Currently Loving....Fall Decor

Pinterest has to be my least and most favorite thing ever. Least favorite because it tends to make me want to redo my entire home all the time and favorite because it is one of the only things that I find truly relaxing after a long day. It is the weirdest thing, once I start looking at pinterest, my brain just kind of slows down. I am thinking it is because pinterest houses so much inspiration and pretty pictures, maybe? Does anyone else feel this way about pinterst?

I have more pinterest boards than I care to admit but I have been in fall decor mode lately. Here are a few images of inspiration that I am considering for my home this fall. Most are DIY! I love a good weekend project :)

I love a simple yet elegant wreath and this one definitely does the trick. I think this would be a fairly easy DIY. You will just need a lot of pine cones and hot glue :)

Painting pumpkins is a genius idea! Especially for those who don't like carving pumpkins (me) but love the festive look pumpkins bring to fall decor. This would be a great project to do with kids, too! The options are endless with colors, patterns etc.

This is very Pottery Barn. Perhaps it is Pottery Barn. Not sure. Anyhow, love that it is filled to the brim with fun details.

Love this DIY garland. It would be pretty to wrap on a mantle. 

I am certain I need to get some metallic paint in my hands asap. I really think I will go the painted pumpkin route this year. So fun!

I love how neatly decorated this door front is. I think I need some urns in my life or rather on my porch :) I love how pretty this is.

Are you already planning for your fall decor? Got any fun ideas? I would love to hear them!

All picture links to sources are available on my Fun for the Holidays pinterest board.

Creamy Chicken and Rice: A One Pot Recipe!

I cook my lunches for the week every.single.Sunday. It is my routine and helps me A) Not eat out for lunch everyday and B) Eat a bit healthier. I am always looking for new recipes that can easily be separated into small containers and that reheat well via microwave.

I found this Creamy Chicken and Rice recipe on Pinterest via Natasha's Kitchen and wanted to give it a try. I knew it would be a perfect take-to-work-lunch with a side salad. I especially had to try the recipe when I read that it was a one pot recipe! Say what?!?! One pot recipes are now my new favorite.

Overall, this recipe was so easy to make and I consider myself a beginner with cooking. It was also delicious with a lot of flavor. The recipe made a lot so I have enough dinner for every lunch this week but some leftovers to eat for dinner or I could freeze the remainder for a week down the road in which I don't feel like cooking.

Image via Natasha's Kitchen.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Recipe:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 med or ½ large onion, finely diced
• 2 large carrots, grated on the large grater or cut into matchsticks
• 1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tsp salt (we used sea salt), divided
• ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
• 5 cups hot reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups medium grain rice such as Jasmine rice (un-rinsed)
• 1 head garlic
• ⅓ cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped, plus more to serve
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve

 

Instructions

1. Using a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot with tight fitting lid, over medium/high heat, add ¼ cup olive oil and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Once butter is melted and hot, stir in diced onion, grated carrots and 1 tsp salt. Sautee until soft and golden (8-10 min).
2. Add trimmed, chopped chicken thighs, 2 bay leaves, another 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally until chicken is golden on all sides (5 mins).
3. Increase the heat to high and add 1 cup white wine. Boil down the wine, scraping the bottom until most of the wine has evaporated.
4. Add the hot chicken broth, then stir in the rice.
5. Without separating the cloves (leaving the root end intact), slice the end off a whole head of garlic to expose the garlic cloves. Set the whole head into the center of your rice, sliced side down. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked (15 mins).
6. Turn off the heat, remove garlic head (you can either push the cloves of garlic out into the rice and eat it or discard it) and quickly stir in remaining 2 Tbsp butter until fully incorporated. Finally, stir in chopped parsley and ½ cup parmesan cheese. It should be creamy. Serve right away or leave the lid on to keep it warm until serving. Garnish with more fresh parsley to serve.

Notes

** A note on using brown rice instead of Jasmine rice. 2 of my readers both tried brown rice and both said they had great results but it took 45 minutes too cook rather than 15 minutes. Another reader said she tried instant brown rice and it took the same amount of time to cook as Jasmine rice.

Recipe and image via Natasha's Kitchen. 

Thank you Natasha for sharing a great recipe on your blog. Cannot wait to try more.

Do you have a great lunch recipe? Please do share! :)

New Products in the Shop!

I am SO excited about the new products recently added to Design Gem! I have loved designing stamps and wall art but decided to dabble in some new items. So without further ado...

iPhone 5 cases. These beauties come in two variations, regular case and the tough case :) I can also do other cases. All phone cases can be customized with name, monogram etc. Yay!

I have some favorite phrases and earlier this year I made them into a print (here). Well, I love this print so much that I decided to make some engraved pencils with none other than gold writing. Love love.

I was just telling you about my favorite print, it has been popular so I decided to create a gold foil version and I am seriously swooning over how it turned out. The gold is so shiny and pretty!

See! I told you it was SHINY!

 Next up and new to the shop are these custom stickers! The example above does show an address but really, with stickers, the options could go on! Holiday stickers? Yes! Stickers for your kids? Yes! To and From stickers for gifts? Yes! The possibilities are endless!

Lastly, I have a new stamp design in the shop. This design is very modern and if you'll notice, there is a slight offset with the type creating a subtle line, seriously, it looks so modern and awesome.

So...what do y'all think? I'd love your feedback!

I have a couple more items headed to the shop soon...stay turned, my friends! xoxo

Product Love: Design Gem Return Address Stamp

I am currently crushing on this stamp. Is it ok to crush on my own products? I think yes. It would be hard for me to sell products to others that I did not absolutely love and want to use myself.

My favorite part about this stamp the horizontal layout. I also enjoy that you can play with the placement. You can stamp along the edge of the envelope, like shown in the example photo, or you can place the address at the very top of the flap. This stamp is also very dainty with its thin typewriter style typography. Love love.

Moral of this short story? I need to order myself one of these stamps pronto!

Hop on over to my etsy shop to view this stamp and many more at Design Gem.

Shrimp and Grits Recipe

Hello, hello! As stated in a previous post, when I find a keeper of a recipe, I get so excited that I must share! Today, it's shrimp and grits and it's just fabulous!

Background story...I first had shrimp and grits a couple years ago at a nice restaurant in Oklahoma City. Since then, anytime I see shrimp and grits on a menu, I order it!

When I found this recipe for Shrimp and Grits I got super excited. I enjoy trying to recreate my favorite foods at home and new I had to make this recipe next. It is listed on the top 20 Food Network recipes, so I knew it had to be good. Another awesome thing about this recipe...15 minutes of prep and 15 minute cook time! Score and score! What a perfect week night meal.

Shrimp and Grits: (serves 4)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup instant grits

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe via Food Network

Photos by me :)

Houston Travels

I have a lovely friend from college. Her name is Lauran and she lives in Houston. I would love for her to move back to Oklahoma but...until then, I will visit her in Houston every once in a while and we will shop a whole bunch and eat amazingly delicious food. Not complaining here :)

I went to visit her a couple of weeks back and here is a little recap of our Houston adventures. Lauran is definitely a foodie and it was such a wonderful time trying new foods at really neat places. Sadly, we did not get any pictures together.

All ready to explore Houston!

First stop was Adair Kitchen for an awesome Turkey Burger.

Dinner that night consisted of fried oysters at Liberty Kitchen and Oyster Bar.

Gulf of Maine Acadian Redfish wrapped in bacon with a little pinot grigio.

The next day we might have made a little stop at Prada for a lovely little clutch.

A juice bar? Yes please! I had the Chaturanga Cowabunga and it was awesome. This was Lauran's first time (she was hesitant!) to have fresh juice and she loved it.

Tacos and margs at Torchy's.

Cloud 10 Creamery for dessert. I am not even sure what I had, I just took Lauran's suggestion and it was just wonderful. It definitely had peanut butter and jelly ice cream in it, though! This place gives Braum's a run for their money. I can't believe I just said that.

My last meal in Houston was a fabulous omelet at The Buffalo Grille. They have cinnamon coffee and it is the best coffee I have ever had, hands down.

I loved visiting Lauran and cannot wait to go back to Houston for more shopping, quality time and good eats :)

Homemade Fried Ravioli

Have you ever had fried ravioli? I must admit a little secret...my mom and I LOVE the fried raviloi at Olive Garden :) You must try it before you judge! A fried ravioli appetizer and an italian margarita, is there really anything better? Seriously, go try it tonight and report back.

I tried to make fried ravioli at home a couple weeks back. I will say...it is not near as good as Olive Garden's but it was delicious and I was proud. Oh, and it's a Pioneer Woman recipe, so you really can't go wrong! Below is the best recipe I have found so far, have y'all found a good fried ravioli recipe? Please do share!

Homemade Fried Ravioli Recipe:

Ingredients

4 cups Vegetable Oil 
6 whole Eggs 
1/2 cup Half-and-half 
2 cups All-purpose Flour 
2 cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs 
24 whole Frozen Ravioli (I recommend the meat ravioli!)
2 cups Jarred Marinara Sauce, Heated 
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese 
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley

Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 400 degrees.
Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a dish. Place the flour in a separate dish. Pour the breadcrumbs into a third dish.

Grab the ravioli right out of the freezer. One at a time, drop the ravioli into the egg mixture, then dredge them in flour, then dunk them once again in the egg mixture, then coat them in the breadcrumbs. Set them aside on a plate as you go.

3 or 4 at a time, drop the breaded ravioli into the oil and fry them for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the filling is hot. They brown quickly, so watch them the whole time!
Remove them to a paper towel and repeat with the rest of the ravioli. Transfer them to a serving platter, sprinkle on the Parmesan and parsley, and serve with the marinara sauce.