pinned it then did it: chicken bake

if you're like me, you can spend hours pinning things to Pinterest, but never go back and look at your pins. I find so many great things on Pinterest – outfits, organization ideas, recipes, decor inspiration – I figured it's time to start utilizing some of my pins. So I'm introducing a new series on My Life By Design called "Pinned It Then Did It" to showcase Pinterest finds that I tried in real life.

First up is my take on a Chicken and Dumplings recipe from Real Simple.  YUM! Doesn't it look good?

Real Simple recipe

As you can see in the link, the original recipe called for a 3-4 lb rotisserie chicken, shredded. I'm not a big fan of rotisserie chicken, so I boiled up 3 large chicken breasts then shredded the meat. Once the meat was about ready, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.

Next I mixed together: one 12-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables and two 10.75-oz cans of cream of mushroom condensed soup in a large mixing bowl. I also added some diced onion for added flavor.  

I then added the shredded chicken and salt and pepper to taste, mixed it up and transferred it to a casserole dish, covered it with foil and let it bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, I removed the foil, opened a tube of ready made biscuit dough and placed 10 biscuits on top of the mixture. I then put it back in the oven uncovered and let it cook for another 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. 

After 15 minutes, remove from oven and serve. 

Somebody was excited with the outcome! 

It looked and tasted delicious. Next time I might cut back on the amount of chicken (crazy I know) because it made it really dense, I would like it to be a little soupier next time. I also want to get an oval-shaped casserole dish just because I think it makes for a better presentation (and isn't that half the battle?). But the flavors mixed with the biscuits were amazing. A great meal for a chilly fall night. 

You can find the original recipe I pinned here. My modified recipe is as follows: 

Jenna's Chicken Bake

3 large chicken breasts, boiled then shredded

2 10.75-oz cans of cream of mushroom condensed soup

1 12-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 onion, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 10-count tube of refrigerated biscuits.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix chicken, soup, vegetables and onion in large mixing bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with biscuits, cook for another 15 minutes or until biscuits are a golden brown. Enjoy! 

DIY Halloween costume...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We are super excited to hand out candy over here since this will be the first time to do so in our very own home. To get into the spirit, I decided to DIY a little something I had pinned on Pinterest.

Via Martha Stewart

I grabbed a $3 pair of shades from Walmart and $1 worth of pipe cleaners and I was ready to go. I tried to paint the web with white puffy paint but it was a hot mess. So I improvised and used a silver permanent marker. They are a little wonky since I free handed them, but they get the job done. Then I just used my trusyt hot glue gun to attach the spider legs and my "costume" was complete!

They were quite a hit with the little kids because they were fun and not too scary. 

We couldn't have had more fun passing out candy, so many cute kids, funny costumes and nice neighbors we hadn't met yet. Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! 

my go-to meal...

a couple of nights ago the weather was cold and windy, my better half was down at a basketball game with my dad and I had a lot of DVR catching up to do. So that meant it was a night for my go-to meal –the one that brings me great joy and comfort on a chilly fall night on the couch.

The meal prep begins with these: 

crushed walnuts and grapes cut in half.

Then I boil tortellini and heat up my favorite cream sauce. I had half of the walnuts to the cream sauce and combine with the tortellini when it's finished cooking. Toss in the grapes then top with more walnuts, more grapes and some fresh parmesan cheese. And there you have it – you have an easy, delicious, comforting meal for a cold fall night. Enjoy! 

Creamy walnut and grape tortellini

tuesday tunes...

earlier this year I discovered The Civil Wars, a duo comprised of Joy Williams and John Paul White, who make some of the most beautiful and haunting music I have ever heard. It's sort of a blend of country, folk, and rock but has a sound all it's own.

Last week I was watching the show Nashville and at the end of the pilot, two of the characters sing this amazing song I could not get out of my head. After some online sleuthing, to my surprise, I learned it was a cover of a Civil Wars song.

It wasn't on my Barton Hollow CD so I scoured the interwebs for it and found out it was on a Live album they did in 2009. Lucky for me – and for you – it's available FREE on their site.

Just go to follow this link to their music page and click on the Live from Eddie's Attic album. You'll get 10 great songs for zero dollars. Try it, I thing you'll dig it.

 

fall porch makeover...

Fall is definitely in the air here in Cincinnati. It's put me in the mood for apple cider, boots and cozy sweaters. It's also put me in the mood to decorate the house, starting with our front porch.

One of the things I looked forward to most about owning a home was being able to decorate for the holidays. So as soon as the temperatures dropped, I was on it! In a budget-friendly move, I repurposed a wreath I used for one of my wedding DIY projects and added some fall-themed items.

Once it was all said and done, I loved the outcome. Simple and beautiful. 

And totally coordinated with our maroon front door.

To complete the porch we picked up a HUGE red/orange mum and pumpkins of all sizes. But all of the orange was frankly a little boring. So pulling from all my "Pinspiration" I headed to Home Depot for a can of spray paint and brass upholstery tacks and VOILA!

O for O'Brien!

And of course he needed a little buddy. 

The wrought iron tables are a summertime garage sale find that I spray painted for the deck. 

They are perfect for the front porch vignette. 

I am so in love with it. Happy Fall to y'all! 

nailed it! fall nail colors...

loving all of the fall nail polish colors, especially my deep green manicure. What's your favorite?

friday finds: side tables....

it's Friday again and you know what that means – garage sales! it's a gorgeous fall day here, so before I started working I scoped out a few of the nearby sales. We have a serious shortage of places to put lamps and drinks, so I have been looking for side tables for various rooms in our house. And today I hit the jackpot.

I found this beauty at the first sale...

see that sticker? BOOM! $5!

It's a beautiful and heavy brass and marble table. Even though it's gorgeous, it's going to be hidden in our family room between a lounge chair and the wall. But never fear, I have big plans for it when my Hollywood Regency living room comes together. 

A couple of the sales were duds (I mean, I have never seen so many baby clothes/toys in my life!) but at the last one I found this puppy. 

and again $5! 

It will be perfect for the loft area which currently has no lamps, only overhead lighting. There is something extra cozy about soft lamp lighting versus blazing ceiling fan lights. Plus, the middle shelf will be a perfect place to keep magazines, remotes, etc. It's a little more country/traditional than my usual tastes, but again it won't be out in plain sight, and the height and double-shelf action makes it a functional gem. 

Once I get them in place I'll be sure to take pictures to show you how they are working in the space. I was just so excited by my finds, I had to share them with you. 

2 tables + $10 = FABULOUS FRIDAY FINDS!