Things I Love Thursdays

Are you guys excited for the Oscars?!
My favorite part is the E! Red Carpet interviews, and seeing everyone's dresses. But that still counts.

Let's hope no one wears an ensemble like this. What the heck, Vanessa?! This is like, weird, morning-after prom whore, or something. Yikes.

Image from: http://www.dayoldnews.com/

I will be making these fun cupcakes again this year: My Red Velvet Glitter Oscar Cupcakes  The edible glitter dust is SO fun and festive.

Last weekend was my good friend's daughter's 1st Birthday! Happy Birthday to Charlotte!!
We decorated her house with a Valentine's Day theme, and were quite proud of our Pinteresting attempt! Candy hearts and confetti on the tables, paper lanterns and ribbon hung on the chandelier and cabinets. Self-adhesive craft foam hearts decorated the kitchen. Such a fun birthday theme for February!

My friend did all the brunch food in a Valentine's theme, too. It turned out so well! She had mimosas (duh), chocolate fondue with marshmallows and strawberries, salami and white cheeses, blueberry vanilla goat cheese with crackers, and lots of other fun pink/red/white/purple themed items!! 


One of my favorite blogs lately is Jessica's 'Tuesday Things' from her blog How Sweet It Is.
She is effing hilarious, and I always feel like she is reading my mind with her take on current tv shows, or other musings.
Check her out!


The thing about Pinterest, is it makes you start thinking about summer in February, and Christmas in July!
I am thinking I NEED to make some shorts like these asap.  By 'asap', I mean...sometime in the next 4 months.

Photo Credit: Etsy - ElecktraFly

I am also on my last Samoa in my girl scout cookie stash, and panicking. And those damn girl scouts KNEW I was, too, because there they were, standing outside Trader Joe's yesterday, tempting me.
OR, maybe we make these instead!! Samoa Cookie Bites from Happy Food, Healthy Life

Photo Credit & Recipe: http://happyfoodhealthylife.com/2012/03/10/samoa-cookie-bites/

YUM, these Vegetarian Lentil and Sweet Potato Empanadas from Love & Olive Oil look amazing! And easy, too. The dough is pre-made puff pastry, and any sauce that involves goat cheese...sign me up!!
I am so into lentils lately.

Photo Credit: Love & Olive Oil

This Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf from What's Cooking, Love? is SUCH a great idea! I'll have to try this, one, too!

Photo Credit: What's Cooking, Love?

***Editor's Note - uh, guys, hold the phone, I just found THESE Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf BITES! Even better! Cuter (obviously important) and they would bake up more quickly, too! Score. Thank you Weelicious

Old Navy has some cute stuff out for Spring!

This nail polish trick I will have to try!!
"Add cornstarch to clear polish to get a matte finish" Huh, who knew! Thanks once again, Pinterest.

OK, so has anyone ever tried this?
'When buying fruit and veggies, always soak them in a 1:4 ratio of vinegar and water to help remove toxins and pesticides. Leave them soaking for up to an hour, longer with non-organic apples.'


Is it worth it?

Ugh, I was down with the flu last week (no, I don't get the flu shot, because I never get the flu!! Thanks a lot, karma...), and was diving into the natural home remedies hardcore. They really work.
I had a ton of Asian hot and sour type soup with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and cayenne, and then ginger tea with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, and lots of cinnamon.  All these items really do have anti-bacterial and immune boosting elements that seemed to make me feel better sooner, and at least not get any worse.
Do you guys use any natural remedies?

So, full circle, I hope you all enjoy watching the Oscars this weekend!
I think I am going to make a flatbread pizza appetizer, as well. Caramelized onions, cheese, and.....pear? asparagus? The possibilities are endless!

Photo Credit: Table for Two

So there.

All the women who are independent, Throw your hands up at me

Guys, how much did we love the Destiny's Child reunion during the Superbowl halftime show?!
My friend and I were totally singing along to all our old high school jams, haha.

I don't care tremendously about football, but I do like to make good game day snacks!

This year I decided to give these BBQ Chicken Crescent Cups a try - thank you, (as always) Pinterest!

These were simple to make, and a big hit at the Superbowl party I took them to.
They are really best served warm, but since I had some travel time, I served them at room temperature, and they were still good.

Recipe: (adapted from Nan's Home Cooking )

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder or fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 green onion chopped
1/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 package crescent rolls or dough sheet  **Those new crescent roll dough sheets are awesome, because they aren't perforated, but either will do! just press the seams together first.

Tip: Once you cook the chicken, (I just seasoned lightly with ground mustard, chili powder, salt and pepper and baked in the oven) throw big chunks in the food processor and pulse a few times. Voila! Perfect finely chopped chicken!
This isn't shredded like you'd use for carnitas-type meat, but to get a really fine chop for these crescent cups, or say, enchiladas, it is perfect!!

Combine all ingredients except the crescent dough, and set aside.

Cut the dough into squares (See original recipe for all the details!) and gently press into a 24 cup mini muffin pan.
Fill cups with chicken mixture.

I melted some butter, mixed it with BBQ sauce, and brushed the mixture over the tops of the filled cups with a pastry brush before baking. This gave them a more 'BBQ sauce' color on top, plus ensures the cups get nice and golden brown on top.

Then, just bake according to the dough package instructions.

Perfect game day snacks!

What what your favorite part of Superbowl Sunday??

Um, mine was this commercial. So sweet. Of course I cried.
So there.