A simply delicious meal

 So I love chicken, yeah we’ve been over this before but allow me to reiterate. Chicken is delicious. So, even when I don’t have a meal plan for it, I will buy chicken because I know its super easy to turn into a magical dinner. And this is a perfect example. I’m not going to lie, chicken wings were on sale so that’s why I bought them, but it was a great deal! And how easy are chicken wings? Just smother them in barbeque sauce and throw them on the grill. And that’s exactly what I did! Now when it comes to barbeque sauce I have a little confession, I am a snob. Usually I am ok with whatever brand is on sale or the one I see first, but barbeque sauce is an exception (as is peanut butter…peter pan or nothing!) So when I utilize this tasty sauce, I only use Bulls Eye. Weird I know. And another small comment on this sauce, they “slightly” change the recipe about 3 years ago and I was very sad, but I forgave them and am still their most loyal customer. Anyways, on to the chicken! I coasted them in Bulls Eye and let them sit for a bit. Them I had the hubbie (because i don’t grill) throw them on the George foreman and grill them to perfection. Side note: I married a fantastic griller. I doused them in sauce again, just because I can’t get enough of the stuff. Super easy.

Next I made a salad. But let me warn you, this isn’t any normal salad, this is a combination of pure awesomeness that my family has been doing for years. There’s a huge secret in the ‘salad world’ and I shall share. Add fruit to any greens and voilà! You have a dish that really needs a new name because salad just doesn’t do it justice. Want to make it better? Add some sugared nuts (I use almonds or walnuts chopped, throw them and sugar into a pan and melt!) And then to top it all off, add a yummy cheese, I use gorgonzola. Actually you could just add some chicken and make this baby a meal! But as just a salad, it’s pretty super. So that’s an easy but elegant side dish. 

And now on to dessert. My husband recently became obsessed with strawberries (and when I say obsessed, I mean the man buys 4 cases and they’re gone in a few days). So I have returned to an old family favorite, strawberry shortcake.  Now the one I did in this picture is my ‘simple version’, but I’ve discovered the deliciousness of bisquick shortcake. So for this one I just bought pound cake from the store not very housewifey, I know) but this is all about simplicity. I mixed strawberries and sugar (the amount depends on just how sweet you want it) and layered the cake, berries and whipped cream. It was fantastic! So let’s summarize, easy meals are awesome and can be delicious. Salad to start, wings for the meal and shortcake to wrap it all up. It’s something you can get done in a few minutes; the longest part is grilling the chicken! So enjoy! Who knows what’s next, the adventure continues. 

Sour Cream and Onion Chicken....yummmm

the one and only....Rachael Ray

Finally another recipe! It has sure been a while, but I am hopeful that this delish recipe makes up for that! I have made this chicken on many occasions, as it is a favorite in my house. I first saw this recipe many moons ago on ‘The Rachael Ray Show’ and immediately found it on her website, attempted making it, and fell in love!  You may have noticed, by all my other recipes I have posted, that I have an affinity for chicken. I’m not sure why exactly but whenever I look for a new recipe I usually go with something that includes chicken. It may be that I think its healthier, which it kind of is, or that it’s a lighter taste that makes it ideal for the use of spices and sauces, or it may just be that I really like chicken. Who knows? So on to the recipe. Like I said its from Rachael Ray and was featured on her show about 4-5yrs ago. The recipe is super simple and crazy delicious. So here is what you need.

the yumtastic ingredients (well just the chips,
flour and eggs...not that yummy.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 11 1/2-ounce bag sour cream & onion-flavored potato chips, finely crushed

1 egg

 2 tablespoons milk, plus additional to thin out dipping sauce

1 package (about 12 pieces) chicken tenders or 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips

mmmm chips...

Now I know what you may be thinking….sour cream and onion chips? What is this madness? But I assure you, it is a wonderful idea. The chips, since they contain an overload of calories, make this chicken very tender. It is almost impossible to end up with dry chicken in this recipe. Trust me, I am not the best cook and this has always come out wonderfully for me. Basically if I can do it you, and most likely a chimpanzee, can. I usually use Lays sour cream and onion chips for this. They are thin and easy to crush. I just smash them in the bag so there’s no mess and no need to waste a Ziploc bag.

So now that I’ve explained the chips, here’s what you do.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Season the all-purpose flour with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place in a shallow dish. Place the finely crushed potato chips in a second shallow dish. In a third dish, beat together the egg and milk. Coat the chicken tenders into the flour, coating completely and shaking off any excess.

Dip thoroughly in the egg mixture and then into the crushed chips.

Transfer the chip-coated chicken to a cookie sheet with a rack on top of it or put them on a broiler pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Someone told this kid he was having
chicken covered in chips for dinner....

the final product

The result…pure magic. It is great for a family meal because it taste amazing, therefore adults will like it, and it’s made with chips! What kid doesn’t like chips? I would assume that you could use any kind of chips with this, I’m thinking bbq would be good, though I have never tried this (a future post perhaps?) so experiment yourself! Try some crazy chip flavor…after all there is now a whole aisle devoted to chips at most grocery stores. I have always used chicken strips but why not test it out on wings? Drumsticks? Other parts of a chicken whose names escape me at the moment? Im betting it would still turn out great. So, in summation, the chicken is moist and tender, the chips make it a fun meal kids will enjoy, and it has a lot of room for experimentation.  (the recipe also has a ‘spicy blue cheese dipping sauce’ that supposedly goes well with the chicken tenders, though I am not a spicy fan so I have never made it. If that’s something you are interested in, check out the website! http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/sour-cream-and-onion-chicken-tenders-with-spicy-blue-cheese-dipping-sauce/

 So enjoy this chicken recipe, I know I have, and make it an adventure! 

A Housing Adventure...Or Nightmare. You Decide.

Jon and I have recently begun the search for a new house. Not to buy…we’re not there yet, besides I’m free spirit and I don’t want to be tied down to one place just yet. But recently I have started to wish that we were indeed looking to buy. We take these long drives through the areas we want to rent in and let me tell you, all the good houses are for sale and all the great neighborhoods don’t have rentals! Now I may be a little picky, I’ll admit that, but I want to have people over to my house and not be ashamed!

something like this would be nice...see i'm not all that picky...

 So blue/orange/shaggy carpet is out. That weirdly dark wood against white walls…out. A tiny ‘bedroom’ that looks suspiciously like a laundry room? Out! But standards are good! Needless to say, we’re still looking. The problem is, we don’t exactly have eons of time to take the aforementioned drives and craigslist…well let me tell you about craigslist. First off, let me just say that we did find the duplex we live in now on this site and it is fabulous! Anyone who has been to my house knows this. I’m not bragging here, it was all painted and nice when we moved in, but it sets our sights high because we don’t want a downgrade.

Our living room 

its so simple, clean, perfect

So, now that you know that craigslsit does have the potential to be useful, allow me to whine (only slightly) about its ‘dark side’ (not in a creepy, illegal way, more of a “THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING” way). First off, the people who post ads for houses are liars! I don’t know how many posts I’ve clicked on saying ‘beautiful house in great neighborhood’ only to see that its actually in a really bad area (I won’t name names...*cough cough* north end) and the house looks like it may not last another year. Don’t these people know I can simply type the address into Google maps? They have this thing called street view…meaning I can see the ‘beautiful house’ and lest we forget the ‘map’ part, showing me the ‘great neighborhood’. And those are the ones that actually give the address! Some say ‘west Toledo’ and are nowhere close! I feel like im wasting my time calling these people just to find out that their idea of west Toledo is very different than mine. And, once again, those are the ones that actually have a phone number. I have come to realize that if there is an email address but no number, I will get an email from someone in Nigeria and, though I’ve never replied, I assume they want me to wire them the rent for a house that either doesn’t exist of is currently occupied by the real owners. It’s aggravating. So to help others, I’m putting a list together of what the craigslist ad says and what it really means.

They say                                                                                                       They mean              

Great neighborhood                                  it’s either the north or east side. Avoid at all costs

Cozy home                                                    more than 3 people will not fit inside this house

I want to work with you no matter your credit           “your credit score is what?????” *click*

I will delete this post when I’ve rented the house       “I’m sorry the place was rented months ago”

Dogs and cats welcome                                           *couch cough* $500 deposit for each

Rent to own or just rent                                          “you have to put 5000 down, I only rent to own”

Great place, won’t last long                                      see its posted daily for the last 5 months

3 bedrooms                                                             that hallway is big enough to call it a bedroom

"Beautiful house, needs TLC but perfect starter home..."

So now you know. I know, I know, this isn’t a very ‘housewifey’ post but since this is the place I will be doing my future housewifing in, I thought it counted. Plus I only have one blog so I guess I may put slightly irrelevant posts on here from time to time. Hopefully we do find the house of our dreams, in the neighborhood we want, at a price we can live with….though if I see a post on craigslist saying those words…I may not click on it. House hunting…the adventure continues.

a bit delayed...baby shower

I apologize first off for the lack of posts (this is becoming the opening line to every post lately) though I'm hoping summer will prove to be much less hectic and open some time for blogging (and cooking/decorating/etc.). So here’s hoping! Now this post should have gone up sometime in January but alas, i am a procrastinator. A good friend of mine had a BEAUTIFUL baby but pre-birth i helped with her baby shower. I was browsing through my pictures and realized i had a few taken specifically for the blog and thought "better late than never" so here is my seriously belated post with a few ideas for a (hopefully) amazing baby shower!

My job within the big picture of the shower was goody bags and the cake!! So let’s start with the goody bag! For both of these ideas, i was actually inspired by someone else so i take no credit for their obvious brilliance. The goody bags were first an idea of my mom’s (and let me add, she is a wonderful women to get ideas from!). The contents of these bags were purchased almost exclusively at the dollar tree (my favorite store, see previous post). I got small 'Chinese takeout boxes' in pink from this wonderful store and organza bags with drawstrings. The boxes and bags were 6 for a dollar! Can’t beat that!! My little sister had a sleepover and mom filled little takeout boxes with candy and they look spectacular! so obviously i stole this idea and passed it off as my own...just kidding!! i give credit where credit is due! I put gumballs in the organza bag, little candies in the boxes and then placed both (along with extra candy) in little gift bags. lucky for me, the shower was right around valentines day so pink candy was everywhere! although guest may have been confused when they received conversation hearts in a gift bag for a baby shower... oh well. anyways, they turned out great!! Who doesn’t want a bag full of candy (valentines themed or not) that looks so great? No one, that’s who.

very sophisticated 

yum!!

taste the rainbow!

On to the cake! This was also an inspiration! Another friend had done a beautiful rainbow cake for a previous party and i fell in love!! My mom had also done rainbow cakes but i loved how this particular cake seemed to melt the colors together. There were no definite lines separating the colors, making the final product not only delicious, but incredibly 'trippy'. I used a regular recipe, though at the advice of this friend i substituted egg whites, which made it even more delish (if its possible to make cake even more yummy...) and I used gel food coloring to make the colors vibrant. I separated equal amounts of the cake batter into six bowls and colored each separately. The gel only came in primary colors so i utilized first grade art class for this project to make the secondary colors. I may or may not have drawn out a color wheel to make them correctly...it’s a definite possibility. But even with my mere grade school experience in mixing colors, i managed to make s fantastic green if i may say so myself. (I may be the first person ever to brag about the 'amazing green they mixed' but that’s how i roll). After mixing all these beautiful colors (Roy g Biv anyone?) i layered red, orange and yellow in one cake pan and (the fabulous) green, blue and purple in another. They came out amazing! I used a regular white icing and did my best attempt at flowers. As you can see by the pictures, i failed miserably, but i think the skittles as centers distracted people from the travesty of what i was trying to pass off as a flower. The point is, the cake was delicious and the inside was beautiful!! My cake decorating skills may need some work (is there a class for that?) but my color mixing and cake baking skills are just about top notch! Basically when it comes to refracted light, I rock it in cake form.

notice the excessive use of skittles...

you can barely see my fantastic green....

when it comes to drawing flowers with icing...i am more of a Monet...impressionist.

so thats my post on how i rocked the baby shower (with some serious help, i'm not this creative on my own!) so go try it out!! especially the cake!! the steal a line from the lucky charms guy, "Its magically delicious!" enjoy!! 

the adventure continues....

Cheap yet (hopefully) chic!

So I am a saver. I feel guilty when I spend too much on something I don't really need. And if I spend a lot on something and then see it for less later on...oh it’s the worst!! When it comes to home decor or furniture I am a 'free is always better' type of person. Now mind you, I don't make 100k a yr. and have an extensive savings that allows me to purchase 'discount' furniture for 200 bucks. I'm sorry but 200 for a couch? No thanks. I'll make my own for that price!! So my 'saving' methods may be a little 'below' your standards and you know what? I'm ok with that! I know what I can afford and right now....it's not that much!! I should start applying this to grocery shopping because i tend to spend WAY too much there! I won’t spend 200 on a couch but that much in groceries? Ehh...I need 5 boxes of name brand fruit snacks and a 24 pack of mountain dew right? I have started clipping coupons but i keep forgetting them at home and the Kroger checkout lady never seems to accept "I left them at home but can you count them anyways?" I started writing a grocery list of specific items i have a coupon for so we will see this weekend if that helps. Anyways, back to the saving I actually do. First off, let me preface this by saying 1. I have no problem with stopping and loading up some random piece of furniture i found on the street (depending on the piece of course) and 2. I utilize the dollar tree to an obsessive extent. So now that you know where I’m coming from...let’s get started. 

These are part of my ALL PINK
bathroom!

First let's start with the dollar tree. Did you know that you can get almost anything there?? Tupperware, candles, brooms, dishes and so much more! It amazes me! There is a huge store right down the road from my house so I am super lucky!! So the first thing I got from this 'store of dreams' was flowers. I love flowers! I love the look, the ambiance, the smell, a lot of other things that I won't waste your time explaining... but my problem with them is that they die. And then I have to go back to the store, spend another 12 dollars on another bouquet just to have them die again. It's a vicious cycle. So I went to the dollar tree last week, saw FAKE flowers for a DOLLAR (hence the dollar part of dollar tree) and thought "the heck with real flowers! These beauties will never die!" The only issue is they don't smell and guess what else the 'Tree sells? Scented candles! In flowery scents. Problem solved. So I got about 10 individual flowers (if your picking up on this whole 'everything’s a dollar' thing then you know that means I spent 10$) and then I saw vases and thought 'score!' plus they’re plastic, huge plus since  glass doesn’t fare well in my house. I also found these white rocks that I put in the bottom of the vases to keep them from falling over and because it just looks so stylish. 

The rocks haven't worked  so well
for these...the cat has knocked them
over twice!

*not from dollar tree! These are from Lily for my birthday!
 "Lilies from Lily"  I included them because it was just so darn cute!

So My house if full of pink flowers. I am in love with all things pink (much to Jon's dismay) and so when i have a choice in color...guess what I choose. In fact if you have ever been in my bathroom you know that Jon sat back and let me go pink crazy. Everything from the towels to the rug is pink. Even the fake orchid is pink. Its ridiculous. But I love it and its my house so...I'm gonna go with it. 

so colorful!

The next awesome thing I got from this magical store was place mats. I was actually inspired by my mom when she informed me of the sweet deal she got on some at this very store. It was slightly difficult to find 6 in the same color but I succeeded! And they are so bright and happy its like bringing spring into the house, although I think the flowers accomplish that also. I got some Tupperware, a broom and some other odds and ends, but they're not nearly as interesting!!

The table was also free...not to brag or anything...

So now its time to cover the free furniture! First off, a lot of the furniture we have we got for free from a great place called The LifeBridge Center which helps people get whatever they may need to make a house a home!! When we first moved in, Jon and I joked that the only thing in the house we had actually bought was a picture of Marilyn Monroe from Blockbuster. But the two great finds I have found myself (both from the side of the road) are a coffee table and a couch. Now before you freak out at the idea of furniture from the street, remember what I said before, its not for everyone!! And not everything put on the curb is worth stopping for...trust me! But the coffee table has held up for almost a year and the couch is wonderful!!  Its white and has that 1930's feel with the exposed wood legs and

The cushion is stained so thats a white blanket covering it up.

all! The fabric isn't in the best condition but, as i posted before, it is on my list of things to do! Also the house it was in front of is about a block away from my house. I drove by in the morning and it wasn't there but upon driving by it again (about 3 hours later) I saw it and therefore established that it had not been sitting outside for days or anything. Plus it smelled normal (I made Jon do the smell test) so we're good! The plan is to reupholster it and make it as good as new! We'll see how that goes! So to sum all this up, dollar tree dollar tree dollar tree....and if you don't really care what others think (or you have a husband and his friend to go load it up for you) then that stuff on the curb may not be to bad! I think that especially applies to dressers, entertainment centers or shelves (which I also got!) because they're easily repainted! So have fun being thrifty and feel good about all that money you saved!!! And there are my ideas for staying as cheap as possible! Now its time for your adventure!! I reccomend starting at The Dollar Tree. 

Spaghetti Carbonara

I'm back...with an actual recipe!!! I know...you're having trouble containing your excitement. I'm right there with you! It was actually a spontaneous idea to make the recipe in the first place, let alone blog about it. Jon wanted to get a frozen bagged pasta (we've become addicted to Voila garlic chicken pasta) but then I had a crazy thought...why not make pasta? Weird right? And then I remembered this recipe...and the rest is history.  So first off I want to give credit where credit is due. This recipe is from Redbook and its amazing! Also, I got a whole stack of these (and other great magazines) from my friend Joleen and so technically this wouldn't be possible without her! So lets get right into it! The recipe is actually online, which means I can copy and paste! Perfect.

• 1 pound(s) spaghetti
• 3  extra-large eggs 
• 1/4 cup(s) chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) hot red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 4 ounce(s) diced pancetta or thick-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon(s) minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup(s) frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

---

Directions

1. In a large pot, cook spaghetti according to package directions, about 8 to 11 minutes. Drain noodles, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, parsley, pepper flakes, and salt.
3. Add oil to a large, deep skillet and cook pancetta over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic and black pepper and cook 1 minute more, then reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Add pasta, egg mixture, and peas, plus half of the pasta water, to skillet with pancetta. Stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water if necessary, until sauce has a creamy consistency. Mix in grated cheese; serve immediately.

Now I made a few changes to this recipe (I call this pulling a Rachel Ray) so its up to you if you want to change it like I did. First off, I have no idea what pancetta is so I used chicken instead. I suppose I could of googled it but Jon said "I've had it with chicken before" and that was enough for me! So chicken it was. Also I added more parsley. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love parsley so it stands to reason thats I would use an excessive amount. And I just got a lot of fresh parsley from my mom (best brithday present ever!) so I figured I would put it to good use! Other than those two changes, I followed the recipe. Now I can't honestly say that I did this whole meal by myself, Jon helped. He grilled the chicken and cut it up so everyone give an "atta boy" to him. 

In all, the meal took about 30 min. to make. You know how they say a watched pot never boils? It's true. At least 15 min. of the time was spent waiting (rather impatiently) for that darn water to boil. 4 quarts of water is a huge amount!  And another side note, the recipe says it makes 6 servings but seeing as how it called for a pound of pasta, I think Jon and I will be eating pasta for the next week. But the recipe turned out amazing so I don't mind! 

Thats a lot of pasta!

Yum!

Final Thoughts: as I have said the pasta was amazing! This is definitely one I will make again! Jon said it was his 5th favorite meal I've ever made (apparently he has a list going). So HUGE success! So peeps, now its your turn!! pull out this recipe when you want to have a delish meal, impress your friends, or get onto your husbands 'best meals' list. Enjoy!!

Jon loved it!

 Jons List of best meals:

1. He didnt know...typical 

2. The chicken fajitas

3. Im going to say this one

He went to bed so the list is temporarily unfinished. Tomorrow I'll have to ask him what else because honestly, I don't think I've even made 5 meals!