New Years Resolutions- Part 1

Is it just me, or by December are you pretty much stretched too thin? With me I lose a lot of the happiness and passion of being a mom/wife and it becomes a repetitive and boring job that I have little will to spice up. I'm sad to say that most of December for me was spent on the couch in sweats and my husband t shirts with no bra, no makeup, and my hair pulled up in a giant knot on the top of my head. My kids pretty much watched tv all day and I feel like there was no excitement in our lives until Christmas came. This may all be due to the fact that I am 6 months pregnant with twins, but it made me seriously depressed to feel so blah. So even though my energy and range of motion is significantly limited, I have vowed to get out of my funk and celebrate life again. I'm going to make my family breakfast instead of pulling out the cereal or yogurt (as I type this, Braden is dishing out yogurt for our kids out of habit.) I'm going to turn the dang tv off and read some books to my kids, and I am going to actually get dressed in the morning and maybe even put some makeup on my face every once in a while. Sounds easy, but it's actually a pretty big deal for me.

One big thing is that I want to cook more and try new things. So, I have searched around and found a handful of food blogs that I am going to share with you all so you can start the New Year with a ton of new recipes to try out and impress everyone with. Hooray for cooking!

Smitten Kitchen is an awesome one that has insane recipes from Homemade Crackers to a Make Ahead Brunch Menu to an evil looking Butterscotch Sauce. She has even made a Kitchen Guide so you can start stocking up on all the tools it takes to make your own Smitten Kitchen. I love lists like these, even if it is going to take me months to save up for her chefs knife. I really love her because she cooks seasonally, so you always have the perfect recipe for things that are in season and they are always practical, like a winter fruit salad and pear bread.

Of course, I love the Pioneer Woman's recipes (I have her cookbook signed, by the way!) since they are so down home and delicious. I have made her cinnamon rolls, garlic mashed potatoes, and steak recipes over and over and over, but I really want to venture out and start making some of the staples she has listed in her cookbook. I mean why haven't I made the Chocolate Sheet Cake or the Braised Short Ribs yet? What is the matter with me? I think I have to make a vow to cook at least one thing from her cookbook every week and cook through the entire book by next year. Yes, I will do it.

If baking is your thing, and you haven't checked out Tongue In Cheeky yet, where the hell have you been? Brooke is darling and her recipes are fun, delicious and well, cheeky. Perfect for kids too. Some really fun recipes I want to try are her Breakfast Syrups & Elixers, and her Triple Decker PB & J's. I'm not even going to go into her cakes & cupcakes (but I will remind you that the Nie Nie Chocolate Mascarpone Cake is her creation.)

And if you really want to get crazy, (I know I do) you can check out Steamy Kitchen's recipes for some delicious looking Asian fare. I have never cooked asian food, and I have promised myself to branch out and be brave. She doesn't just do asian food, but her Broccoli Beef Noodle Stir Fry and the Chinese Chicken Salad look like good starter recipes for my Asian Adventure.

Also, I really want to start getting organized with my cooking and being prepared for my week ahead of time. Braden is only going to tolerate running to the grocery store 3 times for a certain recipe I'm making for so long. I want to have a well stocked pantry so I can whip stuff up whenever I feel like it and have things prepared ahead of time so we can all eat well even if I'm tired. So if anyone knows of any other food blogs that will help us all get more efficient in the kitchen, send them my way!

Marshmallow Love & Nicey Jane

Today is a great day because:

1) I am making a huge batch of marshmallows-vanilla bean, strawberry, peppermint, and I might try out key lime. These make great little gifts to hand out to teachers, neighbors, and anyone else who loves gourmet marshmallows. Here's some tags to bag up your own peppermint & vanilla marshmallows- which were made using these brushes and these brushes




If you want the recipe for my chocolate covered strawberry marshmallows from last year, here you go. Here's the tags too!




2) Heather Bailey's new fabric Nicey Jane is FINALLY available in her shop!

I have been waiting to plan out my nursery until the fabric dropped and now I have to start my nesting phase. She has all kinds of promotions going on in her store so hurry up and get over there and start the new year like me-sewing, sewing, and more sewing. I think we should have a big sewing party at my house on Jan 2.

3) And of course today is the Crafteria! Let's all make a date to go out there tonight and oogle all the handmade goodness.

Harvest Dinner Week Part 5

Here is the easiest recipe I know to make the crown jewel of Thanksgiving Desserts: Pumpkin Pie. Make an extra so you can have it for breakfast the next morning.

Harvest Dinner Week Part 4

Today is the shrimp and mushroom risotto. If you like shrimp, mushrooms, and rice-this dish is for you. If you are like my husband, and don't like mushrooms, stay away from this dish. There will always be a couple of crazy people who don't like them at your dinner, but don't be offended if they don't eat any of this. It is VERY mushroom-y. Just the way I like it.

Harvest Dinner Week Part 3

Today I'm going to include 2 recipes, since they are the quick and easy ones from our menu. The greens beans & pancetta I got from our good friend Kathie & the orange cranberry sauce I got from Jaimee Rose's blog. A lot of you are used to the old school green bean casserole & the canned cranberry sauce, and if that's your tradition and you love it, more power to you. Personally, both those items make me want to barf just thinking about them, so I found new & more gourmet ways to incorporate them into the Thanksgiving meal. Please don't be offended that I hate the old school dishes. I'm pregnant, so I'm both more sensitive to food & I have less appreciation for other people's feelings. Don't worry I'll be back to normal in April. But I'll still never eat the other stuff again. And honestly, you probably won't either if you try these 2 recipes out!

Harvest Dinner Week Part 2

Next thing on the menu is The Pioneer Woman's Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I made these last week, and thought it would be a good idea to inform Ree when I met her, that I had been eating the leftovers for breakfast for almost a week straight. I'm pretty sure she was dazzled by my stimulating conversation, but I was totally nervous meeting her so that was all I could think of to blurt out. Dumb.

Anyway, these mashed potatoes are freaking amazing, and it is the one recipe I have come across that actually taste just as good reheated as they do fresh. I think it must be the cream cheese in them that keep them moist and flavorful. Just remember to add lots and lots of salt, because bland mashed potatoes are just inexcuseable.

All Hallows Eve

It's the day before Halloween, so you have just enough time to squeeze in a couple more fun Halloween festivities before we switch over to Thanksgiving celebrations! Here's what we have planned for today:


1) The kids are dressed in their Halloween clothes and the girls nails got painted black & orange for the festivities. The girls skirts we made using this tutorial. Super quick & easy peasy lemon squeezy. You can whip up one for your own little witch in a couple hours
2) We're making sugar cookies! Try this recipe for crisp cookies and glaze frosting
3) I'm glittering & embellishing my big white pumpkin so it's ready to go for next year. I LOOOOOOOVE these ideas
4) We're carving our pumpkins today, which means I'm also toasting pumpkin seeds to snack on. Just sprinkle with some salt, & throw in a 350 oven until they turn brown. Mmmmmm
5) If I can squeeze this darling little project in, I'm going to make some for next year. I think I might just make a couple for Thanksgiving decorations too.

Another exciting thing going on today, I've put some Adorn necklaces on the Handmade Parade website for purchase! You can check out all the styles available right now at the Handmade Parade Blog!

One More Pumpkin Recipe

I ended up with a ton of extra vanilla cupcakes without frosting from yesterday, so I decided to switch it up and make pumpkin frosting to put on top so I don't have to make a whole new batch of cupcakes. I used Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcake recipe and this recipe for the frosting.

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Our first annual Handmade Parade Backyard Boutique just got done and let me tell you, I am EXHAUSTED. But now I can stop neglecting my blogging duties and keep everyone updated daily on life here at the Watson's. Tonight is our Halloween Block Party, tomorrow morning is Boo at the Zoo, and tomorrow night is the Keller Williams Halloween Party, so I still have lots and lots to prepare for so I'll leave you with the recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins, which I plan to bring to the party tomorrow night. It's a chili and cornbread cookoff and I'm bringing the Pumpkin Turkey Chili, and the Pumpkin cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting to go with the cornbread. I better win the cookoff.
Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa

Pumpkin Overload

photo & recipe from Serious Eats

I know I've been posting a ton about pumpkins, but I have one more recipe you MUST try. It's Pumpkin Turkey Chili and it is sooooooo good! I made it last night for dinner with some cornbread and loved it. One of my kids loved it, one of my kids thought it was too spicy, and one of my kids took a bite and threw up. Guess which one? Braden & I thought it was awesome though, and you can limit the spiciness by adding less or no cayenne pepper and cutting back on the chili powder. I thought it was perfect just the way it is, especially if you out a buttload of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese in it. Mmmmmmm. And it doesn't taste pumpkin-y at all, it just adds a lot of thickness to the chili, and makes it rich and filling. AND the whole thing is super duper healthy. Great for flu season.




You can see a picture of mine on Twitter, and follow me through my day :)

Business Bribes

Since I started with Keller Williams Realty, I have gone to a few training classes they offer and one lesson is paramount: You have to go out and meet people.

I've never been a shy person, but going out and getting 10 people's business cards every single day kind of seems like a daunting task. Especially when you are a mom who spends 95% of her time in cut off sweat pants and their husband's cut off t shirts with no bra. But since, this is the path I have chosen, I've decided to make the best of it and do it my way.

And my way is going to involve cupcakes.

I figure anyone is going to remember you if you give them tasty treats, so I'm setting out to make some Autumn-happy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting to take to some potential clients. I found the recipes from Martha , and I give them to you in recipe card form. And Jordy, to answer your previous question, yes, I use Photoshop to create my recipe cards that I post on the blog. And if you are very very nice this year, Santa Rosie might just send you a bunch for Christmas.



Also, check out Rhonna's recipe for pumpkin butter! I'm definitely making some tomorrow. I think I'll need to bake some bread to put it on too. Yum.

Get ready for me to rock your world.

Make this as soon as humanly possible. It is hands the down the easiest and most delicious meal on the planet. You can thank me later.


I made this since I was feeling crappy today. I was out in the cold last night at the football game, and I think all the allergens in the air made me feel sick. Plus I woke up with this awkward pain in my ribs, which I'm chalking up to the babies. Anyway, this was the quickest thing to do for lunch and it will make anyone with a cold feel much better.

***EDIT**** Sorry guys, I forgot to mention the pasta part. You just boil any pasta (Ilike Bowtie best in this recipe, but use whatever you have on hand) separately until al dente, then serve the chicken & sauce on top of the pasta. My bad.

October is here!

Wohoo! It was chilly this morning! Time to start busting out the hot chocolate! I need to make some homemade marshmallows. I'm thinking about trying some new flavors, like pumpkin or cinnamon, or maybe even butterscotch. If you want to try and make some yourself, follow these directions & add in your flavors

Or you can try some of Heather Bailey's Harry Potter recipes for Butter Beer, or Cockroach Clusters.

Pick a new recipe & try it out this week, because it's October dang it, and that is a cause for celebration in and of itself.

Happy First Day of Fall!

I just couldn't contain myself any longer. The Halloween decorations are going up this week people, so of course the blog had a makeover. And, hey you can make this tasty carmel corn with your kiddos to celebrate!

If you don't feel like making this yourself, the debut of Confection Sweets at Handmade Parade's Backyard Boutique is going to have plenty of this stuff bagged up and ready to take home with you.

Dear Cousin Jordy

Dude, I'm an idiot and deleted your email. I read it first though, and tried to go to your blog to send you a message, but for some reason its not working. WTH? Anyway, let me address your questions here publicly.

A) Of course you can copy my piano. Why would I care? That's why I put up my stuff on the blog anyway, to spread good (actually great) ideas. We used a custom celery green color from Sherwin Williams, but if you go through some Pottery Barn magazines from the last year, the green they use on their furniture is the same color. They use Benjamin Moore paint (which is more expensive) so if you can find a place that carries Benjamin Moore you can get the Pottery Barn color samples there, or look for the names online at Potterybarn.com

B) Braden painted it black first, so when he went through and distressed it and sanded the edges, the black as well as the wood tone shines through. The whole process goes like this:
1. Sand down all the wood parts to get rid of all the grime from the last century and give you a more even canvas to work with.
2. Wipe down, then paint all black. If you can rent a sprayer or know someone who has one, it will make your life so much easier. Old pianos tend to have a lot of intricate carving and detail & it is a bitch to try and hand paint all that.
3. After the black, spray the green. I think Braden did maybe 2 thick coats to get that rich green color & cover all the black.
4. Seal with 1 coat of satin topcoat or glossy lacquer . We used satin polyurethane.
5. Go though & pound the thing with screwdrivers, hammers, chains, ninja stars, whatever you have. Although, depending on where you got your piano, you may be able to skip this step. If its from a church, you probably need to distress. If it's from a saloon, you're good.
6. Once we finished all that, Braden sanded the edges down to get a burnished look, glazed the whole thing with some Sienna brown stain, and then did 3 or 4 topcoats to protect it from my sweet baby angels' constant state of destruction. But really, the more it gets banged up, the cooler it looks.

C) Other color ideas for furniture: I like to look on Country Living a lot for ideas. I also love the standby Pottery Barn of course, but really Pottery Barn Kids has more painted furniture. I have a lot of kids though, so their stuff is practical for me. Decor 8 always has great ideas, and the Farm Chicks vibe is lovely. Basically I just blog hop until I find a person I really like, then try to figure out what her house looks like.

D) Bridal Shower dessert: This one is a little tricky, since I don't know the theme of the shower. If you are trying to get an autumn feel at the party, try the peachy keen tart. It is soooooooooo easy and quick and people will die, it's so good. Late summer fruit is perfect for this time of year. Make a bunch, and pull out the vanilla ice cream. Cupcakes are also a great option for showers, but a little more work. Berries are on sale this time of year, so you can substitute the strawberries and make raspberry cupcakes. Also, Magnolia's vanilla cupcakes are also a big hit. But I always say, if you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly so if you feel up to a challenge, make Nie's chocolate cake. People will ask you to divorce Cart to marry them to make them cake. Hell, just make it for Cart, and you'll get whatever it is you've been begging for. How do you think I got these last babies?

Love you & Miss you guys & can't wait to see you again. Are you coming to the reunion?

Raspberry Cream cheese filled Crepes

I couldn't think of a clever title for today. So I'll just get down to business. I made these this morning with the leftover raspberries from Raspberry Lemonade, and man they were good. I'll spare you the picture of my crepes, since they ended up looking like a map of Italy instead of a nice circle, but they tasted like buttery perfection & my kids gobbled those things up like they were going out of style. Penelope probably ate a pint of raspberries on her own, and promptly rubbed her berry stained face all over my white couch, so I'll be bleaching that today. (Note: I HIGHLY recommend white couches with slipcovers. You just pull off the cover, and bleach the crap out of it, and it looks brand new.) Make these tomorrow and you'll feel like a gourmet chef.

A little bit British

Sorry I haven't posted in a while y'all, I've been busy trying to gain the 40 lbs I'm supposed to, cleaning my house, preparing for my last Real Estate Exam, & designing a party package for Tori (hey! if you're reading). Anyway, there's some things I want to share that I have been loving lately, all with a British flair.

1) Happy loves Rosie is the most darling little blog I've ever seen. This lady is straight from England, I don't even understand what she's talking about half the time. Her house is exactly what my house would look like if I didn't live with the most opinionated man on the planet. He draws the line at yellow walls. But her house is oh so cute and check out her TO DIE FOR camper. The minute I find one on Craigslist I'm totally copying. It's so amazing, I want to throw up with jealousy.

Photo by Happy loves Rosie

2) To keep with the British theme, I made these strawberry scones this morning. There are really tasty & pretty on the plate with the vanilla glaze you drizzle over them. Mmmm. Perfect for gaining a buttload of weight. I've already had 3.

photo by Olive Juice & Co.

3) I've had a crush on this print since the beginning of the Keep Calm Phase, so I think it's time to order one in black for my kitchen. But then I spotted this one, and now I can't decide. Go classic or with a cheeky twist? Dah!

photo by Jenny's Bake Shop

Happy Weekend!

My kids, Braden, & I are heading out to the Desert Ridge Resort & Spa with my family & Kathie's family for a fun weekend away. We're going to be swimming, eating, and Braden will be golfing. I'm so excited to have a mini vacation to finish off the summer. School started this week, so I'll be having cheer in the mornings preparing for football season in September. I'm ready for fall and cooler weather to get here so I can kick my kids outside to play when they drive me bananas. I'll be back on Monday to our regularly scheduled programing. I'll leave you with these breakfast in bed recipes to try from Paula Deen: spinach gruyere puff pastry, spicy cinnamon cake, and oven baked dutch apple pancakes

Deliciously Disgusting

Since it's inevitable that I'm going to be gaining 20 lbs, I decided to celebrate today by trying out a new recipe that I have been waiting to make. I generally steer clear of all things fried, but I've had fried onion straws at Lucille's and they were delicious. Of course, The Pioneer Woman has this recipe in her files, so I decided today was that day. And they were amazing.

photo by The Pioneer Woman

However, they make a TON and I just couldn't stop eating them. And I also made her Ribeye steak, so right now I have a 1/2 a cow in my belly along with a pile of grease, batter, and onions. My stomach hurts. It's cramping up telling me to NEVER do this again, or I'll be sorry. And I won't. I plan on being really healthy this go around, because I've found the less weight you put on during your pregnancy, the faster you get back to normal (Rocket Science, I know.)

But hot damn those onion straws were good. If you want to feel like the happiest fattest cow on the planet too, make some of these tomorrow. And then go to the gym.

Surprises in Store

Oh, good gravy, do I have some surprises for you coming up! I have to work out all the kinks, but I think I'll be able to share them next week. Until then, I'm going to try and study my head off so I can hopefully pass my real estate exam next week. I will share the link though, to the Ratatouille from the movie Ratatouille that I made for dinner. To be honest, I had low expectations for this dish, since there is literally no meat in the dish. I especially thought Braden would hate it. Oh, contraire mon frere, it was one of the tastiest things I have ever made up. You HAVE to try it, it is totally 100% healthy for you. I served mine with couscous like Smitten Kitchen did, but instead of the goat cheese (weird) I grated a whole bunch of parmesan on top and it was delicious. Watch the movie with your kids, and then let them layer all the veggies in the pan, so they get to be little chefs for the day.

photo from Smitten Kitchen