Shabby Apple Winner & Random Pics

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Hubby and I have been busy at work around the house. We added wainscoting to our entryway and have been painting a majority of our main floor. Can't say it has been a lot of fun but the results are totally worth it. I've been taking lots of before and after pics and I hope to share them sometime soon. In the meantime, here are some random pictures via Instagram (love that app!).

And I am a day late to draw a winner for the Shabby Apple giveaway. Too busy painting yesterday! 

The winner is #41 - Gina @ Crave to Save. Conrats, Gina!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

****This giveaway is now over. Thanks to everyone who entered! The winner is Gina @ Crave to Save. Congrats, Gina!!****

I am excited to be teaming up with Shabby Apple for a great giveaway.  If you haven't heard of Shabby Apple they are an online boutique selling women's dresses, skirts, jewelry and accessories.

Shabby Apple has graciously offered one of my readers a $75 gift card to their site.

You have two chances to enter -

1st Entry: 'Like' Shabby Apple on Facebook {this is a requirement to enter}.  

After you've taken a look at Shabby Apple's website leave a comment here telling me what dress or accessory caught your eye.

2nd Entry: Are you a follower of Frilly Details?  If so, leave another comment.

Please be sure to include your email address if you don't have a blog.

**Giveaway is open to readers with a USA shipping address**

A winner will be selected July 14

Crazy About Succulents

Well, I have a new favorite plant this year. Suddenly I have gone succulent crazy! Before this spring I don't think I have ever planted or owned a succulent. Now I have a couple pots outside and a cute little plant by the kitchen sink. Mixing and matching succulents is a lot fun since there are so many variations of the plant.

  

Here's my first succulent garden I planted a several weeks ago:

Yesterday I was running errands and noticed the local nursery had all plants half price. I had to use some major self control to keep from buying one of everything! They had beautiful succulents that were quite large for only $2. What a deal! Later in the day I went to Target and discovered several pots on clearance. So I got the plants and the pot for half price!

And here's my cute little plant that sits by the kitchen window.

Linked to: Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home, Flaunt It Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring,
Strut Your Stuff @ Six Sisters' Stuff, Bloomin' Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Best Iced Coffee

While I was busy 'pinning' things this week on Pinterest I ran across a recipe for iced coffee that caught my eye.  I am a huge fan of cold brewed iced coffee and am always open for a new variation.  I usually brew it with just coffee grounds then add vanilla Torani syrup when I'm ready to drink.  This recipe has you add brown sugar and cinnamon to the coffee grounds.  Sounded interesting enough to try.

The original recipe can be found on Food 52.

Here's what you need:

2/3 cups ground coffee

3 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon

3 T dark brown sugar

Put everything in a quart jar and stir.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, pour coffee through a fine mesh strainer.  

I use a reusable coffee filter (pictured below).  This step takes a little time.  I've found that stirring the coffee in the filter helps it strain a little quicker and it's also helpful to remove the grounds before pouring more coffee through.

After the coffee has been strained, fill a glass with ice and pour in coffee until glass is 3/4 full.

Then add milk or cream to taste.

This is the best iced coffee I've ever had.  It's amazing!  I've made several batches this week and have enjoyed every sip.

Linked to: Strut Your Stuff @ Six Sisters' Stuff, Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing,
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Tasty Tuesday,
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Giveaway WINNER

Thanks to everyone who entered the NOVICA giveaway!

Congrats to the winner, Wendy at Relatively Unique.

NOVICA Giveaway!

***This giveaway has ended.  Congratulations to the winner, Wendy at Relatively Unique.  Thanks to everyone who entered!***

I am thrilled to be teaming up with Novica for an amazing giveaway.  Novica is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites.  They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents.  Novica has thousands of top fair trade gifts, accessories, jewelry and home decor items for sale.

Novica generously let me pick out something for myself and they are giving one of my blog readers a $50 certificate!  

I had so much fun perusing their site and picking out an item.  Everything is so unique!  I finally decided on this necklace.  The necklace arrived beautifully packaged and even came with a hand-signed card.  The quality of the sterling silver piece is outstanding.  I can't wait to wear it!

Here are a few other items that caught my eye...

That is only the beginning!  They also have:

alpaca wool gloves

silk shawls from India

pendant bracelets

onyx dangle earrings

beaded bracelets

mens silver cufflinks from India

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to enter the giveaway:

1.  Leave a comment on this post.  Be sure to include your email if you don't have a blog.

2.  Are you a follower of Frilly Details?  If so, leave another comment.

3.  Post about giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog for another entry.

The winner will be selected May 22.

Roasted Tomato & Artichoke Heart Pasta

I guess my blog has turned into a food blog!  There are so many projects around the house that I have lined up but don't have the time for right now.  Hopefully I'll get to them sometime this summer.  I've been trying to come up with some quick and easy meals so we don't resort to eating out for dinner.  This meal is a definite keeper!

I am a huge fan of roasted tomatoes.  Something really amazing happens to tomatoes after they have been drizzled with olive oil and roasted with garlic.  So yummy.  For dinner tonight I decided to make a pasta dish using roasted tomatoes.  At the last minute I decided to add canned artichoke hearts to the mix. Oh wow, artichoke hearts roasted are delicious!  I added some chicken and parmesan cheese to the pasta and it made a wonderful, healthy meal. 

Here's how you roast the tomatoes and artichokes:

In a bowl, toss sliced tomatoes and artichoke hearts with olive oil,

salt, peper, and lots of garlic.

Spread out on a foil-lined baking pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 450°.

I combined the cooked pasta with the chicken and tomato mixture.  

Then sprinkled with fresh parmesan.

Such an easy meal that tastes amazing.

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesdays,
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style, Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff

Buffalo Chicken Salad

My husband and I are crazy about all things buffalo chicken.

We eat our buffalo chicken tacos on a pretty regular basis and never get tired of them.

For something different I decided to make a buffalo chicken salad.

I loved it and it got hubby's approval as well.

Here's what you need:

Chicken

Hot Wing sauce (our favorite is Frank's)

Blue Cheese

Lettuce

Shredded carrots

Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing

Cover chicken with hot wing sauce and let marinade until ready to bake or grill.

Once chicken is cooked, let it cool slightly then slice and toss with additional sauce.

Assemble salad with lettuce, carrots, chicken & blue cheese.

Drizzle with hot wing sauce and add desired dressing.

Dig in and enjoy!

Linked to: Tempy My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style, Strut Your Stuff Saturdays @ Six Sister' Stuff

Baked Kale Chips

Have you jumped on the Kale bandwagon yet?  Just recently I made my first batch of Kale Chips and had pretty low expectations on how they would taste but after one bite I was hooked.  Even my husband is crazy about them.

Here's what I use:

Kale

Olive Oil

Seasoning {I use Mrs. Dash}

Garlic Salt

Remove leaves from stem and tear into bite size pieces.

Give the kale a good rinse.

Then use a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible.

Just to make sure all the water is gone, I lay the kale out on a towel and pat dry.

You don't want the leaves wet otherwise you end up with steamed kale instead of kale chips.

Spread the kale on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then generously sprinkle with seasoning and garlic salt.

Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes.

Be sure to keep an eye on the kale while baking.

There is a fine line between floppy kale chips and charred kale chips.

The final result should be nice and crunchy.

Let cool and enjoy!

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday & Tasty Tuesday

Spring Flowers

Spring is here and I'm loving it!

After several days of rainy weather last week,

my plants and flowers are thriving in the sun and beautiful temperatures this week.

There is something about Spring that I find so invigorating.  

Open windows and freshly picked flowers on my kitchen table just make me happy :) 

Hope your Spring is off to a lovely start!

Linked to:
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style, It's Bloomin' Tuesday

Homemade Granola

First I want to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments on my last post.

It's good to be back in blogland.  Thanks for the warm welcome back :)

Now time to get back at it...

I've been making this granola a lot lately and can't get enough of it.  

It's super easy to make, healthy, and quite delicious.

It's not the fanciest granola recipe out there but that's partly what makes it so good.  

Just simple, healthy ingredients.

The recipe is from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook

2 cups regular rolled oats

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts {I use a mix of almonds, walnuts and pecans}

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/4 cup wheat germ {I use ground Flax}

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons cooking oil

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  

Stir together honey and cooking oil; then add to dry ingredients.  Stir until well combined.

Spread evenly in a greased baking pan.  

Bake in a 300° oven for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring after 20 minutes.  

Let cool and break into clumps.  Store in an airtight container.

I made a double batch this time.  Otherwise it would fit in one pan. 

Now for my favorite way to eat it...

Take your favorite yogurt {Mine is Chobani - love this stuff!} and mix with fresh berries, then top with granola.  

Oh my, it's so good!  On mornings I have time, this has become my favorite breakfast.  

It's a healthy and yummy way to start your day!

Linked to: Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style, Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes, 

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green

I'm Back

Here I am...

Back after a much needed and unexpected blog break.  I've struggled with where to start again.  There have been several blog posts that I've started but never finished.  

A day after my last blog post I lost my Dad unexpectedly.  It knocked the wind out of my sails.  My Dad loved reading my blog and the thought of posting something that he wouldn't see was too much for me.  I know my Dad wouldn't want me to give up my blog, so I won't.  I need to dust off my camera and get back to it.  

I miss my Dad more than words can say.  He was amazing.  Brilliant, humble, loving, caring... the list could go on forever.  He was the most selfless person I've ever known.  Always looking out for his family and others.

Life is fragile.  Be sure to let those close to you know they are loved.

I'll be back soon with a new post.