Happy Easter

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter next Sunday.  We have a family brunch planned.  I wish we didn't always wait until a holiday to get everyone together but hey I'll take  it when I can get it. 
I realized I didn't have a Easter wreath so I made one.  Not overly excited about this one.  I rushed it to much and maybe my heart just wasn't in to it.  I don't know what went wrong but hey it's up and hung. 

It all started with that cute little bunny and then moved to the plastic eggs.  If that wasn't enough lets add some flowers and a few extras.  I tried to save it by glittering letters to spell, ahhh duhh, Easter and attached them to ribbon.  So there you have it a horrible HOT MESS!  
The more I look at it the more I'm disgusted and embarrassed by it.  Oh well, it's only up for another week and then you just wait to see what I have coming in the wreath department.  It is so stinking cute I can't wait to get working on it.  It's for spring. I found it on Pinterest, where else.  I am sure you have all seen it but just putting my twist on it.  As usual!  Ha

Crazy Chicken in a Blanket

That is what I have decided to call my version of this recipe. 
It all started when I found this original recipe a while back on http://foodgawker.com/.  You can see it here on my "Where's the Kitchen" - Pinterest board.   Check it out, I have some great recipes and they are all fun and easy.
 
This is the original picture.  Originally the recipe says parsley but I decided to use spinach instead. 
Ingredients:
Boneless/Skinless breast of chicken - approximately 1 per person.
Package of cream cheese - Soften
2 cups of spinach - chopped fine to medium fine
6 strips of bacon - finely chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Puff pastry or 2 boxes of Pillsbury pie crust.
1 large egg

Directions:
Preheat oven for 400 degrees..
In a large bowl mix up the soften cream cheese, chopped spinach, chopped bacon, and the Parmesan cheese all together until nice and smooth. 

This is what it should look like:

Next, wash and pat dry the chicken breast. 

Cut a slit in the middle of each breast.  Make a little pocket so that you can spoon the cream cheese mixture into the chicken.

All ready to be wrapped in their blankets.  LOL

Whatever kind of pastry you choose to use you're going to need to roll it out fairly thin.  If it's on the thin side it will  make it nice and flaky.  Cut squares big enough to cover each chicken breast,
This is where your egg comes into play.  Just crack it in a small bowl and mix it up like  you're going to cook a scrambled egg.  On each pastry square brush the edges with the egg mixture and pinch closed with a fork.  The egg really helps in keeping the edges glued down. 

Aren't they so cute! 

I did not cut any vent holes in the top.  My mom was worried about this but I did not and when all was said and done there was no need.  Everything cooked so well and the pastry cracked if it was needed to vent itself.

Use the rest of the egg  and brush  the top of each, this make it really golden brown.

Put in the oven (400 degrees) for 30 - 35 minutes. 

Sorry for such a horrible, yellow picture.  They're golden but not that golden.  LOL!

Better picture.. see how golden brown they come out. 

Now to the best part of this post.  My guinea pigs and what they had to say.   Who were the guinea pigs for this one.  Of course my mom & I,  my cousin I'll call "H" and her boyfriend  we'll call "G".  H has been my guinea pig before and I always know she will be honest.  G had never had the pleasure and given that he is a pretty nice guy I didn't know if he was going to be polite and say nothing or really tell me the truth.   Well no worries with this family, everyone spoke their mind and the truth. 
It was unanimous!  Awesome dinner and loved the Crazy Chicken in a Blanket.  G had his portion and 1/2 of another he also wanted me to make sure that I put in my blog that  he thought this was the bomb!    H, who is rail thin and doesn't eat a lot, ate it all.  In fact I caught her eying G's plate and he left a little piece of the pastry on his plate and she scarfed it up.  I know she has no idea I saw that!  Mom and I both loved it.
As we chatted about it we all agreed that the chicken was very moist.  We really didn't taste much of the bacon but we also said that it didn't matter.  We didn't think it took away from it.  I mentioned to everyone that I was worried how "hot" cream cheese would taste but everyone said noooo it was perfect.  It has a wonderful flavor.
I have a feeling that H might be making this for G in the future, if he gets his way. 

Three  things I will add when I make it again.  
#1 - I  will add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the cream cheese mixture.  We love cheese in this family.
#2 - I will wrap a slice of bacon around each chicken breast after I stuff it.  Then wrap in their blanket.
#3 - I will add a 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup in the cream cheese mixture.  I just don't think you can go wrong with cream of mushroom soup.  It's the best thing Mr. Campbell invented. 

In summary:  MAKE THIS CUZ IT'S DAMN GOOD!  You will be a hit with the family.

Friends to the end.

Ha you thought I had disappeared again.  No, I was just working on another frame for my Etsy shop. 

This one is so cute!  I know I say that about each one but really take a look for yourself.

Isn't that the cutes paper.  Incase you love it as much as I do it is Imaginisce - Critter Chatter. 

Gotta get started on my next frame.  

It's going to be a Wedding/Love frame.

Ooohhh I did do a "Recipe Redo" the other night and will be posting that real soon.

!! Teaser Alert !! 

You will want to check this one out.. it was sooo good that we all wished I had made more. 

Dresser Makeover

First I want to say thank you for letting me get all stupid yesterday.

Next I want to show you what I did to a dresser my friend gave me.  She was redoing her boys rooms and she bought all new furniture for them.  This  dresser had been with her since she was a teenager and had been handed down along the way.  It is a great piece of furniture in the since that it is solid wood and was put together really well.  The only thing wrong with it was that over so much time that most of the wood drawer guides had  broken.  They were not the metal type.  It was on the way to Goodwill and I told her I would love to take it off her hands.  We trade furniture all the time back and forth.. 

I wish I had taken complete pictures of before I started but here is what it looked like after I took all the drawers out, cut the wood drawer guides out, and took the back off.  

 

Ok use your imagination.  On the left was a door and when you opened the door it had 3 adjustable shelves.  On the right is where the 3 (like socks or underwear) drawers were.  On the bottom are two large drawers that nothing was wrong so keeping them.  There was one crack there on the right side that I filled in with wood putty, let it dry and then lightly sanded the whole thing.  

So ready for the finished project. 

I switched the door to the right side so that the adjustable shelves would be seen.  Behind the right door is nothing, just an open space like you see on the left but no shelf.  Originally the dresser did not have any hardware pulls on it at all but I thought the brushed nickle silver hardware added a little something to it.

See, I don't spend every moment in bed.. LOL!

HAPPY CRAFTING

 

 

BIG MAMMA LUVS YA

Confession time.

First I have to ask if anyone is still following me out there?  I know I have let everyone down by always disappearing and posting so sporadically.  I really do have good intentions and goals to keep this up but along the way something happens.   I know some of it and I'm going to be so honest right now. I have big bouts of depression and just don't feel like doing anything.  I have pity parties for myself and don't want to see anyone or go out anywhere. I just want to stay in bed and cry.  There have been a lot of difficult times in my stupid life and I must confess that I have brought most of them on myself, but 7 years ago I totally changed my life, the way I think and treat others.  I really believe in karma and always be nice to others.  Life really hasn't gotten better but I keep going.  

So anyway that's really as far as I want to get into it.  I am grateful I have 3 great kids.  I only wish that two of them understood how much damage they are doing.  I won't be here forever.  I am SOOOOOOO grateful for my mother.  She is the most wonderful woman in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!   I only wish I was a better daughter and could take care of her the way she should be.  She is a saint and deserves it.

So right now I can only say I am sorry and really want to try my hardest to post something a couple of times a week.  Even if it's just another talk between blogging friends.  

On an up note.. I know it's about time, right!  I have so many projects going on right now, all at the same time, I don't even know where to start.  That is one of my worst problems and believe me the list is long.  Every time I turn around or lay in bed not sleeping because my brain doesn't ever turn off, I think of another project I want to do. 

I want to thank you for letting me get this phsyco babble out tonight and I know all of you are shaking your heads as you should be.  I am also that scared of myself. 

HAPPY CRAFTING

 

BIG MAMMA LUVS YA