Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Photo Via: So, How's It Taste?

MMMM!! My house smells delish right now! Why you ask? Because I have Blueberry Baked Oatmeal baking in my oven right now! I found the recipe in the ever trustworthy Pinterest. You can find it on my Let's Bake This board.
Here is the recipe:

Blueberry & Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

adapted by The Curvy Carrot
from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
via Annie's Eats
makes 6 servings
nutritional value will vary depending on the fruit and ingredients you use

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free)
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, half of the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
3. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.
4. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving

Here is my creation, right out of the oven!

 

 YUMMMM!

 

Contemplation

Not sure if any of you have been wondering out loud or to yourselves;
 "Where has this Funky Chicken girl been??"
Well, I have been wondering it right along with you!

I haven't forgetten about my blog, I just have been putting it off here and there because there has been this nagging voice in the back of my head. It is saying;
"Do you want to put all your bizness out there for the internet to see and talk about?"
Well, my inner voice hasn't totally won me over.
I am going to focus on changing my blog up a bit. Not sure if I will cancel it or not, I guess it depends on how the change will go.
I know we say we are busy, busy, busy all the time. But sometimes that is just the truth. Busy lives don't always leave room for taking pictures and posting them on my blog. And that is also part of my problem.
But, new year new blog? I am putting it out there that I will try to put more effort into this Funky Chicken, but no promises. Hope that is ok with you? :)

This Is What's Up

I have been busy, busy, busy, making items for my ornament swap and my jingle bell bonanaza (a sale of handmade items made my yours truly and my talented sister in law from A Vintage Feel).

Just thought I would keep you up to date onto what I have been up to :).

 

These lovelies are made from beach glass. They look so pretty in your hair! Some have cabachon roses on them too. You can find these at rTrail collective in Valparaiso. A Funky Chicken exclusive!

 

P.S. I have an artist statement included in this month's email newsletter. Check it out HERE

 

 

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These pretty little pockets are accompanying a reversible Holiday apron that will be for sale at the Jingle Bell Bonanza. I found the pattern at Made By RAE. It was very fun to make these! And they turned out so cute!

 

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WARNING:

IF YOU ARE IN MY ORNAMENT SWAP, YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ ON IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These upcycled ornaments were made from circle bracelets, vintage yarn and pretty beads. I had everything right in my sewing room to make these gems! I am sending one out (along with some other ornaments that I have yet to reveal) to every one of the participants in my ornament swap.  I got the inspiration from Creative Jewish Mom .

 

 

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I have always wanted to make my own granola. I am not sure why I didn't do it before! It was so easy!! I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. Rolled oats, walnuts, slivered almonds and craisins. From browsing some recipes, you can pretty much put whatever you want in it as long as there are rolled oats. I mixed brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a small pot and brought to a slow boil. Stirring as I went. Then I poured that over the above mixed ingredients. After a taste test, it still didn't taste super good. After I spread the mix out on parchment paper that was laid on a baking sheet; I poured maple syrup over the top before baking it in the oven.

 I have to say it turned out very delicious!

I made enough to fill three pint glass jars.

I love mixing it with my yogurt every morning. Very Yummy! I will definitely make it again.

 

 

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I am enjoying making my holiday season and handmade one. Hope you are too!

 

Grown Up Boy

My son L has been really showing me what a little grown up boy he is.
The other morning his alarm went off. He got up, used the restroom, let the dogs out and then got into the shower and finished up in a good amount of time, got out and got dressed.
All. By. Himself.

Then over the weekend, L met some friend of mine. Friends that are my age. And when he introduced himself, he shook their hand. Yes, shook their hand, said his name and looked them in the eye. Without me prompting him too.

We also did a lot of running around this weekend and we were going in and out of various places. Every time we would go in and out of a door, he would either run to get to the door first so he could hold it for everyone coming in behind him or he would take over for the person holding the door and tell them to "go ahead and go in.". Once again, without any prompting from me.

All of these little gentleman things he does just makes my heart swell. He is showing me he is growing up and it is so bittersweet. I am raising a grown up boy and I couldn't be any prouder.

HANDMADE ORNAMENT SWAP!

Now that Halloween is over it's time to bust out the Christmas stuff, right? :) Well, not really, but it is time for Funky Chicken's Annual Handmade Ornament Swap! Those that participated last year really enjoyed it and I want to make this a tradition around the holidays.

All you have to do is send me an email (at Stephaus@gmail.com) with your name, address, and any color schemes (if any) that you are following this year. If you want to participate please email me the info by NOVEMEBER 24TH. I will email you your partners name, address and the ornament send out deadline date.

Any age can be involved as long as you handmake the ornament yourself.

The only rules are that the ornament has to be handmade and sent out by the deadline date. Please remember packaging. We wouldn't want anyone's ornament to get broken on the way!

Happy Handmade Ornament Making!!

Peace~
Stephanie

Hey Good Lookin'! This Is What's Been Cookin'!

I am not sure what it is about Fall, but it just makes me want to cook and bake until my hearts content! I thought I would share some of what I have been cookin' over here because well, the recipes are just too damn good not to share!

 

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I recently saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food network that featured an Arizona Mexican restaurant called Los Taquitos Grill. They made a sauce called Bombero sauce. I had never heard of it before, but it looked soooo good! I had most of the ingredients in my house and decided to make it. Here is the recipe I followed (the ingredients I modified are in italics):

 

 

• 2 cups arbol chile (stems removed)
• 4 roma tomatoes or more, and bigger sized tomatoes, if would like
• 1/2 onion
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppers
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 cloves of dilled garlic (or fresh garlic)
• 6 cups water

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients except for the oil in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool down for about an hour.
2. Pour the ingredients adding the cumin, black pepper, brown sugar, and garlic in a blender and blend on high for 5 minutes or when all of the chile's and tomatoes are completely pureed.
3. Put into jars and use on top of enchiladas or with other various Mexican dishes.

 

 I am telling you, this recipe is so good! But I must warn you that it is for those who loves spicy stuff!

 

Here is the episode that I saw:

 

 

 



 

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Even though I have started up my vegetarian-ism once again, it is not beneath me to cook my family hormone free meat. I have not had (or made) pork chops in years! So I needed to get it just right and of course, I looked a recipe up online. During a recent trip to Mississippi, my husband and I came across a Made in America store. Everything in the store was made in America (obviously!). We purchased a cast iron skillet (which made his bag be searched while bringing it home) and I have been dying to use any and every recipe on it! Here is the recipe that I found:

 

 

 

photo and recipe via: what's cookin, Chicago? which in turn, they got the recipe from one of my fav show websites Americas Test Kitchen where I got the recipe for THE BEST strawberry pie.

 

 

 Pork chops:1/2 cup table salt
4 bone-in pork rib chops, thick cut (about 1 inch thick)
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Spice rub:
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

BBQ sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons light molasses
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

FOR THE PORK CHOPS: Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water in large bowl or container. Submerge chops in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

FOR THE SPICE RUB: Combine ingredients in small bowl. Measure 2 teaspoons mixture into medium bowl and set aside for sauce. Transfer remaining spice rub to pie plate or large plate.

FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk ingredients in bowl with reserved spice mixture; set aside.

TO COOK CHOPS: Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Coat both sides of chops with spice rub, pressing gently so rub adheres. Pat chops to remove excess rub; discard excess rub.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Following illustration below, place chops in skillet in pinwheel formation; cook until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip chops and continue to cook until second side is browned and charred and center of chop registers 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer chops to clean plate or baking sheet. Lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce.

Wipe out pan with paper towels and return to medium heat. Add remaining teaspoon oil and heat until just smoking. Add chops to pan, sauce-side down, and cook without moving until sauce has caramelized and charred in spots, about 1 minute. While cooking, lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce. Turn chops and cook until second side is charred and caramelized and center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Transfer chops back to plate or baking sheet, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees. Meanwhile, add remaining sauce to pan and cook, scraping pan bottom, until thickened to ketchup-like consistency and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon reduced sauce and serve immediately, passing remaining sauce at table

 

Well, they look and smell delish!! And the boys loved them! :)

 

 

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By son L loves pumpkin pie. In lu of Fall I decided to make mini pumpkin pies.  I purchased an easy make pumpkin pie mix where all you need to put in is 2 eggs and evaporated milk. Well, I bought the family size mix and after putting the mix into mini pie shells I had a ton leftover! I once again browsed the Internet for recipes for what to do with the leftover pumpkin pie batter. I came across a recipe for baked pumpkin pie oatmeal from Budget Bytes (which is a really cool website with lots of ideas for great meals without spending a ton of money).

 

 



Photo and recipe via: Budget Bytes

 

 

Total Recipe cost: $2.77
Servings Per Recipe: 6-8
Cost per serving: $0.46
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 55 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 (15 oz.) can	pumpkin purée	$1.00
1/2 cup	brown sugar	$0.16
2 large	eggs	$0.32
1 tsp	pumpkin pie spice	$0.10
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.03
3/4 tsp	baking powder	$0.03
1/2 tsp	vanilla extract	$0.14
1.5 cups	milk	$0.56
2.5 cups	dry old-fashioned oats	$0.43
TOTAL		$2.77

 

(I omitted the milk since I already had put the evaporated milk in there. I also cut the pumpkin pie spice in half since it was already a pumpkin pie mix and has lots of that in there already.)

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Whisk in the milk (and yogurt if using).

STEP 2: Mix the dry oats into the pumpkin mixture. Coat an 8x8 (or similar sized) baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour in the pumpkin oat mixture. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, removing the foil after the first 30 minutes.

STEP 3: Serve hot right out of the oven or refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be eaten cold or reheated. Top with milk, maple syrup, whipped cream, or nuts.

 

My son L and I LOVED this! But B didn't like it as much. It tastes just like pumpkin pie baked in oatmeal. It was tasty with some cool whip on top for a dessert and it was really tasty heating it up the next morning with some maple syrup too.

 

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Got any Fall recipes that you are trying out? Send them my way. Or let me know if you try any of these recipes!! HAPPY FALL!






Give These Books A Hug

One good thing about the cooler weather and more time at home, is getting back to my all-time love of reading! Check out what has been capturing most of my days!

 

 

 

 

I literally read each of these books in 4 days. Yes, I said 4 days. That is how good they were! There are drama, murder and mystery in one!

I found these books by looking the the New York Times Best Seller list and they sounded interesting, so I went out and bought them. I prefer to buy a book if I think that I will be really into it. And I am so glad that I did.

I read Dark Places first.

 

"I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer." From Gillian Flynn's Website

Sounds good, huh!? Oh, it is REALLY good Wanna see read Sharp Objects is about?

"WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.
NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.
HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.
With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable."


I know you are itching to go get these book now! After visiting her website, I found out that she lives in Chicago! And I am joined on her email list so I know when she does a book tour and I can go and get my books signed. Yep, I said get my books signed!

 

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I heard thispulitzer prize winning auhor talking about his newest book on NPR the other day. But then the interviewer brought up his first book. An memoir of his life growing up. I am actually in the exact middle of this book, but still like it enough to share it with you guys.

 

 

 

"A moving, vividly told memoir full of heart, drama, and exquisite comic timing, about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a barJ .R. Moehringer grew up listening for a voice: It was the sound of his missing father, a disc jockey who disappeared before J.R. spoke his first words. As a boy, J.R. would press his ear to a clock radio, straining to hear in that resonant voice the secrets of masculinity, and the keys to his own identity. J.R.+s mother was his world, his anchor, but he needed something else, something more, something he couldn+t name. So he turned to the bar on the corner, a grand old New York saloon that was a sanctuary for all types of men-cops and poets, actors and lawyers, gamblers and stumblebums. The flamboyant characters along the bar-including J.R.+s Uncle Charlie, a Humphrey Bogart look-alike; Colt, a Yogi Bear sound-alike; Joey D, a soft-hearted brawler; and Cager, a war hero who raised handicapping horses to an art-taught J.R., tended him, and provided a kind of fatherhood by committee. When the time came for J.R. to leave home, the bar became a way station-from his entrance to Yale, where he floundered as a scholarship student way out of his element; to his introduction to tragic romance with a woman way out of his league; to his stint as a copy boy at the New York Times, where he was a faulty cog in a vast machine way out of his control. Through it all, the bar offered shelter from failure, from rejection, and eventually from reality-until at last the bar turned J.R. away.Riveting, moving, and achingly funny, The Tender Bar is at once an evocative portrait of one boy+s struggle to become a man, and a touching depiction of how some men remain lost boys."

 

If this sounds like a book for you I would definitely pick it up (I did get this one on loan from the library because I wasn't sure that I would like it, but I really do like it a lot!).

 

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What are you reading right now? If it is worth sharing, let me know!

 

Sometime You Just Feel At Home....But You're Not

You know when you meet someone and feel like you have known them forever? Or when you go over to someones house and you just feel at home? Well, I had that feeling just the other day and I wasn't expecting the surge of emotions that I came from it.

I was lucky enough to be invited over to a friends house to be taught some of her amazing baking skills. And when I say baking skills, I mean straight up home made from scratch baking skills. Which are my favorite kind! Which, also, is exactly why she invited me over. Because she said "some people just have that skill in them, and some just don't".

I was so thankful and excited to go there and see what was in store for me. Not only did I leave with some great recipes and baking knowledge, I also left there with a big lump in my throat. Something that I totally didn't expect!

I miss my mom every. single. day. And being around this special friend really cemented the fact that I haven't had that "mom" figure in my life lately. Although it made me miss that type of person in my life, it made must just as much more thankful that she invited me into her home and wasn't really doing it in a "I feel sorry for this mom-less gal". But that she was just being the "kind, love you from the bottom of my heart mama". This is where the lump in my throat came from. It meant so much to me just to be there and see her in her happy hobby. It was also so great to be around a family loving person. Her daughter and granddaughters stopped by and it was so sweet to see them interact. Sometimes those interactions between grandmas and their grandchildren really touch a tender spot in my heart because I know L and B won't have that with my mom (although they do have that with my mother in law and I am so happy for that).

I was also able to be honest and talk about my mom and cry when I felt like it in front of them, without feeling a bit ashamed of it. That was refreshing. The whole visit was really refreshing! It made me feel like I was supposed to be there that day. And I took home more than just recipe cards.

It is such an honor to be invited into someones kitchen, have them share a family recipe with me, be with them in their natural habitat and to also be around their family. They may have thought it was such a small gesture, but it made a big impact on me.

I cannot wait to learn more in Becky's kitchen! Thank you so much for having me over. It meant more to me than you know.

Yah, I Am Still Here! + You Should Love It Too!

My blog has been on my mind a lot lately...and that is as far as it has gone! The boys are involved in swimming lessons, fall baseball, and cub scouts (in which I am an assitant leader). So, Monday-Thursday is busy, busy, busy! It is a good busy, but busy all the same.

I am still stretching my wings with my new found daytime freedom.  My "real" intentions were that it gets mostly filled up with cleaning and doing laundry, but it has instead been filled lately with working out, sewing, and catching up on what just seems like life.

I have felt like a bad blog mama and haven't really felt like adding much to it lately. Not for any real reason, but just feeling a little blah about it. I am vowing now to add more to my lovely funky chicken site. So here we go!

I will start with an "You should Love it Too!!" Post!

 

 

 Photo Via: stylecaster.com

 

 

Bleach tie dying shorts and then colorful tie dying them

 

 

photo via: wanelo.com

 

 

 

Yes, I know summer is over but I also love wearing...

 

 

 

Photo via: HudsonJeans.com

 

 

 

Fall really is my favorite time of year for fashion with...

 

 

 

 Colorful tights!

 

Chunky sweaters!

 

 

Jacket layering!

 

Thigh highs over tights with tall boots!

 

photos via my pinterest

 

OK enough fashion gobbeldy gook!

 

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I am always evolving what I am creating and right now I am loving zippered pouches and clutches!

Here are some that catch my eye and what have inspired me to do my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos via My pinterest

 

Photo via: Made or Remade

 

 

I have been bangin' out some cute zippered pouches and I plan to reveal them just in time for a future sale that I will be doing with my sister in law at the beginning of December. I like to add patches to the outside and colorful fabric on the inside. Can't wait to reveal them.

 

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Hope you are all staying warm and your creativity keeps flowing!!

 

The Shiny-ness Has Worn Off

Going into the third week of school and what I expected to happen on the first day of school, has finally happened. And I hope it to be the last.
B had his first "I hate school!" breakdown.
And it was super hard for me to stay strong.
I cried after he got on the bus. My heart felt for him.
But what do I do in this situation? As a mom who wants to do everything I can so my child has the best day ever, it was hard for me to not just say "Ok stay home!". I can't baby him and keep him home and cuddle watching movies all day. Which I am sure he would have loved to do, and was probably waiting for me to actually do that. *sigh*
But, I had to be a really strong parent and literally drag him to the bus as he tried to run off even at the last second. I know he will be so tired all day and he will probably still have a hard day no matter how many times I tried to tell him to "stay positive" and that "he will have a better day". But his comebacks were still "I hate school!", "I just want to stay home.," "I don't want to go to school." *sigh, again*
I will just keep telling myself I did the right thing by throwing him on the bus and that it was a bit of an accomplishment for me as a mom. Because I just could have well given in and said here's a big chocolate candy bar to enjoy on the bus, now stop crying and go to school. In the end, I hope it really shows that I AM a loving and caring mom for telling him he still has to go to school whether he wants to or not.
*sigh*
Let's hope tomorrow is a better day.