Things I'm loving Thursday

 

I finished the Huger Games series in aprox. 1 week. I LOVED it! I am recommending it to everyone I know. I hope to get full reviews posted on my bookshelf blog soon. I am seriously head over heels for these books and cannot wait for the movie. I like it even better than Twilight and it might even beat Harry Potter for me too!  Young Adult books rock my socks off sometimes :)

I always thought this stuff looked nasty, but a friend told me to try it. OMG it tastes like the inside of a truffle! I love it and have been having a little smear on a marshmallow or a graham cracker after dinner every night. I really don’t think it is very healthy, but it’s oh so yummy!

I don’t know why but I am in a Fresca phase right now. It’s so refreshing and won’t keep me up all night.

This recipe I found for mini-pot pies in a jar over on A Whisk and A Prayer. I almost broke out into a cold sweat this week at the mention of preparing meals for a girl in our Bible study who is having surgery. I barely have time or skill enough to cook for myself let alone someone else! But these little things look like they would be the perfect solution. And you could even make them as gifts for people! It’s such a good idea! I almost didn’t want to share it.  It is just so stinking cute I wanted to make it my own little secret!

Also loving this blog that I discovered through Jamie’s blog:
bowneyedbaker
Tons of yummy looking recipes.  I had to stop looking at it actually because it was making me very hungry.  She even has her own list! 100 challenging recipes to make

Finally...no picture to go with this one...

Re-doing my house. I am obsessed. I have this app on my phone called CraigsPro and I look at the furniture for sale by owner almost every single day! I have also been discovering and reading a lot of Home DYI/Decorating blogs. Just today I found a lot of new ones to follow through Thrifty Décor Chick’s “Showing Off” series. I have no money and can’t buy anything right now, but I am determined to make my house what I want, or at least something close.

What are you loving right now???

Year of Cooking- Weeks 1 & 2

This year one of my new year’s resolutions was to cook at home more.  I want to try at least one new recipe a week.  And I’m always hoping it will be good because when you cook for one, you are going to be eating leftovers for a few days.  Starting out I am really trying to keep it simple.

Week One I went for something that sounded a little weird but super easy.  It turned out to be really good!  It will be one of my go-to recipes from now on.

Tasty Cola Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup ketchup (I used the reduced sugar kind)
1 can diet soda (I used Coke Zero)
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Directions:
1. Put chicken in non-stick skillet
2. Pour ketchup and diet cola over the top
3. Bring to boil
4. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes
5. Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken

Week Two sounded really yummy and really easy too.  But I was disappointed with this one.  It was way too spicy for me (even after I tried to cool it down with some ranch the second time I ate it).  I like spicy, but I guess this proved I am kind of a wimp.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken wraps
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
12 ounces of bottled buffalo wing sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)
1/2 of a package of dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 tablespoons butter
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Extras:
tortillas
shredded lettuce
ranch dressing
shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
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Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker and pour in the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 5-6 hours (or more or less depending on how hot your crock gets).
Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Return to crock for about 10 minutes to mix 'n mingle.

Scoop chicken onto tortillas, and add any extras.

Going forward I’ll try to take some pics and do something a little more challenging!