Chicken Cordon Bleu Fingers

I routinely try and create new recipes (sometimes to the Mr.'s dismay... oops). Tonight's creation was a success though: chicken fingers, cordon bleu style. Mmmm. One of the things I like most about my version is that it is 100% pre-cooked so there is no messy raw meat sitting around which keeps things so much more sanitary during the preparation.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of sliced cooked chicken (deli meat)
• 1/2 lb of thinly sliced high quality swiss cheese
• 1 boneless ham steak
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1 cup of flour (
• 1 tablespoon of Montreal chicken seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups of panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup of shredded asiago
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix the chicken seasoning into the flower in a shallow dish; blend milk and egg in another dish; mix garlic salt, asiago, and bread crumbs in another dish
3. Slice ham steak into 1/2 - 3/4 inch strips
4. Lay ham across one slice of swiss cheese and roll up
5. Layer two slices of chicken and lay the cheese/ham roll at one end
6. Roll the chicken layer around the ham/cheese section
7. Lightly dust the roll ups with the seasoned flour
8. Coat each with the egg mixture
9. Dip and coat the roll-ups in the breadcrumbs
10. Place on greased cookie sheet
11. Bake for 15 minutes (flip after 10 to cook evenly)

Enjoy while they're all warm and gooey! Mmm!

Makes 4 servings (2 each). Would also make great appetizers if you cut the finished product into quarters and skewered them with a toothpick!

Birth Announcement Wall Art

I'm excited to be a mom one day (afterall, I do have a "Future Babies" Pinterest board) but right now, it's a lot more fun to be an Auntie. Our circle has welcomed in quite a few babies in the last couple of months and there are still 4 more on the way! My work bestie is the newest Mama I know and I could not be more excited. The Mr. and I are going tomorrow afternoon to visit the happy family and meet the little guy. I already made a blanket/play mat for him, but I thought that something personalized  would be a good bet now that he has arrived.

After scouring the web for something sweet, I found this birth announcement art on Etsy:

I was totally ready to buy it but I realized, there were no images that fit the theme of his nursery... womp womp. Then I figured, seriously, how hard could this be to make?!
Turns out, not that hard at all. I ended up using PowerPoint (I'm weird, I know) and I think my version came out adorable!

While there would have been more creative freedom in PhotoShop, PowerPoint was not that difficult and allowed me to do everything that I needed to do. It took about 2 hours* and was only a matter of:

• figuring out what information to include (first name, middle name, last name, birthdate, weight, length, location)
• what color scheme to use (varied blues and brown -- nursery colors)
• creating an appealing layout (all horizontal, but different sizes and used an 8x10 canvas)
• using a font that fit (this was probably what took the longest because I have hundreds of fonts)

*It probably would have taken an hour or less; however, we were watching Usual Suspects and it was after 11pm

After taking Aubrey to the vet this morning, I printed it on brown craft paper and used a simple frame. Finished product?

Quotation Scarf

It's the first day of March which means Spring is only right around the corner, YAY! I decided a new scarf was in my future and when I saw this pin on Pinterest earlier this week I fell head over heels <3

I resolved to make it before the week was through and considering that materials were minimal, it was easy to do. I stopped by A.C. Moore and found a white pashmina for all of $4.19 ($6.99 - $2.80... 40% off coupon!). While the original used fabric paint I opted for a king-size black Sharpie to get a sketchier look (I didn't like the glossy finish of the original).

I started by figuring out what I wanted to write, I chose my favorite quote from my favorite novel: "I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Any guesses? It's Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Next, I wrote it out neatly on the scarf...

And then to make it a little less "perfect" I went over everything to make them a bit bolder and messier...

I can't wait to wear it tomorrow!

Pilates is Where It's At (on Tuesdays at least)!

Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. Why you ask? Well, one of my best friends teaches a Pilates class that I have been going to for the past 2 months and I love it!! I expected to walk in the class and just stretch but it's so much better than I that. The class I take uses the reformer which is fun because it's not on a mat and it works every muscle. It took a class or two just to get used to the reformer machine, but now I'm totally obsessed with the full body workout I get every time.

My one and only complaint? The class is only once a week. Rather than paying extra to have an unlimited membership (which I probably wouldn't have the discipline or time to use anyhow), I decided to research some mat exercises I could do at home.

Whether you are experienced in the art of pilates, or just learning it like me, the sites below will be a huge resource for you!

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/331464-pilates-exercises-to-do-at-home-for-free/
• http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=8_pilates_moves_for_a_leaner_body
• http://health.ninemsn.com.au/fitness/exercise/1011020/top-seven-pilates-moves
• http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/burn-ab-flab-with-power-pilates/

Revisiting Trends

While out on errands today, I mosied over to the nail polish section of Target while the Mr. was picking out some vitamins and was overcome with glee for all of the super glittered lacquers that are hot right now. I was never a fan of the crackle finish; it looks neat but it's not the girly kind of thing I swoon over. But this glitter? It's so flipping cute. I feel like I'm back in 4th grade with my Wet N' Wild Glittered nails. It's awesome when fun trends from the past experience a revival.

This got me thinking... What other things do I love that are back (or that I wish would come back)?

LEG WARMERS!! The Mr. got me the cutest pair ever for Valentine's day and I would love to be able to  actually wear them in public. They're so warm and comfy and perfect.

Image via Etsy; Original Source: homelab 

RAY BANS! I'm not sure they ever went out of style, but they're so retro-chic it's almost unbearable. I need to get myself one of these fun pairs

Image via Pinterest; Original Source: unknown

GEOMETRIC PATTERNS - Whether it be on a modern rug (like in my office) or on a beautiful blouse, funky patterns circa 1965 are back with a vengeance and I could not be happier.

Image via Pinterest; Original source: Urban Outfitters

COLORED TIPS! This is so 80s punk mixed with My Little Pony I can barely stand it. I wish I had the type of life / job where hair like this was acceptable because I would be all over it. It's fun and beautiful and I give mad props to any lady who can pull this off as well as the model.

Image via Google; Original Source: Thrilld

FARMERS MARKETS! This hearkens to a simpler time before shopping at a super Wal-mart was the norm and I absolutely love that. Our tiny little town just opened it's own market last spring and now our house is only about a mile away which is fantastic.

Image via Google; Original Source: Collegeville Farmers Market

VW BEETLES! What girl didn't grow up with a pink Barbie Bug? I loved mine and I saw one of these driving down the highway a few days ago and had a whistful look in my eye, I'm sure.

Image via Google; Original Source: CarzTune

After going through so many ideas for this this, I actually found quite a few things that I really hope don't come back (bell bottoms anyone?! UGH)... Future post?

PB&J Heart Cookies

Despite how much I love to bake, the Mr. and I are not really dessert people. When holidays come around, I covet the time I get to spend creating sweet deliciousness for other people. Valentine's Day is no exception. I didn't have much time last Monday as it was a rough day in the office and a tax-filing headache at home, but I still wanted to make something for my coworkers and neighbors. Since I didn't start until about 9pm, making a homemade dough was out of the question but I did have some peanut butter cookie mix laying around and then it hit me... I saw a cute little heart thumbprint cookie in either Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, or Martha Stewart Living a couple of years ago and thought I'd finally revisit the idea by making PB&J cookies!

I used the Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and prepared it according to the instructions. Rather than flatten it out with a fork like you generally would, I created a thumbprint cookie where I overlapped my thumb impressions to create a little heart ditch. I filled the ditch with some Triple Berry Fruit Spread (just a little). I then baked the cookies according to package directions.

Voila! Precious heart cookies!

Upcycling - Old Dress Fabric to Cute Bracelets

Have you ever trashed some beautiful article of clothing because it was beyond repair and couldn't even be considered for donation? Well, I have. Mostly because I seem to find things I love and wear them out until they're just shells of their old selves. One such thing was a dress I got a few years ago in a really pretty dark watercolor-esque print. It was perfect for summer/spring nights on it's own, great for autumn with a cardigan, and awesome for winter with heavy tights and a scarf. Needless to say, I wore it until the fabric started to lose it's shape and was no longer worth wearing. I've had it in a trash bag in my closet for over a month but I just couldn't seem to part with it. Finally, I thought, why not salvage usable scraps and incorporate them into something new?

Well, I did just that and made two lovely bracelets.

One is doubled-up braid where I also used the spaghetti straps as ties to finish it off. The second is part of the bow that wrapped around the dress which was a tube of fabric. I just slipped in a couple of wooden beads and knotted the fabric after each and VOILA.