fabric-softner sheets

I have to apologize for the lack of "Wednesdays with Kyle" this week. He decided to go and catch the piggy flu, so he's been couch-ridden since Sunday. He is starting to feel better, and the fever is finally gone, thank goodness!!

I always think its interesting to find new uses for old things, especially around the house. So, when I came across this list of "25 Alternative Uses for Fabric-Sofener Sheets" from curbly.com, a DIY design community, and Real Simple's "10 New Uses for Dryer Sheets," I was pretty excited to see what their ideas were.

Here is Real Simple's list. Have you ever tried any of these? I have always just used the sheets for laundry, static cling and getting rid of fly-aways, but several of these are new to me. Let me know if you find any of these to be a major success (or failure!)


1. Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight.
2. Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet.
3. Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur.
4. Replace a sachet. Keep a dresser drawer smelling fresh and clean by placing a dryer sheet on the bottom of it.
5. Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
6. Tackle suitcase and gym-bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones.
7. Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage. Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.
8. Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles.
9. Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork.
10. Dust venetian blinds. Close the blinds, then wipe up and down with a dryer sheet.

chicken tetrazzini and halloween treats

Before tonight, the most I knew about Chicken Tetrazzini came from this Maury clip I once saw Joel McHale making fun of on The Soup.



But after tonight, my Chicken Tetrazzini knowledge has expanded, and I can say that I have now baked and eaten Chicken Tetrazzini. I'd say it was good, but certainly not so incredibly delicious it would have the power to steal a man away from his woman, but there are some craaaaazy people out there. I have been searching around online, however, and have found some recipes I think I would like a lot more. Like this one...yum! Here is the recipe I used:

• 1 whole chicken, boiled and de-boned (I bought a cooked rotisserie chicken to save time.)
• 4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
• 10 oz. spaghetti, cooked
• 1/2 lb. Velveeta, cubed
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1/4 c. Chicken Broth

1. Boil chicken and de-bone
2. Cook spaghetti in remaining broth (Since I didn't have broth from the chicken, I just cooked the spaghetti in chicken broth.)
3. Mix everything together and place in a greased 9" x 13" dish
4. Bake at 325F for 40 minutes or until bubbly

I think the thing I didn't like about this dish was the Rotel, but I'm also not big on spice of any degree. For instance when I go to get Thai, I order with a spice level of ZERO. When I buy hot sauce, it's mild. Chicken wings? Honey Glazed please. You get the picture. So the spice of the Rotel threw off me enjoying the tastiness o the chicken, spaghetti and cheese. I'm definitely not shelving this recipe, and I'll actually eat the leftovers (unlike chicken n' ritz,) but I think next time I'll try a different variation of the recipe.

I definitely feel like I am finding my way around the kitchen more and more every day. And I love the time I spend making dinner for three reasons

1. It's kind of my alone time for the day. Even though I work for myself, and am alone most of the day, my mind is on work during those hours. My time in the evening cooking dinner is my time to think about whatever my I want or need to think about and process.
2. I know that when I'm cooking, even if it doesn't turn out amazingly, the Mr. is going to like it, and be thankful he has me to cook for him. Plus, it's kind of like my special little thing I can do for him every day, and food really is the way to his heart.
3. I learn more and more every time I cook. Whether it's about what certain ingredients do, or what I do and don't like, or even doing things for the first time (i.e. de-boning a chicken.)

To get in the halloween spirit, I made orange rice krispie treats yesterday. They are delish! Make a little Halloween inspired treat for you, your friends, your family or your co-workers! Not only is it fun, but they will love you for it. Here's a website to get you started. Last year, my sister and I made a Halloween cupcake graveyard. They were a blast to make, and yummy too! I'm eying those Daddy Long Legs Cupcakes for this year if I can figure out somewhere to take them!

Beyond what I've been up to in the kitchen, I have to share this link my mom sent my way. How gorgeous is this cottage? The inside reminds me of a cute, little antique store, and I love those vintage settees. After seeing more and more photos from home remodels, I've decided I really am partial to gorgeous white kitchen cabinets with stainless steel appliances. I can't wait to have a cute cottage the Mr. and I can rip to shreds and make our own. Someday, I hope :)

move over martha

So that might take it a little too far, but I made dinner the other night, and I'm pretty sure it's my favorite thing I've made so far. It came out of the same cookbook I've been using all week, and the recipe is Parmesan Chicken topped with a Lemon Vinaigrette salad. I did a little searching, and found the recipe originally came from the Food Network, so you can see all the ingredients and instructions here. I am a presentation girl. Meaning, I'm more likely to buy something because I like the package it comes in, not necessarily because of what is inside the box. I've often been given gifts where I like the box and wrapping just as much as the present. So, I think part of why I loved this recipe is because it looks so fancy when you put it all together. Here's the set-up for making the chicken, after I rolled it out to thin it.

Then I put the chicken in a skillet on med-high heat. The recipe said I could do two pieces at a time, but my skillet is too small for that. I'm starting to see an item being added to my Christmas list. Large skillet, check!

After the chicken was done, I put it in the oven on 200F to keep it warm, and put the salad together. This was super fun for me because I FINALLY got to use this juicer thing my sister insisted I needed. I kind of fought her on it, but ultimately got it. And lookie there! It got put to good use :)

And after all the preparations were done, it made a pretty little dinner for the Mr. and I to chow down on.

See, I told you it was pretty!

Around Tulsa, the leaves have really started showing their fall colors, and it's absolutely beautiful. This has to be one of the prettiest times of the year. So, in honor of the color change, and the cooler weather rolling in, I put together a Fall Scarf round-up! I put together some of my favorite scarves of the season to keep you warm for those fall bonfires, football games and marshmallow roasts. I absolutely love Anthropologie, but their prices usually keep me rom buying anything. I was happy to see they have a few that are reasonably priced (and I threw in a more pricey one, because I'm just really in love with the wrap!)

From left to right, row 1: Anthropolgie Tuxedo Scarf, Anthropologie Dazzling Habitat Scarf, Anthropologie Trio Wrap, Anthropologie Pond Lily Scarf

row 2: Old Navy Floral Print Scarf, Banana Republic Chiffon Trim Scarf, Banana Republic Chiffon Rosette Scarf,

row 3: Forever 21 Ruffled Scarf, Forever 21 Smocked Floral Scarf.

Hope you find a pretty little scarf to keep you warm for the next few months! Have a fabulous weekend. We have Oktoberfest to look forward to. Pictures to come soon!

P.S. I almost forgot! I surprised my hubby with this yesterday morning. He loved it! (And I have to admit that I did too.)

wednesdays with kyle, part 2

Well it's Wednesday so I'm back for more. To be honest not a whole lot has happened since the last time I wrote. Oh wait wait... now that I think about it something did happen, brittany and I were put in charge of her parents two most prized possessions. Their two other children who happened to be named Happy and Holly and who also happen to be dogs, but anyway we babysat the dogs last weekend, and I'm happy to report that other than on small mid night throw up incident everything went well. In other news my wife is, in my opinion, the best wife a guy could ever have. She has worked all day everyday this week and has some how found the time and energy to make a fantastic dinner for us to eat together every night. I honestly don't know how she does it but it is so great. I'm used to my single guy days when I lived on tacos, pizzas and ramen noodles. Brittany has been doing things with food that I didn't even know you could but it is so good and I love it. Well that's about all I have so until next week...

new week, new recipes, new ways to burn down my kitchen

This week I began my attempt at a few new recipes, and right now I'm sitting at about a 50% success rate as far as whether I liked the meal, and a 100% success rate on not burning the apartment down! (hip! hip! hooray!) Seriously, no flames so far this week. That's got to be a good sign, right?

Monday night I made quiche, and served it with a strawberry and almond spinach salad. It was delicious. Not only did I think so, but the Mr. did too! Here's the recipe I used (it's from a custom recipe book I got from a sweet girl at church as a wedding gift). I did customize it for our tastes a little bit (look at me altering recipes!) The original recipe called for spinach, but I used ham, turkey, bacon, mushrooms and chives instead.

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust, pre-baked 4-5 minuts
1 pkg. Plain Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs
Garlic Powder to taste
Salad and Pepper to taste
2-1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used a Colby mix)
Sliced Ham, Turkey and Bacon
Green Onions, diced
Mushrooms, diced

1. Arrange pie crust in a 9" pie plate
2. Sprinkle 1 c. shredded cheese on bottom of pie crust
3. Mix together everything but cheese with electric mixer
4. Spoon mixture over the top of cheese already in the crust
5. Smooth out and top with remaining cheese
6. Bake on 350F for 35-40 minutes until slightly golden on top
7. Allow to set about 10 minutes before serving

After I got that in the oven, I started getting my salad together. In a bowl I mixed together spinach leaves,  cut strawberries and about 1/4 cup of almonds. For the dressing, I used:

2 c. sugar

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

I placed the ingredients in a small saucepan, and heated together on med-high heat. Once I took the quiche out of the oven, I poured the dressing over the salad, and mixed together (I waited so the leaves wouldn't get too soggy.)

If your mouth is melting about now? One thing I love about this is we have lots of leftover quiche (a whole pie for two people is a lot!) so we have built in breakfast and dinner for a few more meals. It was also pretty easy clean up. Since the quiche had to bake a little while, I was able to clean the kitchen before it was even time to eat!

Tonight I made something called "Chicken n' Ritz." It's essentially a casserole with chicken, sour cream, green beans, brown rice and cheese, and topped with crushed wheat ritz crackers. I didn't really care for it. My favorite part of the meal were the cheese biscuits I made to go with it, and the strawberry cheesecake ice cream I'm going to have a little later for dessert. Ice cream is truly the way to my heart. :)

paper and brownies

One of my favorite stationery company's has been closed for the last few months, because the owner was out on maternity leave with her precious new baby girl. But this morning, my e-mail box greeted me with a cute little e-mail that Nicole Balch has opened Pink Loves Brown back up for business! One of my favorite of her items are the little paper suitcases. How cute are these? Go over and check out her site. And if you need a special little personalized gift, Nicole has several cute stationery sets to choose from.

I actually aspire to have a little stationery/invite/paper goods store myself someday, but until then, I can't help but gawk at the beautiful prints from stationers online.

Last night, the Mr. and I made a trip to the grocery store. I don't enjoy grocery shopping too much, but it has to be done, so there really is no avoiding it. We were in a hurry, but I grabbed a cook book I got as a wedding gift, and pulled some recipes from there. We shopped based on those recipes, and all of them are new things for me. Dinner tonight will be my first attempt, and I am crossing my fingers for everything to come out great. The recipes have all been tested and tried, so at least I know they should be great, unlike some brownies I made this weekend.

On Saturday, the big OU/Texas game was on, and Kyle and a couple of his friends were watching the game. We had a great spread of burgers and hot dogs for lunch, but later on, I decided to make some brownies for the guys. I found a recipe online, and went with it. They were awful. I promise I followed the recipe to a T, but they lacked flavor, and were just crumbling and falling apart. What did I do wrong?! I would share the recipe with you, but I can't find it again. They had butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, cocoa and eggs, but something was not right. I bought some more cocoa at the grocery store last night. I have to redeem myself.  Seriously, having to tell some 20-something guys they don't get to have brownies is not a good thing. And to add to it, OU lost. Sad day.

So here's to a week of new recipes and delicious brownies. Hope it's a good one for you too!

puppies, pillows and place settings

In just a few short days, I feel like there is so much to share. First of all, we are dog sitting my parents dogs. Two bichon frise's (Happy and Holly). It's to help my parent's out, but also to kind of have a trial run on having a dog in an apartment. Other than barking every time a leaf blows by, it's been pretty good. And even if you don't like small dogs, or fluffy dogs, or just dogs in general, you really can't deny these dogs are cute.

Also...I finally got my last pillow! I really like them. The colors are great, and they are the perfect amount of chic without the Mr. thinking I am trying to girl-ify the whole apartment. Holly wanted to model the new pillows for you.

On Tuesday night, my best friend of over 11 years and her man came over for dinner, and we had a great time. Kyle and I served up a shrimp and crab boil, and it was delicious, if I do say so myself. It's also my favorite meal, so I guess I am a little partial, but for our first ever homemade boil, it was super tasty. We went the traditional route, and threw the food on the table. I did set the table all pretty though, even though we really needed bibs more than pretty plates. We had crab dip as an appetizer, and hard cider and iced tea to drink. Tasty, tasty. Meredith brought dessert, and I don't know what to call it, but whatever it was, it was delicious. After dinner we lounged around and watched ridiculous reality shows. My kind of night.

This weekend is the big OU/TEXAS(sucks!) game! I hope my Sooners can pull out a W. I'll be kicking domestic skills in high gear to feed some good food to some hungry, football-loving guys. Pictures and stories to come. Let's hope I can keep the smoke and flames from appearing this time. Have a great weekend!  GO OOOOOOOOOU!