK DYNASTY! In my opinion, season 1 was better because it seemed less staged, but I still love it!
That dinner looks amazing! Haha can I come over? And I’ve never seen that show but I’ve heard a lot of people like it!
that salad looks delish! and that soup…..yum!! Duck Dynasty is hysterical…totally scripted but i mean the guys are just a bunch of characters!!
hahhaa we don’t have a TV so I have no idea what Duck Dynasty is, but it sounds so funky! I feel like I’m so out of tune with media nowadays :P And your food looks so delish, I can’t believe how highly reviewed that soup recipe is.
Mmmmm! I wish I would’ve came over lol! I’ve heard about Duck Dynasty but never watched it.
Oh my gosh that soup looks delicious!! I have been craving avocado like crazyyy lately, so those pictures are making me drool!
Your salad is BEAUTIFUL. I love corn in salads, it’s delicious!
Yum! You definitely cannot go wrong with any sort of Mexican-inspired dish! Always healthy, delicious, colourful (very important heheh) + quick to put together! That corn salad looks like it would fit in perfffeeectly at a summer BBQ ;)
That salad looks incredible and leaves me wondering why I haven’t been putting corn on my taco salads…?!
All that food looks so good, especially the avocado!
I’ve never heard of Duck Dynasty? Update me!
Aren’t you guys the social butterflies haha- very fancy :)
Just had to tell you I love your place mats! So pretty!
Thank you! My mother-in-law got them for us for Easter and I love them – so bright and springy :)
I don’t generally comment much… but that salad looks so bright and happy! Awesome! Glad you had a delicious feast ;)
And in regards to Duck Dynasty… hate it. Most people think it’s the funniest thing ever but I feel like it’s just a waste of time. I do like stupid funny shows…just not that one!