Till Then Smile Often

September 20, 2013

Why I Bake!

Happy Friday everyone!! I am so excited for this weekend! I am literally parking my butt on the couch and not moving other than within my house. Okay I do have to go grocery shopping and walk Seamus but that is it! I have been going full steam ahead for way too long and my body is yelling at me! On Wednesday I pulled a muscle in my back and had to take the day off from work. All that stress and tension needed to come out and it was PAINFUL! I luckily have a massage mat that helped a little but it is still hurting so this weekend is much needed R & R!!! Luckily I have a ton of books and a full NetFlix watch list to keep me busy!

Enough about me, let’s move on to this weekend 5 on Friday. I get to share 5 things that have entertained me this week.

One. I reveal the real reason why I bake! *Blows kisses* Now you know! 😉

My Diet Plan

Two. This contestant from the X-Factor auditions realy blew me away and I started to ~~tear up~~ cry. It really got to me and was really good. Have a listen and you’ll know what I am talking about.

Three. This Cheesy Corn Chowder with Bacon and Gorgozola is on my must make list! I saw this on Jessica’s blog How Sweet It Is.

cheesy corn chowder with bacon and gorgonzola

Four. I posted this video of my pup on Instagram but this one is a little longer. You would think from the snorts and grunts that he was a big dog but Nope he is a Pom/Sheltie.

In all his little glory! Not so big now is he?

Five. Just something that I need to work on everyday. Hope this serves as a reminder to everyone to love who you are flaws and all.

Love Yourself

September 18, 2013

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

I am switching things up a bit for What I Ate Wednesday and sharing my recipe for the Crockpot Buffalo Chicken I made this weekend. I used this chicken three different ways so it really helped stretch my meal plan and grocery money.

Ingredients: 4 Chicken Breasts ~ 1 packet of Ranch Dip ~ 1/3 cup hot wing sauce ~ 2/3 cup water

Directions: Add all ingredients into the Crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 2-4 hours or until the chicken begins to shred easily with a fork. Remove all chicken and shred. When ready to serve toss in a bit more of the hot wing sauce.

Now to how I served it this week:

Option One: Served on a low carb Flax wrap, lettuce, tomato, Buffalo Chicken and topped with a bit of Ranch Dressing (Blue Cheese can be used).

Option Two: Salad with Romaine Lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta cheese, 1/2 a Pink Lady Apple, chopped Walnuts, and Buffalo Chicken.

Option Three: Buffalo Chicken placed on a bed of Riced Cauliflower. I had a small side salad also but not pictured.

What others ways would you use this chicken?

Also linking up with Liz from Fitness Blondie

September 17, 2013

Crockpot Caramel Apple Cider

If you have been reading my blog for the last few weeks you know the fall bug has been me hard. I am normally the crazy lady who never stops but it would seem that the Fall turns me into an Energizer bunny! This weekend was no exception! In addition to some Buffalo Chicken in the Crockpot and a Caramel Pear Pie I also made a Crockpot Caramel Apple Cider!! If I could install Smell-O-Vision I would because the smell alone would inspire you to make this recipe!

Ingredients:

5 pound bag of Gala apples, cored and cut into wedges ~ 2 pink lady apples, cored and cut into wedges ~ 1 orange, cut into wedges ~ 1 TBSP brown sugar ~ 1/2 tsp cinnamon ~ 1/2 tsp cloves ~ 1/4 cup caramel syrup ~ 4 cups of water ~ Cheesecloth

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a crockpot and cook on low for about 4-6 hours.

Every hour or so squeeze or mash the apples to help soften.

Taste and adjust spices as needed (I started out with 3 cups of water and since it was a little sweet I bumped it up to 4 cups). Strain the apples through a cheesecloth placed over a bowl or pitcher, twist and squeeze with a spoon to get out all the juice. You can garnish with a cinnamon stick if you are feeling fancy!

This recipe just screams Fall nights, snuggling on the couch and watching movies. Which is exactly what I did! Hope you give it a try and you add it to your must make recipes this season!

***Also you still have time to enter to win $150 J. Crew and $75 Target Gift card so go enter here. ***

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.

September 16, 2013

Weekend of Baking

So remember when I said I had no plans this weekend???? Yeah that didn’t happen. Since it was Friday the 13th I wanted to watch the movie but it was not on T.V. when I tried to watch it and it wasn’t on NetFlix so I watch another Horror movie called Nine Dead it was kinda like Saw. There was nine people kidnapped and stuck in a room till they figured out what they had in common, every 10 minutes someones dies until they figure it out or all are dead. Not a great movie, but not horrible.

Saturday: The morning was filled with shopping. I was looking for something in particular and started out going to JoAnn’s Fabric, iParty, A.C. Moore, and Target. I ended up finding what I needed plus a few extras to finish off my Fall DIY Centerpiece. So at least it was productive.

Then I doubled up on the Crockpots and started to bake away!

First I started with a Crockpot Buffalo Chicken.

I got to use it the next day for a Buffalo Chicken Wrap, and a few other meals I have planned!

The other crockpot was for Caramel Apple Cider.

Sunday: I spent the morning doing chores then heading back out to A.C. Moore for some Red Sprigs. I knew I needed to add something to the table scape and I think it really added something to the table. What do you think?

After hitting up the grocery store for a few ingredients I headed home to make a Caramel Pear Pie.

So it was a lot busier than I thought it was going to be, but hey there is always next weekend!!

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Sami at Sami’s Shenanigans and Leann at Join the Gossip .

September 13, 2013

Cake Decorating | Books | Marilyn Monroe

Is it really Friday already? I feel like it has flown by, but then again it has been a super busy week. Either way I am so excited for this weekend. I don’t have any definitive plans for the weekend and I am not mad about it!

For those who know me well though I can never rest on my laurels (does anyone even say that anymore). Anyhoo, knowing me I can be found shopping, finishing up my Fall Centerpiece DIY project, baking and hopefully clearing out my DVR. If you want to get sneak peaks of all my weekend hooligans then check me out on Instagram here.

Now on to my Five Things I Am Loving, Doing, Buying etc this week.

One. I am so excited about taking a Cake Decorating class in October. It is 4 sessions for 3 hours each. It is no secret that I love to bake but everything I have ever made has all been self-taught so to actually learn from someone else will be a new experience and I can’t wait! I have thought about opening my own bakery but I am a little to scared at this point. We shall see what the future holds though, never say never.

Two. This was a book that I grabbed at the last second while waiting to checkout at the library, heaven forbid I be without a book to read every day. I am so glad I picked it up though. It was very thought provoking, and I found myself actually crying while reading this book. The pain and sorrow in certain parts was so overwhelming.

Details: Two women running away from their marriages collide on a foggy highway, killing one of them. The survivor, Isabelle, is left to pick up the pieces, not only of her own life, but of the lives of the devastated husband and fragile son that the other woman, April, has left behind. Together, they try to solve the mystery of where April was running to, and why. As these three lives intersect, the book asks, How well do we really know those we love—and how do we forgive the unforgivable? – taken from Amazon

Three. Since I redecorated my bathroom I needed to update my Magnetic Makeup Board. For the original instructions you can go here. I need it to match a little more with the new design. If you ask really nice maybe I will do a post on the new makeup board project.

Four. I love Marilyn Monroe, even though she left the world at a young world she was flawed but she was also fearless. She really went after what she wanted and didn’t make any bones about wanting what she wanted. I really respect and admire that quality. I can not remember where I found this image but it anyone has seen it let me know so I can credit properly.

Five. I haven’t decided yet what I am going to try and accomplish from my Fall Bucket List this weekend. It may be the Apple Cider or the Homemade Pie but I am going to try and finish my Dining Room Centerpiece. I am going for something sort of like this, thought it will be paired down a bit (I would like it a little simpler):

SOURCE

With this being the inspiration for the centerpiece:

Fall Centerpiece--> also convertible to winter centerpiece

SOURCE

*** Don’t forget the $175 J. Crew and $75 Target Gift Card giveaway is still going on so don’t forget to enter here.

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