Monday, October 29, 2012

Week in Review



On Tuesday, our sweet friends, Caitlyn and Chris, became parents to the most precious little girl- Evie Claire Joiner :)

On Thursday, Matt and I got to attend an event at the new Sub-Zero Wolf Showroom thanks to a little luck and a Buckhaven Magazine sweepstakes!

On Friday, we had a date night at Cinebistro in Brookhaven and saw Argo. I highly recommend it!

On Saturday, we watched our sweet nephews, Noah and Maddox, while my sister and Jeremy headed to a Halloween party. We ate pizza and popcorn and watched Madagascar 3- another recommendation for sure. ;)

Both my sister and Jeremy and mom and Charles had costume parties on the same night. I for one was thrilled that we got to watch the boys and NOT go to a costume party... but I had to share these two pictures: "The Replacement Refs" and "Spaghetti and Meatballs". Awesome.


On Sunday, we took a short road trip up to Rome, GA with our friends Kemble and Ashley to visit another friend's new coffee shop that she opened 6 months ago. If Rome was not an hour away, I would be there EVERY day! It is SO so cute... I'm still so impressed by Ellie's vision and hard work. I see her and Dave on the Today show in the future talking about "how it all started"... :)

Swift & Finch- if you're ever in Rome, GA- GO!

And today- I started decorating for Fall. And about three minutes later, I finished. :) If it weren't for gifts from my school kiddos, that pumpkin is all you would see. I'm usually just a Christmas decorator- but I do like a little festivity for other seasons I suppose!

Hope you all are staying warm... it is officially FALL in Georgia! Here's to better luck waking up than I've had the last few days. A warm bed is just too inviting on cold mornings!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken & Agave Rosemary Roasted Carrots


Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
Sesame Seed Chicken is my favorite Chinese dish, so I was excited to test out this recipe. 



Found on Pinterest- original recipe from Chef in Training

Ingredients
1 package of chicken tenderloins (I buy Publix Greenwise or Trader Joe's Organic)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds
Directions
  1. Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. 
  2. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. 
  3. Pour mixture over chicken.
  4. Cook on low for 3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.
  5. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. 
  6. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.
  7. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
  8. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
  9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.
Ingredients

Step 1

Step 2

Steps 3-4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 6-7

I had to used a modified corn starch, so I transferred the sauce to a pan to simmer.

Steps 8-9

Serve on rice with broccoli and roasted carrots (see recipe below for carrots).



Agave Rosemary Roasted Carrots



Ingredients
  • 1 package of Trader Joe's Organic carrots
  • 2T Agave Nectar
  • 2T EVOO
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary

Directions
  1. Peel Carrots
  2. Mix Agave Nectar, EVOO, and rosemary in a bowl
  3. Pour over carrots
  4. Marinate for at least two hours
  5. Roast of 400 for 30-40 minutes.

Ingredients

Steps 1-2

Steps 3-4


    
Step 5


Monday, October 15, 2012

Great Deals Running this Week

Vistaprint Offer- FREE Holiday Labels!

With the holiday season getting closer, now is the perfect time to stock up on holiday labels! Choose from thousands of designs, or create your own!

York Photo Offers:
Details for 16x20 Offer: York Photo $3 Custom 16x20 (Reg: $13.99) Designer Poster. For new customers only. Plus If you are new to York Photo you get 40 free prints.

Amazon Local Deals Up to 75% Off!
Description: There's No Place Like Home... for Great Deals Save up to 75% at restaurants, salons, and other businesses in your hometown. See where AmazonLocal is now and sign up to get free deal e-mails when we're in your city.

BuyCostumes.com- Great Costume Deals!

Canvas People - 11x14 Canvas for $15 (Plus S&H) + Breast Cancer Donation

Canvas People is offering their 11x14 photo canvas for $15 + s&h and donating $1 of every order to fight breast cancer! 

Totsy Promotion


Totsy offers moms on-the-go and moms-to-be access to brand-specific sales, up to 80% off retail, just for them and the kids, ages 0-7. Top brands for mom, baby, and child. Prenatal care products, baby gear, travel accessories, bedding and bath, children's clothing, toys, DVDs, and educational materials are just a sampling of a selection that promises only the best in quality and designer brands. 100% eco-friendly: Totsy is the first company in private sales to take on sustainable and socially responsible initiatives in all areas of business.  With every purchase you make through Totsy, we will plant one tree in the name of your child to help reduce the effects of deforestation. Who says shopping can't save the world?


Half-Price Tickets to Events in Your City- Goldstar.com

Goldstar.com offers half-price tickets to the best events, including theater, music, museums and sports! Basically, they share the best of what your city has to offer at a great price. If you're looking for things to do this fall, check them out. Sign up and you'll get their offers for live entertainment tickets at up to 50% off. The best part? Goldstar memberships are free.


Get paid to eat out with Plink! 
Get paid to eat and shop at your favorite stores and restaurants. Join Plink and earn Cash & Rewards from Amazon, iTunes, Home Depot, Facebook and more … just for eating and shopping at some of your favorite stores and restaurants. You’ll earn rewards at more than 35,000 locations nation-wide. Free to join. 

Care.com

Find Great Care Providers at Care.com!

Groupon:




Monday, October 8, 2012

My Happy Place...

Ahhh.... I'm sitting here on this glorious day off from school (have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE being a stay-at-home wife?! Oh... a million-and-one times, you say?  hmmm... guess it's a true statement then), looking back at the pictures from what we have coined as the Best. Weekend. Ever. 

...Until we repeat it next year, of course. 

Clemson is a little slice of heaven. And while that may sound like a biased statement, it happens to be entirely true.

FCA Thursday Night
3,000 college kids worshiping together on Thursday nights- see? Slice of heaven.

What I believe to be another, slightly less-spiritual, slice of heaven- Groucho's 





Teagan's first trip to Clemson! She was naturally glowing with excitement all weekend.

































We ran into Josh Watson, at dinner! This massive man is only 18. Seriously?! With his help, we pulled out another win on Saturday! 

Could we have asked for a better weekend?! Nope. Don't think so.