Peplum

Did you watch the Oscars last night? I made Dan sit through all 2 and half hours of the red carpet special on E! and then we really didn't even watch the show! I'm more interested in the fashion anyway. The internet is abuzz today with red carpet fashion. Here are my favorites. Wonder why?

 

I do love a good Peplum! 

pep·lum/ˈpepləm/

Noun:

A short flared, gathered, or pleated strip of fabric attached at the waist of a woman's jacket, dress, or blouse

For more on Peplums and to shop the trend check out Jessica's post from What I Wore. 

Fashion Trend: Printed Denim

I'm starting to see printed denim on my favorite fashion bloggers and in ads. What do you think of the trend? Fug or Fab? My instinct says NO! They look like Kelly Kapowski. But on the other hand, Kelly was super cool! I like to try new trends and I hate to automatically blow this one off, because as soon as I do, I'll be wearing them in 6 months. We'll see...

 

 Doesn't Kendi look adorable? I think with the right outfit the jeans are pretty cute!

Kendi Everyday

Cajun Chicken and Rice Soup

I made this for dinner last night and it was awesome! The original recipe seemed like too much work, what with boiling a chicken and all, so I dumbed the recipe down a bit. And by dumb, I mean made it super easy and much quicker. You are welcome!

Cajun Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 medium onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 Tbsp Butter
6-8 garlic cloves minced
1 can of Rotel
3/4 cup of Orange Juice
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
1tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried tyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups of minute rice (pre cooked)
1 can of Pinto beans rinsed and drained
6 cups of water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Pick your chicken and discard the bones. While picking, prepare 2 cups of Minute Rice according to the package.
2. In a large stockpot saute onion, celery, and garlic in butter. Once tender, stir in tomatoes, OJ,  cilantro, all seasonings, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Stir in chicken, drained beans and finished rice. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until beans are soft.

Enjoy!

**NOTE- I added chopped jalapeno, and a couple drops of Sriracha sauce to make it hotter. Also if I made this again I would cut back the amount of beans as my husband and I do not particularly like them.

Chili Roasted Salmon

I started making this recipe last night and realized I didn't have all the ingredients. I had to improvise. Not to worry, I have made it before with all the ingredients and can vouch that it's pretty good! My picture below doesn't show the sauce, since I didn't have the sour cream to make it. I got this recipe from Fitness Magazine but I tweaked it just slightly.

The recipe calls for a poblano pepper, which can be found in the produce section of your supermarket. It looks like a giant jalapeno, but it's definitely not as hot!

Chili Roasted Salmon 

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons olive oil

2 5-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 can Mexi Corn

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mist 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. In a small baking dish, mix together 2 tablespoons lime juice with garlic, chili powder, cumin, and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add salmon and turn to coat; let sit.
2. In a medium bowl, toss corn, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and onion with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Transfer corn mixture to one of the baking sheets; spread into a single layer.
3. Remove salmon from marinade and arrange on second baking sheet. Drizzle corn mixture with remaining salmon marinade. Season salmon and corn with salt and black pepper to taste and roast 8 to 10 minutes, until fish is just cooked through and vegetables are tender.
4. Mix together sour cream, cilantro, and remaining lime juice. Season with salt to taste. Spoon corn onto plates and add salmon. Drizzle cream over fish.

Pin It

In the works

I've started making dresses for the spring and summer and I wanted to show you my progress. Sorry for the poor pictures (and messy background). I took them with my cell phone. I spent the last weekend in Miami and had planned to finish one or both but neither of them made the trip with me. I've been obsessed with cutouts and color block but can't pull the trigger on either dress. You know when you just can't make a decision without the opinion and approval of 5 others? No? Well, that's how I feel about the dresses, which is why both are only 75% finished. I just can't decide.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

 

This dress actually is a lavender and white tiny stripe. Since this picture was taken I've added buttons and a zipper. Now I just need to finish the inside seams and hem it. Long or short? 

 

 I bought this material (silk) for the color mostly. It was more expensive than I wanted it to be and very thin causing me to line the dress (with even more fabric) and it still doesn't have much structure. All I really wanted was to color block a blue dress, but after some thought (and advice from 3 people) I went with just blue. I do love the blue, but am determined to color block something!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies topped with chocolate

I was pretty pleased with myself on Superbowl Sunday for "creating" this awesome recipe! As if no one has ever made Rice Krispies before... Actually, I had never made them before and it was like a lightbulb clicked on how darn simple they are to make. So I thought let's add something! I threw in some peanut butter and used some leftover chocolate Almond Bark to top them. Fabulous! (I am a genius!)


Peanut Butter Rice Krispies topped with Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 Bag of full sized marshmallows
6 Cups of Rice Krispies
1/2 cup Peanut butter
1/2 stick of butter
6 squares of chocolate Almond Bark


Directions:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated. Use wax paper to press mixture into 13 x 9 inch pan. Let cool. Microwave 3 squares of Almond Bark for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Repeat until melted. Drizzle over Rice Krispies. Repeat action with another 3 squares to cover entire pan. Refrigerate. Enjoy! 

Meet Pancho

Meet Pancho, our new dog! We adopted Pancho over a week ago from the Indiana Bulldog Rescue. He is a 3 year old English Bulldog. As you may remember we adopted another bulldog around this time last year, but unfortunately he passed in October from cancer. It took us a while to get over and we are still sad thinking about Dozer. We finally decided it was time to adopt again.

We are thrilled to have this little guy in our home!! He is still getting used to us and learning to follow rules, but we love him!

If you are interested in adopting, check out the Indiana Bulldog Rescue website. It's a great organization giving homes to bulldogs across Indiana.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes tonight using a box mix and a few additional ingredients. Pretty tasty and festive for Valentines day! I think my coworkers will be pleased tomorrow!

My original idea was to use my mini cupcake pans, but the liners I bought were too small.

Please note (*) denotes ingredients not on package mix. Different brand mixes may call for slightly different amounts so adjust according to the directions on your box.

Red Velvet Cupcakes


Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
3 eggs
1 cup water
*1/3 cup applesauce (mix calls for 1/3 c oil)
*1 cup sour cream
*1 package of vanilla instant pudding
*1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions: 
Stir cake mix and instant pudding together in a large bowl. Add eggs, water, applesauce, and sour cream.  Mix with mixer for 2 minutes on medium. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Fill cupcake pans 3/4 of the way full. Bake 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes. If making mini cupcakes bake 325 degrees for 18 minutes.

I just used store bought cream cheese icing and decorated with a few mini chocolate chips.

Enjoy! Happy Valentines Day!