What I Wore - Brought to You By No nonsense

My oh my, how I love clothes! I was super excited to try out a pair of No nonsense tights and pair them with an outfit. This was a fun post that I may have to try to do more regularly and change things up a bit!

Can I just tell you how much I love these tights? I love the way they fit, the texture, the feel, the color, the look...I love them! These tights make me want to go to the store and get a whole bunch more in all kinds of patterns and colors.

This might come as a huge shock, but I'm not a model. I know! I would be surprised too! ha ha

This particular pair of tights is the Bold Diamond Tight in Deep Burgundy. This is what I wore to church on Sunday and I got a lot of compliments on the tights. I wish I'd taken a closeup of the tights to show off the fun pattern. Take a closer look at the pattern here. I love these tights!

And what's totally awesome about No nonsense tights is that you can get them ANYWHERE. Target, Walmart, you name it. That means they're totally affordable! Even better.

Follow along with No nonsense on Facebook and Twitter to keep up on the latest styles and new looks!

And since this happens to be a fashion post, I'll clue you in on where it all comes from!

sweater: Romy | turtleneck: J.Crew {and on sale!} | necklace: Hello Fab | bracelet: GroopDealz | shoes: Simply Vera Vera Wang from Kohls {old} | skirt: jcp {super old} | and of course, tights: No nonsense

Even though I'm not the best at modeling, I sure love clothes and I had fun with this post! 

Look out for more! 

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by No nonsense. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Easiest Taco Dinner Ever

Allow me to tell you about the easiest and most multi-use dinner I've ever made. I may have made up some words back there. I've never made a dinner that was so darn easy that I could use in so many different ways! We've been calling it Creamy Southwest Chicken Taco Filling, but you can call it whatever you want because it has so many uses! 

 

And here's all you need:

• 3 frozen chicken breasts
• 1 (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Rotel (If you're new to Rotel, it's tomatoes and green chilies. You don't want to skip out on this ingredient! It holds all kinds of flavor!)

Place the chicken in the crock pot, then throw everything else on top! Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours. Take out the chicken and shred with two forks. Put the chicken back in and stir it all together. It will appear a little soupy at first, but if you give it about 15 minutes to cool it will thicken up just right. Easy!


And all in one night we made the following with this one taco filling:

My husband and I made tacos. We used medium tortillas with some of the taco filling, topped with Mexican blend cheese, lettuce, and salsa. Delicious!

 Then we realized after getting out the tortilla chips how awesome this was as a chip dip!

For our toddler, two small flour tortillas with a little of this filling made a perfect sized quesadilla. He took one bite, said "Mmmm!" and we didn't hear from him for about 5 minutes. 

He loved it!

I've also heard this is good served over rice. Another option is to use burrito size tortillas and put the mixture in with rice, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. The possibilities are endless!

If you make this, I want to know what ways you come up with! I'd love more ideas!

Please share this recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! We must spread the word!

(Recipe adapted from The Larson Lingo)

Pizza Rolls

 

We have an almost three year old at our house who's a big fan of pizza! Ok, let's be honest. I think my husband and I like it more than he does. And we love being able to make it at home in some fun way. Back in July, I shared a fun recipe for Pizza Roll Ups that uses pizza toppings and crescent roll dough. Now I'm about to confuse you and introduce you to Pizza Rolls!

We made these Pizza Rolls on Saturday and I LOVE them. I love the flavor, I love the shape, I love the texture...Love! My toddler and husband love them as well. These Pizza Rolls are just as fun to make as they are to eat. This is a great meal that's quick to put together that the family is sure to love. Adults and kids! We liked them so much we're making them again tomorrow night!

*The amount of ingredients listed below fed our little family with a few rolls leftover. Double everything to feed your clan if you have more!

Pizza Rolls
adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff
makes 10-12 rolls

• 1 can refrigerated pizza dough (Pillsbury makes a great one!)
• garlic salt
• Italian seasoning
• 1 c. mozzarella cheese
• additional pizza toppings of choice (I used Canadian bacon and pineapple. You'll want enough pizza toppings to cover the dough, as scene in the photo lower down. Ours took half a package of Hormel Canadian Bacon-the loose packaging-and about half a can of pineapple chunks.)
• pizza sauce for dipping (If you need a suggestion, the sauce recipe below is my favorite!)

Pizza Sauce 
 (as seen on the Copycat Pizza Hut Deep Dish Pizza and Cheese Bread post found HERE)
- Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and serve hot.

• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dry basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Season the dough with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. 

Sprinkle the cheese onto the crust. Layer additional toppings, starting with the meat on the bottom.

Roll up the dough into a tight log. This can get difficult the more toppings you have. It's totally worth it though!!

Slice into 1-inch sections and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees and serve with hot pizza sauce.



Linking up at:

Chef in Training

Conversation Heart Cocoa

This last week I came across the cutest idea for a Valentine's Day drink! 

This super fun idea for Conversation Heart Cocoa comes from Kelly at Smart School House and I love it!
My little family and I just had to try it.

First, place the candy hearts in a plastic baggy and crunch them up with a hammer. I left my pieces in all kinds of sizes so I could have some bigger pieces to sprinkle on the top.

Then pour a little bit of syrup on the bottom of another plate and line the rim of the mug with it.

(Notice the bright orange spot in the background? My little guy left his cracker on the counter and it appears I forgot to take it out of the picture. ha ha)

Once the mug is lined with syrup, dip it in the conversation heart pieces and cake them around the rim. You'll want to move it around to make sure the rim gets nice and coated. 

(And he's back for the cracker!)

Add your pink cocoa, throw a little whipped cream on top, then top with sprinkles from your leftover crunched up hearts.

Ways to make pink cocoa:

I made mine with strawberry Quik. Yum! You can also use white hot cocoa and put a drop of red food coloring in it to make it pink. You can also find pink cocoa at World Market.

Enjoy this fun Valentine's Day goodness! And thanks, Kelly, for the awesome idea!


Linking up at:

Chef in Training

Chicken in Basil Cream

We took a hiatus from making chicken after our chicken making extravaganza last month. We decided to bring chicken breasts back on the menu this week by trying this new dish: Chicken in Basil Cream. The instructions only called for the use of one pan (which I loved), and handful of separate ingredients that required each in a separate bowl. These are my favorite kinds of recipes because my son loves to help put everything in one at a time. One pan, fun for the kiddos...awesome. 



The recommendation for this recipe is to take two chicken breasts and slice them in half, making four smaller chicken breasts. The chicken will be cooking in your pan, so these small pieces of chicken will allow for a quicker cook time. This dish smells SO yummy. As the sauce was coming together I felt like I was at Johnny Carino's, the Italian restaurant I worked at for 10 years. There was something about this dish that smelled like something made at the restaurant. Then it dawned on me: Stuffed Mushrooms. The sauce tastes very similar to the lemon basil cream sauce poured over the Stuffed Mushrooms at Carino's. Yum!!! Such a good sauce.

A few notes:

• The small back of basil found in the produce section at Walmart was perfect for this dish. It was the exact amount I needed.
• We used diced roma tomatoes instead of Pimento. (Pimento is a type of sweet pepper.) We just weren't feeling peppers so we went with the tomato instead. And it was more likely my son would eat it without peppers! 
• I recommend using Panko bread crumbs. The flavor of the Panko bread crumbs is just way better than other brands, in my opinion. And they're not expensive so you don't have to spend much to get a better flavor.
• We served our chicken with green salad, but this would be really good served with pasta. There's plenty of sauce to toss with pasta or to pour over pasta. 

I would love for you to share this recipe on Facebook or pin it to one of your Pinterest boards!

 
Chicken in Basil Cream
Big Oven
makes 4 servings

• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 (4 oz) can Pimento, sliced (Or 1 c. diced roma tomatoes)
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, minced
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

The first thing you want to do is get all the ingredients prepped and ready to go, separating each into different bowls. (I just threw the black pepper on top of the parmesan cheese because they were going in at the same time.)

(You'll need your bowl of milk and bowl of bread crumbs for this first part.)

Begin by heating your saute pan over medium to medium high heat. Add half the butter to the saute pan. Then dip each piece of chicken in the milk, then dip in the bread crumbs. Place the chicken in the saute pan. Cook it for 5 minutes then turn it over.

The chicken should have a nice brown color. Yum!

Add the rest of the butter and cook for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is done. It may take longer, depending on the thickness of the chicken.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

This will help remove the bread crumbs stuck to the bottom of the pan (and gives the sauce a little extra goodness!)

Stir in the heavy cream and Pimentos (or tomatoes). Boil and stir for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat. Add Parmesan, basil, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.

Serve the chicken with sauce poured over the top, or as suggested above in the notes.

Enjoy!! This is a goody!

FREE Weekly Menu Planner Printable (4 Colors)

Allow me to introduce you to my very first printable!

 

 

 Over Christmas and throughout December I found myself making grocery list after grocery list, only to end up losing them. 

I can't tell you how many times I lose grocery lists.

I decided to make a weekly menu planner printable that has a shopping list on the side. I made four different color options so I can set a different one out depending on my color mood, and so I can share some different options with you!

And here is how these menu planners are going to help me with my issue of losing my darn shopping list all the time:

 (Don't you just love my beautiful grapevine wall paper? Lovely!)

I bought a white 8x10 picture frame from Target, as well as a fine tip dry erase marker.

The menu is an 8x10 so it fit right in my new frame.
(The place I printed this tends to make my prints a little darker so this "yellow" menu actually turned out orange. It should actually print yellow if your place doesn't darken everything like this one!)

Now I can write out each meal on the planned day, as well as a shopping list, and it stays in one place. No more losing lists! And it comes off so nice and clean when I need to change it.

I've got mine propped up on my kitchen counter on a plate holder for now, but it will be heading to my wall once I get it figured out! I love having this around!!

All four of these weekly menu planners are available for free download!

Directions to download:

Each menu planner is available as an 8x10 size and for free download. Just right click on the one you want to save, and save it to your computer to print.

 blue menu planner

gray menu planner

green menu planner

yellow menu planner

These menu planners are for personal use only. If you plan to share them on another blog, please link back here. Thank you!

It's a Health and Fitness Link Up!

The beginning of the New Year is traditionally a time to make some goals and resolutions. One of my goals is to be healthier this year. This link up is dedicated to a healthy new year!

Link up your healthy recipes, workouts, success stories, and any other health and fitness ideas to help those of us who made the resolution to be healthier this year! And just as before, whatever you link up on Cupcake Diaries will show up on the other hostess' blogs. This is a great way to get your blog out there for other bloggers to check out what you've got! 

Here are the other hostesses:

Elizabeth from Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box

Meg from Henning Love

Whitney from Harvest Home

I'm so excited for your ideas!! And remember, these ideas can include but aren't limited to:

• healthy recipes
• workout ideas
• success stories for healthier living, weight loss, etc.
• fitness tips and techniques
• ways to keep motivated and organized
• and whatever else you can think of that falls under this category!

I'll be sharing my favorites from this link up so whatever you link might be featured here!

If you're new to a link up, here's what to do:

1. Find at the bottom of the post where it says "Click here to enter" and link up your healthy recipes, workouts, success stories, and other health and fitness ideas. (Remember to link the post and not your entire blog!)
2. Come back and find all kinds of ideas for a healthy new year!

Dark Chocolate Brownies

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary. It was such a warm day, then out of nowhere a big snow storm hit. We had other plans for the evening, but instead opted to grab a pizza at the corner Pizza Hut and spend it at home with the kids. For my anniversary gift my hubby got me something so wonderful I could hardly stand it: the entire series of "Friends" on blu-ray. Oh happy day! That was the perfect gift for this "Friends" fanatic.

Of course while he was at work I had to bust out the new blu-rays and watch an episode or two. With two little kids, watching even one episode was pushing it. So I chose to watch the episode with Phoebe's grandma's secret cookie recipe that ends up to be the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag. ha ha ha ha

After watching that episode I naturally had to bake something from Nestle Toll House. I saw this recipe for Dark Chocolate Brownies on their website and decided to give them a try. These brownies are so chewy and moist, packed full of chocolatey goodness. Make sure you have the milk on hand when you're eating one of these babies! This recipe has a five oven mitt rating on the website so you know it's a good one!

(Image credit goes to Nestle Toll House! This picture was just too amazing not to use for this post!)

Dark Chocolate Brownies
Nestle Toll House
makes 12-16 brownies (depending on how you cut them)

• 1 (10 oz) package Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. butter, cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325º. Grease an 8-inch baking pan. Set aside 1/3 c. morsels.

Heat 1 1/3 c. morsels, sugar, butter, and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate and butter are melted. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in eggs one at a time with a wire whisk. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add flour and salt; stir well. Stir in the remaining 1/3 c. morsels and the nuts. Pour into the pan and spread evenly.

Bake 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out slightly sticky. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. (This will allow the brownies to finish their baking process without over-baking.) Cut into bars to serve. Enjoy!

Olive Garden Chicken Castellina

I am a chocolate girl and a pasta girl. I love going to Olive Garden and ordering my favorite entree, the Chicken Alfredo, then ordering something with chocolate for dessert. (Otherwise I just want to go home and make an entire batch of brownies.) They have so many other delicious menu items, but I just can't seem to keep away from the Chicken Alfredo!

Copycat recipes are some of my very favorite recipes to make and share. And it's even better when it's an original recipe like this one! We've made the Bruschetta al Pomodoro and it was delicious. It was also my very first blog post here! (That seems like such a long time ago!) And I was so excited to see this chicken dish listed among the other great Olive Garden recipes. It's one that I've been wanting to try. Thank you, Olive Garden, for sharing some of your amazing recipes with us so we can make them at home. This Chicken Castellina doesn't disappoint!


Olive Garden Chicken Castellina
Olive Garden
serves 4

Sauce:

• 1/4 c. pancetta or bacon, diced
• 6 Tbsp butter, cubed
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 oz cornstarch
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 c. smoked Gouda cheese, grated
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 8.5 oz can sliced artichokes, drained
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 c. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 lb bowtie pasta (or pasta of choice) cooked according to package directions

Chicken:

• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c. white wine (can use non-alcoholic white wine or chicken broth instead)
• fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

First, make the sauce:

Saute' pancetta or bacon in a sauce pan or large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and golden brown. Reduce the heat and add the butter. Allow it to melt. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute' for approximately  one minute, stirring frequently. Do not brown.

Whisk in the cream, milk, and cornstarch. Raise the heat to medium-high and whisk in the Parmesan and Gouda cheeses. Once the cheese melts, add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered.


Time for the chicken!

Mix flour with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess flour.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides (about 7 minutes).

Add the wine to the chicken in the pan. (There will be a low flame in the pan if you're using real white wine so be careful!) Toss gently till the wine is evaporated. Add sauce and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.

Transfer drained and cooked pasta to a large platter. Evenly distribute chicken and sauce over pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Two Ingredient Strawberry Fudge

Wow, has it been a rough week at our house! My kids have been sick sick sick. Needless to say, dinners and other new recipes have been lacking over here. And just when I thought my husband and I were in the clear, we both woke up today feeling pretty yucky. Boo.

I feel bad that my recipe posts have been lacking!! I still wanted to share something with you today though. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but when I saw how cute and easy these looked I figured it was a win-win. Especially since the two ingredients are strawberry frosting and white chocolate chips. Can't go wrong there! This fudge is such a cute idea for a fun Valentine's Day treat. I wonder if this recipe would be good with a little marshmallow fluff...Couldn't hurt to try it!

This fudge recipe, along with the image, comes from Shelly at Cookies & Cups. I've seen this recipe flying around Pinterest and really wanted to try it out. So thank you, Shelly, for the fun recipe and use of your photo! Everyone head over to her blog and check out all her other fun recipes! Not only is she a great cook and baker, she's totally hilarious and fun. 




Two Ingredient Strawberry Fudge
Cookies & Cups

• 1 (16 oz) container Strawberry Frosting
• 1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
• Valentine's Day sprinkles
• heart-shaped cookie cutter (optional)

Pour the bag of white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Melt the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Then stir in the frosting. Spread this deliciously pink combination into a lightly greased or lined 9x9 pan and sprinkle with the Valentine's Day sprinkles. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Cut into hearts or squares to serve.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Top 10 Posts of 2012

This was such a fun post for me! I wanted to see what your favorite Cupcake Diaries posts were from 2012 by taking a look at which posts were looked at the most, and it was so fun seeing which posts made the cut! Thank you all for a wonderfully successful year. My success comes from knowing my blog has inspired others to cook, bake, and party on. Here's to another fabulous year at Cupcake Diaries!

Cupcake Diaries Top 10 Posts of 2012:

#10 - Loaded Baked Potato Dip

#9 - Pinteresting Valentine Treat Ideas

#8 - Candy Cane Blossoms

#7 -  Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

#6 - Valentine's Day Brown Sugar Blondies

#5 - Bunny Bait

#4 - Dr. Seuss Birthday Party Ideas

#3 - {Copycat} Pizza Hut Deep Dish Pizza & Cheese Bread

#2 - Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup

And the #1 Cupcake Diaries post of 2012...

{Copycat} Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter