Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great Easter! Mine was nice and relaxing...

1.) My earless bunny.

2.) The Easter colored M&Ms just taste better than the regulars.

3.) Dad's famous eggs benedict.

4.) Day 90 of my 365 day project.

Easter Favorites

Looking for a last minute DIY or recipe idea for Easter this year? Look no further! I've put together a list of my personal favorites.

1.) Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

2.) Easter Terrarium

3.) Purple Pickled Eggs

4.) Furry Rabbit Easter Cards

5.) Amy's Oatmeal & Dried Cherry Cookies

6.) Speckled Egg Wreath

Recent Finds

I went to a really cool estate sale last weekend. Unfortunately, a lot of the items were overpriced but I managed to get my hands on a few small things, including that donkey pictured above. I don't know why, I just couldn't pass him up.

That cuckoo clock was only 3 bucks. It's one of those small, flat, plastic ones so I plan on taking it apart and painting it. I'm not sure what color yet but I'll be sure and post some pictures when I get around to it.

Last but not least, I saw those ice cream bowls and had to have them. I vaguely remember my grandparents having something similar when I was a kid so those were purely a nostalgia purchase.

Moral of the story... I either need to cool it on the estate sales or get a bigger apartment. Apartment hunting it is.

DIY: Easter Terrarium

 

Easter is next weekend! If you still haven't decorated (like myself) and you're running low on cash (also like myself) this is the perfect DIY for you! This cute little Easter terrarium cost me a whopping $4 to make! I found everything I needed at the 99 Cent Store and Dollar Tree. Want to make your own? Here's what you'll need...

• a small glass vase
• preserved moss
• moss covered styrofoam rabbits
• small fake eggs
• dirt
• toothpicks

Layer your vase with a little dirt and the preserved moss. Stick toothpicks into the bottom of the rabbits and the eggs to keep them in place.

Arrange a rabbit and the eggs on top of the moss and you're all set. Add an pastel ribbon and you've got the perfect Easter gift!

Slow-Cooked Spicy Chicken and Beans

I recently inherited my mom's old slow cooker and I've been using it a lot! I found this recipe via Martha Stewart and altered it just a bit. It's absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 and 1/2 cups salsa (I used hot salsa but mild will work well too)
• 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I used about 4 tablespoons instead and mine came out really spicy so be cautious)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (thighs if you prefer dark meat)
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
• sour cream (for serving)
• cilantro (for serving)

In a slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken on top of the bean mixture. Scatter the onion and bell pepper on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low. Do not remove the lid or stir.

Tip: I didn't soak my beans overnight but I also cooked mine for a LONG time (about 18 hours) so if you plan on cooking for only about 8 hours, I suggest soaking them first.

Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day

This is one of my favorite holidays so it's definitely getting pretty festive around here. My corned beef and cabbage has been cooking since 4:30 this morning. I just got home from work and it looks delicious. What else is on the menu? Green beer of course! Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! 

Rancho Los Alamitos

A while back I challenged myself to visit one historical landmark per month. I'll be honest, I haven't been doing so well but I'm going to try harder now because on Friday my mom and I visited Rancho Los Alamitos and it was BEAUTIFUL. I'm definitely determined to keep up with this challenge now. Learn more about Rancho Los Alamitos here. I highly recommend visiting if you're ever in the area. 

Where's Kewpie?

65 days down and 300 to go! Are you following along?

Last Day!

Psst... it's the last day to enter the blogiversary giveaway! I'm picking a winner at random tomorrow. One person will win all of the goodies pictured above! If you haven't entered, click HERE!

Cake in a Can

The other night I decided to do a little experiment. I made a cake in this giant Hershey's syrup can... and it worked! Since this was just a test run, I used a cake mix. I sprayed the inside of the can with cooking spray and baked it for over an hour. The cake came out really dense, kind of like a bundt cake. After allowing the cake to cool, I cut it into layers and frosted it. The photo below gives you an idea of how small it is. Isn't it cute?