Super Crockpot

I've been asked a lot recently to share a recipe that I have modified from a few different sources. Carol and the kids love it, and it would be a perfect meal for this Sunday's Super Bowl. This is definitely a cheat day meal! Let me know what you think. - Jeremy

Turkey Potato Corn Chowder

Not my photo, but it should look something like this!

1 package of Trader Joe’s mirepoix (Carrots, Onions, Celery)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
3 slices precooked Bacon diced (optional)
1 bag of Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn
1  32oz Container Organic Chicken Broth        
1/2 cup water
3-4 large gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
 
1 pint half & half
1 cup shredded cheddar or mixed cheese

Minced fresh parsley, optional


Directions:

Separate onions and celery from mirepoix mixture. Add diced cooked bacon, carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and chill powder to Crockpot and set to low for 4-5 hours.


While Crockpot is warming, sauté onion and celery with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until onions sweat.
Add Turkey meat to mixture and brown (I always use a couple of dashes Italian seasoning here too).

Transfer turkey meat, onions, and celery to Crockpot and continue to cook on low for 4 hours (taste periodically and season accordingly) or until potatoes are cooked fully. Add 1 pint of half & half and 1 cup of cheese at the end of cook time, continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

McKinney Bridal Show 2016

CW Designs has had a wonderful start to 2016 and the good times kept rolling when we attended the 2016 McKinney Bridal Show at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. We set up in our familiar cozy spot with our new video montage of some of our favorite work. The McKinney bridal show is one of the best if not the best show in DFW. Rebecca Heart of the MPAC does an amazing job getting the word out and putting together some of the best wedding professionals around. We had a wonderful day mingling with fellow vendors and friends and enjoying the energy that only newly engaged couples can provide. It was quite a day!

To our amazement bride after bride and couple after couple were familiar with our work and ETSY shop. Others were followers on Pinterest or actually received wedding invitations and wedding maps designed by us from friends and loved ones. Now it's their turn! One bride was casually talking to her friend about a wedding map she saw at a friends wedding, only to realize that the map she was referencing was featured on our video montage! It really is a small world. Bridal shows are great because you can get a sense of what brides are digging these days. We received some valuable feedback from some well prepared visitors and can't wait to implement what we learned. Other couples were a bit overwhelmed by the daunting task of planning a wedding, but we were able to settle some nerves and point them in the right direction. We love doing that!

Some of the best wedding professionals in the DFW area were within arms reach. They are not only talented professionals, but they genuinely care for their clients. Something we take pride in with our business. People like Julie Shields of Phase3 photography, Julie Blakey of Forever Events and Weddings, Scott Thomas of Creative Touch Audio,  Christie Connell of Azure Photography, Wendy Kidd of Each and Every Detail, Lindsay Crump of The Stalk Market, Laura Greiner of the McKinney Sheraton Hotel, and on and on and on. When a bride brought up that she was struggling to decide on a spot for her rehearsal dinner we instinctively suggested our good friends Jason Lewis and Carlos Gonzales at Lot 207. It was awesome and we hope these couples took our advice. We are really proud to be associated with such quality people and appreciate the support we've been given since setting up shop in McKinney. This is a very close knit industry and we know that with such wonderful support from clients, colleagues, and friends, 2016 is sure to be a wonderful year.

Favorites for January

State Save the Date

Multilingual Wedding Map

Modern Wedding Invitation

Connections Near and Far

Hi! I am Jeremy,  Carol's husband, and partner at CW Designs. I will be blogging on this site from time to time about new offerings, events, and things we think are cool. I  am just a small cog in the wheel of CW Designs, but I hope you find my posts interesting, informative, and mildly entertaining.

We recently joined the McKinney Chamber of Commerce and are so excited about the opportunities the chamber offers, the great people we have met so far, and getting more involved in our community. Carol and I are both fueled by interesting and creative people and there has been no shortage of that here in McKinney. We attended a recent gathering of local business owners and everyone was so helpful, gracious, and dedicated. We look forward to building more relationships with local vendors, clients, and making new friends along the way. I look forward to writing a future blog post about some of the clients and vendors we have recently worked with. One is a local letter press master, very cool.

On a not so local front, we had the opportunity to be part of a Twitter Q&A session moderated by Lisa of A Bride on a Budget (@abrideabudget). She runs a massively successful blog and website to help couples navigate the often costly waters of planning a wedding. We had a great time answering questions and sharing our thoughts on CW Designs past, present, and future. She wrote and awesome blog about CW Designs and Carol's work. The entry even got Carol a little misty eyed after she read it. Check out Lisa's site, www.abrideonabudget.com and the blog entry from June 4, if you want to read her thought on CW Designs. Thanks again Lisa, it was a blast.

Carol and I have really been blessed to meet such cool people here in our new home town and hopefully one day we can meet in-person with some of the great people whose faces we've never seen but feel like we know.

Off to bed, it's been a long but productive day!