The Junkin Chick

What do you do when you’re suffering from a head cold and it’s pouring down rain outside? Why, what else…you cook!!  And this shortcut cake is so easy to make you can even do it with medication running through your body…

But first an introduction…

Meet my friends helping me today- Rawleigh’s Medicated Ointment and Coca-Cola!!!

With enough Coke flowing through your veins and medicated salve on your forehead you can conquer the world!!  Well, at least a cake.   Now on with the recipe!!

Bake your cake according to the instructions on the box.  I used Pillsbury’s Butter Cake mix.

I then mashed about 2 cups of strawberries with a couple tablespoons of sugar.

This will create a wonderful and tasty syrup.

Once you spread the berries put the cake in the freezer for 10 to 15 mins.

This will make the strawberries stay in place while spreading the frosting.

I love “window shopping”, especially after work.  Sometimes I just get the urge to go out and browse the stores.

Well, today my son and I went to Garden Ridge and this is what we found..

Is it just me or do the stores rush the holidays?  Don’t get me wrong, I know that companies have to get their merchandise in the stores early but seriously…it’s 95 degrees outside and stores are hanging up ornaments and playing Jingle Bells!!  But there’s also a part of me that gets the warm fuzzies and can’t wait for the holidays to get here!!

How cute are these ornaments?

Too bad I don’t have any daughters, these would make a beautiful Christmas tree.

We came across these pedestals and Tre’ had to do a little posing.

Tre’- The Thinker!!

The resemblance is uncanny!!!

After “Christmas Shopping”, we headed to Mickey D’s for a Chocolate Dipped Cone…. MMMMMMMMMMMM

Have you tried these?  They are soooooooooo good and for only $1.49, you can’t beat the price.

Thanks for tagging along!!  See ya next time…

I love Christmas and I love giving gifts.  The problem is not having enough money to buy those gifts with.  So this year my friends and loved ones will be getting homemade gifts from the heart….and my kitchen!  And if you didn’t know- Christmas is only 164 days away!!!  So you may want to get on the ball with your Christmas List…

First off I think I’m going to make some homemade vanilla extract.

Chickens in the Road has a great tutorial for making this.

And for my friends and family members with dogs maybe some homemade doggie treats. 

A Cozy Kitchen has a delicious recipe for these treats.

Cinnamon rolls always make a great gift.

I have made The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls twice as gifts on Christmas Eve.  They are always a huge hit.

Give these out on Christmas Eve so your friends and family can have them for Christmas breakfast.  YUM!!!

After all of that…how about some delicious peppermint bark?  Get the recipe straight from Martha Stewart’s website.

How can you go wrong with chocolate and peppermint??

Ok, are you as hungry as I am now??

OK, OK…so my son’s 19th b-day party was in May.  It’s now July and I’m just getting around to posting the pics.  You can see how I prepared for this party in part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.

I started off by making bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers.  Nothing fancy. I  just split them in half and clean out the seeds. I then made the filling for them.  I used shredded cheddar cheese and mixed it with cream cheese.  I filled the jalapenos with the mixture and wrapped them with the bacon.  I then baked them for 10-15 mins. in a 450 degree oven.  I didn’t take an after picture but you can imagine how delicious they looked.  This wasn’t all I made  but I forgot to take pics of the other “treats” we had.

I then proceeded to make a cake.

Chase plays the guitar so I used one of his as my model.

My husband then suggested using Chase’s Flying V as the model.

Much better!  Thanks Mr. C.!!

I am in no way a cake decorator so this was the end result.  Not bad for my first decorated cake..not great either but not bad.

It was very moist and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Here Chase is blowing out his candles.

And Chase enjoying his cake.  MMMMM Good!

I had the kids at the party pose in the field beside our house.  I thought this would make such a great picture.

I love the old house in the background.  See my cute little nephew Jake in the far right posing?

He’s such a ham!!  And I love it!!

And lastly my son, JR, gives his little brother a birthday hug.  AWWWWW

Happy 19th B-day Chase!!!

Happy 4th of July…  I hope everyone had a great day…  I know I did.  We had friends and family over for a cookout.  I absolutely love getting together with family.  When we get together its always a lot of fun.  We eat way too much, laugh too loud and have a blast!!  Here are a few pics of our 4th of July!!!

I started out by making tie dye cupcakes. Click HERE for a great tutorial at Skip to my Lou.

I frosted mine with a cool whip/white chocolate pudding mix instead of frosting.  I mixed white chocolate pudding with 1 cup milk and beat it with a mixer.  This will be thick.  I then mixed it into my thawed cool whip.  I refrigerated it after I mixed it until I got ready to frost the cupcakes.  I then decorated them with sliced strawberries and blueberries.

My cute niece, Makayla, thoroughly enjoyed the pinwheels on the cupcakes.

The cupcakes are a huge hit!!!

I found the tutorial for these water bottle bubble blowers HERE at How Does She?  These make the longest “snake bubbles” I’ve ever seen.  Jake and Sydney try them out with great success.

Chase entertained us with some tunes.

My niece, Kendall, gets the Ghetto Slip-N-Slide ready!!!

Don’t be jealous of our slip-n-slide…you can make one yourself.  Just lay down a tarp, turn on the sprinkler and find some kids that REALLY want to cool off!!!

This is how we spent our 4th…how was yours???

I love a good hearty stew and I absolutely love one dish meals… This recipe comes from Chickens in the Road.  It’s a wonderful blog with down home recipes and everything about living on a farm.  You can find it HERE.

The following recipe is from Chickens in the Road…

How to make Spicy Black Bean, Chicken & Corn Stew:

5 cups black beans, cooked
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 cup sliced bell peppers
1 quart canned tomatoes
4 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 tablespoons minced dried onions
2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons lime juice

Put everything in a big pot and heat it up.

Okay, one more thing–you need some liquid to make the stew. I included all the liquid from the quart of tomatoes. I also included a small amount of cooking liquid from the beans, but not much, maybe about a cup. I added about 6 cups of water. This doesn’t have to be exact, just add enough liquid to get to a stew-like consistency.  (Chickens in the Road)

After baking my chicken and picking it clean I used the carcass to make chicken stock.  Here’s a good tutorial for making chicken stock at the Pioneer Woman Cooks.  She used chicken pieces for hers but you can use a chicken carcass as well.

If you’ve never made chicken stock you don’t know what you’re missing.  It has such a rich chicken flavor that canned broth just doesn’t have. I used the stock I made instead of water in the stew.  This would go so well with a salad and homemade bread.  It is very filling and hearty.  And if you have the time- please, please make your black beans from dried.  They are so much better than canned!!

Let’s eat!!!

OK…so the outdoor birthday party was almost a month ago and I still haven’t gotten around to posting everything I did in preparation for it.  I never got around to hanging the drop cloth drapes but I did get around to painting the wicker furniture… and here it is!  I will get to posting the actual party within the next couple of days.

1. Plant Flowers
2. Paint Wicker Furniture
3. Make Lanterns
4. Fix and Paint Picnic Table
5. Make Drop Cloth Tablecloths or Buy Flat Sheets from Wal-Mart
   
6. Make Drop Cloth Drapes for Back Porch I NEVER GOT AROUND TO THIS ONE

Plain and boring. I didn’t do anything special to prepare them before painting.
I just wiped them down and fixed any loose wicker.

I used Zinsser spray primer…so easy!!

You could roll on primer…but why??  This is so much easier.

Cheap glossy black spray paint. It took anywhere between 4 to 5 cans for each chair.

It really soaked in the paint. Using a spray can handle makes the job easier and cleaner.  I paid less than $3.00 for mine at Wal-Mart.

I love the black.  I only managed to paint the 2 chairs and small table.

I never got around to doing the loveseat that goes with it.

And here it is at the day of the party at the make shift table.  You can read that post HERE.

I LOVE looking at other people’s blogs.  I get so much inspiration from them.  It’s funny how you can come home from work tired and worn out, surf through some blogs and BOOM you wanna grab that dusty old dresser from downstairs and paint it!!!  At least that’s what it does for me…  Here are some blogs I HEART and draw so much inspiration from.

Speaking of dressers…this one from Drab to Fab is so freaking cute!! See it HERE…

This blog has the best Before and After projects…and the blog is aptly named “Better After”…

For those of you who like to make your own furniture, this blog is for you.  “Knock-off Wood”.  The things this woman makes is incredible.  I in no way can make my own furniture.  I prefer to buy it beaten and bruised at Goodwill and then give it some TLC.

The next blog I love to visit is all about FOOD…this woman is an author and one heck of a cook!!  You will find down-home, rustic and satisfying recipes on her blog.

http://chickensintheroad.com/

These are just a few of the MANY blogs I love.  Got any you draw inspiration from??  Let me know!!

If you’re a regular reader then you know I LOVE a deal.  I clip coupons, I shop the discount racks and I love thrift stores.  I also love to eat at restaurants on the cheap too.  Here are some places I find my half off dining, spa and entertainment deals.  Got any places you go to online to get a great deal?  Let me know!!

Real Deals Now

Half Off Depot

Piedmont Triad Perks

Restaurant.com

Local Great Coupons

News and Record Bargain Blog

Triad Scene

Coupons 4 the Triad

I found this really cute table at Goodwill a month or so ago.  I love the legs on it and when I saw that the price was $ 2.49, I grabbed it!!!  The top had veneer chipping off and there were water marks on it.  But I knew that with a little primer, paint and sandpaper I could turn this dud into a stud!!

I took off the veneer on top since it was chipping anyway.

I disassembled the table to make the rest of the job easier.

I love using Zinsser spray primer.

My $4.00 Ooops paint from Lowe’s .  Lyndhurst Duchess Blue Interior Semi-Gloss.  I would describe this as a “Robin’s Egg Blue”.

I used Pewter Grey acrylic paint to tone down the blue.

I used a sponge brush to apply it and wiped it off with a damp rag.

I love the end result.  I distressed it to make the primer and wood show through.

LOVE it!!

I chose the perfect spot…

Much better now.  I love the finished look. Very vintage and colorful!!

I will be linking this project to the following posts:

http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/2010/06/diy-project-parade_20.html

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2010/06/welcome-to-75th-metamorphosis-monday.html

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/

http://www.craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/

http://sewcando.blogspot.com/