Changes...

So, once again I have abandoned my blog for way too long...and I've had quite a few major life changes along the way.

First off, an update on this blog. As a journalism major in college, it was highly suggested we start one, for many reasons. So, without any real direction or good ideas, I did. And I still have no idea where this thing is headed. I feel like my life is all over the place right now, and I am sure this blog is going to reflect it for awhile. I hope that through covering lots of subjects, I'll find something that I really feel passionate about and find a focus and direction. So, this should be an interesting journey!

Now, my life! Where to start? I have moved away from Athens..one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am so in love with that place and all the people in my life there. But, school was over, my job hunt was not successful in Athens, and I could no longer really justify living there while working a dead-end job. So here I am, at home again. I never thought I would be back here at almost 25 years old. But I am. And I know that there is a reason for this part of my journey, and that in due time God will show me what it is..I just have to be patient. I'm working at a new restaurant in Atlanta (hoping to make connections!) and still job hunting. I have a 'special someone' in my life, and I couldn't be happier about that! Except that I had to leave him behind in Athens...I've never done this long distance thing before, and so far it's not been terrible. Other than the fact that I miss seeing him every day. But again, I know there is a reason for all of this, and I'm excited to see where my life is heading!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from this summer!

Annie and TJ finally got married!

Kayaking the Broad

Weekend at the beach

PCB with some of my favorites

Beach sunset

Wedding in NJ with my best friend

Oh, how Pinteresting!

Today, I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for my favorite Pinterest finds for the week!

Of course, I'm always pinning food.

And things that make me wish I was oh so fabulous and stylish.

And lot's of other fun things, too.

 

Top 5 Tuesday

Today I'm linking up with Rachel over at Just Peachy for a Top 5 Tuesday: Restaurant edition.

I don't know about you, but picking out my 5 favorite restaurants is hard. But I'm going to try!

Transmetropolitan

This is an Athens original -- there's only two here in town -- with the original being downtown on Clayton Street, and the other on the west side of town. They have AMAZING pizza and pasta. The pizza is  by the slice or the pie, and they have original and Sicilian pizzas. YUM. My personal favorite is to create my own pasta bowl with egg fettuccine, either alfredo or garlic olive oil sauce, grilled chicken, and feta. To die for.

Fado's Irish Pub

Now I've only been here once for a friends birthday, but HOLY COW, these little babies in the picture above are worth making this place one of my top five faves. They're called boxty wedges, which are basically fried potatoes cut really thin, and they come with this amazing cheese dip. I couldn't tell you one other thing I had that night because these rocked my world.

Taqueria La Parilla

I could eat Mexican food for pretty much every meal and totally be fine. Which doesn't make any sense at all, because I'm extremely picky and don't actually like most of the food. I mean, I hate tomatoes, and peppers, and onions. But give me salsa (yes, I eat salsa even though it has tomatoes), cheese dip, quesadillas, nachos...and I'm a happy girl.

Outback

I don't ever remember eating at Outback much when I was younger, but my roommate now works there, so I frequent it a lot. And they have some good food. There ranch dipping sacue that comes with their bacon cheddar fries is good enough to drink. And they have this filet focaccia sandwich that is deeeeelicious.

Weaver D's

This is another Athens-only establishment, but it's got a little bit of a famous past. REM, who is from Athens, named one of their albums after the restaurants slogan, "Automatic for the People." This place is not for those who want anything healthy -- everything here is swimming in grease, but it's some of the best soul food you will find. The fried chicken is heavenly, and the potatoes, mac and cheese, and everything else, is just awesome. It is an Athens tradition and a must for anyone visiting!

My first VoxBox!

Guess what came in the mail today?! 

My first VoxBox from Influenster!

Just in case you don't know what Influenster is, I'll tell you. You sign up on their website (for free) and create a profile, where you take quizzes about things that interest you in order to earn badges. Then, Influenster uses those badges and quizzes to send you VoxBoxes based on your interests. What's a VoxBox? It's a box filled full of free goodies and products that Influenster thinks you will like (yes, based on your badges and quizzes!) Then you just review the products and talk about the brands. That's it. And the more active you become on the site, the more free stuff you get! And I don't know about you guys, but I'm a huge fan of free stuff! 

So, back to my first VoxBox! Here's what I got, and my initial thoughts.

Stash Tea Herbal Tea Sampler

I've never really been a tea drinker, but I mean it's free, so it can't hurt to try it, right?! This is a pack of their 9 most popular flavors, some of which actually sound good (peppermint) and some that I'm iffy on (licorice spice??) One thing I'm wondering though that may make me more apt to try it...can I use it in my Keurig?? I have the resuable filter so I can make my own coffee with my own grounds. But can I do the same thing with tea? I know Keurig makes K-Cups for tea, but this is different. If I could use the Keurig, I'd definitely be more likely to try it.

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor

I think it's ridiculous how expensive razors and their replacement blades are. So the fact that I got a new free one is super exciting! I haven't used Venus in awhile, but I'm down to switch again if it turns out to be a good razor and is comparable in price to the others.

Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Creamy Devotion Bar

Chocolate. Need I say more?! I'm the most excited about this product, to be certain. Not to mention it came with a coupon, so I could have more!

Kiss Nail Dress

This is a product I've actually been eyeing for awhile now and have seriously considered trying it. However, I work at Lowe's (in the paint department), so my nails are never in decent shape. This fact breaks my heart, because this girl LOVES getting her nails done. But it's such a waste of money when I play with paint and paint-removing chemicals every day. However, next week I have several days off (taking my own little 'spring break,') so I think that would be the perfect time to try them!

Truvia Natural Sweetener

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty hesitant about trying this. I absolutely hate Splenda, and I've kind of always equated this product to that. I can't stand the after taste Splenda gives, and I assumed most alternative sweeteners have the same thing. I prefer just plain old sugar (so not healthy, I know). But I'm going to give this a try, probably in my coffee in the morning.

So, that's what my first VoxBox consists of! Stay tuned for more info on each product as I try it...we'll see if my perceptions and opinions are changed about a few of these things. 

I think I'm going to go eat some chocolate now...

:)

  

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

Here I go again with another cooking post. And OH MAN it is good. It's chicken and cheese (two of my favorite things!) mixed with crescent rolls and lots of good sauce to keep it moist...definitely a quick and easy  comfort food.

This recipe was found on Pinterest (where else?!)...and here's the original link to it.

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

2 8oz cans Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls

1 10 3/4oz can cream of chicken soup 

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half

Filling:

4oz cream cheese, softened

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp garlic powder

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2-4 tbsp mayonnaise or whipping cream

1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (topping)

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter a casserole dish.

3. In saucepan, mix half and half, grated cheddar cheese and chicken soup.

4. Heat just until cheese melts - don't boil.

5. For filling - in a large bowl, mix cream cheese with butter until smooth, then add garlic powder.

6. Add cooked chicken and cheese, mix until combined.

7. Add in mayo or whipping cream, mix to combine.

8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Unroll crescent rolls. 

10. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture on top of each triangle.

Then roll up, starting on the thick end.

As you can see, this part gets kind of messy (ok, a LOT messy if you're anything like me!) So, I laid out a piece of wax paper on the counter and unrolled the crescent rolls on it and made them all on there. It made for much easier clean up!

11. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on bottom of greased casserole dish.

12. Place crescent rolls seam-side down on top of creamed mixture in casserole dish.

13. Drizzle remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle with more grated cheese. 

14. Bake for 30 minutes.

Note: This makes a lot! However, I didn't use two full crescent roll packages - it took one and a half. So I would either make a little more chicken, use a smaller scoop on each roll, or have a plan in mind for the other 4 rolls you have left over! Also, 1 tablespoon of the garlic powder is a lot...and don't get me wrong, I love love love garlic. So I would definitely recommend cutting it down a little bit or maybe using fresh minced garlic instead.

I hope you enjoy this yummy, delicious dinner as much as I did. If you make it, let me know how it goes and if you thought it was great, too!

Newness.

I finally got my computer back, which means...more blogging! 

(Hopefully.)

2 new things today.

1. I got this cute new table (well, it's new to me but not new new.) I am in love with it. Except I don't really know what all I should put on top of it. It needs more...not just picture frames. Any suggestions?

2. I tried a new recipe today, from Pinterest, of course! I changed it up a little, because of course I'm cooking for myself and not a whole family. This recipe makes enough for about six people, so I cut everything in half, and had leftovers for lunch the next day. The original recipe that I used came from Jamie's blog. (**FYI: My pictures are NO WHERE near as good and appetizing-looking as the pictures on Jamie's site. But even though the food may not look pretty, I promise it tastes good!!)

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

3 large chicken breasts

5 cups corn flakes

3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 12oz package farfalle (bowtie) pasta

Sauce:

1 10oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb flavor)

2 cans cream of chickens soup

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1. In a small food processor, crush the corn flakes into crumbs. (Or you can use the Corn Flakes crumbs pre-made mixture that's sold like bread crumbs.)

2. Mix the salt and flour together.

3. Place the flour, milk and cornflakes into their own separate containers. 

4. Place the chicken into a gallon sized Ziploc bag and pound the meat flat with a mallet.

5. Cut each breast in half (or into strips.)

6. Dredge the chicken in flour. Lay the chicken on a small cookie sheet and place in the freezer for five minutes.

7. Begin cooking the pasta according to package directions.

8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge in the milk, followed by the corn flakes, making sure it is completely coated.

9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet.

10. Carefully lay each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the underside is golden-brown. Turn the pieces over. 

11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let the chicken cook about 7 more minutes. 

12. Once the chicken is finished, place them on a plate and cover with tin foil.

13. In the same pan, pour the chicken broth, Philly Cooking Cream, cream of chicken, and milk. Whisk together until the mixture becomes warm and bubbly.

14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over pasta and sauce.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!! :)

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Day 1 of not eating out and trying new recipes went pretty good I think! I tried a new recipe called Chicken Spaghetti Casserole last night, and I think it turned out pretty well! I have no clue where I got the original recipe from...it's one I've had written down for a long time and I just finally got around to making it. So, here it is!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

1 14oz can of chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp house seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic salt)

3 1/2 cups chopped chicken, cooked

2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1 12oz box angel hair pasta, cooked

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a 13"x9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine broth, soups, sour cream, and house seasoning.

3. Stir in cooked chicken and cheese.

4. Add pasta, tossing gently to coat.

5. Spoon mixture into baking dish.

6. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted better. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.

7. Bake 30-40 minutes.

Word of warning...this makes a TON of pasta. It's definitely a family-sized portion, so now I have enough to feed my roommate and I for days. I would recommend cutting the recipe in half if you're cooking for less than 4 people. I also used my own blend of cheeses because I couldn't find white cheddar already shredded in the bag. And I did a little extra cheese because I LOVE cheese and I don't think you can have enough!

I hope you enjoy this recipe--let me know if you try it and how you like it!

Makin' Lists

I've been MIA the past few weeks...and I've missed my little corner of the world wide web! My computer has been getting a little TLC, and I'm not a fan of using the blogger app on my phone to post from. But oh well, I'm doing it today!

Last night I decided I was going to be super organized and make a nice grocery list based on the necessities, of course, plus the ingredients I needed for some new recipes I wanted to try. Plus, I figured if I got some good stuff, it would keep me from eating out so much. I don't know about you guys, but with my work schedule I eat out way too much and I am so over it. So my goal is to eat only meals cooked at home, by me, for the next week. If I can accomplish this, it'll be a pretty big feat for me! So I made this lovely grocery list last night grouped by sections/type of food. Then, when I was at the store today (I pretty much always use the same store), I made notes on my list of what was on each aisle. So next time, I can actually write my list aisle by aisle and make my shopping much more efficient. Because a lot of times I go to the grocery store and wander around, never really sure what to get or what I need or even what I want. And I hate that! Also, I loaded lots of coupons onto my Kroger Plus Card last night and wound up saving almost $30! That's nothing compared to what these people on all these coupon shows save, but I feel pretty good about it!

So, over the next week or so, I'll probably be posting lots of picture of (hopefully) yummy food from all the new recipes I want to try this week!