lil pot pies...

I know I haven't posted in a long time but unfortunately I haven't really had anything to post. But after making these bad boys the other night, I felt I had to share!


After seeing KFC's commercial for their new pot pies, I started gettin' a hankerin' but didn't want to risk my craving on KFC's standards. After searching tons of recipes, I decided I could make my own pot pie without the aid of someone else. Scary? YES! But I pulled it off! They were sooooo yummy! AND easy!


An issue that I came across was that I hate dealing with chicken. I hate the risk of salmonella and I hate seeing all the gross veins and tendons when cutting up a chicken breast. And God forbid I see one while I am eating a piece of chicken... it's all over then! So, how do I get around that without using canned chicken? Boars Head to the rescue! I decided to go to the deli and get two 1/2" slices of Boars Head  Rotisserie chicken breast and then just cut it up into chunks... perfect!


So here is the recipe, but I don't have exact amounts on some items, just put in what you feel would be best. Ok, maybe I have some learning to do when it comes to making my own recipes and sharing them. Oh well, here goes:



Mini Chicken Pot Pies
2 .5" thick slices of Rotisserie Chicken at the deli (cut into chunks)
1 can of Campbells Cream of Chicken with Herbs soup
1 can of Campbells Cream of Celery
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies
1 can of Pillsbury Buttery Layer Biscuits
(here's where you are left on your own)
some minced onion
some minced garlic
some shredded cheddar
some shredded swiss
salt and pepper


1. Split each biscuit in half. Press one half in the bottom and up the sides of a muffin tin.


2. Mix together chicken, soups, veggies, onion, garlic, cheeses and salt & pepper in a medium sauce pan over medium heat just until it boils, stirring frequently.


3. Spoon mixture into each cup and place other half of biscuit over the mixture. Bake at 375 until golden brown, about 13-17 minutes.


Ta-Daaaaaa!

creative christmas juices a'flowin...

I know I have been MIA, unfortunately my creativity has been stifled by "grown-up" problems that needed to be addressed. But I am slowly getting back to my fun projects and baking tasty treats.

If you know me, you know I love christmas and I love big fat, REAL christmas trees! Due to lack of room in my little apartment, I accepted the fact that I need a smaller tree and would be easier to have a fake one. So, if it had to be puny, it needed to have character. I found this lil guy online and it is so cute, looks like it was just plucked right out of the country side.

(Excuse the scantily clad woman on the TV, I just happened to be watching the Victoria Secret fashion show.)


With a tree like this, I thought it would be fitting to have handmade ornaments. I scoured Pinterest for some cute ideas and I came across these stars and ornaments that would be perfect!

And they are. Perfect.

a margarita for a mommy...

After years of trying, one of my closest friends, Vicky, became pregnant with her second child. I couldn't be happier for her and I was thrilled to be involved with planning her shower. The theme was a mexican fiesta, complete with mini tacos, ceviche, sangria and of course I contributed my tasty salsa to the menu. I was also asked to make the dessert, being that everyone knows that's where I have the most fun!

After racking my brain trying to think of a dessert that goes along with theme, I wondered if there was such thing as a Margarita Pie. I googled it and lo and behold, it DOES exist. I found a couple of recipes and decided to do one strawberry and one just regular lime. Here are the recipes:

Strawberry Margarita Pie

Margarita Pie

I really liked the idea of the crust made out of pretzels so I made double that amount and ditched the recipe for the crust on the strawberry pie.

BUT how do I make it special? Just a bit more creative? Serve them in margarita glasses!

I apologize for not providing more photos. That's what I get for not bringing my own camera and just assuming that people would be snapping numerous pictures like the paparazzi over a dessert. I shouldn't expect everyone to be as crazy as I am.

Next time, I would add sugar around the rim and maybe a candy fruit slice as garnish to finish it off. But these were really good and sprinkling the pretzel crust on top added that yummy sweet and salty combo that everyone loves.

I also contributed some décor and as I was shopping for them at the party store, nothing seemed fitting for Vicky and lil' Wills. Pastel ducks, winnie the pooh, banners adorned with diapers and bottles, it was not gonna work. Vicky has a classical, tasteful style about her, so I needed to devise something else.

I found these crepe fans but to dress them up,  I designed a welcome note for Wills, printed them, used a die-cutter, attached them to the center and... viola! Something unique, understated and suitable for the mother-to-be!

Congrats Vicky! I am so glad I was able to be a part of your celebration and can't wait to meet little William!

back to work for Brooke...

Sorry that my blog has been neglected. Sometimes life can get in the way of creative projects. But when I was asked to create a birthday invite for one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen, I pushed through my creative rut and created something I know she will love.

I have been creating Brooke's birthday invites since she was 2! It's great to watch her grow through the years and remarkably keeps getting cuter and cuter!

Here is another invite I created for another little cutie, Aidan.

many thanks...

Here are some thank you cards I designed as part of the senior announcements. With matching envelopes, they were the perfect way to say thanks!

a cake from long ago...

I made this Boston Cream Pie for a friend's birthday about 2 years ago and totally forgot about it until lo and behold, there were pictures of it sent to my email!

Unfortunately, it was so long ago that I don't remember the recipe or where I got it from... so you will just have to drool over the photos and wish you could make it!

cookies for Tom...

I recently visited Tom and after he discovered my blog, he asked that I bring something sweet and yummy for him. I never pass up a chance to try something new. I have had this recipe from Martha Stewart in my recipe book for awhile and thought it was the perfect time to give it a try! Being that I love chocolate covered cherries, I thought the recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cherry Cookies would taste just like them... although they didn't, they were still VERY good! I didn't get my own photo of them, so I have to borrow Martha Stewart's.

Mine came out much darker for some reason but tasted like pure yummy... isn't that what matters?

















Now, a little about Tom and WHY I traveled to the depths of the Ocala National Forest to visit him (making the cookies was the easy part).

Tom was my mom's boyfriend for over 7 years and even though they never got married and couldn't make it work, he has remained very close to my heart and still feels like part of my family. Being that he was my mom's first love after my dad, I tried very, very hard not to like him. He always understood my feelings and never pushed me to feel differently. After some time and seeing how much he loved my mom and her whole family as if they were his own, I came to see what an amazing person my mom found. They parted ways on amicable terms and he always remained very special to me.

Last year, his life changed when a doctor made a mistake during a simple surgery and ended up paralyzing him from the neck down. He has gained some limited movement back into his hands, arms and legs but still has a long way to become the strong, able man he once was. Everyday is a struggle for him to cope into this new life that has been bestowed upon him. From working in the construction industry and golfing often, to being completely dependent on the help of his son to do everyday activities, this new way of living is a hard pill to swallow. My heart breaks for him. Leaving him and not knowing when I will get back to kiss his bald head was very hard.

Please pray for him that he will continue to get better and be able to reverse this awful mistake. He deserves to live life to the fullest and not to be stuck in a wheelchair forever caused by the carelessness of a doctor.

Below is a picture of him with his awesome son and his beautiful daughter-in-law, who take care of him everyday. I am so thankful he has them.