My Happy Place.

The kitchen is my favorite room in our house.  I love the light.  I love the space.  I have more cabinets and counterspace than ever before.  It's fantastic.

Here's what it looked like before we bought it:

Limitless potential.

We bought a fridge, replaced the stove, and added some paint that matched the colors we had picked for the rest of the main level.

After just a few weeks of love and attention (and remodel budget), it looked like this:

Our fridge was our big success.  We are lucky to live near a Sears Outlet store.  We found a brand new Kenmore Elite for half the price it's match was retailing for at Best Buy.  We were not so fortunate on the stove, but you win some and lose some.  We also got lucky in that we actually like all of the light fixtures that were already installed. New countertops and flooring are on the After-the-Wedding list, as is replacing the sliding glass door.  It sticks something fierce.

We completed our latest decorating project this weekend.  We hatched the idea of having a chalkboard in the kitchen months ago, but didn't want to add very permanent chalkboard paint to the walls.  We found adhesive tiles online, attached them to foam board, and put them inside 8x10 frames.  The Fiance, who is a Master Hanger, put them up, along with some artwork we stumbled across at TJ Maxx.

I usually have the weekly meal plan on an index card on the fridge, but it's been posted here instead.  I love how it turned out and it's even better than we pictured!  We're already having fun adding and erasing things on the agenda and To Do lists. 

What's your favorite room in your home?

Shower time!

I have three cousins getting married in the next year.  Wowzers, my family is going to be busy!  But of course, before we go about the business of getting all of us wedded off, we must first shower.

Erin is our first Bride-to-Be.  She and her fiance Paulie are getting married at the end of March.  Erin LOVES flip flops.  She's a collector.  We decided to do a tropical flip-flop theme for her.

Complete with a cake ... "Erin has flipped for Paulie!"

 

Fun tropical decor in her wedding colors. 

 

 And a cookie buffet!

  Me and Seester MOH, fellow hostess with the mostest.

  

  Prezzies! Lots and lots of prezzies!

  

 One of the best gifts E&P opened ... as you can see, they have a House Divided.

 

  The last gift was from my aunt.  The family spends a lot of time travelling to Hawaii together.  They all love it.  This gift came all the way from the islands, wrapped in the box that my aunt's wedding invitations first came to her in.  A sweet note (tearjerker!) was included ...

 With their toasting flutes (etched with beautiful hibiscus flowers).

Sharing the ups and downs of wedding planning with my cousin has been an amazing experience for me.  We're a little more than 9 months apart in age, and getting married just 6 months apart.  Our weddings seem to be very different and very similar, all at the same time.  I can't belive in just a few weeks the little girl I used to play dress-up with in a tiny playhouse is going to be somebody's wifie!  I can't wait to see her big day come together ... it's going to be beautiful.

Congrats Erin and Paulie!  See you in a few weeks!

Huevos Rancheros

My future husband loves Mexican food.  Whenever we go to our favorite restaurant, he always orders the same thing: huevos rancheros.  He loves them - his favorite food.   Aside from Famous Wing Salads from Syberg's, I'm pretty sure he could subsist on them.

So I had to learn to make them.  Bon Appetit magazine to the rescue!

(via Epicurious)

Huevos Rancheros in Tortilla Cups

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 6- to 61/2-inch-diameter tortillas
1 15-ounce can pinto beans or black beans, drained
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup purchased pico de gallo
2 to 3 teaspoons bottled chipotle hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush six 10-ounce custard cups with 1 tablespoon oil. Stack tortillas; microwave uncovered until warm and flexible, about 25 seconds. Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup. Brush tortillas with 2 tablespoons oil.
Place pinto beans, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, and cumin in small bowl; mash coarsely with fork. Spoon bean mixture into bottom of tortilla cups, spreading and dividing evenly. Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup atop beans. Sprinkle each with grated Monterey Jack cheese, covering egg completely. Bake uncovered until egg yolks are firm to touch and whites are set, about 27 minutes (yolks will still be soft inside).
Meanwhile, mix pico de gallo, 1/3 cup cilantro, and hot sauce in small bowl. Using large spoon, lift tortilla cups from dishes; transfer to plates. Top eggs with pico de gallo and serve immediately.

These are best with homemade pico de gallo ... and if you're me, sour cream and guacamole.  We've decided after making them several times that we prefer them with flour tortillas instead of corn.  

Enjoy!

"CCC"

Cheesy Chicken Cups. This is one of the WW classics.  There are a dozen variations at least, but here is the base model:

Cheesy Chicken Cups

1 can RF Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 oz chicken breast, cooked, skinless
10 Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits (55 cal)
1 can RF Cream of Chicken or Soup (can use other cream soups as well)
2 oz 2% Mild Cheddar Cheese (I use Cabot 75% reduced fat)
Garlic
Tabasco sauce

Combine diced chicken, can of soup, and seasonings. Flatten each biscuit and place into muffin cup, add a scoop of chicken mixture, top with cheese. Bake at 350 until biscuit is golden brown.

The fun doesn't end there.  They freeze and reheat well (which I take advantage of for lunch at the office often).  You can add any vegetable you like or use different kinds of meat.  Buffalo sauce and celery are popular additions in our house, but that probably goes without saying.  There are also Philly cheese steak and pepperoni pizza varieties that I have yet to try.

Enjoy!

Happy Blogiversary!

My little blog is a year old today!

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Can you believe it?  It's been an amazing year so far. Thanks for reading!  Here's to many more!

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

I love Cookng Light magazine. I've been a subscriber for years and it's a never-ending source of ideas. I remember pulling the following recipe to try when I lived in my first off-campus apartment in college with three other girls. We had a family dinner night every couple of weeks and this recipe was excellent for two reasons: cheap and easy.  It's become a staple for me now.

{via Cooking Light}

Herbed Chicken Parmesan
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup dry Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

Preheat broiler. Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.
Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Adapted from Cooking Light.

Serve with a side of pasta and a big salad and it's a dinner that works. I can get this on the table in less than 30 minutes if I need to, and usually have the ingredients on hand to fake my way through.