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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Squash and Zucchini Casserole


My mom has made squash casserole for years and got the recipe from my grandmother a long time ago. I made it for Thanksgiving this year but decided it would be nice to add zucchini to the mix to make it more colorful. This would be a great dish to make for the holidays or any other gathering. I made it a day ahead, stored in fridge and cooked it right before eating. I ended up with enough for 1 1/2 casseroles since I bought extra ingredients so you can easily adapt it to what size you need but below is the recipe for a 13 x 9 size dish.


Squash and Zucchini Casserole
from my grandmother, makes one 13 by 9 dish

Ingredients:
- 8 large zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 8 large squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- fresh ground pepper
- about 3 cups of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (adjust cheesiness level as desired)
- cooking spray
- 13 x 9 dish


Boil zucchini, squash and onion in a big pot of water until squash and zucchini are tender. Drain. Smash well with a fork to get all the water out. You may need to let this sit for a bit for the water to all drain out and for it to cool.



Once cool enough to not scramble the egg, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add beaten eggs and season well with pepper. Stir in about half of the cheese, leaving the rest for topping. Spray 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray. Spread mixture into dish and top with remaining cheese.

 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.



This was the first time I've brought this to Eric's family Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

DIY Wood Block Nativity Set


I made this DIY Wood Block Nativity set last December for my godmother and by the time I finished it was too late to post for it to be of use to anyone else so I've been holding onto this for almost a year. But now you have about a month to make one for yourself or for a gift for someone else! It wasn't a quick craft  considering paint drying time and such but I am really happy with how it turned out.


DIY Wood Block Nativity Set


Materials:
- 2 by 2.5 inch piece of wood, at least 20 inches long
- 2 by 4 inch piece of wood by at least 42 inches long
- a thinner pieces of wood big enough for a 13 inch by 14 inch piece and a 7 inch by 7 inch piece (I think I used a piece that 1 or 1.5 inch thick piece)
- craft paint of your choosing
- for the images I cut white vinyl on my Silhouette machine using purchased nativity set shapes that I sized all together to fit on the blocks ($3 for 3 sets of shapes). If you are a painter you could also just paint or draw on the images but I am not a painter. I did the stable by making the shape with painters tape to get the shape I wanted but every other shape was from the Silhouette shape "store".

Cuts: (inches length listed first, then inches height - all widths are 2 inches except the camel and the stable)
Joseph                               2.5 by 6
Jesus                                 3 by 2.5
Little sheep                        3 by 2.5
Mary                                 4 by 3
Standing Shepard (x2)          4 by 6
Kneeling Shepard                 4 by 4.5
Big sheep                           4 by 3
Camel                               7 by 7
Wiseman kneeling               4 by 4.5
Wiseman 4 point crown        4 by 5.5
Wiseman 3 point crown        4 by 5.5
Donkey                              6.5 by 4
Cow                                   7 by 4
Stable                                13 by 14



Cut the blocks as shown above or ask your husband nicely to cut them :)  I wrote a name on the bottom on each one in pencil so I could keep track of what it was. 


Paint the blocks on at least the sides that will be showing or you can go ahead and just paint all the sides. You can use cheap sponge brushes.


Follow the Silhouette instructions for adhering the vinyl to the blocks. Here are close ups of all of the blocks.




There is extra of your 2 by 2.5 inch piece of wood so I used that to stabilize the stable since it is a bigger piece of wood and could easily fall over. Pun intended. I just screwed it into the back at the bottom.



My godmother loved her gift and it was fun to make a handmade nativity set that will last for years to come! This would also be a great set for kids to play with that they couldn't break. If kids are playing with it just make sure all the edges of the wood are sanded well.

Enjoy!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

What I Wore: Fall Tailgating Purple Dress


The key to successful tailgating attire in the fall is layers since it starts off cool in the morning and gets warm mid-day and then can get cool again in the evening. That is exactly what I did for a Clemson game near the end of October. I had a denim jacket on in the morning and evening (plus a tiger hat that evening since it was a night game) and then below is what I wore the rest of the time. I could have easily taken off my fleece leggings too when it got warm but we were in the shade most of the time so I was fine to leave them on. A shift dress can also be a great game day option so you can fill up on all the delicious tailgating food!!




Purple dress: Hourglass Lilly from Ivy & Leo, similarsimilarsimilarsimilarsame dress in black/white
Black fleece leggings: Marshalls, similar, similar
Cognac boots: Bornsimilarsimilarsimilar
Football field scarf: Julie's Boutique, I've only found this online in wholesale so check boutique near you - I know it also comes in red/white and red/black
Orange chandelier earrings: Towne & Reese, similar, similar, similar
Orange Purple bracelet: made by my godmother
Denim jacket (not pictured): Old Navy, similar, similar

And just for fun here is one of me and the husband. He hardly ever gets cold so layers weren't necessary for him.




Linking up to: What I Wore WednesdayWhat I Wore to WorkBecause Shanna Said SoTucker UpPTMT Get Pin-spiredTip Junkie

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Quinoa and Veggie Stew


I got excited when I saw this recipe and it said crock pot. Well it is not really a crock pot recipe per say... I suppose while it cooks for about an hour and a half that could happen in a crock pot but this is not a dump in the crock pot and forget about it kind of meal so it was easier for me to do it on the stove top. I was in the mood for a dish filled with lots of delicious veggies so it fit perfectly and would also be great with some grilled chicken. Just a fair warning that there is A LOT of chopping so if you have a chopping tool or something, use it!



Quinoa and Veggie Stew
from foodfulife, serves 4

Ingredients:

- large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 large potatoes
- 3 zucchini
- red bell pepper
- pint of cherry tomatoes
- can of cannellini beans or northern beans
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 3/4 cups of water
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Peel and chop all vegetables. You don't need to peel the ones you wouldn't normally like the zucchini, tomatoes, etc. Yes this is so much chopping. Cook onion in olive oil and add garlic after a few minutes. Go ahead and do this in a really big pot that you will be using for the stew. When onions are golden add the rest of the vegetables, the bay leaves and the water. Stir.


Cook over low heat for 1 hour and 20 minutes but add the beans halfway through. Wash the quinoa using a strainer. After the 1 hr 20 min, add the quinoa, stir and cook another 10-15 minutes.



Season with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.


I would make this again but make sure that I cooked the quinoa long enough. It was a tad undercooked... I think we were too eager to eat. Hope you enjoy!


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Fall Decor and Family Room Update


Since I showed y'all my fall mantle, it is definitely time to share the rest of my fall decor so I snapped some pictures. This also showcases the family room pillows that my mom and I made. I love how the coral, teal/turquoise and cobalt are coming together! There are still a few more to go but the majority of them are done. I plan to do a tutorial on one of the fun pillows we made.

Dryer vent pumpkins I made and a Thanksgiving printable.


Pilgrims and Indians... a gift from my mom last Thanksgiving. Yes, I know, her painting is so detailed.


Gobble gobble... my mom snatched this turkey up at HomeGoods.


Paint chip pumpkins I made. These are super easy so you can make some too. Plus probably my two favorite pillows in the room. And I picked up that pretty turquoise bowl at an antique/vintage place near Charlotte called The Depot at Gibson Mill.


Some fabric pumpkins in the next  2 photos from my godmother. And a great shot of the blue credenza I introduced a few months ago.



A view of the other side of the living room.  I'm still loving our wool HomeGoods rug and will definitely be buying more rugs from there.


I can't remember where this wood turkey is from but the teeny tiny pumpkin is something my mom made out of a knob. And yeah that frame has been empty for months. I keep meaning to have a photo printed to go in it but yeah... decorating is a slow process right?


I struggled with what fall decor to put on the kitchen table. Everything I tried didn't look right so I decided to throw a white candle and a few plastic pumpkins, gourds and leaves into this glass vase and call it a day.



Hope you enjoyed the fall decor and mini family room tour!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

What I Wore: Gray Knit Blazer and Teal


I bought this slightly striped light gray knit blazer during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and was just waiting for cooler weather so I could wear it. I really like knit blazers because they can be dressy, like when wearing them to work below, or casual and they are oh so comfy! I can't wait to pair this one with more outfits! (Ignore that light stripe looking thing going across me... apparently the sun was peaking through something)



Gray blazer: Nordstrom, similar, similar
Teal dress: Target, similar, similar
Black leggings: Amazon
Cobalt Belt: Target
Gray flats: Anne Klein iflex

Monday, November 3, 2014

Happy Halloween from Young House Love


For our friends' annual Halloween costume party we dressed up as John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love. We even had a little Burger chihuahua that went with us. It was a pretty simple costume (we only had to purchase the stuffed dog off amazon) and luckily we knew most of the people at the party read and love the Young House Love blog. We had a few other props to make it even more obvious like a paintbrush and some tools that Eric (or should I say John) kept in his tool apron.



It was also really great that since it ended up being pretty cold out that evening, our outfits/costumes were warm enough. After I came up with our costume idea, I googled around but didn't find anyone else that had dressed up as them so far so I'm claiming this as an original idea :)


Hope you had a wonderful Halloween! John, Sherry and Burger did!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Custom Onesies


I've talked before about the custom onesies that I make by coming up with designs and using my Silhouette machine but I haven't shared a lot of photos of them, especially not with their recipients in them!

It feels so special to make something handmade and custom for a gift instead of always buying something so I really enjoy doing these and other handmade gifts.


This is Abby. I made this onesie for her big sister Taylor in 2010 and it is still going strong! I got to see both girls last weekend and they were as cute as can be decked out in Clemson gear.



And this is Molly. I have yet to meet Molly in person yet but I cannot wait to hopefully meet her soon and kiss her sweet cheeks!


Molly is a great supporter of the Tigers! Wonder if she will end up at Clemson one day... The class of onesies are probably my favorite ones to make.



It was great to get photos of these babes in their custom onesies. I've got some more custom onesies on my to-do list for some births coming up (perhaps even a few I've never done before)!
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