Bucket lists and inspirations

Strangely, I find inspiration in the oddest of places. It's almost like I trip over it, and then, I'm so pleasantly surprised with what I've found. This happened to me this week. I was watching a show on Netflix called "No Tomorrow" and I was suddenly so inspired to make a bucket list, or "apocalist" as they call it. On the show, the guy thinks an asteroid is hitting the earth, and they all have 8 months left to live. So, he ditches his boring life in an attempt to find some meaning in what's left. Even though there's no asteroid actually coming that I'm aware of, the idea really made an impact on me. (See what I did there?) 

 So...my "someday is now" list was made. I find myself adding to it daily. When you really think about your life, and how short it relatively is, you think about what you haven't done yet. I'm excited about it, and can't wait to start checking it off! Who's with me? Have you already made one? What kinds of things did you do? You'll probably inspire a lot more
people, so share!! Happy list making! 

You darling little cow, you

I'm not really a meat eater. And, by that, I mean beef. I stick to chicken and fish, and really prefer a heaping plate of summer tomatoes and fresh basil pasta. But, the purpose of this "cooking through The Pioneer Woman's cookbook" thing is all about trying new recipes. All I can say is, God bless the beautiful little cow that made dinner possible last night. Ewww. That sounded odd, but anyway.... it truly was amazing. And, the best part is, there's enough left over pot roast to make a whole different meal today. Since the kids will be pulling me several directions tonight with school functions, it couldn't be a better night for an easy dinner. It's definitely a plan ahead meal since the meat slow cooks for hours. But, it is seriously easy to put together. And, you should know that the meat is sweet because it's cooked in pineapple juice. Add some kosher salt, and you've just reached nirvana. De-liciousness!!!!!! It's called Carnitas Pizza, and I hope you give it a try. If you do, let me know what you think of it! I might just be a true cowgirl after all. This recipe has won me over. Love & hugs, (with rhinestone boots) Lori

Mine wasn't this pretty, so we'll just go with hers. But, trust me, we lost nothing in flavor. 

You scream, I scream, it gets awkward...

There's nothing quite as rich and comforting as a chocolate cake, all warm and gooey with the frosting sliding down the side. Goodness, it made me take a breath just to type that! So, this chocolate cake is seriously the best ever. I find reasons to make it. Such as, "I almost got a ticket today, but got a warning instead" Time to celebrate!! But, I had a really good reason this time. It was Bill's birthday. And, even though his favorite is Key Lime pie, I'm disastrously bad at making one. I've tried over and over, and the poor guy just smiles and thanks me for my effort. I'll try that again another day. He loves chocolate cake, so, I have no guilt about making that instead. So, here it is.. it can't get easier than this. You really have no excuse not to try to make one. Like yesterday. You'll thank me. One of the reasons I'm even doing this blog is to challenge myself to try new things, and to spice it up a little. Today was the day I had my "oh, yes" moment. I normally make paninis the same way. I have a set thing I do that's my go to recipe. It's simple, and good, but I'm so used to the flavors. Today, my mouth sang, and then danced a little. This Panini was just so stinkin good. And new. And fresh. It's why I'm doing this and it made me happy. I did tweak her recipe a little because I was too lazy to go to the store. And, I must say, I have no regrets. Here is hers: (I'll tell you what I did different in mine. I used smoked paprika on my chicken when I cooked it, and I didn't have fresh sage. But, it totally worked dried y'all! And, I'm not in love with red onions, so I tossed that too. It's not on her website, so I'll give you a short recipe version. Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved, 12-16 fresh sage leaves, 1/4 cup apricot preserves, 1/4 cup mayo (not miracle whip!) crusty French bread, butter, 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced. Cook your chicken in a little oil. I used smoked paprika, added some kosher salt and black pepper. slice it so it's thin. Add the sage leaves to the hot oil and let them crisp. Mix together the jam and mayo. Assemble the Panini by putting the jam sauce on the bread, then the onions, then the chicken, then sage leaves. Butter the outside, then put on the press til golden. Yum is all I can say. And then, just think, leftover chocolate cake for dessert. Now you see why there's screaming... Ok. Try it y'all. Let me know what you think! Hugs~ Lori

I like it. I love it. I want some more of it...

Today was a day that makes you feel like there really isn't a better day to order pizza. I was running around all day and logging more miles than the fedex guy on Christmas eve. But, a weird thing happened to me. I started thinking about just getting home, turning up the music, kicking off my shoes, and enjoying the process of getting dinner together. And somehow, that was a relaxing thought. It made it less "chore-like" (The fact that I was eating chocolate is completely irrelevant here.) Stay with me. I guess what I'm saying is, take some time to slow down. Quit stressing over everything that needs to be done. Trust me, my hand is up, guilty as charged. I know I do this too. I'm just saying, I think it's my new area to focus on more. I want to make them important enough to have the best of me, not the leftover, dragging from the truck, version of me. Anybody relate here? There will still be plenty of fast food, grab a sandwich moments. But, every now and then, it's good to stop, breathe, and really look at those around you. Love on them more deliberately. These moments are gone before you can blink twice. Seeing my teenage boys in the kitchen, towering over me, loading their plates up with thirds and fourths, football gear nearby, my heart swells a little & I smile. These are the moments I want to remember & not rush through. Well, now that I'm all nostalgic, and can barely see to type, I'll share what they were scarfing.... Chicken Enchiladas!! Yum~stinkin~o!!! My dear, sweet friend, Monica, gifted me by surprise with two amazing cookbooks by Ree,(aka,The Pioneer Woman) So, I will be more deliberate in my cooking through her book idea. Can't wait to really sit down and look through them tonight! Hugs!! Lori P.s. Don't forget to look on her website thepioneerwoman.com and type Chicken Enchiladas in the cooking search bar. Easy peasy!

Day 1...there was clapping involved

Hey ya'll!!!! Here I sit, all proud of myself because my family just gave me a standing ovation after dinner..I ain't even kiddin! I took my bow like any well bred girl would and waved to my adoring fans. That's when from the corner of my eye, I saw the pile of dishes screaming my name. *Beautiful dream bubble pop* But seriously, how nice is it when everybody loves what you've made for them and gives you praise? Yeah, it's nice and I like it, so on we go...Just in case you think I don't usually feed these people, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that after awhile, you realize you could cook something with your eyes closed, or fall back on the ever popular sub sandwich night. You get the idea, boring! I just really got antsy to try some new recipes that also fit into our busy lives and schedules. Enter The Pioneer Woman. I love her. I love her food. I will try to make her & her food proud by blogging what I make from her books and website. Good Lord, hope she never sees this. What are the chances, right?? Are you ready for Day 1 and the cause for standing ovations? Here it is..Chicken Kale pasta.....

If you want the recipe straight from her..which, I mean, why not? Right? Go to thepioneerwoman.com and type it in the search. It's featured on the home page right now under cooking, so it's super easy to find. 

And now, I smell coffee on, so I'm gonna go relax for five minutes. Here's hoping I find a dishwasher fairy waving a wand in my kitchen.  I'll let you know....😉 

Hugs & goodnight ya'll! 

If it's sparkly or dusty...outta my way

Before I was a furniture chic, I was a jewelry designer for 7 years. My business was Ellenay Designs & I lived & breathed it. I made vintage style jewelry & custom pieces from whatever cool things I came across. Finding an estate sale in the middle of nowhere, with bags of broken, aged rhinestones on little wooden tables, literally made my heart skip a beat.(and, potentially knock over old ladies & small children....OK, not really...I meant young women & large kids)  but, If you're an antique lover/treasure hunter, you know exactly what I mean. Pretty soon, I fell in love with much bigger projects. Taking a disastrous piece of furniture & making it gorgeous became my new passion. And so....The Painted Willow was born. I've decided though, I want to do both. I really miss the jewelry & have decided to spend one week a month just focusing on it! I'll be having online trunk shows & special events to display my new line. I'm pretty excited about this & can't wait to be doing both of my passions. So....if it's sparkly or dusty, watch out & hide grandma...I'm on the hunt!

Here's one of my latest projects! 

Crepes 101

I've often wondered why I could never just read a recipe, and make it like everybody else. How hard can it be, right?? I second guess my second guesses..so... Hand in the air, "hi, I'm Lori & I'm a visual learner." There. I said it. I feel so much better. Well, if I'm all alone on this.... I guess that's life. But, if you can relate, I have some websites to share that you're just gonna love!! The first is Chef John (foodwishes.com) This man is amazing, and I've literally never made a bad recipe from his site. I really love his straightforward and easy style. Check it out. He's cool. Secondly, I'm sure you've heard of The Pioneer Woman {thepioneerwoman.com) But, just in case you haven't.. you'll thank me later. Not only does she have amazing food recipes..I mean,(seriously, it's crazy good)But, there's also tons of info on more than I can even go into here. Just check it out. You'll see what I mean. Ok. so here's the link to the very first recipe I ever tried from Chef John. It's how I learned to make crepes. http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-crepes-even-messed-up-ones.html Try this out. You will love me forever, I promise. There's a whole lot more recipes I could share that are my favs, but I figured I'll just start with the crepes for now. Next up, bad antiquing experiences & how to avoid them...stay tuned.... Until then..happy video cooking! Lori