Like a chicken with its head cut off

These words are all part of idioms.  This post is dedicated to the worksample that will consume my life for the next month.

So, if the posts are a little sparse... it's because my life is currently dedicated to a cute bunch of 4th graders who need to know everything there is about idioms. While my 4th graders might think I'm a little corny, I am enjoying finding an over the top idiom to use any chance I get.

Oh, and if you haven't see WORDLE, check it out. It's now or never! :)

Linguine and Asparagus

Sometimes I don't feel like cooking dinner.  Shocking, I know.

Sometimes I don't feel like eating junk food for dinner again. That's when a dish like this comes in handy!

This dish is light and delicious.  Don't let the eggs scare you off... they blend in with everything else to create a wonderful taste.  It's so easy and fresh, you'll wonder why you ever thought eating out was a good idea.

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Here's what you need: (serves 4)

• 3/4 lb. Linguine
• 1/2 lb. Asparagus (cut off the woody end and slice in half lengthwise)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 TBS butter
• 1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese

Here's what you do:

• Add linguine to a salted pot of boiling water.  Cook as directed, but add asparagus in the last minute.
• While linguine is cooking.  Poach eggs in 2 inches of gently boiling water for about 4 min.
• When pasta is done, drain (save 1 cup of water) and place back in pot.  Add butter, Parmesan, and water.  Stir until a light sauce forms around the noodles.
• Divide pasta and asparagus into 4 plates, and place poached egg on top.
• Season will a little salt and pepper, and serve!

Martha Stewart always has great ideas!

From my tiny kitchen to yours!

Silver Candle Holder

Remember the candle holders I showed you in this post?  Well I decided to make a $1.50 version. While it is not an exact replica, these candle holders look beautiful lighting up a dark room.

Here's what you need:

• A vase (or 4 or 50... I made three because I like to group things)
• 1 can silver spray paint (Make sure you get indoor paint that can be used on glass)

Here's what you do:

• Fill vase with a grocery bag (this keeps the paint out of the inside of the vase)
• Set vase on a flat surface that you don't mind getting paint on
• Spray vase about 1-2 feet away.  The closer you get, the thicker the paint is.  The key is to spray light coats until you have covered the vase, but still allow light to go through.
• Allow to dry, then add a small candle.

It's that easy! Enjoy!

P.S. My mom took these pictures! Don't they look great? You should look at her website! 

Chai Tea and Chinese Checkers

Today I had a great lunch with one of my best friends.  We have been friends since childhood.  It all started in first grade.  I spent extra time cleaning my room and made sure my mom made my favorite hamburger helper meal because I was going to have my first friend spend the night.  When I arrived at school I ran inside to find Chelsea to make sure she could still come over.  As we were talking we bent down to look at something on the floor.  Chelsea happened to move her head up very rapidly and smacked me straight in the nose.  Needless to say my cute white shirt didn't stay white.  While it may seem like our friendship started off on bad terms, our head-banging accident didn't keep us from spending every weekend alternating between each other's houses and convincing our parents we should spend the night even on a school night.

Every time I drink a chai tea, I think of Chelsea.  We used to drink chai tea and play Chinese checkers... we thought we were pretty cool and sophisticated back then.

Love Ya, Chels!

P.S. Don't judge our current appearances by these pictures... somehow I could only find the weird, awkward pictures.

Party Perfect

I found a new blog that I think is super adorable.  It's called Party Perfect.  Check out a few pictures.








Her blog makes me want to throw a party every day!


William must be a pretty awesome 5-year-old to want a Beatle's themed Birthday party!

Check out her blog Sara's Party Perfect!

Garlic Chicken Fajitas

I am a big fan of fajitas.  When I was young I always chose the wrong meal at our local Mexican food restaurant.  Therefor, I dragged my feet any time i knew we were having a Mexican dish for dinner.  That was until I tasted fajitas.  My life was changed.  I'm sure you know the feeling.

For this next dish, I decided to make chicken fajitas with garlic; because everything tastes better when it's covered with loads of garlic.

What you need: (For 2-3 people)
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1 Red bell pepper sliced
1/2 Onion sliced
1 Avocado sliced
1/2 cup (or more) Shredded cheese
1 Can black beans
Tortillas

What you do:

• In a non-stick frying pan warm a tablespoon or two of oil, the minced garlic, and garlic powder on Med-High.
• Add chicken breasts to the pan.  After 10 min. flip and cook for another 10 min. (Slice when finished)
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in another pan.  Add onions and red pepper.  Stir occasionally until vegetables are softened.
• Heat black beans and warm tortillas.
• Add all ingredients to the tortillas and enjoy!

This is an easy and delicious dinner that will please everyone!

From my tiny kitchen to yours!

Off the Wall

Lately I have seen a ton of pictures of chalkboard walls.  What a fun way to dress up your house and make it more unique for you.  There are so many benefits from having a chalkboard wall.  You could...

Change your decor daily...

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Turn a useless wall into a place for your daily thoughts.

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Stay organized in a cute and obvious way

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write down important information when you can't find a pen and paper

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Provide a great outlet for a talented artist

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Add a bold decal to a bare wall

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Or make a fun art project for kids

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The possibilities are endless.

Cake Balls

Ok, these were even better than I thought.  Jake has eaten at least two every night.  That is definitely a sign of a great dessert because Jake does not have much of a sweet tooth.  Which makes me eat less sweets, but also makes me feel even more guilty when I eat them without him... it's a terrible mess, let me tell you.

What you need:

• A box of cake mix (I used red velvet because it's lucious and I rarely make it)
• A can of frosting (cream cheese was delicious BTW)
• A bag of white chocolate chips (or semi-sweet, or baker's... but I don't recommend milk chocolate; it is much to sweet for this sugary ball of goodness)
• Lollipop sticks (optional)
• Sprinkles (optional)

What you do:

• Bake cake as directed in a 9x13 inch pan.  (Make sure the cake is completely baked.  A gooey cake would ruin the whole thing)
• When the cake has cooled completely, crumble it up into little pieces and add to a large bowl (poor cake)
• Dump the WHOLE can of frosting into the large bowl, and mix with your fingers until it's combined and sticky (If you have small children around, this would be the perfect job for them!)
• Roll into small balls about the size of a big bouncy ball.  You should be able to make about 40 or more.
• Refridgerate or freeze for several hours until the balls feel firm
• Melt the chocolate chips, then dip the balls in and cover them with chocolate.  Quickly cover it with sprinkles before it dries. Then set it on waxed paper
• If you decide to add the stick, make sure it gets covered in the chocolate too; otherwise, the cake ball will fall off.

When the chocolate dries, serve and be famous!

From my tiny kitchen to yours!

Recipe found at Bakerella

I Want That!

Sometimes I get jealous. It's not my most flattering feature, nor my favorite.  Unfortunately, I do it anyway.  While typically jealousy is a bad thing... in this case it lead to this post (which I think is a good thing).  The title of this post comes from a well-loved movie that was oh-so-popular in 2004 (Really... it was 7 years ago!): Napoleon Dynamite.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Napoleon's Uncle Rico tries to sell a model ship to an odd couple.  When he pulls the ship out of the box, the lady whispers to her husband "I want that!"

While this may not have been the most popular scene in the movie, my aunt and I laughed hysterically as we watched it over and over.  It has been a joke between the two of us ever since.  When we see something we like, we whisper "I want that" to each other in awkward accents.

Needless to say, it is where I found the inspiration for this post.

I want this headboard!

{House Tweaking}

And this chic Entryway...

{Three Men and a Lady}

And these farmhouse pantry doors

{I Am Momma-Hear Me Roar}

And maybe these pretty candles... I'm sure they would make my little apartment very glowy.

{Anthropology}

Ok, maybe I don't want these candles... I don't really want to buy them.  I'm thinking of making my own version for the price I can actually pay.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Ah, garlic, basil, and sun-dried tomato.  If I go out to eat and see a dish with those ingredients, there's no doubt I will be ordering it.  For this dish, I decided to combine three of my loves to make a tasty chicken dish.  Enjoy!

If this looks a little overcooked... it's probably because I left it in a tad too long... It still tasted yummy though!

What you need:

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup Sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Fresh basil leaves
• 3 Garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Salt/ Pepper
• Your favorite Italian cheese, shredded (I used an Italian blend because I just couldn't decide... ok, maybe it's because it was one of the 5 items in my refrigerator)

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 450 F
• Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil
• In a food processor add sun-dried tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic, a splash of olive oil, and salt and pepper (I did a little dash of both, but some people like more... It's up to you)
• Blend until there are not any big chunks of tomato or basil
• Lightly oil the aluminum foil
• Place chicken breasts on the foil
• Scoop the sun-dried tomato mixture onto the chicken breast
• Sprinkle
• Bake for about 30 min  (Temp your chicken to be sure)

Serve this with your favorite salad and a nice baguette!

Chicken and Lemon Penne Pasta

Yum, yum, yum!  I really like this dish.  It's refreshing and unique.  I know this is more of a summer dish, but I'm craving summer.... or maybe just sunlight in general.  This meal makes me feel like summer is right around the corner.  I used this Pioneer Woman recipe and made a few changes.

What you need: (serves 2-3 people)

• 2 Grilled Chicken Breasts (I marinaded mine with Olive oil, Montreal Chicken seasoning, and Italian seasoning)
• 1/2 box Penne Pasta
• 2 Tbs Butter
• 2 whole Lemons
• 1/2 cup Half and half
• 3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan
• 8-10 whole Basil Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to taste

What you do:

• Grill the chicken
• Cook pasta (Save 1/2 cup of the water when draining)
• Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat
• Squeeze the lemon juice into the pot (Before you cut the lemons in half, roll the whole lemons on the counter.  I heard on a cooking show that this helps the juice come out easier.  I don't know if it's true, but I do it)
• Whisk until combined
• Add the half-and-half (keep whisking until everything it hot)
• Throw in the cheese and whist it all until it's combined and saucy
• Add some of the pasta water until your sauce has a smooth consistency
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Combine the pasta with the sauce, sprinkle the chopped basil over the pasta, and place the sliced chicken on top.
• Serve and Enjoy!

From my tiny kitchen to yours!

More Flowers

I know, I know... I just did a post about crepe flowers, but they made me think about the flowers I made as part of my wedding decor.  I really like these because they are full and beautiful, and are very simple.

It's as easy as...

(Really there are 4 steps, but who wants to say "It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4"?)

1. Cut a square piece of paper or fabric into a circle (It does not need to be perfect. Don't bother tracing it.  The whole point is to make each flower unique and beautiful!)

     



2. Cut the circle into a spiral.  Try to keep the width even

2 1/2. roll the spiral into a flower starting where you first cut into the circle.

3. Loosen the spiral a little, then place glue on the end and place the spiral onto the glue.  You have a few seconds to tweak your flower before the glue sets.

Voilà! You have made a beautiful paper/fabric flower!

Here are a few ways I used them in my wedding:

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

The sun rarely shines where I live... forgive my weird food photos. I'm looking forward to summer!

There are days when I crave homemade cinnamon rolls, but don't have the time to wait a million hours for them to rise. This inspired me to make my own easy recipe using just a couple ingredients. Enjoy!

Dough (I started with the Bisquick Shortcake recipe and made a couple changes)

What you need:

2 1/3 c. Bisquick Mix

1/2 c. milk

2 1/2 TBS Sugar

3 TBS Butter (melted)

1 tsp Cinnamon

Filling:

3 TBS Butter (Softened)

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 c. butter softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 F

What you do:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Flour a large surface and roll dough evenly (about 1/4 inch thick)

3. Spread the 3 tablespoons of butter all around the top of the dough

4. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling; sprinkle evenly on the buttered dough (Mmmm... buttered dough... doesn't that sound good?!)

5. Roll into a big log (Like you did when you played with play-dough)

6. Slice into 1 inch pieces (They're starting to look like cinnamon rolls, right?)

7. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes (make the frosting now)

9. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the frosting.

When it's all done, frost the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

I liked these even better cold on the next day. I'm weird like that!

From my tiny kitchen to yours!