cupcake and cotton candy cookies

created by: lish dish from the pantry in rak 

hot pink ribbon and black patent heels

i saw these in shoebuy and absolutely adore them!! pink...black...so sexy and very girlie! i would love to know your thoughts and if you would style these for a girls night out or are these must haves for a date night...

pink, green and orange polka dot party

i absolutely love this whole set up! stephanie did such a great job planning her daughter paisleys first birthday! from the photos the party was nothing less than perfect!

cake was created by the west side bakery in akron, oh

mod monkey birthday cake

this cake was created for my sons first birthday. the party was a mod monkey theme and the cake matched perfectly. the first picture is the matching smash cake.

created by cynthia's sweet tooth, salem ohio

(smash cake)

antipasto skewers

these are such a great idea and super easy!! i first saw these at a ladies christmas tea i try to attend each year and thought they were fabulous. you could add whatever meats, cheeses, veggies or relish tray items you like. and these would be great for any occasion including a picnic. i am thinking of these for summer picnics...its my pasta salad minus the pasta for the most part. 

enjoy

sundae cut out cookies

created by lish dish from the pantry in rak

4 lil pumpkins

kaiden ~ 7 months old 

photo credit: courtney kulenics

bbq chicken pizza

one of my favorite ways to make pizza...home made!

ingredients

1 refrigerated pizza crust (I use pillsbury)

olive oil

2 cloves fresh pressed or minced garlic

1/2 of a sweet white onion sliced (or scallions)
2 chicken breasts cubed

3 to 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

2 cups freshly (or bagged) shredded white mild cheese such as provolone or white cheddar

sweet baby ray's barbeque sauce or your personal favorite

salt to taste

directions

1. pre-heat oven as directed on pizza crust package. In a medium saute' pan add olive oil. once heated add garlic and desired amount of onion slices saute' till onion becomes more translucent then add chicken and saute' till no longer pink in the middle. add salt to taste. at this time once oven is pre-heated you can roll out your crust to desired shape and pre bake the crust. this prevents it from getting mushy. Just cook till slightly crispy to the touch but not browned.

2. add bbq sauce to the chicken, garlic and onion once chicken has been cooked throughout. for this i just eyeballed it. but more can always be added as you spread this mixture on the crust.

3. add the bbq mixture to crust and spread evenly. adding more bbq sauce if desired. add a pinch or two of the bacon crumbles by spreading evenly over pizza then cheese. then finely the remaining bacon crumbles.

4. cook as directed on package or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned. at this time if scallions were chosen i would add them at the end once pizza has been cooked.

enjoy...

coconut chicken with sweet chili dipping sauce

as many of you have come to see i have become quite the "pinner". if i plan on doing most of my pins i better get a move on...wink! this was the first recipe i tried from pinterest  and we loved it. i was already a big fan of panko and chili sauce... oh and cilantro so this was a must try.  so glad i did try it. the recipe is perfect how it is and this was very simple. if you aren't a fan of coconut flakes then just omit that part because it still tastes great! (we tried it) also if you aren't a fan of coconut at all just use regular milk or cream instead of the coconut milk. i hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

ingredients 

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut milk (optional) 

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided

1 cup sweet chili sauce

preperation

1. cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally..

2. prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. in the first bowl combine the flour and salt. in the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

3.place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. you can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. when it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

4.while the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. first, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. i find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

5. after breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. place about 6 strips in the pan at once. there should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. if you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. after a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. you can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. if you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.

6. when all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. i garnished mine with a little bit of chopped cilantro as well.

i am awesome

so, i really liked this video the first time i saw it. i actually got teary eyed. i have actually seen this a few times.

 but there was something about today...being in a room full of women (thirty-one sisters) and seeing it on the big screen... it truly became an inspiration to me.

take a look at the video then read the rest of this post...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWi5iXnguTU&sns=em

i listened/watched it again with you and yes i'm crying. i think about so many women...my mom, grandma, sister and friends...i think about myself. i don't think many of us give ourselves the credit of who we are...how God made us.

we are fearfully and wonderfully made and we are awesome...

because of HIM!!

what a revelation...

you are beautiful, you are smart, you are funny, you are kind, you are unique

you are worthy of love and affection, you are never too much and you are always enough.

you are precious, you are a diamond a rose a pearl, the most stunning of all God's creations

you are worth more than you could ever imagine.

worth more than the numbers on the scale or the hair product you use or the shoes you wear

more than how many girls wish they were you or how many guys wish they had you

more than the price tags on your clothes or the percentage at the top of your math test

or even the number of followers you have on twitter

your worth surpasses all earthly things because in the eyes of the Lord God, you are loved.

and you are worth dying for, 

regardless of who you think you are

whether you model in a magazine or you model pottery with grandma

whether you're on the hot list or the not list, whether you're head cheerleader or a high school drop out

whether you're miss popular or you've never had anyone you could call a friend

whether you love yourself and love your life or you cant stand to look in the mirror

and you feel as if everything in your life is falling apart

whether you're such a winner or you feel like the worlds biggest failure

regardless of who you think you are the reality is...is that you deserve someone who would give up their life for you

because you are powerful and  strong and capable

read about the women in the bible, esther, ruth, martha, mary

these women changed the world forever

and inside of you, each and every one of you is a woman with that same power

and that same strength and that same world changing capability

and your responsibility is to find that woman and  to set that woman free

this is who you are

and any voices in your mind that try and tell you differently are from the enemy

and the next time you hear them this is what you say you say "nu-uh not me satan I am a daughter of the living God

cherished, loved and adored above all things by the creator of all things

for the glory of Him who is greater than all things

i am awesome

 and please don't you forget it.

watch it, read it...however many times it takes to grasp just a small revelation of what  you are worth...what women are worth. what your daughter is worth, or your sister,  your mother,  or grandmother,  your friend or neighbor. what about the stranger on the street. this wasn't a poem just made up by a man..some of these words were spoken about us and for us. to help us and guide us through this journey of life.

so the next time you look in the mirror say... i am beautiful or i am loved. how about i am strong or courageous. if you pick a weakness and declare it a strength then truly understand and believe that it's not a weakness...you have it in you to feel confident in every area and every situation of your life.

i know i am going to keep this close to me because this is all true about each and every one of us.

sometimes we need reminded...i know i do.

p.s. please leave a comment or message me and let me know how this may have positively impacted you.

deep dish pizza bites