Autumn Decor

I'm going to Doha, Qatar next week and I am soooo excited. I have never really travelled before so I'm a bit nervous at the same time. The flight is going to be soooooo loooongggg and the stop overs just as boring but it's all going to be worth it once we get there.

And do you know what's hilarious? I can't wait to EAT over there. There are going to be a ton of restaurants that we will be able to try out and I'm ecstatic about it, which is kind of sad when you think about it, haha. I also can't wait to do a little shopping, I just hope I have enough room in my suitcase for everything I know I'll want to buy. I seriously cannot contain my excitement and since Monday is a holiday, I only have 2 working days left!!! YESS!!!

But enough about that for now, lets talk about Fall. As I've said before, I love Fall. I spent last weekend decorating the outside of my house with some Fall Decor. I'll probably add some Halloween stuff to it when it's more closer to Halloween. For now, I just focused on Autumn related stuff.

I had a really pretty wreath that was just fall colored leaves, so I picked up some sunflowers at the Dollar Store and glued them on.

I think it made such a difference to the wreath. I thought it was pretty before but I absolutely love it now.

Then I made a fall arrangement in an urn that I had flowers in during the summer.

I went out in the woods behind my house and found some broken pieces of birch trees and stuck them in the urn. The urn is filled with rocks so I placed some wooden planks on top and then put a large pumpkin on it. Then I put some flowers around the pumpkin and taped a crow to the top of it. It literally took me 5 minutes to do and I think it looks pretty darn good.

I also put some pumpkins and flowers on a table that I borrowed from my mom and taped some pumpkin lights around it.

And here's a picture of it all together.

My grass is just growing so next year I will be able to put some hay and pumpkins on the lawn.

I think it all came together pretty nicely and the best part was it was fairly inexpensive. Aside from the pumpkins, everything pretty much came from the dollar store (aside from the wreath and urn I already had).

What do you think? And how do you decorate for Fall?

F-A-L-L Crafting

I love fall.

It's pretty close to being my favorite season. I love how the trees turn the most vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow. I love the smell of chimney smoke in the air and how crisp it feels outside. And on top of all that, I love the home decor of Autumn.

So during the last few days, I have been decorating the inside of my house with fall decor. I seen the idea on Pinterest of spelling out "FALL" with wooden letters and placing it over your door and had to try it out. It seemed so simple and fail-proof so I gave it a shot.

I bought some wooden letters at Walmart and painted them orange.

Then I printed off some Autumn themed paper and glued it on over the letters. 

I bought some orange ribbon and cut them off at different lengths and tied them to each letter. Then I taped the ribbon to the top of my door.

I used the inside of my door because I didn't want the ink on the paper to run when it rains. I also have a fall wreath on the outside so I thought this would look cute from the inside.

I've got to say, it was super easy and I think it looks great!!

You can see the original blog post here:

http://sandandsisal.com/2012/09/diy-wreath.html

Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake

I have been away for two weeks for work but have been wanting to share this recipe for a while.

Sometimes my finance posts recipes on my facebook wall as a hint of what he wants me to bake for him. Lucky for him, I like to bake.

This Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake was not too sweet or rich - which means you can eat more in one sitting!! Yeah!! LOL.

What you will need for the crust:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Now for the cheesecake:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

And finally, the Orange Creamsicle Layer:
1 3oz box orange flavored gelatin
1.5 cup boiling water
1  8oz container of whipped topping such as Cool Whip

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine all of the ingredients for the crust in a bowl. Once ingredients are mixed, press into a nine inch springform pan and set aside.

Whip the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a mixer (I used the paddle attachment on my KitchenAid mixer). Beat in one egg at a time and then add the sour cream.

Pour the filling into the crust ....

I always score (I think that's what it called) my cakes (take a knife and run down the middle of the cake so it will not bubble when it cooks)

Bake for 40 minutes.

After the cheesecake has baked (for 40 minutes), turn off the oven and open the oven door a crack. You're gonna leave the cheesecake in the oven like this for half an hour.

Once you remove from the oven, you will need to let the cake cool completely before you add the gelatin layer.

When the cake is all nice and cool, you can start with the Jell-o!

Mix your orange gelatin with boiling water until it dissolves. Then whisk in the Cool Whip until it's combined completely.

Pour over the cheesecake (which is still left in the springform pan)

Place the pan on a plate and put it in the freezer for an hour.

Remove the cake from the freezer and chill in the refrigerator (for at least 2 hours)- it will be best if you leave the cake in the fridge until the next day before serving.

Before you unhinge your pan, run a sharp knife around the cake so nothing is stuck on the pan! 

Like I said before, this recipe was posted to me on facebook, but you can find the original recipe right here:

http://www.budgetgourmetmom.com/orange-creamsicle-cheesecake/

So Long Sweet Summer

Summer is coming to an end.

The six most depressing words I could hear right now. Although hearing "it probably will be snowing soon" is even worst.

Trying to take advantage of the last few nice, sunny and warm days we have left, we spent Saturday at a friend's cabin. We packed up our stuff (I made individual Oreo Cheesecake's) and headed out.

Yummmmmm....

It was such a lovely day and we had so much fun cruising on their side by side.

We're loving it, haha.

The sky was so blue and the water so calm.

We won't have many days like this left. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Autumn but our summers are so short, we have to take advantage of what we get.

The sunset that evening was beautiful over the lake.

How serene :)

Oven "taste like fried" Chicken and Sour Cream Potatoes

This chicken recipe is to die for.

You may be sceptical about baking chicken and having it be as good as fried chicken, but I kid you not, this recipe is great. I first came across the recipe here: http://dlynz.com/?p=1155 and just changed the amount of spices used. I also used pepper flakes, because I like it a bit hotter.

In a shallow dish, mix the following:

1/2 cup of buttermilk (which, if you don't have buttermilk, is just regular milk with a teaspoon of vinegar in it, and let it sit for a few minutes)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Put some plastic wrap on a cutting board, place your chicken and cover with a more plastic wrap and pound chicken to a even thickness.

Place chicken into buttermilk mixture.

Make sure the chicken is completely covered by the milk mixture.

I started this part ahead of time and placed the chicken in the fridge for 4 hours. The original recipe says the longer the better, but if you only have 20 minutes, that should be fine too.

In another dish, you're going to combine your spices. Here's what I used:

1 cup of bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Take the breasts from the buttermilk (no shaking!!) and coat in the spices.

Place the chicken on a wire rack (that's over a baking sheet) and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

I placed parchment paper underneath because I'm lazy and hate cleaning a mess.

After your chicken has been in the fridge long enough, pre-heat your oven to 400 degress F.

Take the rack of the baking sheet and remove any crumbs that feel through the cracks. Drizzle a line of olive oil where the chicken will be placed, place chicken on oil an then drizzle another line down the chicken breast.

Bake for 12 minutes, turn over and bake for another 8-10 minutes.

How. Freakin'. Delicious!!!

I made my favourite Sour Cream Potatoes and a side of corn to have with this dish.

The potatoes are pretty easy ...

Peel and cut your potatoes into chunks/wedges (I used 4 small potatoes) and parboil them for 15 minutes. This meal was only for 2 people, so this potato recipe would be doubled if you were serving four.

In a bowl, mix half a small tub (I think it's 8 oz) of sour cream, half a can of cream of chicken soup and a couple handfuls of cheddar cheese.

Drain your potatoes and place in an oven safe dish. Pour sour cream mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle some more cheese on top!

Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Look at the cheesy goodness!!

Absolutely delicious.

... And now I'm hungry again, haha.

Baked Chicken (Cream Cheese) Taquitos and Spanish Rice

I love chicken taquitos. If I ever go to a restaurant that has taquitos on the menu, it's for sure the food that I'm going to buy. I have been trying as much as possible to stay away from eating at restaurants and having take out but I was really in the mood for some chicken taquitos, so I figured I'd give it a go at making them at home.

They actually were delicious!!

I cut the chicken into cubes and seasoned them as they were cooking in the frying pan.

Seasoning

1/2 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of pepper
sprinkle of salt

When the chicken is almost cooked, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F and start making your sauce.

Heat about 1/2 cup of cream cheese (I used fat free) and mix with 1/4 cup of salsa. I sprinkled a little extra of the seasoning that I used in the mixture as well.

Mix in your chicken

Warm the wraps for a couple of seconds in the microwave so they are nice and bendy!

Start placing your chicken mixture on the wrap, keeping it about 1/2 inch away from the top and bottom. Sprinkle some of your favourite cheese on top of the chicken (I used mozzarella). Roll your tortillas as tightly as you can.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Try to keep the wraps spaced apart so they are not touching each other.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until they start turning a golden brown color and get all crispy!

Delicious or wha?!?

You can serve with extra salsa for dipping or use some sour cream (or greek yogurt to be even healthier!)

To see the recipe that I used for the Spanish rice, go here:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-spanish-rice/

The rice was incredibly good as well!!

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas

A couple of weekends ago, I had some friends over for a few drinks. I seen a commercial on TV earlier in the week for frozen watermelon margaritas and I instantly wanted to try them.

I find that making your own cocktails can get so expensive because there always seems to be a million kind of mixes that need to go in the drink.

But not this time. This simple recipe calls for 3 things:  margarita mix, tequila, watermelon and a lime.

I had some watermelon that I had frozen a few days before and already had a lime in the house so it worked out pretty perfectly.

I threw a handful of watermelon in the blender, along with a shot of tequila (1.5 ounce), 3 ounces of margarita mix, a squeeze of lime and BAM! All done!!!

I cut a piece of lime and rimmed the glass (I didn't have margarita glasses, so I used martini glasses instead). My friend wanted her glass rimmed with sugar and not salt, so I used sugar instead.

The drink was so slushy ... it was delicious! 

Doesn't it look gorgeous?!

Smashed Potatoes

The easiest recipe to follow and the easiest side dish ever. Smashed potatoes are just what the name says ... potatoes that you smash!

Submerge your potatoes in salted water and make sure they are completely covered. Bring to a boil and then simmer. You're going to want to boil your potatoes until they are cooked, about 20 minutes. You don't want them to be too soft so that they'll fall apart when you add pressure to them.

Once your potatoes are cooked, drain them. I let them sit for about 15 minutes so they weren't scalding hot.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F and starts smashing those babies!

I used a meat mallet but you could also use your hand (or whatever you have handy, really).

Add some extra virgin olive oil to your baking sheet; you're going to want the bottom of the sheet covered in oil. Using a spatula, transfer the smashed potatoes to the baking sheet. Drizzle some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 25 minutes. The inside is going be really soft and the outside will be all crispy.

I added a bit of paprika to the top of mine, but you could use whatever seasoning you like. I also had some home made turkey burger patties frozen so we had a BBQ turkey burger and smashed potatoes for supper. It was really good and so fast and easy to make.

I seen this recipe on TV actually and it looked so easy, I just had to try it. You can go here for the TV version:
http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/mobile/touch/blog/2012/10/crispy-smashed-paprika-potatoes.html

Split Lighting

I love photography. I am amazed by the beautiful pictures that some people can take. Learning your camera can be very tricky and takes so.much.practice!!! I'm really going to try to focus (pun intended!) more on my camera and practice as much as I can. I always say I'm going to do this but then I get frustrated and give up. But not this time!!

 I came across a website that has been very helpful in providing photography tips. It's called Click it up a Notch (http://clickitupanotch.com) and the blogger has soooo many tutorials that can help you learn your camera. It's a pretty fantastic website, actually.

After looking at some of her tutorials, I decided to try something called Split Lighting. It's basically when the sun is hitting half of your face, which causes one side to be lit up and the other side to be dark. I grabbed my camera, tripod and remote flash and tested it out. I put a chair in front of my window and threw some pillows on it (so I could focus on something before I got in the picture). I removed the pillows and sat at a 90 degree angle so the sun/light was only getting half of my face. I was so surprised to see that after one shot, it actually worked!! I took the picture a few times, trying to make sure I was in focus and getting a shot I liked.

Here is the final picture ...

 I know it's not perfect but I think it turned out pretty good. When I try it again, I will probably use Photoshop to brighten one side and darken the other. In this picture, both sides are bit dark, but you get the point! Hopefully my sister will let me practice on her - it's hard to take pictures of yourself sometimes!! 

Happy Shooting!