Easy Crock Pot Recipes

I am always on the lookout for crock pot recipes that have basic ingredients that I usually have on hand.  There is something almost magical to me about coming home and smelling a home cooked meal that is almost ready to be enjoyed. Btw, whoever invented the crock pot is a genius!
Anyhow, I stumbled upon a website recently that has a ton of interesting looking recipes and to my joy, a lot of crock pot recipes, and wanted to share.
If you try something off of their site please comment back to me and let me know your thoughts.  I am planning on trying their slow cooker cashew chicken, YUM!

I usually wind up substituting certain ingredients on a recipe either for health conscious reasons or just because I don't like a certain ingredient.  I also tend to add to recipes as well.  Enjoy!


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Mixing Vintage with Modern Day when decorating

When it comes to interior decorating styles I personally love the look of vintage/antique items mixed in with new. To me everything old has a story and intrigue to it but I don't want my home to look like an antique store or a vintage flea market.  On the flip side having everything in a home looking like it just came out of a catalog is boring to me, I like to mix it up.  I also love the juxtaposition of shiny, glittery items with worn, well loved possessions.  I have a few vintage looking pieces of furniture in my family room along with modern day pieces, coupled with warm and worn wooden chests and sideboards mixed in with modern silver accessories.
There are some great blogs out there about the "rules" of mixing vintage with modern but I am of the thought that if it looks pleasing to you and your family then that's all that matters.
Here are a few looks I like.  Whatever your decorating style, enjoy mixing it up sometimes for a fresh new look, even if it's just rearranging furniture or swapping accessories from other rooms.  But above all, as always, remember to be Uniquely You!

I love this look of mixing shiny, sparkly hardware with antiques pieces, I think I am going to do this on my sideboard.

Love her chandeleir in the kitchen, putting a surprising non-traditional lighting fixture above the table, fabulous!

Great stand and urn

Love the vintage chest

New Glampacts in the house - Get your favorite before their gone!

These also make great bridesmaid's gifts, custom orders always welcome!

Fabulous Chicken Bacon Pasta

Fabulous Chicken Bacon Pasta

I made this for my family the other night and it got rave reviews, even from my very picky 15 year old!

To lighten it up a bit I used a substitute for the heavy cream of 

3-4 cup skim milk and 1/3 cup I can't believe it's not butter buttermilk spray.

Let me know what you thought and any substitutions you used!  Enjoy!

Chicken Bacon Pasta
inspired by Tasty Kitchen
(Printable Recipe)

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want the heat)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breast, sliced (I marinated the chicken in Lawry's Garlic & Herb marinade)


Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done (according to package instructions).

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended.

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.  Top with grilled chicken.