sunny san diego & lovely las vegas

don't be jealous.  but today i'm leaving for here :

sunny san diego, ca.  not completely for sun & fun, its for work but then i am going here :

[photos from google]

lovely las vegas.  a little bit work but lots of play.

so my blogging & commenting will be on hiatus until i return on march 8.  have a great week!

overflowing recipes

if you're like me, then may find yourself lurking in the magazine aisle in barnes & noble only to find a recipe in some obscure magazine that you wouldn't normally look at and then wham - you've purchased it and you don't even know how it happened.  no, that's only me?  then you probably find yourself clipping recipes from a magazine, newspaper, or printing off the internet.  and they are probably all stuffed in some drawer not getting used.  well not anymore!  enter, my recipe binder.

 

mine is 3 inches and i have 21 categories.  its kind of intense.  i spent days deciding what categories i wanted.  i asked ryan.  i asked my friends.  i asked google.  and finally i came up with these : 

favorites

basics

appetizers & tidbits

beverages

breads

soups & chili

salads & dressings

sandwhiches & spreads

pastas & casseroles

poultry

meat

fish & seafood

sides

grilling

slow cooking

miscellaneous

cookies

cakes

cake pops

pies & cobblers

other sweet stuff

i'm a crummy photographer but you can see my master piece at work here.  i printed lablels and made my own tabs.  if i find a new recipe i pull it from its source and store in the pocket until i have more to file.  i clean up the edges using my paper cutter, punch the holes, and then file away.  i told you my binder was intense.

how do you handle your clipped recipes?  do you think i missed a category in my binder?  lol.

better late than never, but i'm linking to :

making the world cuter 

motivate me monday @ keeping it simple

easy as 1. 2. 3.

one of my favorite [and first excursions to "the ranch"] Pioneer Woman recipes is her spicy orange garlic shrimp.  its made from pantry staples and is about 20 minutes from start to finish.  i love pairing it with brown rice, steamed veggies and a nice riesling.

spicy orange garlic shrimp

adapted from the pioneer woman

ingredients :

• 24 pieces [26-30 per pound] deveined shrimp
• 2 cloves [to 4 cloves] garlic
• ¾ cups orange juice
• ½ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning [love this seasoning]
• 3 tablespoons butter [yes, you will want all of it]

how to :

thaw and peel the shrimp. thaw them by running them under cold water for a few minutes. dry the peeled shrimp by draining them on a paper towel or two.

thinly slice your garlic cloves. add the garlic to ¾ cup of orange juice.  measure out and add all of the spices to the orange juice as well.

in a large skillet over high heat melt 2 tablespoons butter. once butter has melted add your shrimp. cook them for about 30-60 seconds and begin flipping them over starting with the ones you placed in the pan first so they don’t get overdone. cook for another 30-60 seconds. remove the cooked shrimp from the pan, leaving the heat on high.

once the butter and drippings begin to smoke ever so slightly add the spicy orange garlic mixture to the pan and give it a good stir. add the last tablespoon of butter to the sauce and after a few minutes of cooking and occasional stirring your sauce should be slightly thicker.

return the shrimp to the pan and give them a nice toss to coat them in the sauce. allow an intermingling of souls to take place for just a few seconds and then it’s time for the fireworks.

 

photo from the pioneer woman - don't the shrimp look delicious!

what's your favorite quick and easy recipe when in a pinch?

envelope system

as i've mentioned before, i've started using dave ramsey's envelope system to curtail my spending and put myself on a budget.  i'd been emailing about the system with my friend ruhiyyih [hi!] when she stumbled upon a tutorial to make your own envelopes.  so i thought, if i'm going to use this system and really want to reap the benefits, i better have some cool looking envelopes.  so another project was started [and completed] in an hour.  

since i don't have a printer at home [gasp, i know, i NEED one] i opted to print out the template ahead of time and cut it out and use as a stencil.  if you have a printer, then you could print directly onto your paper and save yourself a step.

a little cutting and folding later and i had these.

 

my envelopes are:

diy [any craft purchase]

food [lunch out during the work week or special recipe i want to try aside from my menu plan]

fun [happy hours, movies, dates with ryan, etc.]

etc. [personal items, clothes, shoes, random things]

grocery [used for menu planning and ryan contributes]

pretty nifty right, now lets hope keeping to my budget is just as easy as making these envelopes...

the tutorial is very easy to follow, for the directions and the free template, visit kelleigh ratzlaff designs.  

im linking to:
make your monday @ twice remembered cottage 
making the world cuter  
made it monday @ persimmon perch
motivate me monday @ keeping it simple
market yourself monday @ sumo's sweet stuff

i'm back.

ryan and i had an unforgettable time at the bed and breakfast in charlottesville and the wineries.  i can't wait to go back [i'm already thinking of a trip in the fall to see the leaves change color and participate in some bottling parties]. 

we barely took any pictures - our camera decided to act up - so all the memories are mostly in my head.  we did get one lady to snap a picture of us with our phones at monticello.  see, there we are...

 

and for anyone who doesn't follow me on twitter, a photo from one of the wineries...

 

and finally a picture of the sleeping porch where we stayed.

 

if you're thinking of planning a trip, i would definitely recommend barboursville, jefferson, and kewsick vineyards as a must stop.  they were my top three of the five we visited.  hope you all enjoyed a great weekend, its back to work tomorrow for me [first "official" day back since feb. 4th - gotta love the snow!]. 

weekend getaway

ryan booked a bed and breakfast in charlottesville, virginia for valentines weekend for us.  i'm so excited!  we are going to shop, eat, tour, and of course visit the wineries in the area.  i've already mapped out the plans so we can take full advantage of the 3 day weekend.  here's the bed and breakfast we are staying, doesn't it look adorable?

dinsmore house.  it was built in 1817 by thomas jefferson's master builder.  its located in the heart of town and has 96 restaurants nearby and is a short drive to a dozen wineries. 

i'm thinking that the wineries can count as "research" for my wine wednesdays of the month.  what do you think?  happy valentines weekend <3

wine wednesday

today's wine review comes as a recommendation from leigh @ kesler expressler.  she told me about this wine and boy, i think i may have just found a new best friend. 

[image from google]

wine: a by acacia red blend

price : about $12

if you like pinot noir you'll love this red blend [and since i love this, i'm assuming i'll like pinot noir].  this wine blends several different grape varietals into one glass of tasty.  its sweet and bright pink-purple in color.  this is a great wine to enjoy with some cheese and a group of friends.  or all by yourself on the couch watching lost [not that i did that last night and i certainly didn't tell ryan it was gross so he wouldn't get any ideas about having a glass...]

what's your favorite wine?

king of the snow

so my area is expecting ANOTHER ten to twenty inches of snow starting this afternoon.  its really getting quite out of control.  i haven't been to the office since friday [not that i'm complaining, "working from home" is sure keeping me busy].  ryan and i tried to break free yesterday, only to discover the roads were still a mess.  we ended up just going across the street for sushi and another round of milk and bread from the store.  its a good thing ryan drinks lactaid milk, otherwise we'd be in trouble.

also, have i mentioned i've been in pjs and sweats since thursday and haven't blow dried my hair since then either? ryan's been on snow duty since the storm started on friday.  he's been cleaning off the heat pump outside to ensure it keeps running and knocking icicles off the roof.  here's a photo of him and his weapon of choice on top of one mound of snow in our backyard.  

i sure hope it all melts by spring time...

quick & crafty: burlap wreath

i was crafting by daylight on saturday and knocked a few things off my craft to do list.  i stumbled upon craftaholics anonymous and immediately saw a craft i wanted to make for valentines day.  low and behold my burlap heart wreath.

diy how to:

1 : unwind a wire hanger and shape into heart.  [believe it or not, i only found 1 wire hanger in all of my closets, i guess in my last cleaning rampage, i got rid of them all.  anyone watch fringe on fox or lost on abc?  yes, well doesn't this picture of ryan look like two universes colliding...]

2 : cut burlap into approximately 3 inch squares [eye ball it, no need for perfection here] and thread onto wire [make sure you've kept the ends open to slide burlap onto each side].  when you think you have enough on the hanger, add a few more, as the burlap will shift some after you add the ribbon.

ta dah.  all done, what do you think?  so easy, and so cheap.  cost me about $3 for the burlap and i have some leftover for a few more projects.

i'm linking up to :
make your monday at twice remembered
make it for monday at cottage instincts
motivate me monday at keeping it simple
made it monday at persimmon perch
making the world cuter

valentine love

i'm not letting any snow storm get in the way of my blogging.  however, losing power for 13 hours can put a little wrinkle in the plan, but all is normal again.  we made use of the snow as a virtual fridge for my cheese [a necessity in the storm] and my wine opener doesn't require

i wanted to share some pictures of my valentine decor.  i don't go all out, but i do have a few things that i love.  i made some chocolate chip cookies on friday night, [again came in handy for what reports are calling snowmageddon].  i absolutely adore my heart cookie jar, in fact i begged ryan to buy it for me last year in the after valentine sale at target.  i might keep it out all year long.  i mean after all it represents love and i sure love what i put inside!

 

this picture looks much better [the top cookie was looking too heavy for the picture, so i ate it].

and my table, fairly simple [only purchased the table cloth from target for $5] but its bright and makes me smile.

  

 

the confetti sticks i also got from target in the after christmas sale for $.75 each, i know i'll find many uses for them.  next up on my list to buy, some new silverware so my table settings can be complete.  [if you hadn't noticed, i always leave the flatware out, my current stuff doesn't coordinate well with my tablescapes, i'm looking for something like this].

what decor [if any] do you put out for valentines day? 

also: i've joined a i'm not a blissdom blog hop on blessed moon.  for those of you who didn't attend blissdom [or don't know what i'm talking about] join the party, its a great way to discover new blogs.  for more about me, click here.

snow day

my work closed yesterday knowing there is a storm brewing, so i'm "working from home today".  except that i really am working, it just might not be on what they think.  i rushed to the craft store after meeting a friend for happy hour last night [minus the wine, since i'm currently sans ID and waiting for the dmv to send a new one] to pick up some last minute needs.  apparently, i wasn't the only one who is planning to honker down for the weekend, as the craft store was packed!  

i managed to get what i needed and get home.  the snow hasn't started yet, but forecasts are calling for 18 to 24 inches.  even ryan is home for the day and he never takes time off work.  i guess all my worries last night helped convince him this morning, oh and then the federal government announced they would close early. 

for those of you in the northern virginia region, stay warm this weekend!

kickin buffalo chicken sandwiches

here's a quick and easy [and spicy] recipe for buffalo chicken  sandwiches. 

ingredients :

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 [17.5 fluid ounce] frank's hot sauce, or your favorite, divided

1/2 [1 ounce] package dry ranch salad dressing mix

2 tablespoons butter

6 rolls, split lengthwise
any additional fixings you like [lettuce, tomato, blue cheese]

how to : 

place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix.  cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours [or high for 3 to 4 hours if your impatient like me]

once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely.  i used the pampered chef salad chopper and it worked wonders, otherwise you could use 2 forks.  

pile the meat onto the rolls and splash with remaining buffalo wing sauce.  enjoy.

i made these on sunday for dinner and the leftover went to lunch with us on monday.  it could also be great on a salad with some blue cheese or in tacos.  i'm kind of obsessed with buffalo chicken and i have a dip that i make for football games, looks like i can transition it to the crock pot for the superbowl!  man, what did i do before i had a slow cooker?!

linked to: made by you easy dinners @ skip to my lou

January Goals: Let's Recap

January Goals : how'd i do?

Craftiness:

-re-organize craft space : [view the re-organization here]

-practice sewing : FAIL

-craft 2 projects : stay tuned.

Healthy Habits:

-eat vegetarian once a week : very easy, will keep this going but not have it as a goal

-workout once a week : half FAIL.  big plans coming next month.

Food & Fun:

-celebrate Ryan's birthday in style : Melting Pot for dinner

-host a fun Pampered Chef party

-try 2 new recipes

Other:

-set a budget & stick to it

-make trip to Goodwill with old clothes : pile is made, just going through other closets to maximize trip

-help Ryan re-organize his closet

febuary goals:

craftiness:

-practice sewing and start a project
-organize inspiration projects & ideas

healthy habits:

-introduce more veggies into meals

-meal plan for each week

-participate in class at the gym

food & fun:

-bake new recipe for valentines dessert

-enjoy valentine's trip
-try a new seafood recipe
-entertain friends

other:
-organize home files
-write two letters to friends this month

what fun goals have you set for yourself this month?