"Anything Goes" Orzo

Last night was one of those nights that I really had no idea what I wanted for dinner, so I just threw a bunch of stuff together to see what happened.

Turns out it was AWESOME!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Orzo pasta, uncooked
• 3 strips Bacon, cooked & crumbled
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded (my method below)
• 1/4 cup Goat Cheese, crumbled
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1-2 handfuls Baby Spinach
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and immediately return to the hot pot. Throw in the spinach, as much as you want, and stir it until it wilts down. This stuff seriously wilts down, so don't be afraid to use a couple handfuls. Don't believe me?

After the spinach is wilted a bit, add the EVOO, bacon, chicken, goat cheese, and salt/pepper. Adjust the ingredients to your liking. I paired it with a yummy Chardonnay, but a good Pinot Noir would be great too!

This makes about 2 servings, so just multiply everything if you need more!



For the Chicken:

Wash and butterfly the chicken breast (if you are planning on grilling the chicken, butterflying is not necessary).Butterflying the breast (cutting it in half, sandwhich-style) makes it much easier to cook it on the stovetop.  I rubbed a little EVOO, kosher salt, and my favorite seasonings onto both sides of the raw chicken, and sauteed in a bit of the bacon drippings until it was cooked through. You can also grill it (I just don't have a grill!). After it was done, I pulled apart the chicken with a fork, so it looked like this:

My fav chicken seasoning is actually from a 4-pack of bread dip seasonings I found at Central Market I LOVE the Tuscany Blend for chicken...

Enjoy!



Round Top!

Whew! What a busy weekend!! I am still recovering from the fabulous time we all had!

I'll share all of our good finds with you later on, but for now, here is a pretty good summary of what went down this weekend!!

Day #1

We didn't get in town until about 8:30 PM, so Delynn, Mama D and I all settled in to our precious little B&B for a nice relaxing night. It was only the three of us on this night, so we took advantage of all the space we had and celebrated with a little picnic (homemade hummus recipe coming  soon)!

(Sidenote- see the classy white cooler in the background? We definitely burned the bottom of it on the stove last time we were in town! We avoided any kitchen disasters this time by staying in the B&B!)

Day #2

Rise and shine! We got up early and had a fabulous homemade breakfast at the B&B, then headed straight out to the fields!

We didn't have a whole lot of time on this trip, so we focused our time on just a few really good shows: La Bohia, Texas Rose and Warrenton!

Here is an idea of what everything looks like in there - rows and rows of tents set up with treasures!

Here is a close up of a booth in Texas Rose-- TONS of treasures to sort through!

When I say Round Top has everything, I mean it. Found this little dandy in Warrenton. Sadly, I totally remember this jar of FAKE FINGERS from the spring show! Who would ever need that??

This is where chairs go to die. Saw this at a random European market on the side of the road. Suprisingly, Delynn got some fabulous lighting fixtures at the same place! 

And here is Delynn getting interviewed by Emily Henderson for her show on HGTV! We all got interviewed on our little girls trip, and why Round Top is sooo addictive!

Then they made us unload both of our cars (which we had JUST packed up), and load it back up for the cameras! I am really hoping they don't show us in all of our sweaty glory (it was 105 outside) on the show!

Finally, after a long day, we followed Round Top tradition and headed over to Royers for a fabulous dinner!! From the left: Beth, Alyssa, Debby, Delynn, Mama D & myself)

Day #3

Moving a little slower this morning after the great time on Saturday night, but we eventually got up and moving! Made a few quick stops along the road, loaded everything up, and headed home!

We went down to Round Top in a tahoe, suburban, and jeep, going along our principal of underestimating on the car space to get the good stuff. We ended up having to trade the jeep for Beth's son's pickup, and renting a uhaul as well!

Overall, a great girls' weekend with some great junk!!



Love Dip (tell me you love me)

Everyone LOVES Central Market's famous (or infamous) Love Dip.

It's pink, it's delicious, and it's horribly addictive!

Well, my friends, here is the recipe! Super easy to make, and goes well with veggies, chips, pita bread...you name it!

Ingredients:

• 1 12-oz container Whipped Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Vine Ripened Cluster Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Tomato Paste
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/8 tsp Fresh Tarragon, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• Fresh Lemon Juice, to taste
• Cayenne Pepper, to taste
• White Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add cream cheese, chopped tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and lemon juice to food processor, and process until smooth and creamy. Fold in remaining ingredients and mix well.

Enjoy!!

In other news, we are off to Round Top this weekend, so stay tuned for some junk updates next week!  

Today's Pinspiration: Doors

No longer are doors just for entering and exiting my friends...although a cute painted door is always fun!

On the outside...

Or on the inside!

But you can use old doors for sooooo much more than that!

As a headboard...

As wall decor, instead of a painting or tapestry...

Or even beside the bed!

Get creative with these!! One person's trash is another one's treasure!

Have you seen any good doors lately?









Need more closet space?

I, like so many before me, am truly challenged when it comes to closet space. I already have three of those vacuum bags stuffed with my winter clothes under my bed, and it seems that my closet it still way too stuffy!

Recently, Mama D has given me one of my favorite gifts ever: space saving hangers!

$38.20
Amazon

She found them at Costco, but for you non-members, they have them at Amazon as well! Also, they have a non-slip grip, so you can hang your tank tops on there with no worries!

See - look how neat and uniform everything is now! Plus - look how many hangers fit on there!!

Here you can see a little comparison of before and after - on the left are the old hangers, and on the right are the new. Look how many more fit with the new ones!

Seriously guys - I highly recommend trying out a box (or two...) of these! I can sleep a little better tonight knowing my closet is getting closer to something resembling organization!

Junkie Announcement!!

I have some exciting news for all of you junkies in the Dallas area! My good friends from The Lane and For the Love of Old have teamed up and opened a new booth at the White Elephant!!

See how cute it is?! Definitely worth a trip (or five)! Sooo stop by and check it out next time the junk starts calling your name...you surely won't regret it!!

They are vendor #1959, and the booth is straight down the isle from the cash register - last one on the right!

Ritz Chicken

As a child, I specifically remember eating certain recipes at one of my friend's houses. Luckily, her mom gave my mom said recipes, and we got to eat them in the Daniel household! Unluckily, they were lost in the mix years ago, and I have only had the memory of some of my favorite dishes for years now :(

Recently, a lovely thing called Pinterest has become a slight obsession of mine, and I was finally reunited with my favorite recipes!!

So, without further ado, I introduce you to Ritz Chicken.

This stuff is super easy to make,and is an instant crowd pleaser! Trust me...your hubby, boyfriend, friend, sibling, child (or whoever else you cook for) is going to love you for this one! (Not sure why, but the iPhone made this pic look dark in the center...I promise it wasn't though!!)

Ingredients:

- 1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (two halves - around a pound)

- 1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup (I got the Healthy Request kind)

- 1 8 oz container of Sour Cream (I went with low-fat)

- 1 tube Ritz Crackers

- 1 stick Butter (I went with light) or Spray Butter

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven th 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Cook the chicken in a pan until edges are golden brown, and chicken is cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, remove from heat and tear into small pieces to give it the "pulled chicken" effect (you can also dice it into cubes, if you prefer).

In a mixing bowl, combine cooked chicken, sour cream and condensed soup. Mix until it is thoroughly combined, and spread in the baking dish.

Crush the Ritz crackers (easier to do this while they are still wrapped up), and sprinkle them over the top of the mixture. Melt the butter (or use spray butter), and sprinkle it over the crackers. Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!

This one can be served over rice, or a la carte!