What do y'all...

think of this chair??

I originally saw this chair here...Its from Ikea and I think it is a nice mix of modern{can't believe I just said that in a positive way!!} and vintage. My table is wooden and soon to be white. I think these chairs would be kind of fun!! What do you think???

Chicken Chili

Just had this last night and thought I'd re-post it for you newcomer's. Enjoy!!

Linking up to Kellie's Fall Festival.

Oh, a shameless cry for help-can anyone tell me how to make a cute banner?? My blog looks like a hot mess...

Happy Fall!!

I have really been getting in the mood for Fall with this cooler weather we are having. This is one of my favorite meals to have. In fact, at our rehearsal dinner we had two different chili's and the fixin's. Needless to say, it was a very casual event.

Chicken Chili

1 lb. chicken cooked and cubed*
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1(14 oz) can chicken broth
2(14 oz) cans great northern beans(drain one can)
1(3 oz) can chopped green chilies, with liquid
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano

Saute the onion in a little bit of olive oil until tender. Add chicken and garlic. Cook until chicken is done. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 15 minutes. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips if desired.

*I like to cut my chicken while it is still somewhat frozen, if using frozen chicken. It cooks quicker that way and seems easier to cut.
Last night I only had one can of great northern beans so I substituted a can of black beans. If you like the chili soupier you can add another can of broth.
Hope you enjoy!!

Channeling Fall...

I am so over summer!! I just want my beloved season, FALL, to come already!! Yesterday, I decided to make Oatmeal Cream Pies. They are divine!! You can find the recipe here.
I also baked pumpkin bread. My mom called and I told her what all I was doing and I said, "If I bake it, it will come." Right??


Over the weekend I was trying my hand at some candy corn bowl fillers. I awoke Monday morning to this sight. A little "elf" had stuffed my corn for me. So sweet...Do you know that song on Noggin...I don't like candy corn. Moose sings it. Such a cute song. Click here to view. You will love it!!
Are y'all decorating for Fall yet?? I am sooo ready...Oh, tomorrow I will share what I received from Jenny for our seasonal swap.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...Kitchen

I have been teetering with the idea of moving the hutch out of the kitchen for a while now. Y'all may remember that post. Yesterday, I finally got a wild hair to move stuff around. Above is the way it looked before. This was taken in January.

Here the kitchen is today. I moved the bench in the kitchen. It was previously in the dining room. I also took the white chair from the dining room. If you want, you can click here for my inspiration room. I know the chandelier isn't centered over the table, but I am not putting a hook in the ceiling until I can get the room the way I will be {temporarily} happy with. If I leave the hutch out, I am thinking I am going to hang this chalkboard up.

Another view...you can see where I moved the hutch to. I am not super sold on it there either. My husband would rather the hutch be out of the kitchen all together, but I love the storage.

Here is a slightly brighter picture. We plan to add beadboard under the bar and add a brick backsplash. Oh yes, and a vent hood. Baby steps!!

The view from the kitchen. I know my valances are hanging lower than the moulding, but I plan to put a shelf up, so I am not moving them until then.

Okay...what do you think?? Should I move the hutch out of the kitchen totally?? Leave it??

The BEST Chicken EVER!!

Oh my gosh, y'all, I made the best chicken ever!! I never cook whole chickens cause, quite frankly, they freak me out. Look like little human bodies or something. Plus, the first and only time I tried to cook a whole chicken the thing broke my pyrex dish in the oven. So, you want the recipe??

Elise's Best Chicken Ever
*whole chicken
*onion
*butter
*3-4 garlic cloves
*Season All seasoned salt
*soy sauce

Peel and slice onion, place in the bottom of crock pot. Remove giblets{eww} from chicken and rinse the chicken inside and out. Dry chicken off. Slice butter and peel and slice garlic. Place butter and garlic between skin and meat. Sprinkle Season All under skin and on top. Set chicken on top of onion slices in crock pot. Splash some soy sauce under skin and on top of chicken. Cover and set crock pot on low temp. Cook about 6-7 hours. Serve chicken over rice with juice, if desired.

This chicken was sooo good. I didn't measure anything, but probably used a third stick of butter or so. I would definitely use more onions next time. They were so tender also. Also, I highly recommend tongs for removal of giblets, if you have issues like me. I would love to know if you use this recipe and what you think.
Props to Jen for the soy sauce idea!!

On my way to farmhouse...

I really want to live in an old farmhouse on some land. Yep, I discovered that after we moved into a neighborhood that I thought I always wanted. Hahaha!! I do like having neighbors, but I think it would be so nice to live on a lot of land, have chickens, and hang my clothes out to dry. So, I do what any farmhouse dreamin' girl would do. Turn my new construction home into a farmhouse.

Do ignore the empty cabinet. We had to move it to paint. We are still not finished. I also plan on painting the hutch antique white and shabbying it up a bit. Then hopefully, we can put beadboard in the back of it.

Do y'all remember when I posted about the chandelier?? Thanks to all of your advice, I discovered that I{my husband} could just cut off the plug in part and wire it up in the ceiling. Yay!!

Its really not that dark, but it was cloudy out that day. Also, I realize the window treatments are hanging below the trim, but I am going to eventually put a shelf up there and rehang them. I am lovin' decorating this house and turning it into a home!! On a budget!!

Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

Joanna at This Southern Girl's Nest is hosting a recipe sharing series, What's For Dinner Thursdays. I wanted to share this recipe with y'all. These little cream cheese biscuits are so good and only require 3 ingredients!! Woohoo!!

Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

1{8-ounce} package cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup self-rising flour

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed of an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed just until blended.

Spoon dough into ungreased mini muffin pans, filling full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Serve hot.

I love to serve these little biscuits with pear or strawberry perserves. Yum!!

Recipe from Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites.

Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup baby oil{I use equate Aloe Vera & Vitamin E Baby Oil}
10 or so drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Couple teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix all together in a bowl and store in an airtight container. Use a small amount and rub over your body for super soft and silky skin.

This makes a great gift. I gave it to my Mom and Mother in law for Christmas one year and they loved it. In fact, my Mother in law has been requesting it ever since. I gave this jar to her this morning along with some Ghiradelli dark chocolate{she loves dark chocolate} for her birthday. She will also be getting a framed photo of the kiddies, but that will be after Easter, when they are all dressed up and we aren't getting flooded. ;)

You can use any kind of container. I usually pick up the jars in the photo from Goodwill, but I haved also seen similar ones at Hobby Lobby and World Market. Truly, I don't measure the oil and vanilla, but just wanted to give y'all an idea of how much to use. I just shake it in until I like the scent. Y'all will have to let me know if you try it.

Beef Dip, Bunnies, and Curtains, Oh my!!

Last night I made the most delicious meal. Jen{do I talk about her a lot, or what??} gave me the original recipe, but I've tweaked it a little.

Beef Dip
2.5 lb beef chuck roast{more or less, depending on how much you want}
2/3 cup soy sauce
4 cups water
1 packet of Au Jus
couple cloves of garlic
garlic powder
meat tenderizer
Rinse your meat and pat dry. Sprinkle with meat tenderizer and garlic powder. Place in crock pot. Using a garlic press, put garlic over the meat. Pour soy sauce on top of meat. Mix Au Jus packet with water. Pour around the meat. Cook on low heat 6-10 hours. The longer the better.
Remove the meat and shred. Serve on sub-type rolls, buttered and toasted. Dip in the liquid. Enjoy!!

*Jen's original recipe had some other herbs, but I didn't have them on hand so I don't use them now. Also, her recipe said to serve on Columbo rolls, which I haven't seen, so I just get the sub-type rolls. This recipe is great and makes a lot!!

Now onto the bunnies. See above photo. Jen made the chocolate bunnies and I had to have them. Three of them for my three little bunnies. Aren't they cute?? They will be perfect in my Easter decor!!

I was so inspired by Cherry's Red post, that I finally made some valances for my own kitchen. I've had the red floral print for about a year now. Its the same as on my ottoman{you can see a picture of it in this post}. I just used chocolate burlap for the lining and folded them over and clipped. Then, I used little nail trim things{the name escapes me-the decorative round things you use on furniture} to hang them. I am eventually going to do a shelf like Amy's and will rehang the curtains. I couldn't wait to get them hung though!!

Sorry the pictures are so dark. Maybe if you enlarge them you can get a better idea of what they look like.

We have so many projects for this house, but baby steps, y'all!!

Farmhouse Kitchen

So I don't really have a farmhouse...A girl can dream, right?!?! I do like to use older looking things in my decor to give me that old farmhouse feel. I put my utensils in a vase then put it in an egg basket. I think its handier to have them out and accessible, then tucked away in a drawer. My friend, Michelle, gave me the chick for my birthday. Does she know me well or what?? I love the cheery spring colors of the towel.

We also plan to put up a backsplash. I want to do either beadboard or brick pavers. I am thinking the pavers, though, because I want to do beadboard on the bottom half of the wall.

Here is a corner of my kitchen. I found the plate at Goodwill. It originally came from a ritzy gift shop. Jen made the R for me. Love it!! I have always wanted an old dough bowl, but they are so expensive. I found this one at a craft show and snatched it up. I put a few old cookie/biscuit cutters, an old grater, the embroidery Jen sent me for our Valentine's swap, and a candle I got at Joann's on clearance in there and I think it gives me that old fashioned feel I was going for.

A closer view. Love that candle!! Wal-Mart also carries them. I just love red, green, and white together. So happy!!

So, here's my kitchen!! Wanna share yours??

Ladies, leave your magazines lying around...

Exibit A: On the floor of the half bath. If you surprised me right now, this is what you would find.

Exibit B: On the back of the toilet also. I would hate to be bored on a long trip!!

The result: Chicken Parmesan...cooked by The Husband after reading one of my mags. See...it pays off to leave junk lying around!!

Motley Crew of Christmas Stuff

I am sitting here posting instead of doing the million other things I should be doing. Anyone relate?? Anyhow, of course my pictures are flipped again and I cannot move them. Okay, the above photo is all my packages ready to go to a cookie/ornament exchange that my friend, Jaime, hosted. I am a firm believer that packaging is almost everything. I love to make it look fun and festive. The cookies(whose recipe I will post soon) are in my favorite fun plastic bags and I had to add a bunch of ribbon and fun bow to the basket to tote them. I even snuck in a felt deer. The ornament is in the polka dot bag and the hostess gift is in the takeout box. You can see it below.

I just took a clear glass ball from Michael's, added in some fake snow, used rub-ons to spell snow and some fun, festive ribbon completes the little gift. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the actual ornament I took for the exchange. It was cute, though!!

Lilly, very fashionable in her brother's clothes, wanted to help me cook one day, so I let her stir the pot. Gotta love those boots. Three kids later and they don't fit anymore.

Our little peppermint baby...

Another little hostess gift. Kimmy, one of the girls in our homeschool group, hosted a Mom's party and we exchanged $10 or under gifts. Oh, forgot to add that onto the post, but I will, along with the cookie recipe. Anywho, here I just put some Bob's soft candy canes in a jar(I pick these up from the thrift shops all the time) with lots of ribbon and a tag. I love inexpensive, but cute ideas.

Hope y'all have a Happy Friday!! I am off to shower and hopefully find Christmas Eve pj's. Nothing like waiting until the last minute...

A little prim, A little priss, Mrs. Claus's Kitchen, You don't want to miss!!

I've been a little busy trying to get ready for Christmas like the rest of you!! My computer is finally straight(hopefully) thanks to my friend, Jaime. Thank you, Jaime!! I had to show y'all some pictures from around my home, starting with the heart, the kitchen. I love the happy colors of the above photo. Almost everything was thrifted, except the tin cookie plate. Can you believe someone would get rid of those jars?? I'm glad they did-I love them!!

These pictures got flipped and I could not move them...Anywho, even the ugly chandelier got a little gussied up. Love the ribbon-y goodness!! I mixed a little brown, green ricrac, some fun polka dots, and others.

A full shot...I did buy an ugly brass chandelier to paint and fix up. Baby steps...

Have you been naughty or nice?? My friend, Brandi, gave me the dishcloths along with some other goodies for my birthday. Aren't they cute?? Mrs. Claus has been busy baking Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Pecan Cookies for a cookie exchange-Yum!! Gotta fatten up the husband, he has a very busy night ahead of him soon!!

A slightly prim area. I love cookie cutters and cannot resist when I see one for less than a dollar. I just put some of my Christmas cookie cutters in my dough bowl along with one of my favorite cookbooks and some fake cranberries. Fun, festive wooden candy canes in a hurricane. The sign was a penny at Garden Ridge this summer. I just love me a good bargain and so does the husband!! Actually, he would probably rather I didn't spend any money at all, but we all have our vices, right??

Hope you all enjoyed the sneak peak at my Christmas kitchen!!

Merry Christmas!!

Baked apples and our newest addition

Gotcha on that one, didn't I?!?! Jackson was about to bust a gut for me to put his little goblin on my "email" so all my friends could see it. So funny!!
We had baked apples for dessert last night and my husband said, "I love fall." Me too...

You will want to assemble all your ingredients-apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon. This year I decided to put a little of my Pampered Chef Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle and Sweet Caramel Sprinkle. I also use The Corer-it cores the apples perfectly. Once you core the apples, cut little slices of butter and put down into the apples. I then spooned brown sugar on top of the butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and the other toppings. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Enjoy with ice cream!! Delicious!!

Autumn Recipe and Tablescape Exchange

Heidi, at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly is having an Autumn Recipe and Tablescape Exchange. I thought I would join in on the fun. Check out her blog for more beautiful ideas. For your viewing pleasure, I offer you a plate with two napkins layered and tied with an acorn and oak leaf ornament. Apparently, we are having finger foods!!

A close-up of some acorns and votive candle in a glass bowl. I would have loved to have coughed up a beautiful centerpiece for y'all but everything is packed up. I'm sure you will understand and forgive...
I have posted my favorite fall recipe here.

A Bit of Yumminess

Some friends of ours had their third baby about a week ago. Everytime someone that was in our Bible study has a baby, we all coordinate meals for the family. I took sausage quiche, pumpkin bread, and cantaloupe this time. I know that they like this food and I thought it would be a welcome change from the typical casseroles or spaghetti-type foods. Want the recipes?? Just scroll down. They are so yummy!!

Sausage Quiche

1 roll of sausage, browned and drained
10 eggs
1 cup of milk
2 cups of cheese
2 frozen pie crusts, thawed*

Simply combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until frothy. Pour into 2 pie crusts. Place into 350 degree oven and cook for about 45 minutes-1 hour.
*Most of the time I do not use a pie crust, I simply just pour the mixture into 2 pie plates or a 9x13 dish.

Pumpkin Bread

3.5 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp each cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1 cup water
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin

Combine all dry ingredients. Beat the wet ingredients, then pour into a well of dry ingredients. Fold until combined. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done in a 350 degree oven.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!! I know Fall has officially arrived in our household once the pumpkin bread is baked.

Poppyseed Chicken

Per Katie's request, here is my Poppyseed Chicken recipe. I did kind of forget the original recipe, but some things don't really need measurements anyway.

Poppyseed Chicken
1 lb. chicken, cooked and cut up
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
8 oz. sour cream
poppyseeds-however much you want to add

for the topping and bottom
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
poppyseeds-again, use your discretion
11/2 sticks butter, melted

Mix the Ritz crackers, poppyseeds, and melted butter, pour half of the mixture into an 11x7 inch dish.
Combine the 1st 5 ingredients together and pour over the cracker mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the crackers over the chicken. Put into 350 degree oven and bake about 30 minutes or until crackers are golden brown and chicken mixture is bubbly.
Enjoy!!

*I forgot for a while that the recipe calls for a bottom crust, if you like you can omit that and halve the recipe for the topping.
*If you want to make this an even quicker recipe, you can buy a rotisserie chicken or the pre-cooked chicken strips.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups warm water at 110°F
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:
Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's directions to your bread machine. Use the wheat bread cycle and light color setting.

Hey y'all,

I am posting this recipe here so I won't lose it. Anybody with me on this one?! I am notorious for finding a great recipe only to lose it. Same with this chocolate chip cheesecake brownie recipe. Have no clue where that recipe went.
I found the bread recipe here. Hope they don't sue me...

Happy Wednesday!!

Potato Masher and Recipe

Remember the potato masher that I got from the antique store a few weeks ago. Well, it got a new lease on life!! I simply took a mini-clothespin and glued it onto the potato masher. Now it can be used to hold that recipe up off the countertop. It would also be a cute picture holder if you wanted to get really creative!!

I am going to share an awesome recipe with you all. It is a must-have at our family gatherings!!

Hot Artichoke Dip
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
2 cups mayonnaise
13/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

*Beat cream cheese at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Mash artichoke hearts; add to cream cheese, stirring well. Stir in mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Spoon into a greased 11-x7-inch baking dish.
*Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with assorted crackers. Yield: 6 cups.

I always serve this dip with tortilla chips instead of crackers.
Recipe is in the Southern Living Ultimate Book of Appetizers.

Hope you enjoy!! Let me know if you make this.
Elise