Pepperoni stuffed Parmesan Chicken

I thought of this recipe a long time ago and felt like such a genius!!! I had never made stuffed chicken before and I wasn't sure how it really works. After I tried this recipe, I realized how easy it was and I decided to make the Pepperoni Stuffed Parmesan Chicken.

Bear with me because I just threw things together and didn't measure. So you may need to alter the measurements slightly. Eye it. That's what I did.

This is an awesome recipe! It's very filling. It's not really calorie conscious. I made spaghetti to go with it, but that ended up just being too much.

Pepperoni Stuffed Parmesan Chicken (serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 oz light cream cheese
1T chopped green pepper
1/8 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Handful of pepperoni slices chopped
1/3 c Italian bread crumbs
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten

Directions:

• Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees. 
• Pound chicken out thin enough to roll up. 
• Combine cream cheese, chopped pepper, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni in a small bowl. 
• Spread cheese mixture on chicken.
• Roll chicken and secure with toothpicks
• Combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a small bowl
• In another bowl beat egg. 
• Drag chicken roll through egg and then coat with crumbs/ Parmesan cheese mixture. 
• Place chicken on baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Outfits

I never really do outfit posts, but over the last week or so I decided to photograph my outfits. It actually made it more fun to get ready every day knowing I would take a picture and share it with more than the few people I work with every day. Dressing in the summer is so much easier and more exciting. I very much enjoy putting together skirts and dresses versus dress pants and sweaters.

I have to admit taking pictures of yourself at flattering angles is difficult. The thought of having someone else take my picture makes me nervous. I'm not a photogenic person. Seriously, you should see our e-pics. Lol. I'm super awkward.

I'm trying to do some different things with my blog such as outfits and personal posts. I think I have to take baby steps. So hopefully these will be the gateway to more professional pictures.


1.  Forever 21 cardigan, top, and belt. Target dress pants, Michael Kors Watch
2. TJ Maxx top, Forever 21 belt, Jcrew skirt, MK watch
3. Forever 21 Dress, Old Navy Cardigan, MK Watch
4. TJ Maxx top, H&M skirt
5. TJ Maxx top, Forever 21 belt and skirt, Steve Madden Purse
6. Pitaya necklace, Jcrew dress, Forever 21 belt.

House Hunt

 Dan and I have lived downtown condo style for a few years now and we decided we would like to buy a place of our own. We have been house hunting since the beginning of January. Seriously, I bet we have looked at 50 houses in the last 6 months and with the exception of one townhouse we weren't able to buy, we just haven't found "the one". It's not that we are picky, but it's a big investment and we want it to meet our needs.

I have to admit Dan and I are somewhat on different pages as to what we are looking for, but have come to compromise a few times with houses that we like. We are finding it difficult to find a nice looking home downtown Indianapolis that meets our needs and our budget.

We have seen several houses that we have such great ideas for. I wouldn't consider us fixer uppers so when it comes to remodeling or changing things in the house we will need some help. Ideally we would like a low maintenance home, which is difficult to find in the downtown area with mostly older homes. The ones that have been remodeled are completely out of our price range.

As our rental lease approaches we are getting more and more anxious. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year that people place their homes on the market as we learned this weekend.

On Saturday we met again with our realtor (bless his understanding and persistent heart) to go see a few more houses. We happened to drive by one for sale and decided since it was empty we should go see it. Turns out it was beautiful! We fell in love! I can't tell you how fabulous this house was. It had gleaming hardwood floors, updated kitchen, beautiful fenced back yard, screened in porch, great neighborhood and only slightly out of our budget. It was the first house we have both seen and immediately wanted to put an offer on. We calculated how we could make it work and were ready to move in that day if we could.

And then we got our hearts broken. The house had only been on the market for 8 days and already had an accepted offer on it. Unless a miracle happens it will never be ours. :( I've been sad, fondly thinking of the outdoor parties we could have had with our kitchen doors open to the screened in porch and Pancho running around the yard.

I knew this would happen. I have so often heard stories from other people falling in love with houses and then losing the house one way or another. It's heart breaking when you start imagining yourself living somewhere and the future memories you will make there. So I guess we will move on and continue to look. Wish us luck in our continued house hunt.

Indianapolis Neighborhood map. Taken from Urban Indy

Caprese Skewers

I just found this picture and realized I never posted how to make these, which is simple!

Caprese Skewers

Ingredients:
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella balls (found in grocer deli) (if marinated, even better!)
Pitted Black Olives (optional)
Wish Bone Balsamic Breeze Vinaigrette Spray


Directions:
Place all ingredients on small skewers or toothpicks. Spray with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Serve!

Cook Out Favorites

With the upcoming holiday weekend, I'm sure many of you are making plans with friends and family. Memorial day is a great day to kick off the grilling and outdoor eating season. Need an idea for what to make for a get-together this weekend? Look no further than my recipe page! Here are some of my favorite recipes for parties and cook outs!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Skewers                    Black Bean and Corn Salsa

                Spicy Guacamole Burgers                                                         Pasta Salad

                      Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Pie



                                                                                                                      Fruit Salsa and Chips

     Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Southwestern Chicken Salad Rollups

                                                    For other great dessert recipes click here!

                                                                

Blogger Block

Hey blog readers... I'm looking for some input. What should I do moving forward with my blog? Some days (like today, and yesterday, and the day before) I just get stuck. I run out of inspiration for blogging. I don't always have the time to sew new dresses. Honestly, I have so many in my closet  I'm finding it hard to justify making more. I cook every night, but it's not always blog worthy. I like to think we have an interesting life in Indy, but I am not sure anyone wants to hear about it. I also like to think I can put together a pretty cute outfit, but again I don't know if people want to see my clothes.

So what would you like to see? More recipes? Fashion? Personal stories? DIY projects? Outfit photos?

I would love to hear your feedback. Feel free to post anonymously in the comments if you choose or message me on facebook if you prefer privacy. Please be nice and constructive! :)

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Jello Cookies

My mother in law asked me to bring cookies for the kids on Mother's day. I saw this recipe on Pinterest earlier in the week and knew they would be perfect. These cookies were delicious! I have to admit they take a little time and if I make them again I might use only one or two jello flavors. The original cookies were not frosted, but I thought since I kids love icing, I should throw some on top and add sprinkles too! 

JELLO Cookies  

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 cups salted butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 (3 oz) pkg jello (any flavor works)

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Beat butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
• Divide dough into 4 sections. Sprinkle 2 Tb of jello onto each section. Knead together with dough. 

• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the extra jello from the packets. Place on baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of bowl.

  Bake 8 to 10 min at 350 on lined baking sheets. 

ENJOY! 

Recipe from I Heart Naptime

Personal Microwave Cakes

A year or so ago I had heard about making cake in a mug in the microwave through several websites. Honestly, I don't know why I never tried it until now. Now there are recipes all over Pinterest. My mom found this one and made it for us over Easter. It's makes quite a bit, so she divided up the mix and sent some home with us.

All ya do is mix one chocolate cake mix with one angel food cake mix. Shake them up in a big ziplock bag. Then when you are ready to make yourself a cake combine 3Tbsp of cake mixture with 2 Tbsp of water in a coffee mug. Microwave for 50 seconds. Turn mug over and let cake drop out onto plate.

This recipe would be excellent with Cool whip, unfortunately I didn't have any when I took this picture.

Try it! It's great!

Neon, Neon

Yes, admittedly I am still sorta a John Mayer fan. But, what I really want to talk about is the NEON trend. It's everywhere! From full head to toe looks to just accessories. Neon is back! I recently took the plunge and bought some bright green fabric and pink heels with the intention of making a dress. I got the inspiration from J Lo (below) I am still somewhat nervous to put it all together.  I just don't know if I can pull off a whole neon bright look.

Wish me luck as I construct this green dress! I'll post my progress. In the meantime here are some other neon brights that I think would be easier to pull off.

Blue Silk

Remember this blue colorblock dress? Yeah, it's been a few months but I finally finished it and it looks nothing like the original idea. My goal was the finish this dress before my Miami trip in February, and that didn't happen so I set it aside for awhile. I made a huge mistake while making it and accidentally cut the skirt making it impossible to put a zipper in and finish it. The material was somewhat expensive and I wasn't sure I wanted to start over. I thought it might be easier to just buy a dress and be done with it. Finally I decided I didn't want to give up on it and continued working on it.

I decided to remake the skirt and use the old skirt to make the ruffled peplum. Instead of color blocking the dress, I found some hot pink shoes to wear with it to a good friend's wedding this past weekend.

I have several pictures of the dress on my dress form, but none of the full dress from the wedding this weekend.

 Here's a few pics from my friend Lauren's wedding in St. Louis. Which was AMAZING and SO much fun, by the way!

Skinny Mojito

My mom made these for me while I was home over Easter and I fell in love! I am always looking for low calorie cocktails and this is such an easy one to make!

Skinny Mojito

Ingredients:
1 packet of Crystal Light Mojito Mix
6 cups of water
Fresh Mint
Lime wedges
shot and 1/2 of rum or vodka

Directions:
1. Prepare pitcher of Crystal Light using only 6 cups of water rather than the 8 it calls for.
2. Add ice and fresh mint to glass. Use spoon to stir around (muddle)
3. Add shot and a half of rum or vodka of your choosing. You can add more or less.
4. Pour Crystal Light Mojito drink.
5. Stir and add lime.

Enjoy!