Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I was browsing some other cooking blogs the other day and couldn't help but feel like my photography skills are lacking.  These people all have professional photographers to take pictures of their meals... then it hit me...

We cook to eat, not to look at the food and say, "ooooh, aaawwww"  so I stopped feeling bad about it! :)

My mom used to make chicken & dumplings in amounts large enough to feed a small army.  We would freeze what we didn't eat and I would have meals for weeks!  Back then I thought it was because my mom knew how much I loved them, but looking back I realize it was probably because it was WAY CHEAPER that way!

Once I moved out I never made chicken & dumplings, and I can't seem to figure out why... then I met Jarrod.  Jarrod said he didn't like them, but I was determined to change his mind!  He tried them and he loved them!

Now it is time to share with everyone else!

You need the following:

1lb boneless chicken breast (slightly thawed)

2 cans (10.75oz) cream of chicken soup

1 package of grands biscuits ( I have learned that the flaky layers, while delicious, do not work well)

*You can also add onion, but we don't like that*

You want to tear your biscuits into pieces before you add them...I like smaller pieces but not everyone does

1. Put your chicken in the crock pot, top it with the soup (and onions if you like them weirdo).

2. Cook them on low for about 8 hours (high for around 5)

3. Roughly 45 mins before they are done add you biscuits

4. Cook about 45 minutes longer or until your biscuits are no longer raw in the center

 I love slow cooker meals because I can put them in the crock pot before work and not have to worry about what is for dinner that night!!  Let me  know what you think!

Happy Crock Potting :)

and yes, I made that up

DIY Headbands

I saw these headbands on Pinterest the other day and got really excited!  I have an odd size head so store bought headbands rarely fit :(  I realized if I make my own they are guaranteed to fit! (As long as I don't goof them up)

When I first saw the picture it looked a little intimidating but it really was simple once you figure out what you're doing!  Plus, you probably have everything you need just sitting around the house!!

All you really need:

A t-shirt (logos are fine, they will add character)

Some fabric scissors (regular scissors will work)

Needle and thread, or hot glue

Take your t-shirt and cut up one side of it (probably under the armpit of the shirt is best)

Lay it flat and mark your lines if you are like me and feel like you can't cut a straight line without a guide :)

*remember the thicker the strips, the thicker the headband and vice versa*

(make sure you cut the hem off first... oops)

I cut all the way across the shirt because you can always make them shorter if you need to!

Once you have your strips cut, stack all five strips on top of each other and sew one end. (I used hot glue because I didn't want the seams to show in my finished product)  

Pull on all of the strands to make the pieces curl up a little.  Once you do that, you are going to braid all five strands!!  It is not as hard as you think...

Split the strainds with three on the left and two on the right.  We are only going to deal with the set of three for the instructions! (#1) Take the far left strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far right strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the right side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the left and three on the right.

Do the exact same thing on the right now, just mirror it!

(#1) Take the far right strand and(#2) place it in the middle. (#3) Now take the far left strand and(#4) place it in the middle. (#5) Now take the middle of all five straps and move it over to the left side. (#6) Now you should have two strips on the right and three on the left.

Start again on the left side, then move to the right.  Continue braiding... the trick is to keep the tension the same all the way down.

Once you get to the desired length, sew (or glue) the ends together. 

Overlap the ends together... now sew (or glue) them to one another.  Try to keep the ends as close together as possible.

Now, cut a square piece of the shirt.  Make sure it is wider than the overlapped ends of the headband.  You want to fold the sides in and attach it to what will be the inside of your headband. 

Fold the raw end over itself to create a finished look, then fold it onto the headband and stitch (or glue) into place.  Voila! You have a handmade headband!

Once you do the first one they get much easier, and you get much faster!  I have not tried this yet, but I am sure you could embellish these by adding beads or flowers.  Whatever you desire!  

*As you can tell I did not take these picture.... I hoisted them from another blog!  I am not trying to take credit for them, but I thought she did a MUCH better job of showing the steps through pictures for those of you who need visuals :)   Don't worry, I have asked for a new Nikon for Christmas!

ENJOY!

Re-Vamp!

I have fallen off of the wagon lately with my blog :(    So many things have been going on in life that it seems finding the time to share a few lines has fallen between the cracks.  Not to mention that I was a little disappointed in the abilities to customize my blog.  I took it upon myself to see what could be done and VOILA I have brushed up on some coding and created lots of new elements :)     

To get myself back on track I spruced things up a bit and made things a bit more cheery! Y'all let me know what you think!  Feel free to comment!

With holiday season upon us I am hoping to do lots of seasonal projects and hopefully some personalized projects for friend and family! (hint, hint...)  With so many ideas swirling around my head it is hard to keep track of things sometimes... definitely makes it hard to choose which ones I want to do around MY house as well!  Between making treats and decorations for Halloween (which is always close in the running for my favorite holiday) my house will probably be a sea of orange and black mixed with flour and sugar within the next couple of weeks! 

I do have lots of catching up to do so be prepared for blogging overload for a few days!  Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!