The Darcy

Another pair of boots to add to the gang! Meet Darcy: 

Come see them and more at my Etsy shop here.

The Ultimate Sugar Cookie

These are the softest and yummiest sugar cookies ever. Valentine's Day will never be the same.

Sugar Cookies
2 sticks of softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour (add until not sticky - may be a whole cup)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out 1/4" thick. Use a cute heart-shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes depending on size of cookie. If they get golden brown they'll get crunchy.

Cream Cheese Frosting
 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. powdered sugar
Red Food Coloring

Use a hand mixer until well combined. Don't mix too long or it'll get too thick.

Grape Chicken Salad

This has been a lunchtime favorite for my husband and I. We used to make it with mayo and with croissants, but it's just as good with Greek Yogurt and on wheat bread, in a pita or just in a leaf of Romaine lettuce. Yummers.

Grape Chicken Salad

1/2 lb. red grapes, rinsed and drained

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded

1 small cucumber, cubed

1 small apple, cubed

3/4 cup Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and spices in a small bowl. Combine the grapes, cubed chicken, cucumber and apple in a larger bowl. Carefully stir in the yogurt mixture. Put in fridge, and let it chill for an hour or more. Serve chilled with croissants, wheat bread, pita bread, or a lettuce leaf. 

We like it best a day after it's been prepared because all of the flavors marinate together and it's completely chilled through. Enjoy! 

Heart Garland

I have been feeling like my home needed a bit of love in lieu of the holiday this week. So I took some old red felt, and made a fun little heart garland. Felt, string, scissors and a glue gun.

Double up the felt so that you have 2 hearts exactly the same size. Cut out the hearts, any size that you wish. They could all be the same size, or alternate sizes, or make it random. 

Take one heart and place it under the string. Tack on some glue, and put the other heart on top with the string in between. 

Spread them out as you wish, far apart or touching. Hang it up and enjoy! Quick, easy, cut and festive. 

Bruschetta Chicken

I was in need of something fresh for dinner. Something not fattening, or heavy, but delicious and delightful. So I decided to go with a bruschetta chicken. It turned out so delish. It's a definite do-again. 

Bruschetta Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey

(Bruschetta)

4 small tomatoes, diced

6 oz. of Mozzarella, cubed

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Chop, dice, cube and combine all of the ingredients for the bruschetta. I made it in the morning so the flavors could all marinate together all day long.

Combine the honey and balsamic vinegar and put in a bag with the chicken to let it marinate. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. My hubby is the perfect grill-master, so we had perfect juicy chicken. 

Serve chicken with a sliced baguette. Enjoy!

Samzi's Boutique Bow Giveaway

Samzi's Boutique is a new and adorable little shop selling some darling little hair bows for your little girls (daughters, nieces, granddaughters, neighbors...)! There are so many to choose from, and at a great price. I love 'The Tabitha' bow, so cute.


Check out her blog here: samziboutique.blogspot.com


Check out her etsy shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/SamziBoutique.com 


 To help get the word out I'm hosting a giveaway for 2 free bows!! Enter below by answering a question, liking them on facebook, following their blog and/or my blog. The giveaway goes through Sunday, so enter while you can!

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

My husband has been wanting me to make Mozzarella Sticks forever. And thanks to Skinny Taste I found this delicious, low-fat recipe for baked mozzarella sticks. They were a huge hit, so simple, and so tasty. Can't wait to make them again!

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients: 

• 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp flour
• 5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp panko crumbs
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Cut cheese in half both length-wise and width-wise. This makes it so each bite isn't too cheesy. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.

In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bow- combine the bread crumbs, the Panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.

Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Make sure to eat them straight out of the oven while they're nice and hot. Dip in marinara sauce.

Hair Clippies

My daughters hair is getting long enough in front that it keeps falling into her eyes. I don't want to cut her hair and make her keep the bangs, so I'm trying to let it all grow out with the rest of her hair. But in the meantime, we'll be needing lots of good clippies to keep that hair back. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Take your average little metal clip. Cut out two pieces of felt just big enough to cover the top-bigger part of the clip. Put hot glue on one side of the felt, put it in the clip, with the glue facing up (towards the bigger side of the clip), put the other piece of felt over it and press them together.  

I cut out 4 pieces of felt for my flower. They gradually decrease in size. I gave one piece a few more petals for some added dimension. 

Stack one on top of the other, while gluing them together inbetween with a hot glue gun.  

I then glued on your clip with the felt on it. For a bit of added security I added another piece of felt that is glued onto the clip and to the flower to help keep it in place.

As you can see in this picture, I also took a sewing needle and hand-stitched around the edge to secure the pieces of felt a little bit better.  

Tacked on a few little pearly beads, and "Ta-da!" 

My little girl is obsessed with goldfish (well she loves to eat the goldfish crackers). So I decided to make her a little goldfish clippie! The trick will be to put it in her hair before she sees it so she won't eat it!!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

*Photo courtesy of Natalie DeMill

* Recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook

You need to make these. So much flavor - sweet, but a little spicy. Seriously the best homemade Mexican food I've had in quite some time. I can't wait to make them again! I got this recipe from my husbands cousins' blog Boy Cheese Sandwich. They have some of the yummiest recipes. The only thing I would do different next time to this recipe is cook the enchiladas for about 15 minutes, and then pour the sauce over them, that way the tortillas will crunch up a bit and not be as soggy. Regardless, the were delicious! I also made them with this Cowboy Caviar.

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. lime juice (I used 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded

Stir together honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder until combined. Add chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes (I usually do longer).

2 (10 oz,) cans green enchilada sauce
1 c. half & half (I found some half & half that was fat-free!)
flour tortillas
shredded colby jack cheese (or monterey/colby mix)

Mix enchilada sauce with half & half. Spread roughly 3/4 c. of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and shredded cheese, roll-up, then place side by side in dish. Pour remaining sauce on and top with more cheese. Bake at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes.

Valentines

Valentine's Day is coming!! During the Super Bowl my mother-in-law and I made some fun little Valentine Cards for our friends and family. You have not lived until you've seen all of her card making supplies - stickers, brads, ribbons, paper, stamps, cricket and cartridges, etc. It was so fun to let the creative juices flow and make some fun cards. 

Polo T Refashion

The day my husband decides to get ride of some of his shirts, is the happiest day ever! I just had to trim up the sides, cut off the sleeve, and sew it all back together. I took an XL Men's Polo to a cute feminine top. 

My favorite thing about refashioning a men's shirt is that it gives it so much more length. I love me a long shirt. 

What gives this Polo its femininity is the poofy sleeve. It's not too much, but just enough. Before I sewed on the sleeve, I basted the top of the sleeve and scrunched it to help get the little poof look. I think it turned out pretty cute. So comfy too!!! 

My Blankie

I find myself always having some kind of project going on. So when I have those moments of...'hm, what should I do?', I always have something to work on! This was one of those projects. I had a bunch of little scraps of fabric, and I was tired of these little fat quarters all over the place. 

So I cut up a bunch of 4"x4" squares, sewed an entire row together, then the rows together. Put a little border around it to make it a bit bigger. And I found the softest, cutest, most cozy zebra fleece. When I finally finished, my husband said, "wow, that is definitely your kind of blanket!"

I'm lovin' it. 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I was in need of some yummy comfort food. So thanks to Alton Brown I found this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese and it truly was perfect. I didn't alter it one bit, and I'm glad I didn't, everyone loved it!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.