Spring Time Shower

Beautiful weather this weekend made for a lovely baby shower for my friend Cecelia yesterday. My friend Beth and I set the table for a spring time tablescape (in the words of Sandra Lee...).

Lemonade, sweet tea and mimosas to drink.

mini-pimento cheese sandwiches

cheeses and fruit

veggies and dip

cucumber dip - now you know summer is on the way!

and last but not least...yummy Buzz cupcakes!

Good Night Moon

All the snow we've had was good for my needlepoint productivity!  Here's another baby shower gift I did.  My friend Cecelia is having a little boy. 

This is from one of my all time favorite children's books Goodnight Moon.  I don't know much about what her nursery will look like so I thought this would be cute on a door knob or hanging on a dresser. 

I gave her the book to go with it. 

Can I also just say how I love (and I never noticed this until I started this project) that there is an animal print rug on the floor?  I really liked how the floor in this turned out.  I used a stitch to make it look like little bricks all across it.

The canvas is from Silver Needle and the fabric is (again!) Amy Butler.  I love those stripes.

Weeknight Inspiration: Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Set it and forget it.  The only work is in the prep.

Chop 1 cup of carrots, 2 cups red potatoes, and 1 onion into large pieces and layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.

I like to sear the rump roast before I put in it the slow cooker.  I sear it in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Just enough to get it browned.  Put it on top of the veggies.

 

The key to this recipe is from my Mom.  Lipton Onion Soup Mix.  Add a packet of that in over the meat and veggies with two cups of water.  Add additional salt and pepper to flavor if needed.

Set the slow cooker to low for 8-10 hours.  It isn't going to do it any harm to cook it longer if your schedule doesn't allow for perfect timing.

The onion soup mix will provide the perfect gravy to go along with the meat and veggies.  Freezes beautifully for leftover lunches.

Viva the handbags!

I know, I know.  I am the last person ANYONE should be taking fashion advice from. I rarely shop for clothes anymore until the situation gets desperate (besides, I've got good friends like Alice and Liz to fuel my wardrobe!) but I've been in the market for a pocketbook. Seriously, that is a daunting task.

Everytime I go to TJ Maxx I check them out. I always see girls who get the cutest bags from there (and you kind of have to the way department store handbags are priced these days!!) and I can never seem to find one.

I was flipping through the new Viva Terra catalog a few days ago and came across a few handbags I really like.  But there goes that price factor again - most are well over the $100 mark.  But I still think they're cute.

Kinda hippie and kinda preppy.

this one's reversible to boot!

Calico's New Spring Fabrics

I got a postcard in the mail yesterday about a 20% off sale at Calico Corners.  There's one not far from my house and I enjoy looking around there but in the interest of time during a busy work week, I decided to check online to see if there was anything on sale I couldn't live without.  I don't have too much furniture that needs recovered right now but you never know.  Plus, with all of the needlepoint projects I've been working on, maybe I would need some fabric for a pillow or something.

Unfortunately, I didn't need anything on sale but I did love some of their newest fabrics.  Why am I so into Ikat Fabrics lately?  Is it just cause I see them everywhere?!  Anyway, they've got a pretty decent selection (among other things) in their new collection.

Tuesday Tip: Rearranging Tool

Living in DC, space is at a premium. My friends Lane and Liz have both talked to me about helping them rearrange their houses. Lane has more space but the layout makes it difficult to plan seating, tv viewing, etc.  On the flipside Liz has a smaller space and every inch needs to function to its max potential. Either way, both will need to plan ahead.

Whether you have a little or a lot of space, use this handy Arrange-A-Room tool on the Better Homes and Gardens website to give you an idea of what your new floor plan could look like before you hurt your back moving furniture. It's free and fun.

Mexican Menu for a Crowd

My friend Susan was in town for a medical conference over the weekend and she brought some of her residency friends over for dinner. There were six of us in total. I wanted something that would feed a crowd but also not require me to spend my whole night in the kitchen working on it. And I'm supposed to be on a budget so I didn't want to break the bank. I think I succeeded and dinner seemed to be a success!

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

1 rotisserie chicken (pulled apart and skin removed)
2 cans enchilada sauce (I used the red kind)
1 cup fat free or light sour cream
2 cups mexican cheese
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 package of white corn tortillas
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Using the rotisserie chicken saves a lot of time on this one. I sauteed the red onion and garlic in the oil until they were caramalized. Then I added the two cans of enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Add in the chicken and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Assemble the enchiladas. Layer a thin layer of the sauce and chicken and top with a layer of corn tortillas. Repeat until you have used up all of the sauce and chicken. Make sure the sauce is the last layer (otherwise the tortillas will be too dry) and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees covered in foil for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and broil for the last couple of minutes.

I served the enchiladas with my favorite salad.  This is a recipe I got from my Aunt Tucker.  The cilantro in the dressing makes it taste so fresh!

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

For the salad:

3-4 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup black beans

1 cup mexican style corn

1 cup red onion, chopped

1 cup mexican style shredded cheese

crumbled tortilla chips (about a cup)

For the dressing:

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

I mix everything for the dressing right in the blender so no need to chop the cilantro.  Toss the dressing into the salad in a  big bowl.  You can prep the salad ahead but wait until right before to add the tortilla chips and dressing so they don't get soggy.