House Update - The Deck

While we've been tackling a lot of little projects around the house, the most exciting (to me) is the deck! Perhaps one of the reasons it's been my favorite is because we actually hired someone to build it! And it was well worth the money! Once we have the deck set up and the landscaping done, I'll do a better post but here's where we're at!

This is what it looked like when we moved in...

Then it turned into this...

And here's where we're at now.  Since we look the curtains down I'm going to get some art to go on either side of the door to add some more color.

It's crazy how much bigger it makes the room feel and lets in a lot of natural light!

We knew we wanted french doors that both opened up.  When they're both open it feel like one big room onto the deck, which is great for having people over and entertaining.  I was pretty specific on the molding above the door and if I could do it again I'd probably make that wide piece above the door a little bit wider (taller) but I really like the character it adds. 

It was also important that we had outswinging doors because we don't have that much room in the dining room as it is.  And for whatever reason outswinging doors are about $400 more than inswing but it really wasn't even an option for us. Please excuse the multicolored chair.  It's mid-makeover...going on two years now...oops!

We have two sets of stairs on either end of the deck.  This side of the deck opens up to another little entertaining area with the firepit and some Adirondack chairs soon. We will also be building a raised bed for my vegetable plants along the left of the stairs.

I had a lot of fun moving the fire pit from the other side of the yard :)

We love our neighbors but we'll be planting some privacy trees along the fence...eventually...

This wider set of steps leads to the parking pad in back.  One thing Bobby was worried about was the security of the doors.  They are really sturdy and solid so he's feeling good about it, because we live in such a dangerous neighborhood and the 3 giant dogs wouldn't scare someone off :)

Like I said, once we have some furniture on the deck and things in place, I'll share a little more! Just wanted to give you an update!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

I have to start of by admitting that I have always hated tomato soup.  Yes, I hate tomato soup, which is a serious testament to this recipe. Growing up my dad always loved Campbell's Tomato Soup and for some reason I always wanted to like it but every time I would try it I was so bummed.  But awhile back I had a serious basil plant that needed some pruning and a bunch of fresh tomatoes from our CSA basket so when my friend from Harding posted this recipe on her blog, Pretty/Hungry, I thought I'd give it a try! And I'm so glad I did! It's a great meal for cold winter days but also perfect for those Farmer's Market tomatoes in the summer! Or really just whenever you want a healthy, comforting soup!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup-
12 tomatoes (I've used a bunch of different types of red tomatoes and they all turn out great!)
15 or so leaves of basil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
a pinch of sugar
4-6 cloves of garlic (if you don't like garlic as much as we do, you can use less)
1 Tbsp butter
a small onion
2 quarts of chicken broth
olive oil
1/2 cp heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper

Start by slicing your tomatoes in half.  Carissa suggests slicing them through the side of the tomato, not top to bottom, which is a great tip!  Gently squeeze out the seeds and tomato guts.  Place all of the tomatoes on a baking sheet, lined with foil along with your garlic and about 10 basil leaves. Toss it with 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and roast it at 415 for 20 minutes.

While you're waiting on the roasting tomatoes, chop your onions and about 5 more basil leaves. On medium heat melt your butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and saute your onion.  Once your tomatoes are done, dump the entire pan of tomatoes, garlic, basil and all the juices into your pot with the onions. YUM! Add the chicken broth, chopped basil and tomato paste.  Allow this to boil for 30-45 minutes.  Naturally you are losing liquid but if it's getting to0 low put a lid on your pot to keep the moisture in.  Good things are happening in there!

Using an immersion blender, blend all of the goodness in the pot so that it's smooth and not too chunky, unless, of course, you like chunky tomato soup...

Lastly, add the cream! I guess if you're not into cream you can leave it out but I don't recommend it!

I usually top mine with some shaved parmesan cheese and basil, and if I'm feeling really fancy I'll make some garlic croutons to go on top! This soup is also pretty scrumptious paired with a grilled cheese, if I do say so myself! But you can eat it however you want, but I do highly recommend you try it! You won't be disappointed in this tomato soup!

Perfect Fudge (in the microwave)

 

So it all started at a church potluck.  I had cut out sugar for the month, which is pretty tricky at a church potluck.  My friend, Andrea,  had made a batch of fudge for dessert.  At first I was like, oh yeah, I can stay away from it, but as I was downstairs, by myself, cleaning up from the potluck, the fudge started speaking to me.  And I ate a tee-tiny little piece and it. was. good. Sooooo good! To top it off, she told me she made it in the microwave.  Yummy fudge that was easy to make? Unheard of.  My grandpa use to make fudge at Christmas and I remember him spending a lot of time over the stove, stirring and measuring and cooling and reheating.  And I've never had the time to recreate his fudge.  But this recipe is different.  It's so easy to make and everywhere I take it people rave about it.  People have even claimed it's 'the best fudge they've ever had.'  Something else that's really great is that you can make it any flavor you want - chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, mint, topped with anything you want - nuts, Reese's, marshmallows, sprinkles, crushed peppermints, the possibilities are endless!

Love this recipe! THANKS, ANDREA!

Microwave Fudge-
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
5 oz evaporated milk
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, butterscotch, white chocolate, mint)
7 oz marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla

- Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a glass bowl.  Microwave 11 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.  The bowl gets HOT.  I leave it in the microwave to stir and use pot holders to get it out after it's done.
- Stir in remaining ingredients until well combined.  Remember it's super hot so be careful!
- Line a 9x13 glass casserole dish with foil.  Spray the foil with a nonstick spray and pour the fudge mixture into the casserole dish.  (I like my fudge to be kinda thick so I use a smaller cassserole dish, it's an old 8x10 pan, but it's totally up to you.  I've used a 9x9 before, too.)
-You can mix in candies/nuts with fudge before you pour it into the casserole dish or you can put it on top AS SOON as you pour it in so that it sticks to the top of the fudge.
- Allow the fudge to sit 3-4 hours until it has completely cooled. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR! Just be patient :)
- Use the foil to lift the fudge out of the dish and using a long, sharp knife, cut into square pieces.

I hope you enjoy the fudge! If you have any ideas for neat candy/chip combinations, feel free to share!

A guest room update...

Something VERY exciting happened last weekend.  My Aunt Lou came to visit! She stays pretty busy between work and her many adventures so to get her for the weekend was a treat.  And to top it off, it was her birthday! Woohoo! She was staying at our house, which was awesome, except our guest bedroom had become a catch all since we moved in this house.... almost a year ago... So it was time to give it a little attention and a few bucks.

This was the room when we moved in to the house.  Bobby's grandparents used it as a den.

 (If you're not interested in a long story, keep scrolling!)

The color of the room is now 'Sea Salt'.  It's kind of a funny story.  I, of course, wanted to paint the room SW Rainwashed because it looks good in any room, but the hubs was sick of that color and this was going to be his office.  I told him he could pick any color he wanted for the walls....until he picked a color that resembled the mess our 16 month old niece made in her diaper three times a day.  I actually thought he was kidding when he showed me the brownish-greenish color. My heart was actually a little torn.  Do I let him do this to the biggest room in the house or do I try to convince him to explore some other color options?  The good wife probably would have gone with it but apparently the good wife didn't come to play that day.  So there we were standing by the paint samples in Home Depot, ticked at the world, and Bobby reaches over to the paint samples, and WITHOUT LOOKING, grabs one and says, "this one".  I wasn't about to argue with him, and although I hated the idea of a cream wall with white trim and an off white bed, I decided to just go with it. And so we did.  Looking back it probably wasn't our finest moment but renovating an old home isn't all fun and games.  I'm glad we went with the color but I never knew that until the room was finished.  So now I love the color of the room and I give all the credit to my hubby!

I love all the natural light this room gets, it just pours in those large windows.  By the way, I made those curtains out of a drop cloth from Home Depot and I didn't even use a sewing machine! I'll show you how soon!

We bought this bed at the Nashville Flea Market for $99 a few years back.  I gave it a fresh coat of paint and I think it works well in this room.  I love the detail in the footboard.

I bought the lamp from Wal-Mart, of all places.  I was looking for a mercury glass lamp at HomeGoods and Kirklands but I didn't want to pay $60.  I stumbled across this one and it's perfect, and at $14.99 what's not to love!  I did buy the vase of pink ranunculus at HomeGoods.  It was kind of a splurge at $19.99 but I needed a pop of color.

 These nightstands were another great find.... on the side of the road in someone's garbage! Yep, I am not above taking one man's trash if I think I can turn it into a treasure! My mother-in-law actually saw someone throwing these in the garbage and she snatched them up for me.  She knows me well :)  There's two of them and they are solid wood.  They were a pretty rough green color but a little paint can work wonders!

This is my favorite chair in the whole wide world and it didn't fit in the living room.  I wasn't about to get rid of it so I created a reading nook in the corner.  Now two apologies are in order.  I haven't found a lampshade for the lamp yet.  I probably should have bought one before this post but I haven't had any time! I'll get on that soon! Secondly, I found this side table, again, on the side of the road.  It's a great table and the paint is easily chipping off so it won't be hard to refinish.....soon. Again, I haven't had time but I'll let you know when it happens!

I bought this lovely rug at Target for $79, again, a good deal in my book!

I grabbed a few more pillows for the bed at HomeGoods and the two grayish/brownish pillows in the back, those pillowcases are from Goodwill, 50 cents each.  You never know what you'll find at Goodwill!

Although this was a comfy room before, we used our small budget to turn it into a guest room that fits our needs and taste!  Thanks for stopping in to check it out!

Weeknight Chicken

This is my 'go-to, weeknight, I'm in a bind and don't know what we are going to eat for dinner in an hour' chicken.  But sometimes I make it for guests as well, because not only is it really easy, it's incredibly delicious! It's great on sandwiches, in salads, on top of pasta or on the side with some veggies, you really can't go wrong here. It's also makes for good leftovers.  I usually make a few extra pieces to throw on salads during the week. And it's easy because you throw everything in one bowl (or bag) and let it marinade and then put it on the grill, in the oven, or pan fry it like I did for this post.

 Seriously, it's so good.

Everyday Chicken-

4-6 chicken breasts (or you could use tenderloins)

1/3 cp olive or canola oil

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp lemon juice (or about half of one lemon)

4 cloves crushed garlic, or if you aren't crazy garlic fans, like us, you can use less.

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cp chopped, fresh parsley OR 3 Tbsp dried parsley

Put all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl or a gallon size bag and mix around well so that everything is evenly coated.  You can let this marinade overnight or if you don't have time, let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. Grilling is my method of choice but in the winter I like to pan fry it in a small pat of butter over medium-high heat. You could also pop it in the oven but I like a little bit more color on my chicken and I get that from the stove or grill! However you cook it, it will taste great! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

THE Dressing, Revisited

I have a confession.  It's a little embarrassing but it happened and now I'm fixing it!  A LONG time ago I posted the recipe for 'THE dressing', and yes, that's actually what we call it. It's a dressing that I concocted one day when I was attempting to make a yummy balsamic vinaigrette.  Here's the thing though, it turns out I'm not really a balsamic vinaigrette person.  Pop open a bottle of ranch and I'm a happy girl but put a basic balsamic vinaigrette on my salad and I probably won't eat it.  So I made the vinaigrette, hated it, and decided to add some things that I do like to try to correct this mistake, like brown sugar :)  I threw it in with some mixed greens, tomatoes and feta and it was a hit.  When friends were coming over they'd ask beforehand if I was making 'the dressing', and so it stuck! And then people started asking for the recipe but I had never written down the actual measurements.  I decided to make a batch and measure out each ingredient and post it to the blog.  After awhile I had friends make the comment that their dressing just wasn't the same as mine and blamed it on their lack of cooking skills, which was totally not the case.  It was MY FAULT! I made a batch using the recipe I posted on the blog and while it wasn't bad, it just wasn't the same.  And so I apologize.  I made another batch, measured the ingredients, copied it down, and have made the dressing SIX TIMES using this recipe.  It's on point! I hope you'll give it a try! It's a hit! And a little goes A LONG way!

The Dressing-
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2/3 cp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cp balsamic vinegar

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate.  The olive oil will solidify when it gets cold, just set the dressing out five minutes before you're ready to use it.  Stir (or shake) before pouring!  

The Cooker's Fling Tea

Growing up there was a really great restaurant that we frequented often after church on Sundays.  It was right down the road from our church and it was always my first pick for one reason. Fling Tea. The restaurant was called 'The Cooker' and the only thing I remember was the fruit tea! It was just so good! It closed when I was about twelve and that was the end of Fling Tea...until...I was messing around with my mom's fruit tea recipe and I accidentally duplicated it.  Cha-Ching!  Because it is a little heavy on sugar, we only drink it on 'special occasions' ha! If I could drink it with breakfast, lunch and dinner, I would!  If you've never tried Fling Tea, I HIGHLY recommend you make a pitcher for your next dinner or holiday. You can thank me later ;)

Fling Tea-
5 Family Tea Bags
1.5 cps sugar (Of course, you can add less if you don't like your tea this sweet.)
1 cp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3/4 cp frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cp frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed

Heat 3 cups water and seep the tea bags.  While the water is still warm stir in the sugar until it has dissolved.  Add the juices and 8 cups of ice water.  Stir and enjoy!

You're welcome.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

I'm a big fan of quiche.  I like to make one to have in the fridge for breakfast some weeks. The hubs doesn't like quiche.  It's actually the only thing I make that he doesn't eat.  We had a bad quiche experience once and I think he can't escape it.  Lucky for me, because he doesn't eat it, quiches will actually last me the whole week for breakfast.  I'm also not a fan of reheating leftovers but for some reason this doesn't bother me at all.  It reheats really well.

Quiches are great because you can mix them up and add different veggies and cheeses for a totally different quiche experience. I typically like lots of veggies in my quiche but the recipe I'm posting today is pretty simple. I hope you give it a try!

Crustless Spinach Quiche

• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 oz. feta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly cover a 9 inch pie plate with a cooking spray (I use olive oil spray).

On medium-high heat, melt your butter (or heat your olive oil). I like it to get pretty hot so that I can get a little color on my onions. Add the onions to the skillet and let them cook 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and pour this into your pie plate.

The next step is to get all of the water out of your spinach.  I usually put the thawed spinach in the colander and wring it out with my hands.  Then I put it on paper towels and wring it our some more. You can probably get away with just the first step but I like to be sure. Spread this spinach on top of the onions and top that with the feta cheese.

In a separate bowl mix the eggs, milk, parmesan cheese and a small pinch of salt and pepper until combined.  Pour this on top of the spinach & feta. Top the quiche with the mozzarella cheese and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Let it rest for ten minutes before serving.

I hope you give this quiche a chance! Thanks for dropping by!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It's finally that time of year, and while I love the summertime, I LOVE holiday cheer and the Christmas spirit! The hubs loves the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas and I like to get the house ready while he's out and surprise him when he comes home. With a new house this year I had to get a few extra things but I usually try to decorate using things I already have and on a budget. 

 Before it was a 'thing' to decorate with old windows, my mom was smart enough to save the windows she was having replaced in their home.  We have quite a few and I have found many uses for them. This one was perfect for the shelf with a gold 'G' that I got for $9 from Hobby Lobby.  The silver candle holders are from Ikea and I've had them for awhile.  I actually didn't even move them from my fall shelves I had up. I already had my reindeer and I bought 6 stems of red berries from Hobby Lobby for 75 cents each.

(My sister-in-law used an old window to hang a wreath on above her electric fireplace! What a great idea! I just thought I'd throw her pretty picture in here, too!) 

 

You can you glass jars, cake places, and canopic jars for decorating in any season, and most likely you already have something in your house you could use to fill the glass with.  I just used some small red Christmas balls to fill in these mini cake plates with domes. In the past I've also used mini pine cones, a string of lights, decorating gems, a candle and seasonal greenery. Really anything you have an abundance of that will fit inside works just fine!

 I took a candle that I already had and wrapped some burlap around it.  I tucked some cinnamon sticks in and tied it up with some twine. As soon as I can get my lazy bum up I am going to remove this fake greenery and cut some magnolia leaves from my in laws tree to add to the shelves.  Anytime you can add fresh foliage, go for it! I couldn't help but notice in the Black Friday ads that Home Depot will have fresh 15' garland and wreaths tomorrow.  I may have to go grab some.  The aroma is heavenly!

(Speaking of heavenly aromas, if your husband refuses to get a real tree because he's afraid it'll catch on fire, and you miss the Christmas tree smell that fills your home, you must buy one of these candles!  It's a Febreeze 'Glistening Pine'. It smells just like a real Christmas tree!  I highly recommend it!)

 I kinda love these hanging wicker balls. I used 3m strips to attach the burlap ribbon to the top of the doorway.  I also used them to create a decorative piece above the doorway.

 I filled the bottom of this large Ikea basket with newspaper and put a few different size cans at the bottom (like a can of tuna, can of soup, etc...) so that the candles would sit evenly.  Then I filled it with different size Christmas balls and beads. I love silver and gold together AND I also love anything with gold glitter.  :) I can't help it!

I forgot to take a picture of the tree!  It's standing right next to me in this picture.  Riggins has found a new spot underneath the tree where he likes to lay.  It's sorta sweet :)  The best part of the living room when it comes to Christmas spirit is hooking up my iphone to the speakers and listening to Martina McBride belt her holiday tunes. You can't forget Christmas music when you're wanting to set the Christmas mood! 

We are going to enjoy our Christmas house as long as we can! It always feels empty after we take it down so we have to soak it all up!

Thanks for stopping in and Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

 First, I must give credit where credit is due! I found this recipe here.  I have to say of all of the recipes I've tried from Pinterest, this is my favorite.   I've been seeing pumpkin recipes all over the place but I think for a sweet pumpkin recipe, this takes the cake! I've taken these cupcakes to all kinds of gatherings and I've never had any leftovers to take home.  And they get some pretty rave reviews!   I use to make pumpkin rolls during the fall but these are so much easier to make!

 2 Dozen Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 (15-oz.) can pure pumpkin puree
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below) 

In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a separate bowl combine the salt, oil, sugars, eggs, milk and pumpkin puree.  In the original recipe it says to blend the oil and sugars together until fluffy, then add the rest of the wet ingredients.  I never reached a 'fluffy' consistency in doing this so now I just put all of those ingredients in a bowl and mix it up and it turns out just the same.  Why complicate things? Just make sure if you're using a mixer that you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. Ta-Da! Pour the batter into the cups, filling them about 3/4 full and bake on 350 for 20 minutes.  While they are baking you can make the icing...

 Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
       *This recipe makes A LOT of icing.  You will have plenty to liberally ice all 24 cupcakes!

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 7 1/2 to 8 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 In a mixer (or with a handheld) blend the cream cheese and butter until creamy.  With my Kitchenaid stand mixer I usually let it mix on level six for about two minutes, scraping the sides a few times. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Add the confectioner sugar one cup at a time.  I use right at 7 1/2 cups of sugar. 

It's VERY IMPORTANT that you let your cupcakes cool completely before you ice them. The icing has butter and cream cheese in it! If your cupcake is hot the will melt and slide right off! If you're impatient like me just throw them in the fridge for a few minutes!

I have a few piping bags and tips but I HATE cleaning them.  I'm lazy, what can I say.  So I just use a gallon size Zip Lock baggie.  *My experience is that the off brands bust pretty easily*  I cut a very small tip in a bottom corner and put my icing tip in nice and tight and fill it up with icing.  When I'm done I take out the icing tip and throw the dirty bag away.

 

Dining Room Shelves & Decorating for Halloween

One thing I really miss about our old house is our fireplace.  In the winter there were very few days we didn't have a fire going.  Our house was small enough that the fire would just about warm up the entire place.  And I love the coziness of a fire.  You can't recreate that, but I have attempted to recreate another aspect of the fireplace, the mantle.  The fireplace was the focal point of our last living room and the mantle was usually decorated for the season.  I was inspired by Shelley at House of Smiths to build my own shelves to decorate.  It just so happens that she built the cafe shelves that I wanted from Ballard Design, for much less than they were at BD. I was really happy with the way they turned out.  They are easy to build and less than $100! You can't beat that.  They are up in our dining room and ready for Halloween!

HomeGoods is usually my go-to place for decorating, but I also find some great things at World Market, garage sales and flea markets. 

I made this plate using my Silhouette.  Whenever I see a unique plate or dish on clearance I usually grab it. You never know what you might be able to do with it.

You see the strip running across the bottom of my shelf?  That wasn't there originally and I am a little bummed you can see it, but it turns out there's a large metal air conditioning vent running behind the wall where I was going to hand the shelves.  I had to get creative and find a different way to hang the them and this seemed to be my only option.  

I don't normally do skulls but I was feeling it this year...

A view of the shelf from underneath.  If anyone is wanting to build one I think this picture sums up how I did it....I think... I took some pictures to document the process.  I will try to post them soon!

Thanks for dropping in!