Warm, Cozy and Yummy. . . . . .

brrrrrrrrrrr. . . . . .

it's been just a bit chilly outside, hasn't it?

even down here in south florida,

although nothing like up north.

and frankly, i like this chilly weather.

we don't get much of it you know, so we have to take advantage!

like, pull on a sweater, wear some cute boots, make some hearty

comfort food.

stuff like that.

but i know what a cold winter is like,

really, i do!

so i've put together a few things to warm you up a bit.

i hope:)

to start with, i hope you're all bundled up in a cozy blanket

maybe reading a book by a

roaring fire!

maybe you're on the computer,

doing a little online shopping or looking at all the fashion sites.

gosh, i'd move north just to wear these cute clothes!
or maybe not:)
but i still love the clothes!

don't you just LOVE this button purse and the cute booties?

i do:)

it's a good time to cuddle someone. . . . .

or something you love:)

go ahead, say it. . . . . .awwwwwww!

now, we can't forget something warm to drink.

hot cocoa is always a good choice.

especially hot cocoa with marshmallows.

especially hot cocoa with chocolate chip marshmallow eyes:)

my favorite warm drink happens to be a drink at starbucks.

but my girls figured out how to make it without buying some pricey flavored syrup
and whatever else they use.

the drink i'm talking about is a 

warm caramel apple drink.

and it is soooooo good!

it's super easy.

simply heat up a mug or pan of apple juice.

stir in caramel topping you would use for ice cream, to taste.

garnish with a bit of whipped cream and caramel on top.

y.u.m.m.y!

ok, i don't know if i've mentioned this or not,

but we are trying to eat a bit healthier around here.
trying.

so when i saw this recipe for stuffed peppers without rice on table for two blog,

i knew we had to try it.

last night, jordan made a batch.

and let me tell you,

these are SOOOO good!

light comfort food.
quick and easy.

not bad, huh?

you have got to try these!

Easy Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 Tbs or so taco seasoning

3 large bell peppers, seeded and halved

1 cup shredded cheese (i used two kinds...cheddar jack and pepper jack)

olive oil

~on a large baking sheet, place your pepper halves on them and drizzle olive oil all over them.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are bubbling up a bit and translucent around the edges.
~While peppers are baking, saute onions in a tsp or so of olive oil until soft.
Add in the ground beef or turkey and cook till browned.
Mix in the taco seasoning.  Stir, then add in the corn.
~Cook for 5 min. more then remove from the heat.
~Place the (cooled) pepper halves in a casserole dish, then spoon the filling into the peppers.
Trust me, it's okay if you stuff them a bit much:)
~Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling, then place it under the broiler till cheese is melted and bubbly.
~Serve immediately.
***Makes 6 pepper halves. . . . .but these are soooooo good and light tasting,
you should plan on doubling the recipe.
I would give ANYTHING to have leftovers for lunch today:)

well, are you getting warm yet?
need more help???
here is one more....
Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

 1lb chicken, 1c chicken broth, 1/2c terriyaki or soy sauce,

 1/3c brown sugar, 3minced garlic cloves... 

Optional... a can of drained pineapple, peppers

There was no cooking "time",

but if you use a crockpot, it's either on low for 6-8hrs. or high for 3-4 hrs.

(hope i got that right:)

if you like, serve over brown rice and add sesame seeds.

well, i've rambled long enough, right?

let me leave you with a thought for your day. . . . .

happy friday!!!

Suzanne

Happy Fall, Ya'll...Come on in for some recipes, crafts and...

i've been wanting to say that...

 just kinda makes you smile:)

AND...i've been wanting you to see my blog makeover.
let me know what you think!
goodbye (for now) pale...hello bright, fall color!

okay...

WELCOME TO THE SHABBY CHICKS FALL OPEN HOUSE!

first up... come on in and grab a candy corn tutu...

 it's okay...their cute and fun...

and no one will ever know you wore one:)

great!

now, how about some warm apple pie oatmeal?

oh YUM!!!!!

we're all about quick, easy and delicious food around here...

and this fits the bill perfectly.

simple to make...

slice up apples and place in large ziplock.

shake with brown sugar and cinnamon.

saute in a bit of butter till perfectly tasty and soft.

 make a big batch of your favorite oatmeal...

place a spoonful in the bottom of the bowl and a heaping serving on top.

add milk or heavy cream if desired and go ahead...

devour!

 (that's what we did. hahaha)

let's talk crafts...

and sweaters...

SWEATER CRAFTS!

it seems sweater pumpkins were HUGE last year.

 (they're still pretty popular cause they're so DANG cute!

I even got in on it.

and now we have SWEATER VASES!

they're all over the place and last night we made a few...

what do you think?

 not bad for a quick and simple craft, huh?

okay, i am terrible about doing a tutorial but trust me,

google sweater vases and all kinds of instructions will come up.

 but basically, you go to goodwill or some other thrift store

and grab a few vases and a cable knit sweater for CHEAP.

 have some scissors and a glue gun handy and you're ready to get crafting!

the most important thing is that if WE can do this in a half hour...

i PROMISE you can too...and probably much better!:)

aaaahhh...all this work makes me hungry!

hahahaha...only HALF joking:)

how about dinner?

as in...a warm, cozy comforting FALL menu...

something like low cal LASAGNA SOUP.

 warm soup on a dreary day...can't beat it.

and this soup is YUM-MY!!!!!

add a loaf of warm, crusty bread and voila...a real family please.

Go HERE for the recipe.

(courtesy of Paula Deen's boy's...
they are making over their mom's recipes:):)

The only changes we made were we only used ONE clove of

garlic and red pepper instead of green pepper.

(and please over look the weirdly skinny breadsticks...

don't ask me, I wasn't in the kitchen:)

 let's see, what else, what else...

I KNOW...

a simple decorating tip for seasons/holidays.

if you're like me, your children ARE your works of art.

and if you took a gazillion photos of them like me, 

you have some for all the seasons of the year. 

soooooo...why not dig out a few and replace the photos currently in frames or on the wall

with special memories of seasons past.

so simple, so quick and SO EASY!

just like the above crafts and recipes,

quick and easy is the name of the game:)

and here is a quick photo i snapped of my childhood home recently...

 i used to JUMP in these leaves!!!

MEMORIES.

well my friends,

that's about it for the fall open house

  with the Shabby Chicks for today.

oh wait...you can't leave without a treat!

My chicks made CANDY CORN COOKIES tonight.

 we used the technique from Kathie Cooks blog,

and because i already told you we try to keep things simple,

we BOUGHT the sugar cookie dough in a roll.

divided it into thirds, colored one yellow and one orange (left the other one natural)

cut out candy corn shapes and VOILA...

candy corn cookies!

ENJOY...

and come back soon for more fall fun...
and a GIVEAWAY Wednesday!

XOXOXOXOXO