Chicken & Dumplings

This meal has been particularly fun to create! A few days ago, I noticed that my new camera (a Nikon L105) has a food close-up setting. I was so excited to try it out, and I have had some fun with it! Now, the pictures are not perfect yet, seeing as how I'm still learning how to use the settings on this particular feature of my camera.

On to the recipe...

Ingredients

Chicken and stock:

2 quarts water

1 3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, sliced

5 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

garlic powder (or 1 clove, if you have fresh)

0.75 tsp salt (I use kosher)

juice from 1/2 lemon

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

canned/boxed chicken stock (if needed)*

Dumplings:

2 C flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

0.75 tsp salt (kosher)

1 C non-fat milk (or whatever you have in your fridge)

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a stock pot.

2. Add the celery, onion, bay, garlic, chicken, parsley and 0.25 tsp salt to the water, and reduce. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce and concentrate.

(Left to Right, Top, then Bottom: ingredients coarsely chopped, ingredients added, chicken added, after 1 hour of simmering)

3. Remove the chicken, and allow to cool.

4. Strain the stock, and throw out the veggies. *You will need 6 cups of stock total, so if you do not have 6 cups after cooking the chicken, add enough canned/boxed stock to bring the amount to 6 cups. 

5. Return the stock to the pot, add black pepper, 0.5 tsp salt, and lemon juice. Allow the stock to simmer.

6. To make the dumplings, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir until the dough/batter reaches a smooth consistency. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes for the batter to rise. 

7. Spoon small amounts of dough into the broth, using all of the dough. Allow this to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stirring very often (about every 2 minutes). This is the time of the cooking process where you want to baby your food. Give it a lot of TLC. No watching TV!

8. When the chicken is cooled to the touch (during the 20-30 minutes), shred the chicken. Add to the dumplings, and simmer until the chicken is warmed through.

 Serve, and Enjoy!

Merry Christmas... Two Days Late.

Merry Christmas all!

Was good 'ole Saint Nick good to you? He sure was very nice to me, too good in fact. 

My mom bought me a new digital camera, which I absolutely LOVE! (I actually knew about it, because I'm the one who found it and stood in the 45 minute line on Black Friday). She also bought me a pair of boots, which are a beautiful cognac brown color (once again, I knew about them, because I had to try them on to see if they fit). My fiance bought me a lovely pair of smoked quartz earrings, which I have worn every day since I opened the box on Christmas. I also got a very comfy pair of penguin slippers from my future in-laws. They have been keeping my feet nice and warm up here in Georgia. I received many other amazing gifts, that I am very grateful for. 

Here's a few photos from my trip so far :

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree..."

Ellis and I at Dave & Busters

Ellis and his friend Justin at Dave & Busters

The earrings Ellis gave me for Christmas - taken with my new
camera :)

Penguin slippers :) SOOO comfy!

He thought he was Paul Bunyan...

Being Paul Bunyan is tiring

Ellis and his best friend Ian at the movies

All decked out for the Falcons MNF game

Lily is so adorable when she sleeps :)

Two kittens chilling out on their condo

My adorable dog Lily actually looking at the camera... this is a rarity

Dave & Busters!

Since we're up in Georgia for Christmas, my fiance and I decided to visit with his friend from high school and his amazing fiancee (I don't know how to add the accents, but pretend there are accents over 'fiance' and 'fiancee'). First, we went to their place and visited with their precious little girl. She is just the cutest little thing, hands down! I love it when she dances to music, and turned on her Daddy's Xbox with the controller.

After we spent time with their baby girl, we went to a Mexican restaurant, called El Charro. The food was pretty good, and the company was great! All in all, it was a nice time at the restaurant. After dinner, we drove to Dave & Busters.

If you have never been to Dave & Busters before, it is Chuck E. Cheese with alcohol (minus the play-place). I had never been to Dave & Busters before. The one in Orlando is fairly new, and right in between Universal  Studios and Disney World, which means it is right in the thick of "tourist country" (also known as International Drive - or I-Drive to us locals). We spent most of our time with this coin casino machine that gives you tickets. The four of us racked up 3 quart-size buckets of tickets (which amounted to 4400 tickets). The guys had fun picking out random stuff in the ticket exchange store. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

xoxo,

Colleen

DIY: Tea Variety Gift Packages

Do you have a friend and/or family member that you need to get a gift for? Whether it is Christmas, a birthday, house-warming, etc. a Variety package is perfect! 

You can make a variety package out of teas, small coffee packages, coffee k-cups (if the person has a Keurig machine, which I love!), or hot cocoa. 

Today, I made a Tea Variety Package. I bought some of my favorite teas, a metal holiday tin, and created my own gift package. 

Here's what you'll need:

40 Individually Packaged Tea Bags (I like Twinings)

Individual Splenda packets (or sugar, Truvia, Stevia, Sweet 'n Low, etc.)

Tea Spoon (optional)

1 Rectangular Metal Tin (or any other packaging device you want to use)

1 sheet of white printer paper

Scotch tape

Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut a thin strip of white printer paper for each group of teas. 

2. Tightly wrap a thin strip around each group of teas. Cut off any excess paper, and Tape the two ends together.

3. Tape each group of teas to the bottom of the tin.

4. Cut 2 more thin strips from the printer paper. Tightly wrap groups of Splenda packets, or whatever you like in your tea. Cut off the excess paper, and tape this down. Tape these groups to the bottom of the tin.

5. Tape a teaspoon to the splenda packets.

This is the finished product! 

I always pick many different flavors of tea. Some of my favorites are:

Twinings Christmas Tea

Twinings Winter Spice

Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai

Twinings Herbal Unwind (any flavor)

Be creative with the flavors! This will work great with individual coffee packets, k-cups, or individual hot cocoa packets. I personally prefer using teas.

Homemade Bath Salts

Do you have a female friend and/or family member that you still haven't found that perfect gift for? Why not make her scented bath salts? 

Ingredients

3 cups Epsom salt

2 cups sea salt (or kosher salt)

about 20 drops of essential oil(s)

a few drops of food coloring (or liquid soap coloring or a scant amount of mica) - optional

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the salts, oils, and color.

*This makes 5 cups of bath salt. You can always divide your basic salts into different portions, and make a separate scent for each person, and do 1 cup packages for each friend! Get 5 gifts in 1!

Get creative with your scent mixes!

Here are a few ideas...

1. Lavender and Tea Tree... adding 10 drops each of lavender oil and tea tree oil will produce a great bath salt for someone to soak their feet. Perfect for that great friend who stands on his/her feet all day! (Even guys will benefit from this!)

2. Jasmine and Rose... adding 15 drops each of jasmine oil and rose oil will make a lovely soothing bath salt. Perfect for someone who needs a break from life.

3. Citrus... find your favorite citrus oils (orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc) and drop some into your salts. This is perfect for summertime. Bright and energizing!

4. Peppermint... adding about 20 drops of peppermint essential oil is a great idea to make a holiday bath salt. Think about dividing the salt mixture into thirds, and color two of the thirds; one red, and one green!

The combinations are endless! Mix and match however you like. Always do a small test first, by taking 2 or 3 spoonfuls, and add 1-2 drops of each oil to the salt, and stir. If you don't like the scent, you didn't ruin your whole batch!

The batch I made today was Peppermint-Peach. I added 14 drops of Peach Oil and 7 drops of Peppermint Oil/Extract. I then divided the salts in half, and added a a drop of blue and a drop of green to one portion, and about 8 drops of yellow to the other portion. 

I always put an ingredient label. This makes it seem a little more "professional", even though it is still a homemade gift. It also allows your recipient to know what exactly you put into their gift.

You can either do layers of color, or swirls of color, or even shake the colors together for a confetti effect. Any way you decide to package it will be lovely. 

A Few Things That Made Me Smile!

1. Yesterday, I got a houndstooth wool coat from JC Penneys for only $25! It was originally $72, was on sale for $35, and I had a $10 off coupon! It made me so happy :)

2. Has anyone in the Orlando, FL area tried BJ's Brewhouse over by the Millenia Mall? You definitely should! I went with a friend of mine yesterday night after we went shopping at the Orlando Premium Outlets- International Drive (my weakness!). The potato skins were very good (and rich too!), and I had a turkey burger with broccoli as my side (to counteract the potato skins, of course). 

3. I finally got my hair done! I went to Paul Mitchell The School - Orlando for a cut and color. I got strawberry blonde lowlights and light blonde highlights. I highly recommend going there. The prices are very reasonable, and the teachers definitely keep a good eye on the students working on your hair. 

Before

After

 (Sorry for the poor quality - both photos were taken with my phone)

4. We took Lily (my adorable little dog) to Crane's Roost in Uptown Altamonte. She had a lot of fun walking around, letting the little kids pet her, and sniffing all of the dogs that walked by. Not to mention marking her territory every 5 feet. 

5. While looking in the door front of Alfred Angelo Bridal (I can't help it! I always have to look through the windows at all of the gowns!), I saw a dress with two cutouts flanking each side. One was Edward Cullen, and the other was Jacob Black. Yes, it was Bella Swan's wedding gown (a replica of course). If you are confused, that means you were never a part of the sparkly vampire, human, and werewolf love triangle that is the Twilight Saga. If you do know, then you know how insane that is. Unfortunately, ladies, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black are not included with the gown (neither is the engagement ring!). 

Best Christmas Incense. Ever.

My family has had a log cabin incense burner for decades (the burner was my Dad's). It is so cute, when the incense burns, the smoke comes out of the chimney and smells like someone actually has a fire going in the "fireplace" of the log cabin. You will be mesmerized by the smoke. I promise.

The past few years we hadn't used the incense burner because we were out of the Balsam Fir incense cones that you use for this incense burner. Unlike normal incense that normally smells the same no matter what scent you get (I don't care how different they smell when you do the "sniff test" when you purchase it. It all smells the same when it is burning), this incense is actually made up of Balsam Fir shavings, so it smells like the actual tree!  It is a wonderful scent for the holidays, especially when you live in Florida where it is in the mid-70s the week before Christmas. (Is anyone else down here in Sunny Florida dreaming of a White Christmas?). 

Any-who, today I decided that I would look up this company to see if it was still in business, and guess what?! It is! I was ecstatic! Now, the price of the incense refill is reasonable. $7.50 for 72 incense cones (The shipping on the other hand is $5.95, almost the same price as the incense). This will end up being purchased before the year is out, that is for sure. I was unable to find a retailer in the Orlando area that sold these products, so it must be purchased online.

If anyone else wants to try this truly amazing incense, go to Paine Incense Co.

They have three sizes for the log cabins, small, large, and super. All three come with a few cones, but you will definitely want to buy extras :)

xoxo,

Colleen

Fixing Broken Makeup and Whatnot

I was perusing the website Pinterest yesterday, and came across a link on fixing powder makeup. I had a lot of random powders that were just about empty. Still had a little around the edges, but just annoying enough to want to go out and buy a new powder, which I would always go out and do. I decided I would try this person's idea and combine my just about empty compacts to create one almost full compact. I also tried this with a broken blush that I have. I love the color and I don't think they make the color anymore, so I don't use it too often (that and it was broken...).

If you want to learn how to fix your broken makeup, check out this blog.

I also decided to clean out my makeup and nail polish drawers. It feels so nice to know that I have cleaned out the crap that I haven't used in FOREVER.

I also decided to clean my makeup brushes. That was long overdue. They are chilling out in the suds right now, and will be squeaky clean and dry when I wake up in the morning (theoretically the brushes and makeup will be dry. If not, I will be sporting the "au natural" look until all is dry).

xoxo,

Colleen

Spiced Butter Rum Toffee Crackers

Every December, I make Toffee Crackers. Usually I will tweak the recipe to get a new concoction. This year, it was adding rum (yes, rum! I took a cue from Captain Jack Sparrow) and spices. I have also noticed a trend recently in the land of the sweets: chocolate and salt. So, guess what?! I sprinkled some of the top with salt! (You'll see in the toppings part of this recipe).

Ingredients

1 C butter/margarine (I used Imperial Margarine)

1 C light brown sugar

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. rum (spiced or gold)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

saltines (about 1 1/4 sleeves)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

chopped pecans (optional)

sea salt (optional)

any other delectable topping you would like to put on top of the chocolate :)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with cooking spray, and line with saltine crackers.

3. Slowly melt butter/margarine in a small sauce pot over medium heat.

4. Add brown sugar, ground clove, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon.

5. Stir, and bring to a boil. 

6. Add 1 tsp. rum and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Allow the rum to cook through a bit (about 2 minutes).

7. Pour toffee mixture over the crackers, and spread liquid throughout the entire baking pan. Make sure all crackers are soaked/covered. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

8. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack, and re-organize any crackers that may have moved. 

9. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow the chips to heat through, and then spread the melted chocolate to cover the entire sheet.

10. Top with toppings of choice (optional).

(Picture on Right: Half only chocolate, middle with pecans, and right with sea salt)

11. Allow to cool, until toffee is set. (Either in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator).

12. Cut into squares, and enjoy:)

These can be made the traditional way, with only vanilla extract (no rum or spices).

What do you want to top yours with?

xoxo,

Colleen