Tasty Tuesday: Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole

I've been cooking my way through my pinterest pins. A few at a time. Can i just say, I'm addicted to checking what's out there all the time? Can I also tell you that I really like to be able to visit favorite sites and pin things for later review using Pinterest? Okay. I'm done now.

Back to cooking. I decided I would make a recipe for Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole using my friend's farm fresh eggs. Since hubby doesn't like these things, I knew it would be up to myself to eat it all (thank goodness for friends who like what I like!).

I made up this yummy recipe and at the same time made hubby tuna noodle casserole (something I really do not like). I was afraid my dinner would smell like tuna, but it wasn't the case- thank goodness!

The breakfast casserole cooked a little longer than I wanted, but it wasn't bad. The other problem is with my oven. It is at an angle so things do not cook evenly. I will fix this when we fix our flooring (hopefully this summer or next year). Until then I just work with it.

Image from here

I loved the bite of the kale and the tang of the feta (one of my favorite cheeses). The recipe was easy to make and made a lot. I didn't have spice seasoning so I used Lawry's Season Salt. It's my go to seasoning for things like this.

As far as reheating, I did this in the microwave and it turned out just fine provided I didn't microwave for more than 1 min 30 sec-2 min.

Click this link to get the recipe.

Join me at 33 Shades of Green for Tasty Tuesday. Let's see what's cooking!

The "Excavator's" Efforts

Remember this post about lil man playing the role of an excavator and planting seeds for basil and parsley? I have to tell you, this was a great idea to do with him. Every morning he asks about his plants and if they need water. It's the cutest thing!

Imagine his surprise when I announced I had something to share with him then proceeded to show him the seedlings pushing through the surface of the soil to get that glorious sunlight. His face beamed so brightly. Now, everyday he wants to see how big they are. I thought I'd share with you...

Getting big! Grow seeds grow!

Look how fun!

Next step, moving them to seedling pots. I'm going with an idea I found on pinterest- making seedling pots out of newspaper. I'll let you know how it goes!

Clothing Adventure Part 3: The Purge

Ah... Yes, I've been working out my wardrobe situation. I hate not knowing what to wear in the morning and staring blankly in my closet for 10 minutes a day. It drives me nuts. As you know, I've been reading and working my way through the No-Brainer Wardrobe (ebook by Hayley Morgan- click link on right to buy for $7.99).

I mentioned in the last post that I was getting ready to purge my closet. I did it. I spent a Saturday afternoon alone and decided I would work my way through the closet. It was so good to do and I feel great about it. Yes, I found it difficult, but it was definitely worth it.

I went through EVERY item in the closet. I tried most on to make sure they fit. If I had worn it recently, I didn't bother trying it on. I even went through things in the drawers (t-shirts, shorts, work out gear, camis, shoes). I left no stone unturned.

Having said that, imagine my surprise when I pull out a dress bag. Uncertain of what was in it, I opened it and pulled out a dress that has NEVER been worn and still had the tag on it. I remember I bought this dress about 7 years ago at Express when I needed a little black dress. Check it out....

Front detail

Bias cut hem... LOVE IT!

The tag in tact- BTW, I highly doubt I paid that price. You know me, I'm frugal

After I went through everything, here's what my closet looked like. I'll even put a before and after together- not that you'll notice much until you see the stacks of purged clothing.

Before the purge

After the purge and I was able to hang clothes from the drawers!

I didn't really get rid of any jeans on the top shelf. I have a dressy pair, gray pair, regular light blue pair, and another darker wash jean. I also own 2 other pair- bright blue skinny and cute dark flare jeans. I had just lost 2 pair to tears/holes.

The dress pants didn't change either. There are 2 pair of khaki capris up there (1 green 1 tan), a gray dress pant and black legging. I got rid of quite a bit of skirts and a favorite dress. I actually almost shed tears over my dress. We've been together for 12 years and to say goodbye was hard.  I'm certain more will be purged as I just realized I have 3 pair of black pants, not including the cropped black pants I wear year round. I've just gotta figure out which to keep and which to purge. All are different styles so all may stay.

The purge pile is overflowing. I have friends who want me to save it all for a June clothing swap, but I'm noticing the danger in this. I keep grabbing things out of the pile.... That's not purging.

I will not grab anything from this pile of 3 garbage bags... will not, will not....

Next up, I'll be piecing together outfits and adding a few things that I really want for in my wardrobe and a few things that will replace others (the basics- tees, tanks, etc.).


If you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book to learn more about what's happening here and help yourself through the process, click the button on the right. You can also visit The Tiny Twig's 31 days series about The No Brainer Wardrobe here.

Tasty Tuesday: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I have a favorite dip for parties- Buffalo Chicken Dip. I love it. I think it's fantastic. If I see a crock of it, I'll belly up to it like there's no tomorrow. Seriously, I love that dip.

I have a favorite sandwich- the all American classic grilled cheese sandwich. No lie. I love it. I could live on it. According to the doctor, my arteries wouldn't love it as much if I did that.

Now, imagine life with the two combined? Yep.. I found a recipe that does just that.

Imagine your life with meal planning when you know you'll have left over chicken breast and you have everything else you need to make this recipe... Even better.

I was perusing pinterest one day and saw this recipe. I added it to the meal plan for the day after lil man's tonsillectomy. I'd need quick and easy meals after holding a toddler for a few hours a day (no complaints). This was perfect.

Image from here

The recipe was good. You should be aware that the recipe is for 1 sandwich.

 Now, here's the problem. It calls for blue cheese. I can do it sometimes, but there's a certain kind of blue cheese I like and I thought I grabbed the right brand at the grocer, but since it had been a while, I was wrong. Hence, it was good, but not as good as it could have been. If you love all kinds of blue cheese, you'll have no problem with it. Next time, I'm simply leaving out the blue cheese. And, yes, there will be a next time!

Click the link for the recipe from closetcooking.com.

Join me at 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday. Let's see what else is cooking!

Making a Terrarium

I was reading this series of posts by Nesting Place about plants and using them in your home. Those of you who worked with me while I was in the business setting know I love to have plants around. In my house though, I've always had difficulty; however, I put it all aside to see if I could breathe new life into our home with plants. Besides, lil man likes to take care of things and play with dirt, so why not teach him how to care for plants, right????

One of the things that Nester presented was a terrarium. I fell in LOVE! I've seen them and know a fantastic teacher who has 2 in her room. I've thought about emulating them for the past 5 years and moreso recently this fall when I decided my school fish aquarium needed to go. I was sick of caring for it. I decided I would start small so I headed over to the thrift store for a glass bowl. I found one, but it was too small for what I wanted. I got another at Marc's for $1.99.

Next, I had to find plants for the terrarium and the other supplies. I finally had everything and was ready to go!

Step 1: Wash out the bowl (just a preference I have) and make sure to dry it well. Gather supplies (charcoal, potting soil, rocks, filter/cloth, plants, figurines).

Step 2: Put river pebbles in the bottom.

Step 3: Add a coffee filter, piece of cloth or newspaper to the top. It prevents the charcoal and soil from mixing with the rocks which would defeat the purpose of the rocks for drainage purposes. I didn't know this until the kind lady at Donzell's told me. She was amazing and had made a beautiful fairy garden and bunch of awesome terrariums.

Step 4: add charcoal

Step 5 add potting soil (I already had this from previous projects).

Step 6 add plants and figurines.

Before figurines.... don't mind the guy on the cover of the newspaper.... I just didn't feel like working on the floor and chose to put paper down instead.

Side view... I'm thinking we'll add some sand or something mulch too... It's a work in progress.

From the top. I must say, I chose my 2 favorite dinos for this!

This process didn't take long to make once I had everything. It took longer to pick out the plants I wanted than anything else! I chose to put dinosaurs in the terrarium because lil man is loving dinosaurs right now. I figured it would give him something to enjoy and we can take them out to change the theme later.

I'm joining up at Nesting Place for a plant linky party. Stop on over and check out the other terrariums people have made!

A Clothing adventure Part 2

I know it's been a week since Part 1, but bear with me while I work through The No Brainer Wardrobe. I'm following the guidelines and action items to a T so I can help you see the process. I needed to spend a week pinning clothing and searching styles I like, so I did.

After pinning I too a look at my Pinterest style board to see what I had pinned. I noticed clean lines on the majority of the pants with a slight flare/bootcut to them. I noticed layers and layers and scarves of all styles. Lots of t-shirts too. What surprised me was the amount of dresses and skirts as well as non-jean outfits. I've always been a jeans person... What's up with this???

So, I then perused my closet to see what I had that was my favorite. Now, I need you to bear with me. I live in a house that is close to 100 years old. The closets are the width of a door and just deep enough for hangers. Here's a pic of my closet in between seasons.

My scarves and belts.

No room for everything, so whatever pants can be folded without a lot of wrinkling go on the top shelf. Tons of hangers everywhere and lots of clothes I don't wear in there.

Running and tennis shoes on top and other shoes throughout- doesn't include the ones I keep down stairs that are my usual go to shoes.

My boots: Red/Brown westerns (under the gray), Gray (my new fave), Tan Wedge heels, black kitten heels, brown suede-like 3 inch heels, and cute little black booties.

I was supposed to get my 10 favorite things, but I don't really know what they are! Guess I'll be peaking in the closet a little longer every morning until I figure that out!

OH! I have to say in reading the book, I noticed there is a mention that 50-60 articles of clothing is plenty. I thought that was a lot.... until I started counting how many were jam packed into the closet. It's also important to know that there are clothes in my 2 dressers and bins upstairs that are off season clothing (dwindled down to 1 bin instead of 2) as well as clothes in the laundry (you know how that cycle never ends!).

Now I'm moving to the organizing/categorizing/purging the closet phase. Mind you, I just assembled 2 bags of clothing to send off somewhere 2 weeks ago. Some of the clothes had tags on them. I've had them for a year or more and never wore them because I didn't like the style or material. Like I said, a lot of what I have is hand me down or gifted clothing. I don't mind it, it just doesn't always work out. I'm learning not to feel guilty about that! I'll be back Wednesday with a post on what I've gotten rid of and what I'm keeping.

Also, if you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book to learn more about what's happening here and help yourself through the process, click the button on the right. You can also visit The Tiny Twig's 31 days series about The No Brainer Wardrobe here. If you haven't read The Tiny Twig, you really should. Hayley is amazing and I don't even know her personally, but I would love to be her BFF. :) So inspirational.

Winner announced!

Wow! Thanks everyone for entering the contest for the bird's nest pendant. The winner is: #3 Janet Boyantan with the comment: "I have never hosted or been to a craft party, but it sounds like fun. I am not artistic, so I envy those of you who can do such pretty work. Thanks for the chance to win the nest charm."

Congratulations, Janet! I'll be contacting you via email to get additional information.

Please stop by frequently. You never know when I'll give something else away- or what I'll be up to!