Lovely Little Snippets: September 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Outfit Ideas {Guest Post by Dream Boat Fashion}

Hello everyone, my name is Kacee, and I am one of three sisters behind Dreamboat Fashion.com. Our site is dedicated to affordable, wearable fashion for the everyday girl. We rarely spend more than $75 dollars on an outfit. We love to re purpose and reinvent pieces. We are so excited that Stefanie let us come share some of our favorite looks and tips for fashion. Here are some of our favorite looks:

One of our favorite things to do is take a simple piece of clothing, like this brown skirt from Forever 21, and try to wear it as many different ways as possible.

Here are some of our favorite ways to wear it:

Brown Skirt: Forever 21

Stripped blouse with ruffle sleeves: H&M

Jean Vest: Ross

Duran Duran T shirt: Old Navy

Striped Cardigan: Target

Blue Cheetah Shirt: Forever 21

Yellow bubble necklace: Ebay- click here to learn how to get yours for under $20.

Reinventing your wardrobe and your look does not mean heading to the store and spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on new clothes, it’s all about looking at the pieces you already have differently.

Thanks again to Stefanie for letting us come and share some of our favorite fashion finds.

Be sure to check us out at Dream Boat Fashion

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Open Faced Breakfast Sandwich

Okay, okay. I know, this isn't so much a recipe, but it is one of my very favorite breakfasts, so I thought I'd share!

1 slich whole wheat bread
2 eggs
salt and pepper
3 slices bacon (I used Turkey bacon)
shredded monterey jack cheese
In a bowl, scramble your eggs with a little s&p until well combined, pour into a greased skillet and cook unitl eggs are set, keeping the eggs together in one piece. When the eggs are almost done (set but no browning yet, flip and top with cheese. Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid and allow cheese to melt. While the cheese is melting, cook your bacon in a seperate pan, and toast your bread. One all that is done, butter your toast, top with bacon, and then the cheesy eggs.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap

Lunch is hard at our house. My husband doesnt come home from work for the time being, and my 2 year old's nap is at 12, so he eats earlier. That just leaves me. I never really want to make a huge fuss over lunch, but if I don't eat something substantial, I'll snack all day long. Not good.

Wraps and sandwiches are usually my favorite lunch food, and I try to switch them up quite often so they dont get too boring. My husband got the chicken rach quesedillas from Chili's a couple nights proir, and they were still on my radar (thank you pregnancy) so I decided to do a slightly lighter version.

Makes 1 wrap

1 large wrap or tortilla

1 TBS ranch dressing

3 oz grilled chicken (eyeball it)

2 slices monterey jack cheese

2 slices of turkey bacon

lettuce

red onion

Siracha hot sauce (optional)

Cook your bacon until crisp. If you chicken is leftovers (like mine was) heat it in a skillet until very warm.

Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the tortilla.

Once the chicken is heated, place on the tortilla and imedietly cover with the cheese. This will allow the cheese to melt slightly.

Follow with all the other ingredients. Roll and Enjoy.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Honey Butter Cajun Tenderloin {Guest post by Heather at Saving Money Living Life}

Hi Lovely Little Snippet readers! I am thrilled to be here today to chat with you all. I am Heather of Saving Money Living Life. I have been married to the handsome guy in the picture with me for 4 years this month!

I blog with Jessica, one of my best friends and sorority sisters about cooking, saving money, and living life to the fullest with what God has blessed us with. I try to keep my grocery budget between $40-$50 each week & live a very busy life just like most of you do. Please join us on Facebook or Pinterest to stay tuned for how you can live frugally and cook simple WONDERFUL things.

A lot of times when you hear the word pork you tend to think tough or dried out. Not the case with this baby! The hubs went wild over this delicious Honey Butter Cajun Pork Tenderloin. We don't repeat many recipes, because we like to experiment a lot but this one has made it into our regular rotation. The blend of the honey butter and cajun spices really comes together quite beautifully. I got this recipe off of Pinterest from Momma Hen's Kitchen and it originally came from food.com. I cannot urge you enough to make this recipe, it's an absolute delight. And the real bonus is that you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand so it makes it frugal as well. Just pair this with an arugala salad & balsamic dressing and some bread and you should have a complete meal easily on your hands!

Honey Butter Cajun Tenderloin

Ingredients:

4 tbs butter

2 tbs honey

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup water

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an ovenproof pot, heat butter & honey over medium heat until melted. Sprinkle pork tenderloin with Cajun seasoning & black pepper. Brown each side for 5 minutes in the honey butter taking care not to burn the honey. If honey begins to burn, lower heat. Place pot in oven and roast for 15 - 20 minutes*. Remove pot from oven & place the pork on a plate. Cover with foil. Add water to the pot and stir over medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until sauce is reduced slightly. Slice pork on the diagonal and drizzle sauce over top to serve.

*NOTE: May need to cook longer depending on the size and thickness of the pork tenderloin. Don't be an idiot like me and grab the pot by the handles after it comes out of the oven. Old habits die hard I guess. See pot on stovetop-assume can pick up. Wrong, ha!

Thanks so much to Stefanie for letting me come share a little about my blog with you today.

Please come enter to win our Studio Pro 31 stationary giveaway!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Asian Marinated Steak {Guest Post by Durfee Family Recipes}

Hi! I'm Kim from Durfee Family Recipes and I'm so excited to be guest posting over at Lovely Little Snippets! I've been reading Stefanie's blog for a while now and she always has the tastiest ideas! Durfee Family Recipes is our online collection of recipes that we've made and loved in our own kitchens. Some come from Durfee girls and some from those of us who have married into the family. Come visit us if you get the chance, and I hope you find something you would enjoy eating, or that you get some good inspiration for all those family dinners!

I love Asian food and my husband Nate loves steak and so this was a hit with both of us! It is definitely still warm enough to grill and we're taking full advantage! Everything tastes better on the grill. This marinade recipe is a combination of a lot of our favorite Asian flavors. We marinated the steaks for an hour and the flavor was just right. I also think this would taste great on some nice thick cut pork chops.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. steak
1/2 cup low-sodium soy
1/2 cup pear juice (I just simply buy one little 4 oz. bottle from the baby section of the store)
1 heaping tsp. sriracha hot sauce (more if you like lots of heat, you can find this in the Asian section of most any grocery store)
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. granulated ginger
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper (we love Lawry's seasoned pepper)
1/2 tsp. dried onion
2 cloves minced garlic

Preparation:
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, making sure they are well combined. Pour over steaks. I like to use a gallon sized ziploc bag for my marinades. Fill 'em up and then set them in a dish or bowl in case of leaks, and you're set! Let marinate in the fridge for 1 hour and then grill to your desired doneness. Let steaks rest for 5 minutes then serve and enjoy! These would be great served with some fried rice and spicy broccoli, or sliced and serve over a salad. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Momma's Taco Casserole

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to all your sweet comments and emails! We are so excited for this new sweet addition to our family! I have been feeling slightly more human over the past few days and I thought I'd share a recipe with you!

I adore my mom's cooking. I know everyone says that. But it's so true. Every year for my birhthay, instead of going out to eat, I ask my mom to cook dinner. Seriously, I love it that much. This is one of my very favorite recipe's from her. I'm not sure if she got it from someone, or made it up herself, because she was SO good at doing that! She was one of those mom's who could go in the pantry, grab 10 random things, and make the best dinner ever!

Anyways, back to the recipe!...

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 can light red Kidney Beans

1 can of olives- sliced

1 can yellow corn

**1 can of tomato soup (10 oz) plus a little water OR 2 small cans of tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 cup slightly crushed tortilla chips

1 cup shredded cheese

In a pan, brown ground beef and drain fat (if any). Add the cans of beans, tomato sauce or soup, olives, corn, and the seasonings. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add chips and simmer for a few more minutes until chips are slightly softened. Top with cheese, melt and serve.

** If you use the tomato soup, you need to add a little water to make up for the extra moisture you would get from the extra tomato sauce. Just a 1/4 cup or so. The tomato soup (my favorite to use) will make the casserole sweeter. The tomato sauce will give it a more tomato-ey taste. Both are way good, but I like the soup better.