Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Cheap Wine Crockpot Chicken

Got a whole chicken and some cheap white wine? Then you can make some really tasty chicken in the crockpot today!

Cheap Wine Crockpot Chicken


1 small onion, diced
3 lb. whole chicken
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp. dried basil

Wash chicken, remove inside parts, pat dry.


Put onion, broth, and wine in crock pot. I call it cheap wine chicken because someone left a bottle of really cheap white zinfandel here after a party, and I used it in this dish.


Put chicken in crock pot and season it.


Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 3 1/2 to 5 hours. It will smell divine while it cooks, and tastes delicious!


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts


Today's What's Cooking is something I ran across on Pinterest. I jumped over to the website and decided to give it a try for dinner.

Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts

Ingredients:
Crescent Rolls
Lunch meat - your choice! I used Honey Ham
Cheese - again, your choice! I used Provolone


I opened the crescent roll tubes and instead of making triangles, I pulled the dough apart in rectangles (keeping 2 triangles together). I used a baking stone, but if you use a regular baking sheet, you will want to grease it.

Place the rectangles on the stone. You will only get 4 from a package, but we have a family of 5, so I used part of another package. I will bake up the remaining crescent rolls for breakfast in the morning.

Place your toppings - whatever meats and cheeses you choose. I decided to keep it simple this time, but next time, wouldn't it be yummy with fresh basil and sauteed Vidalia onions?

Roll up your rectangles and get ready to bake. The instructions on my tube said 350 for 12-14 minutes.

I served ours with homemade mashed potatoes and green beans. Yum!



Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanksgiving Turkey


I ran across this wonderful Thanksgiving game online and thought it was so awesome, I am definitely making this for the kids to play with on Thanksgiving!

I think it will be super easy to make with some glue, felt, modge podge and the sewing machine. But, it could really all be done with glue if you don't sew.
The kids just start with the turkey face and roll the die and if the color comes up, they put the clothespin on for the feather - the first person to get all their feathers wins!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Meet Timmery!



Today, I'd like to introduce you to another of the ladies here at Sweet Funky Vintage. Timmery joined us here within the past year and we feel so fortunate to have her with us. She is really fast and efficient and we don't know what we would do without her. But, the best thing about Timmery is that she always has a smile on her face and her laugh is absolutely infectious!

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I moved from Missouri to California 8 years ago. I drove my belongings out here and arrived on January 2nd to a sky full of sun and gorgeous 60+ degree temps. Since 2 days prior I had had to shovel a path from my front door to my car, and then chisel the car out of ice to start my adventure, I just knew I'd made the right choice in coming to sunny San Diego!
I'm an architect, but recently completed my Master's in Pastoral Care & Counseling--and yes, at first glance the two fields don't seem related at all, yet it suits me just fine!

2. What do you do when you aren't working at Sweet Funky Vintage?
My previous job was working with Post-College aged people at my church--and I still continue to mentor some of the young women there. I still do counseling and love watching young women transform through the process
I also have a creative streak and love "puttering". This year I taught myself how to make journals and I'm loving it! Recently I've had a friend start teaching me how to knit (I'm not very good yet, but after she took me to a specialty yarn store and I soaked in all the gorgeous yarns, I've decided I need to improve--rapidly!).

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and were allowed one luxury item, what would it be and why?
One?! My first thought would be a good, creamy, heavenly scented lotion. But that almost seems more necessity to my thinking! If I were stranded I would take some sort of e-reader since books tend to be my weakness...

4. Do you have any phobias?
Lizards and snakes, hands down! They give me chills just thinking about them! I found a lizard in the garage last week and screamed like a little girl (and now I'm afraid to enter the garage at night--what if it's still lurking? Eek!).

5. Who inspires you and why?
I have a small handful of very dear women, including my mother, who are so precious to my heart. They are mostly all old enough to be my mother, and they all in one form or another mentor me. I so value that they have gained much wisdom and experience, and that they have been so willing to share those with me. When life is icky, they encourage me after they've joined me in tears. And when life is glorious, they are praising God alongside me. Watching these women go through the challenges, joys, and hurts in their own life teaches me so much.

6. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
I'm pretty content just being me, buuuuut, perhaps it would be nice to snap my fingers and have "chores" completed? Tax time? Done! Tires need rotating? Done! Bathroom starting to get icky? Clean!

7. Can you tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise people who know you?
I can think in color (which helped immensely in school!). What this means is that I "see" everything in color from numbers, to letters, to words, ideas, music, and so on. When I was learning my alphabet as a wee one, I would be able to see the color in my mind and know which letter it was. In math, I know that white plus blue equals purple (1+3=4), and blue plus purple equals orange (3+4=7)! It's a pretty cool sensory phenomenon called synesthesia. I know of some people who can "see" colors unfolding in their mind like a painting, but I don't have it to that degree. Its something I always took for granted and was shocked when I learned none of my classmates in school knew what I was talking about!


fun facts include……:
-(I'm an only child, and wanted siblings so bad I made up imaginary ones! Luke, Barrett, Ethan, and Emily were my 4, much older, imaginary siblings.)~

-(I love reading a good book. I grew up without a tv as a child, so reading was my favorite entertainment. I suspect that's why I love it so much today!)

-Although I love reading, all through my architectural studies I would primarily only look at pictures in books! Maybe because it's such a visual field, and maybe because all the architecture books I "read" included hot photos of amazing architecture!

-A good massage, or a fabulous fragrance makes me weak in the knee.

Timmery



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A time for Thanksgiving

I can hardly believe that next week is Thanksgiving. How on earth did it get here so quickly? Sheesh, I haven't put away all of the Halloween decorations yet! Okay, I know it is a little past time for that. But, still, Thanksgiving has really sneaked up on me this year!
I have been running across some cute Thanksgiving ideas around the web and wanted to share them with you...

I love this!! I fully intend to do this with either the daisy or brownie troops that my girls are in, or with their classes. How cute!

And, this is too cute. I didn't find any instructions to go along with the picture... but I am going to try to figure it out!



Thursday, November 3, 2011

Deal of the Day!

Are we friends on facebook? If not, we should be! We have started something new here at Sweet Funky Vintage - a deal of the day. Every week day on facebook, we will post a new "deal of the day". The deal will be available in limited quantities and for that day only. And the best part, it will include shipping in the price! To purchase the item, you simply comment on the item with your desired size and email address and we will send you an invoice to pay by email. Simple as that!
The catch? You have to be a fan of our facebook page so you will see these great deals! That's it!
Click to like us on facebook!

 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The key to some "sweet" swag!

Have received a lucky key with your fall 2011 trunk show or website purchase? Then, take a look below to see if we have chosen your lucky number!
Also, are we friends on facebook? If not, jump on over to our facebook page and like us so you can see our new deal of the day items for something sweet at smashing prices every day!
Also, did you receive the newsletter we emailed out earlier today? If not, go sign up for our newsletter!

Now, for what you have been waiting for...

If you have one of these key numbers, please email us to claim your prize!
#15
#31
#68
#197

Have a great day!

 

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Jayne's Chicken Tortilla Soup


Our great friend, Jayne, prepared this Chicken Tortilla Soup for our Girls Game Night and it was so wonderful, we all begged for the recipe.

Tortilla Soup with Cilantro
- a zesty tomato, chicken, beef based soup flavored with hot chilies, cheese, cilantro, and tortilla strips. Serves 6.

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
Chicken Breasts (you can use previously cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken)
1 finely chopped onion
1 fresh hot green chili, minced fine (or 1/2 can of green chilis)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c peeled, chopped tomatoes (or a 28 oz can chopped tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups tomato juice (V-8)
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp steak sauce (Heinz 57)
flour tortillas, cut into thin strips, toasted
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
cheddar cheese, grated
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Avocado, chopped



Place oil in large Dutch oven. Add onion.

Add green chili, and garlic. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent.

Add chicken and cook on both sides until slightly brown. Add all remaining ingredients except tortillas, cilantro, cheeses, and avocado.
Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. If you used whole breasts, remove the chicken at this point and shred it with a fork and reutrn it to the soup.

Pour into bowls and top with remaining ingredients.