About This Blog


We are all always creating something. A life; A home; A career; Dinner. Some of us are creating more: A work of art, a craft, or a blog. The purpose of this blog is to showcase excellence and inspiring ideas for all the things we create. I hope you will be inspired in some way.

Friday, December 30, 2011

In The Mood For Something Different

 My husband is on that good for nothing low carb diet that I DETEST. I personally will take all the carbs I can get :)  But, if he's going to be able to lose any weight, I have to comply. He wanted some sort of cheesy chicken this evening so I hit the net looking a recipe. Nothing interested me so I decided to get creative.
I decided to make an 'Alice Springs' type of chicken but I was in the mood for something creamy so I threw together a cream sauce topping.
WOW. I had to share it!
Hubby went wild over this stuff. I guess it's a good thing that I like it, too, because I know he'll be asking for this again.

Chicken and Creamed Butter Sauce 
*Updated Recipe* 
I realized that I had accidentally left out the most important ingredient in the sauce recipe: The Cream Cheese,  is what produces the gravy like texture without using flour. If you tried this recipe within the first week of it being posted and found it lacking something, I highly recommend trying it the CORRECT way.   :)   So sorry!


I used a pound of cleaned boneless chicken tenderloins for this. To prepare the chicken I simply pan browned
it with a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter.
Ingredients:
 
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped mushroom (Mine were canned) 
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl butter 
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tbl cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Prepared bacon slices
1/2 cup shredded cheese


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. While the chicken is browning add onion, oil and butter to a frying pan and begin to caramelize over medium heat. When onions are tender reduce heat and add evaporated milk, cream cheese  and spices to the pan. Stir frequently while warming over low heat, reserve and keep warm. (If the sauce becomes to thick or cool, you may add a teaspoon of water or milk at a time and stir well to thin or warm.) In a separate pan warm diced mushroom over medium low heat. When chicken juices run clear remove it to a foil lined baking dish. Add bacon slices and cheese. Top with 3/4 of the mushrooms. (Add remaining mushrooms to cream mixture.) Bake chicken 15 mins or until cheese is melted. Top with warm cream sauce and serve.  
I loved it!

I also wanted to share another new recipe with you that I developed for Christmas.
Usually on holidays I make my family's favorite pumpkin cheesecake but I was in the mood for something a little different and easy this year. A few years ago I ate some sort of blueberry dessert that was out of this world but no amount of searching yielded a similar recipe so I whipped up my own for 'Upside Down Berry Fluff'. It's really easy and was a huge hit, too.



Ingredients:

1 container of thawed cool whip
1 8 oz package of softened cream cheese
1 22oz can of mixed berry pie filling
1 pre prepared graham cracker pie crust, crumbled.

Directions:

With a large spoon blend cream cheese and cool whip well until cream cheese is no longer 'chunky'. Finish smoothing with a mixer until well blended. Stir in pie filling. Add to your desired dish. Top with crumbled pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve chilled. 

This was so yummy and simple that I think I may make it again tomorrow for the New Year.



Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Shepherd's Flock

"Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats. "
~Sue Grafton~


And with that I give you two shining examples of artists executing beautiful ideas....


John Gordon Photography WebsiteTumbler




Shepherd's delight

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Inspired By The Season

Winter White Fine Art Inspiration.

For starters, Karen Burns, you're awesome!

Snowy Day
'Snowy Day'





Credit: Forever Love


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In the spirit of the season I added designed a couple of free Christmas Cards. Feel free to use them for your personal or business cards but they are not to be sold nor re distributed without my written consent.

Ornate Card
Download 'Ornate Bauble' here

Snowman Card
Download 'Snowman Card' here                                      

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Be Different

Be Different by andrea{}hurley
Be Different, a photo by andrea{}hurley on Flickr.
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different" ~ Coco Chanel
One of my favorite quotes...

I know what you're thinking: "Another bird on a wire picture - that's not different at all..." But what is different isn't the image - it's the bird. I was out 'trying' to take pictures of my toddler today and I noticed this little guy fly in - all alone. There was no flock of friends anywhere to be found; not even a lover. Just him, rather lonely seeming, and curious as to what my little one and I were up to. He bowed there, upside down, for quite a few minutes just looking toward us and I mused at how different he seemed. And perfect for my favorite quote :)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Gray and Beige: My Neutral Obsession

A new style inspiration to match a new blog theme!

The Art Of Music

I know nothing about the art of music. I can barely carry a tune. I can't play a single musical instrument.
But I love to listen, sing and dance. I also love these fine art piano images from Jeremy Rodney-Hall. He truly captured the piano's classic beauty and grace.
Credits: 1.   2.   3.   4.