Author Archives: Anne

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About Anne

Family: my wonderful husband, Adam, and our amazing little girl, Isla Dwelling: a small Cape Cod in the suburbs Real job: Human Resources Coordinator and Office Manager for DeskArmor, LLC. Homemaker tip: Even the simplest food can look elegant if you serve it properly. Presenting food on adorable platters is an easy way to impress guests. I am ashamed to admit that: I have never used a lawn mower. (I am blessed with a husband who takes pride in his yard) Three foods I can’t live without: cheese, olive oil, and chicken fingers Most important lesson learned: being a mom is the hardest job you’ll ever love One thing I am afraid of running out of: Clorox anywhere spray…and diapers
by | February 23, 2011 · 8:37 am

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This Sunday, snow was in the forecast which meant my family spent a lazy day snowed in.  I love breaking out my slow cooker on days like these.  It makes the whole house smell wonderful and warm as dinner slowly cooks away all day.

This pot roast recipe couldn’t be any easier and it truly is delicious.  Some people add potatoes and carrots to their slow cooker while the meat cooks, however I never seem to have success with this.  So, I usually make mashed potatoes and roasted carrots on the side.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

4-5 lb Beef Roast, any kind
3/4 cup water
1  (1  1/4 ounce) packet of gravy
1/2 of a ( 1  1/4 ounce) packet of ranch dressing mix
2-4 teaspoons of corn starch, for thickening gravy at the end

Place the meat in your slow cooker and sprinkle with entire packet of gravy mix and half of the packet of ranch mix.  Pour water around the meat.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the roast is fully cooked.  I recommend cooking it on low because that seems to make the meat more tender.

After the roast has finished cooking, remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred.  Tent with foil and set aside.  Next, make the gravy by placing all of the drippings from the roast into a sauce pan. I recommend skimming off the clear layer of fat from the top.  Heat over medium heat until warm.  Add cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the gravy has a nice thick consistency.

Poor the gravy over the shredded beef and serve.

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by | February 16, 2011 · 8:34 am

Corn Salsa

It is the middle of February and I am desperately missing fresh, homegrown produce after this long winter.  During the summer months I love making salsa with things that I grow in my garden and this week I got a craving for some fresh, homemade salsa.  However the fact that my garden is currently under 10 inches of snow means that I need to look elsewhere.


This corn salsa strays from a typical tomato based salsa, but it is full of flavors and tastes fresh from the garden.  Just what I needed!

Corn Salsa

4 cups frozen corn, cooked and cooled
1 green pepper, diced
2-3 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 small red onion, diced
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste.

Toss all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Eat with chips or use to top tacos,  quesadillas or even a crunchy salad with chipotle ranch dressing.

Think Spring!

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by | February 10, 2011 · 8:40 am

Picture Perfect Valentines

Every year, we send valentines to family and friends and I was getting a little tired of the same old Valentine’s Day selection. So, I decided to create my own Valentine’s using things I had around the house: my camera, my photogenic 2 year old and a cute pink polka dot sweater. I will admit, I did go out and purchase a red heart shaped pillow from the $2.50 bin at target, but luckily that didn’t break the bank.

I started by creating our very own photo studio by moving some furniture away from the wall and pulling a fluffy white rug into the corner. Then, I just turned on some music and let my daughter be herself – all while snapping loads of pictures on a sunny Saturday morning. I took over 50 pictures in order to get just the right one. Here were some of our outtakes:

Finally I took these pictures and immediately knew I had what I wanted. My daughter played along as I told her to play peek a boo with the pillow.

Stef helped me create some Photoshop magic be erasing the line created by the corner of the wall and adding the wording. This is what we came up with!

Once I had my pictures, I created a double sided postcard by sending the pictures off to an online printer (we used overnightprints.com). We got 25, 5×7 double sided postcards with envelopes for $13.70. That is only $.55 per card!

Inexpensive and personalized Valentine’s your friends and family will love.

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by | February 9, 2011 · 8:41 am

Velvety Hot Fudge Sauce

One taste of this Hot Fudge and I promise you will never buy the stuff in a jar again.  It is so decadent and creamy you might just want to eat it with a spoon.  To me, it tastes like melted brownie batter which is one of my weaknesses.

This Valentine’s Day, surprise your sweetie with a special dessert.  Drizzle this hot fudge over ice cream, grilled pound cake, brownies, cheese cake…the possibilities are endless!

Hot Fudge Sauce

3 Squares (3 ounces) Semisweet Chocolate
1/4 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

In a heavy medium saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat stirring constantly. Stir in Evaporated Milk and sugar. Cook and stir over medium hear until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly, stirring often.  Remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir until smooth.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Although I will bet it won’t last that long!

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by | February 2, 2011 · 8:20 am

Orange Scented French Toast with Nutella

I recently found out that February 5th is World Nutella day.  This is great news because I have a not so secret obsession with Nutella.  So, what did I do?  I spent all week cooking with my favorite chocolate hazelnut spread, of course!

This stuffed french toast recipe is so decadent, it could pass as dessert.  The Nutella center makes it sweet, so there is no need for syrup and the addition of fresh orange juice and orange zest in the batter creates a flavor combination that is to die for.

Orange Scented French Toast with Nutella

1 loaf brioche bread or a bread of similar consistency, day old is preferable.  You will need about 10 slices.
4 eggs
1 cup milk
zest of 1 medium orange
Juice of 1 medium orange
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar
dash of salt
Jar of Nutella
Vegetable Oil for cooking

Slice your bread into 1/2 inch thick slices.  I used a cookie cutter to cut out hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day, but feel free to leave the crust on if you prefer it that way.  Spread a layer of Nutella on the bread and cover with another slice of bread, creating a Nutella sandwich.  The amount of Nutella is up to you, the more you load on, the sweeter it will be!

Combine eggs, milk, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, sugar and salt in a shallow bowl and whisk.  Next, Place about 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and heat to medium or medium low heat.

Dip one of your Nutella sandwiches into the batter until it is fully coated.  Be careful not to soak your bread or you might not have enough batter to get through all your french toast.

Cook in the oiled pan until golden brown on both sides and fully cooked.  Because the french toast will be thick, you might feel that the sides didn’t cook and crisp up as nice as you would like.  If this happens, just place them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until nice and crispy on the outside.  This also works well for keeping the first couple warm while you finish making the rest.

Repeat dipping and cooking the french toast, adding oil to the pan each time.

Once they are complete, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

mmmmm, Nutella.

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by | January 26, 2011 · 8:47 am

Apricot Chicken in a slow cooker

As a working mom, I love using my slow cooker to create simple and delicious meals.  This apricot chicken recipe is one of my family favorites.  The sweet apricot sauce is so tasty and the recipe uses chicken thighs which makes it budget friendly.

Apricot Chicken
1 small jar apricot preserves (11oz)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional, if you like heat)
6-8 chicken thighs

Place chicken in your slow cooker.  In a separate bowl, mix the apricot preserves, mustard, soy sauce and chili flakes if you are using them.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from the crock pot and shred, removing all bones.  Serve over rice.

Quick, delicious and budget friendly.  My kind of meal.

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by | January 19, 2011 · 9:02 am

Winter Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

I consider myself extremely lucky because we have good neighbors.    No, let me rephrase that, we have great neighbors.  The kind of neighbors who help you shovel snow, share their yard and have really sweet kids.  We often swap dinners or head to each others house with homemade food in hand just so we can share it with one another.

My neighbor Devenee brought over this divine Winter Fruit Salad the other day.  It was so good that I found my husband sneaking some from the refrigerator after we already had dessert.  You read that right, my husband was sneaking salad.

The combination of the sweet apples and pears with swiss cheese and dried cranberries makes this salad irresistible.  Add some cashews for a salty crunch and the sweet poppy seed dressing and you are in salad heaven.

Winter Fruit Salad

Dressing
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsp onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Salad
1 large Romain lettuce, torn into pieces
4 oz freshly grated swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup crasins
1 apple, cubed
1 pear, cubed

In a blender or small food processes, blend all dressing ingredients except oil and poppy seeds.  Once well combined, continue  blending while adding the oil.  Add poppy seeds at the end and quickly blend until combined.

Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Pour dressing directly on top or serve on the side.

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by | January 12, 2011 · 8:59 am

Budget Friendly Bedroom Makeover

Eight months ago, we moved into our new house and frantically began trying to get each room set up and feeling like home. In the process, I seemed to neglect one very important room: our bedroom.  The room needed some major design love.  But with a tight budget and not a lot of time on my hands, I didn’t have many options for sprucing it up.

Enter Carmol-Transformed Interiors. Two fabulous ladies named Caroline and Molly in the interior redesign world who give you a home-sweet-home affordable. Their redesign recipe combines the items you already own with a few new pieces to up the “flavor factor.” They told me they could give me a bedroom makeover in one day for just $100 dollars. I was skeptical. Challenge accepted.

Fast forward to my room reveal as Caroline and Molly flung open my bedroom door. I saw a room I almost didn’t recognize. It felt homey, warm and inviting. I couldn’t have been happier and all for just $100!

Here are some of the new details that were added to the room:

Throw Pillows and Throw – They repositioned my bed on an angle which increased floor space and added visual interest in the room. The addition of throw pillows and the throw dressed up the bed and really made it the focal point of the room.

Night Stand Runner – Pushing our 2 small nightstands together created the illusion of a larger piece of furniture and a fabric remnant was placed on top as a runner that tied in the colors of the room.

Mirror – A large mirror was hung with some decorative rope and hooked to the top of our picture ledge, right above the night stand. This gave the allusion of a much larger room. (Carmol’s Budget Friendly Tip: The ladies actually found an inexpensive brown mirror and brushed it with silver paint to give it a more high-end look!)

Window Sheers – The addition of inexpensive window sheers soften the look and diffuse light for a more romantic master bedroom.

Colorful Vases with Branches – The decorative bottles were the perfect color for the room and the branches added a great organic (and free!) addition.

Antique Tabletop Mirror – The mirror was placed on the dresser and acts as a catchall for change, jewelry, and other special keepsakes.

Along with many new items, Carmol was also able to use other items I had laying around my house. One reason I love Carmol is they promote shopping in your own house – who knew moving an object from one room to another would make it feel new!

Here are a few more creative additions that are new to the room, but cost us nothing!

3 Gray Decorative Frames – These frames have been sitting in my front hall closet since we moved because I loved them, but didn’t know what to do with them. Carmol made them feel right at home in my bedroom.

Vintage Birdcage – This had been in my dining room, although it didn’t really fit in. Move it to the bedroom and it is one of my favorite decorative pieces.

Framed wedding picture – This was a Christmas gift from my husband after we were married, and I love that it now hangs in our bedroom.

All in all, the room has a brand new feel and it is so “us.” The ladies of Carmol were able to pinpoint my personal style exactly and perfectly pulled off a room redo in a day and with only $100.

Tips for redoing a room with just $100:

Shop, Shop, Shop. You will need to visit many different stores to compare prices, find the best merchandise and really find stuff you love. Shops like Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Tuesday Mornings always have great finds. But don’t forget to check out your local antique store or GoodWill. You never know what you might find!
Get Creative. Found the perfect picture frame, but it isn’t quite the right color? Paint it! Painting an object can give it a whole new look and feel.
Shop within your own house. Moving decorative objects around your home makes old spaces feel like new. Those throw pillows that are starting to look old on your sofa might just be perfect for your bedroom!

For more information on Carmol-Transformed Interiors and to see more of their exciting room makeovers, visit them on Facebook.

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by | January 5, 2011 · 8:53 am

New Year’s Resolution: Declutter

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”      ~William Morris

The beginning of a new year brings new resolutions. For some reason, mine almost always deal with eliminating clutter in our house. I am not a hoarder type, however I do find myself always holding onto things “just in case” I might need them in the future. With this being my one major roadblock, I needed to create a solution that would allow me to get rid of things, without sending me into a “what if” panic attack. This is especially true when I think about creating extra space in my closet.

Therefore, I am using a new decluttering method that will help me to get rid of things, but still allow me to hold onto them in the event that I regret tossing it.

The steps are simple:

1. Grab a garbage bag and head over to your closet (or toy room, or office, or living room…)

2. Fill up your bag with items that you no longer use or wear on a regular basis

3. Close up the bag and mark it with a tag reading “Bedroom 2011” or “Toy Room 2011”

4. Stash the bag in your attic or basement where it will be out of sight.  Chances are you will forget you ever put that bag in the attic, however in the event that you regret getting rid of something, you can sneak into your attic and remove the item from the bag.  Just remember to tie it back up tight!

5. Next year, at this time, when 2012 rolls around dig out the 2011 bag.  Do NOT open the bag, simply toss it into your car and take it directly to your local GoodWill or Salvation Army.  They key here is not to look in the bag.  If you haven’t needed it in a year, chances are you don’t need it at all.  Peeking inside will only get you thinking, oh “I might want to hold onto this, just in case.”

Repeat this cycle every year and your clutter will slowly start to disappear.

I have finally reached a point in my life where I realized I cannot hold onto every single meaningful artifact in my life and save it for myself, my children, my future grandchildren…etc.  In fact, the more I hold onto, the less special it becomes.  I would rather have a few really meaningful items than bins full of things I didn’t have the heart to get rid of.

I read this quote once by someone named Stephanie on an organization board and it resonated with me:

“Present Me is tired of holding onto future Me’s crap. Future Me will just have to deal with it.”

Sorry, future me, your stuff just got sent to Goodwill.

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by | December 29, 2010 · 8:24 am

Mini Apricot Tarts

With New Year’s Eve parties just around the corner, everyone is scrambling for an appetizer recipe that will please a crowd. This recipe for Mini Apricot Tarts uses refrigerated crescent dough and creates a unique flavor combination with pepper jack cheese and apricot preserves.


Mini Apricot Tarts

2 cans refrigerated crescent roll sheets (or regular dough if you are unable to find the sheet)
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
¼ cup apricot preserves
¼ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

Unroll your crescent roll sheet. If you are using traditional crescent dough with the perferations, lay flat and press dough together to eliminate seperation marks.

Slice crosswise into 12 strips, each about 1 inch thick, and separate the dough.  Press each into a greased muffin tin, being sure to cover the bottom and all of the sides with the dough. Continue with the other crescent roll sheet until each of the 24 muffin tins are filled with dough.

Next, add 2 teaspoons of shredded jack cheese. Cover the cheese with ½ teaspoon of apricot preserves and ½ teaspoon of chopped pecans.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.


These are best if eaten warm, so if you are bringing them to a party, I suggest assembling at home and baking them once you get to your location.

Recipe adapted from pillsbury.

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