My Sweetest Things

The weather is changing and fall is here! My favorite time of the year! Halloween is coming right up and I was feeling crafty and I came across this cute project courtesy of Martha Stewart. I am a fan of Mason Jars and use them for all sorts of home projects so I pulled them out and got to work.

Project Items

Acrylic Paint in Orange and Black – I ended up using a Sharpie Paint Pen for the Black

Paint Brush or Sponge Brush

Clean Glass Jar

Copper Wire – I use #20 since I will hang these and it’s sturdy

Needle nose pliers

Orange and Black Beads – Optional but I like the Sparkle!

Sand

Small Candle

Paint the inside of the jar. I found it dried very quickly.

This is the Paint Sharpie I used to paint the face. It dried quickly as well and

I found it easy to use. You can use a template for the face but I went free style

as you can see….I may use a template for the next one!

These are glass beads I bought to add some sparkle! It’s all about the sparkle!

I wrapped the copper wire around the jar to measure the cut. Copper wire comes in many colors but I

choose black. I also bought some orange wire as well but settled on the black.

I added a few small beads along the wire base. I bent the wire just a little so the beads would not move around.

I measured the wire hanging loop for the cut. I wanted to hang these on

Shepards Hooks so I gave them some length.

Here is the finished product!

Hanging outside on the back deck! I added some sand to the bottom

of the jar and placed a candle inside. I was happy with the results!

Behind the scenes photo! My lighting in the kitchen is terrible. Even though I have that lovely window,

I also have tons of tall trees outside. The lamps are a huge help and very cost friendly. $7 at the Home Depot!

Anyhoo, Thanks to Martha Stewart to helping me get my craft on. Once again here is the link to the original

project.  Be Creative!

It’s all good!

~Donna

We have chicken for dinner in our house a few times a week. In a year, that’s a whole lot of chicken dinners! I was in a chicken rut and needed some chicken change so I searched for recipes and found this  recipe from a site called Simply Recipes. Growing up I do not recall having Parmesan Chicken for dinner. I certainly remember lot’s of rice, beans,  tortillas and grilled meats but nothing that came close to chicken in a lovely coating of Parmesan, garlic, butter and herbs. It’s not a meal I have ordered out at dinner and while I have had a bite or two, I have not served this meal for family dinner and it did sound delish, so I gave it a try.You will most likely have the ingredients in your pantry and it is a very simple recipe. I used three chicken breasts and ended up with extra bread crumbs. The next time I make this I will keep some of the bread crumbs out on the side and use as needed to coat the chicken. I ended up having to throw them out since I dipped the raw chicken in them. It is a wonderful blend of herbs and spices that could be used in other dishes. Meatloaf perhaps?

Anyhoo, Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Parmesan Chicken!

List of Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stick unsalted butter melted

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

A large pinch of Italian Seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken – I used chicken breasts

Melt butter and add minced garlic.

Add the dry ingredients and kindly introduce them.

Mix them around so they can mingle!

Dip the chicken in the butter and garlic. This shiny chicken is grossing me out but it is part of this chicken

adventure so I quickly paste the image and move on..

Dip  the chicken in the crumb mixture to coat. “Hey who invited this chicken to our mix?”

Place coated chicken in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven.

But wait! I forgot to drizzle the left over butter, garlic mixture over the top of the chicken, so make sure you do

that before you bake.

After I put the chicken in the oven, I looked over and saw this mess. So what did I do?

Put off doing the dishes and took pictures of my favorite things in my kitchen!

This little coconut  mask got damaged in our move but still has a place in my heart.

I snapped this photo and saw the nice cobweb and thought I should dust but kept doing this…

Taking more photos!

The coconut masks I personally carried across the Mexican border. When I lived in

San Antonio a visit to Mexico was a short trip and the shopping was awesome.

This little switch plate, I crafted myself! Yes. I did. I will show you how in another post.

But….after a little diversion…here is the Chicken Parmesan!

I baked for 15 minutes and then another five and when the juices ran clear it was ready and it was Tasty!

It’s all good.

~Donna

Blogs. Love them. Read them daily. I have many favorites and I am huge fan of the Pioneer Woman. I came across her blog through photography but discovered her amazing cooking talents as well. She recently started a new blog call Tasty Kitchen. On this site you can find an abundance of delicious tried and true recipes. While browsing through Tasty Kitchen I came across this recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Well, I happened to have some pretty ripe bananas sitting on the counter and chocolate chips in the pantry so the timing was perfect. I grabbed the ingredients, cracked, beat, stirred, sprinkled…had a few licks and in the end, I had delicious Muffins! These are very moist and the chocolate and banana together? Perfect! Thanks to Wendy for adding the recipe!  You can find me at Tasty Kitchen as member dsolzer!

Ingredients I used for this recipe.

1 cup Unsalted Butter

1 cup sugar

3 whole ripe bananas

2 whole eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

5 tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Cream Butter and Sugar

Add in the bananas -

Bananas remind me of the Chiquita Banana Stickers we would pull

off the bunch and stick to our foreheads as kids. Then we would break into song of course!

“I’m Chiquita banana and I’ve come to say – Bananas have to ripen in a certain way-

When they are fleck’d with brown and have a golden hue -

Bananas taste the best and are best for you – You can put them in a salad -

You can put them in a pie-aye – Any way you want to eat them – It’s impossible to beat them

But, bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator – So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator.”

Of course you know that song?

How about now? Does this image help? Good. Now back to the recipe!

Add in the rest of the ingredients – see that cinnamon and chocolate chips? Yummy!

Spray muffin tins and add scoops of muffin mix. I prefer Baker’s Joy.

It contains both oil and flour so you don’t have to mess with greasing

and flouring the pans. Ok? Ok. Now we bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

or until they are a pretty golden brown.

While the muffins are baking, I deal with this mess. It’s all good though because soon

I have these waiting for me….

Hello Friend.

Warm and delish!

See? Here’s a bite for you.

It’s all good.

~ Donna

Now what starts with the letter “C”?
“Cookie” starts with “C”!
Let’s think of other things that starts with “C”!
Uh. . .Uh. . . Who cares about da other things?!

“C” is for Cookie that’s good enough for me,
“C” is for cookie that’s good enough for me,
Oh! cookie, cookie, cookie starts with “C”!  ~ Cookie Monster~ Sesame Street

Well, you know what else starts with the letter C? Chocolate! Yes Please. I had huge craving for chocolate on Monday so what better way to squish that craving then to whip up a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies! Years ago I bought the Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book. Mrs. Fields knows about cookies so I used her famous Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. The cookies are rich and chewy just the way we like them around this house. The recipe makes close to 3 1/2 dozen which means there are plenty to share….or not…okay…share I will and I did.

Ingredients for this recipe.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 sticks salted butter, softened (I used unsalted butter and added an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, soda, and salt – Mix well with wire whisk

Why hello there brown sugar!

Hello white sugar. I have a friend who is waiting to meet you!

Sugar’s meet and mix!

Throw two sticks of butter in the mix.

Butter meets sugar. At this point, please feel free to taste. So buttery and sugary. So good!

Eggs and vanilla in the yummy butter, sugar mix.

Mix at medium speed until just blended.

Add the flour mixture.

Add chocolate chips and mix until just barely mixed.

Hello tasty morsels! You deserve a close up!

All mixed up and ready to eat by the spoonful!

But no, really you should do this and drop by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheet.

While the cookies are baking in the 300 degree oven for 18-22 minutes, I start cleaning

up this mess!

Here is a look at the first batch and my first bite! or second bite? Where’s the milk?

All done and nicely stacked….but not for long!

This is a simple recipe with rich results. Enjoy!

It’s all good.

~Donna

The last few months I have been spending more and more time searching recipes to change up our family dinners. Seems like I was stuck using the same recipes and I was looking forward to mixing things up with new flavors. Since my focus has been on cooking and baking I have also taken an interest in adding some new kitchen appliances for my “tool box”.  On an afternoon trip to the grocery store I noticed a Cuisinart Food Processor sitting oh so pretty on a table by the checkout lanes. It was a clearance table and it caught my eye. Clearance tags do that to me every time! I saw the price and considered buying it. I held the box in my hands, yes, no, yes, no. no. I did not buy it but said to myself that if I came back later that week and it was still there then it would be mine. Over the weekend my husband and I were at the grocery store and we made it up and down the aisles and headed to the checkout. There, still sitting pretty was the Cuisinart. I picked it up and smiled at my husband so sweetly. The price tag was $25 off the already clearance price. It was meant for me. “Put it in the cart” my husband said, and I did!The checkout lady was so shocked at the price and I really did get a great deal. Timing is everything.

My husband and I did some traveling so a few weeks went by before I had the chance to use it but I knew it was there sitting pretty and patiently for me to open it. One afternoon after work it was time for us to officially meet. I unpacked my pretty and learned how to use all the blades. My son came into the room and I quickly showed him the power of slicing a potato in seconds. I was thrilled! He was not so impressed. “Uh, okay Mom. Good job.” He giggled at me and walked away. What else could I chop in seconds? Onions! Dice, Dice, Dice in seconds. Cuisinart, where have you been my whole adult cooking life? I am so happy you are here! Well, now I had sliced potatoes and diced onions so scalloped potatoes came to mind.  My mom gave me a Betty Crocker cookbook many years ago and I knew I could count on Betty for a recipe. Sure enough, Betty Crocker came through and we had delicious scalloped potatoes for dinner that night.

Hello Friend!

Cuisinart meets Potato. It’s a death match. Guess who wins?

Potato down and sliced in seconds. It really was no match.

Good try Onion. Maybe next time.

Ingredients for this recipe.

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups milk

3 cups potatoes peeled and thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Recipe and instructions straight from Betty Crocker.

Butter meet Onion. Be kind. He fought hard.

Salt and pepper’s here and we’re in the mix….

You are not alone….the sauce is on it’s way!

The gangs all here. Ready for some hot stuff. Hello 350 degree Oven.

All done.

Very warm and tasty and thanks Cuisinart for the slice, and dice thrills!

Pepe on the other hand is not so thrilled. Don’t take it personally Cuisinart. You

always have a friend in me.

It’s all good.

~ Donna