Recipe Round-up

Over the past few weeks, we've tried a number of new recipes that are definitely worth sharing!  Of course, I never think to take photos until after the fact, so all photos are courtesy of the original sites where I discovered the recipes.

 
First up is a fantastic dessert recipe called Eclair Pie from Real Mom Kitchen.  I made this for a cookout at my sister's house a few weekends ago.  It got rave reviews from everyone who tried it!  Graham crackers, vanilla pudding, chocolate frosting...all the flavors of a chocolate eclair in one simple, delicious dessert.  What's not to love?

My family loves NFL football.  To us, there is nothing better than watching some Colts or Cowboys football on a chilly fall day while chowing down on a big bowl of chili.  During this year's preseason football, I had decided that this would be the year that I would find "the perfect chili."  I started compiling a list of recipes to try every other Sunday throughout the NFL season until I found one that my family loved.  Well, it's only the end of Week 4 and my search is complete.  This chili recipe by the Pioneer Woman is now the official football-Sunday chili in our household.  My husband enjoys his with crackers, while Bailey and I prefer Frito Chili Pie.  Leftovers get mixed with mac and cheese a day or so later for some yummy Chili Mac.  The Colts may go 0-16 this year, but at least we'll have great chili!

This Egg Tostada Frittata from Cassie Craves has become one of my go-to meals for a busy weeknight when I find I'm running short on time.  This is a great alternative to plain old bacon and scrambled eggs that I typically serve for "brinner" (breakfast for dinner).  The bacon and green chiles cooking together smell amazing and this is a great way to use up the last of a bag of Fritos when all of your delicious chili is gone.  I usually serve my refried beans on the side.  I was doubtful about the egg and bean combo, but it's actually really tasty.

Ok, all of this talk about food has made me hungry.  Time to go heat up some leftover chili!

Adventures in Wonderland

It finally happened.  I have fallen into the rabbit hole known as Pinterest and cannot get out.  I've been creating boards and pinning things to them for about a week now and I have to admit, I'm completely addicted!  For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest, it's a virtual bulletin board for your ideas, a place for you to "pin" the things you want to save for later, such as recipes, craft and sewing tutorials, home design inspiration, fashion finds, etc.  Anything goes.  If you find it on the web, you can pin it.

Here is just a tiny sampling of the things I've "pinned" this week...

 

You can view the rest of my boards and pins HERE.  You can browse Pinterest until the cows come home without actually joining the site, but you need an invitation to start pinning things to your own boards.  If you would like an invitation, feel free to leave your email address in the comments section or send it to me in an email at twotinybirds@live.com and I will send you an invitation.  **Disclaimer - I am not responsible for the many, many hours you will waste away pinning ideas!  ha!

Friday Finds

I spend way too much time window shopping on Etsy.  If there is a limit for the favorites list, I have no doubt that I'm quickly approaching it.  The best (or worst) part is that my sister is in my Etsy circle, so I see everything see adds to her favorites list too.  Of course, I feel compelled to check out her picks, which leads me to new shops with new items to add to MY list, and so on and so on.  It's like a huge snowball rolling down a hill.  A gigantic crafty snowball.

Today isn't just any Friday.  It's the first day of fall y'all!  So in celebration of the official end of summer in Texas, I thought I would share a few of my recent Etsy finds with you today.

via tomdesign

I love these earrings by tomdesign.  But I also love this bracelet, and this necklace, and this necklace, and the list goes on and on.  I think it's safe to say that this entire shop is one of my favorites.

via claylicious

Owls are very popular right now, and these ceramic owls from claylicious are adorable!  I especially love the little turquoise guy in the back.  He would look great on my bookshelf.

via RaspberryCreekFabric

This fabric bundle by RaspeberryCreekFabric is sitting in my cart at this very moment.  It would be perfect for a quilt for a baby boy.  Now I just need to decide if I should buy fat quarters or half yard cuts?

via fabricshoppe

 This collection of fat quarters by fabricshoppe is screaming "Oh Ricki...buy me, buy me, buy me!"  It would be rude to ignore it, right?

Have a great weekend!

The Great Costume Debate

It's hard to believe that I'm already thinking about Halloween costumes for my kiddos.  Bailey is having a tough time deciding on a costume.  One minute she wants to be a cowgirl, then the next she wants to be Foofa from Yo Gabba Gabba.  Just in the last week she's also mentioned possibly being a kitty cat, Tinkerbell, or a robot ninja. Decisions, decisions!

In the past, she's been a ballerina, a bumblebee, a cheerleader, and Ming-Ming the duck from the Wonderpets.

 

Jake, on the other hand, is still at the mercy of his Mama.  Last year he was only 3 months old, so he wore a little cow print jumper and matching hat.  This year, I have so many ideas for his costume (a gnome, Yoda, Dwight from The Office, DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba), but I have a feeling he will veto anything that involves glasses or a beard.  He'll most likely be the bumblebee, just like Bailey was at the same age.  Whatever he dresses up as, it'll be adorable!

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I've added a few Halloween themed bib and burp cloth sets to my Etsy shop!   

 

10 Down, 10 More to Go

My little guy developed a sinus infection last week and as a result, his naps were short and sporadic.  He only wanted one thing all week...attention from Mama.  So I didn't finish the entire quilt top like I had hoped, but I did complete 10 blocks.  Now I only need to make 10 more to have enough for a nice sized lap quilt.  I think it's coming along quite nicely.  I'm still trying to decide whether to add 2 1/2" white sashing between the blocks.  I'm leaning toward yes...any thoughts or suggestions? 

Mmm, Mmm Good!

It may still be 90 degrees here in Dallas, but it's beginning to feel more like fall.  Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love everything about it, but I especially love Sundays filled with football and good home cooking.  These chicken and dumplings definitely fit the bill as a perfect Sunday dinner.  I am notorious for altering recipes with a little dash of this and a little bit of that, and this is a great basic recipe that you can use as a starting point in creating your own fantastic bowl of yumminess.  The original recipe uses a crock-pot, but I didn't get mine started early enough in the day, so I cooked them in a large soup pot on the stove instead.

Chicken and Dumplings
adapted from Bubble Crumb

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 tube Grands buttermilk refrigerator biscuits, cut into bite sized pieces

Add chicken, butter, chicken soup, chicken broth, and seasonings to a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30-45 minutes.  Remove chicken, shred with a fork, and return to the broth.  Add frozen veggies and return to a boil.  Add biscuit pieces, cover, and continue to cook until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Ladle into a bowl and enjoy!

To make this recipe in your crock-pot, simply add all ingredients except for the biscuits and cook on high 4-6 hours or until the chicken is tender.  Shred the chicken with a fork and return to the broth.  Add biscuits pieces and cook an additional 30 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.  Depending on the size of your crock-pot, you may need to reduce the amount of dumplings.  The dumplings are my family's favorite part of this dish, so I always use the largest dish in my crock-pot so we can enjoy every bite of dumpling goodness!

As you can see, this recipe is kid tested and approved!  Enjoy!

Photography Challenge - Week 7 & 8

It's time for another update in the Photography Challenge at A Step in the Journey.  Last week I posted my photo to Flickr, but never got around to blogging about it.  Last week's topic was "what are you wearing today?"

On the particular day this photo was snapped, I was ready for some football!  Even though I live in the heart of Cowboys country, I am a Colts fan.  I truly believe that Peyton Manning is the smartest quarterback to ever play the game.  Hopefully he'll recover quickly and get back into the game this season.  Go Colts!

This week of the challenge focused on black and white photography.  Now this is where I decided that the guidelines of the challenge are pretty flexible.  I didn't actually take this week's photos, but instead decided to use Picnik to edit two of my favorite family photos.  Both were taken in 1977, three years before I was born. My mom will probably want to strangle me for putting these on my blog for all of the world to see, but they are so great that I can't resist sharing them.  Sorry mom!

This is my mom.  Back in the day, she was a bullrider, and she's got the trophies and belt buckles to prove it.  I believe she was 17 when this photo was taken in 1977.  I have always been fascinated by this photo.  The original was in color and a bit larger, so I cropped it, switched it to black and white, and adjusted the exposure, sharpness, and clarity.  I think I love it even more now.

This is one of my all-time favorite photos.  Also taken in 1977, this photo shows my mom and dad at the rodeo.  Such a cute couple!  This one was already black and white, but I adjusted the sharpness and clarity just to make it a little crisper.  Don't you love the clothes?

Next week's theme...a mess.  With two small kids, a husband, and dog, that one should be easy!  :)