Showing posts with label pinterest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pinterest. Show all posts

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Inspiration for an OOTD!

One of my favorite fashion blogs (and one of the reasons I started my own) is J's Everyday Fashion. The best part of her blog and the foundation behind nearly every post is an inspiration photo. She must scour fashion catalogs and magazines for hours for these photos! Does she have a stock pile? I would love to know her process! Magically, she then pulls items she already owns and puts together an outfit eerily similar to the inspiration photo. There are times when instead of creating the exact outfit in the inspiration photo, she simply tries to replicate the color scheme or pattern. I have always marveled at her ability to do this.

One of my favorite places to go for inspiration (as crazy as it sounds--I don't subscribe to really any fashion mags or catalogs) is Polyvore and of course, Pinterest. Polyvore is an account based site where you can build outfits using fashion pieces they provide. We have all probably pinned these "body-less" outfits that we wish would just magically appear in our closets. I have found myself in a winter clothes rut the last few weeks and have been relying heavily on outfits I have pinned from Polyvore. I'm telling ya--they have come through when I am desperate for some outfit inspiration. The plan is to share a few of these with all of you!

Here is a super simple look that looks super pulled together. I love combining black and brown (which a few of you are still afraid to do...bah!--get over it!!) I boycotted our endless winter and showed some pretty white knees but stayed warm with some cozy boot socks. I tried to stick very close to the inspiration photo using items from my own closet. Sometimes the best part of this process is getting to try out a combination or color scheme that you would have NEVER come up with on your own. Go ahead and get some outfit inspiration and re-create the look!

{Shop the Style}

Scarf: Steve Madden at Herberger's
Cardigan: Old Navy
Dress: Ann Taylor Loft
Boot Sox: TJ Maxx
Boots: Steven Madden 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Pinbuster~{Pantry Organization}!

When you are feeding a family of six, food is a big deal. It's expensive and takes up a lot of space. We are fortunate enough to have a walk-in pantry in our home to store all of our food items. However, the pantry is always a disaster and complete mess where I have a hard time finding anything I need. I find myself standing in the doorway, staring at mounds of food and saying with a sigh, "We have nothing to make for dinner." Ridiculous right? I vowed that I would conquer the pantry mess over our winter break. I scoured Pinterest for pantry organization ideas and was instantly overwhelmed. My budget for the whole job was about $150.00. I wanted new storage options, different garbage and recycling bins, and labeled containers so my kids and hubby would be able to easily maintain the storage I implemented. I "took the best and left the rest" of the Pinterest ideas and got to work. Here's the before:

No shame! We couldn't find anything in here!

Here are the steps I went through to organize this lovely mess!

1. Took everything out and got rid of any expired food.
2. Cleaned each shelf with a hot water and vinegar mix and mopped the floors. 
3. Purchased some large bins and containers from Ikea, Home Goods, and WalMart.
4. Placed remaining food and other items back in pantry using storage solutions.
5. Purchased chalkboard labels and chalk ink pen from Etsy. 
6. Labeled each container for easy use! Even had enough labels to do my baking cupboard too! 
7. Enjoy the new organized space!

Check out a few of the after pics! 

My chalkboard labels

All finished!! 

My baking cupboard got a mini-makeover too! 

Hope we have inspired you to take on an organization project. Get inspired on Pinterest!




Friday, September 20, 2013

Pinbuster: Copycat Chipotle Recipes

Who hasn't lost hours upon hours on the lovely addiction we like to call Pinterest? At its heart (does Pinterest have a heart?--hmmm--discuss amongst yourselves for a minute) Pinterest is a wonderful space to house your interests and loves. However, jokes ABOUND about how many things we pin and actually never look at, try, or do EVER.....
Pinterest jokes, pinterest humor, funny pinterest quotes, funny pinterest ecards, funny quotes about pinterest ...For the funniest ecards and fummy quotes visit www.bestfunnyjokes4u.com/lol-best-funny-cartoon-joke-2/

Well--Holly and I decided to put our Pinterest boards to the ultimate test! We each will choose something we have pinned and "intended" to do for awhile and we will actually DO IT. We are calling it PINBUSTER! (Like Mythbusters ya know!) We are stepping a bit away from the fashion on this one---Holly's up first with her Chipotle recipe!


While looking through some Pinterest recipes I came across this link for copy cat Chipotle Chicken burritos. I LOVE Chipotle! I had to try it! I was a little skeptical at first because Chipotle burritos are the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. YUM!! I double dog dare you to try it!

I just pasted the information from the linked site. My extra comments (time savers I found or substitutes that I used) are in RED.
source


 
I got all the recipes online from other fellow chipotle fans as myself, since I don’t have a clue when it comes to Mexican cooking.

I still managed to tweak the recipes to the ingredients I had, and it still turned out delicious! I give them 5 stars for being as close to chipotle as I can ever get, without leaving the house..
Enough with the chitchat and on to the recipes…


Chipotle’s grilled chicken marinade:

The original method of cooking the chicken is to marinate it overnight and grill it flat (lay a brick wrapped in foil on it).. Since it was a last minute decision (see: cravings above) it was already 3pm when I took the chicken breast out of the freezer, so I needed a plan B.

I made the marinade, added water. And threw it in a crock pot on high for 5 hours..
Let me just say I wish you were here to smell how good it was :) …..
If I'm in a pinch, I shred up some chicken breasts (or I have been known to use it from a can if I'm desperate) and just simmer it in the marinade while I put everything else together. It ends up being about 30ish minutes and the taste is still excellent!  I added extra cumin for a little more kick, too.  ~Holly
Ingredients: original recipe link
My tweaked version:
- 1 7oz can of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Remove the peppers and keep the sauce. (I left in one pepper)
- 6-7 dried red chili peppers
- 1 small onion
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp dried oregano (all I had on hand)
- 2.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 cups water
Throw everything in food processor, blend and cover chicken, throw in crock pot, check on it 5 hours later.
Since my chicken was still kinda frozen when I put it in, it took longer than I anticipated, so when Maghrib was approaching I moved everything to a pot and cooked it on the stove on medium heat for around 20 mins to give it a boost and make it really soft. 

Again, feel free to check the original recipe here and follow their directions as well. (I used recipe #1)





Corn Salsa:

This was super good and easy to make, and wouldn’t be a real chipotle dish without it .. 

Ingredients: original recipe
My tweaked version:

1 lb bag of frozen corn, cooked
1/3 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
2 green jalapenos, finely diced
1/2 red onion, diced finely
Juice of one lime
Salt pepper to taste
1  pablano pepper, roasted in the oven, diced finely 
(I was too scared it would be spicy since I’ve never used it before, and it’s huge!! Let me just say the jalepenos were spicier…)

Chop chop chop, and mix all together. and your done :)
One time when I made this I didn't have lime juice on hand, so I used a lemon and it was fine. Lime is better, but lemon worked as well.
I also used a regular green pepper instead of the pablano pepper.   ~Holly
 

Pico de gallo : (original recipe found in the comments)

What I used:
6 ripe Roma tomatoes, finely diced..
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp salt
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 jalepeno, finely diced


Dice everything and combine.. And enjoy :)

Don't mess with this recipe! It is amazing just the way it is! ~Holly
You will also need shredded lettuce as a topping. So cut some up and put it in a separate bowl.

 

Cilantro lime rice: original (used recipe #2 and doubled it)

2 cup basmati rice
4 cups water
Bay leaf
1 tsp salt
Juice of a lime
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
2 tbsp oil

 
Saute the rice in oil until almost translucent.  Add bay leaf and water, bring to a boil.
As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down low.
Simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
Turn off heat.  Leave covered for 30 minutes. This is the “steaming” part, this is what makes the rice fluffy.

Once done, It may be helpful to transfer rice into a mixing bowl for the next step.
Mix salt and juice of lime together until salt is dissolved.
remove bay leaf, pour it over rice, fluff with a fork.
Sprinkle in cilantro, and toss well to evenly coat with cilantro and lime mixture. And you’re done!

Again, I used a lemon and it was good...And I skipped the bay leaf, I couldn't tell the difference.  ~Holly


Sour cream sauce:
Just get sour cream, add some water to make it a smooth consistency, and mix well. thats it!


We used just regular sour cream to save time as well, but this is super easy.   ~Holly
Here is another recipe that was at the bottom of the burritos' recipe. It sounds delish, but I have not tried it yet. Let me know if you try it.    ~Holly
Espinaca (spinach and cheese dip) similar to Jose peppers… 
 

Ingredients:
16 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
8 oz hot pepper cheese (not same as pepper jack) 
4 oz frozen spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 10 oz can rotel, drained
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 Maggie cubes (equivalent to 4 small bouillon cubes) 

Add all in crock pot (or on stovetop on the lowest heat) until melted and combined (around at least 30 mins)  Stir and serve hot with chips.
 
 Just for fun i put it in a chocolate fondue bowl, to keep it from getting cold.


And that was our Mexican Chipotle dinner for that night.. hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!
HAPPY COOKING!!
~Holly 



Saturday, August 31, 2013

Six Ways to Style---Printed Shorts!

This six ways post is kind of our last hurrah to summer where we live. Squeeze every lost drop out of this short wearing weather is what we say! If you live somewhere where you get to wear shorts more than just three months out of the year, I must say, I am jealous. If you took even a tiny look around stores this summer you had to have noticed a HUGE trend in shorts....printed and patterned shorts. You could find everything from bold florals and aztec prints to subtle dots and stripes. Holly and I both enjoyed this trend and thought we could give you our take on styling these fun bottoms. I stuck with the same denim polka dot pair from the Limited while Holly played around with plaids and prints.

1. Cut it Out!
I picked up these chambray-ish polka dot shorts at the Limited and have found that they go with just about anything. I first paired them with this cool cut out shirt, also from the Limited. The shirt has the cut out layer and then a colored layer underneath. The colored layer is the ever trendy hot orange and I love it with these printed shorts. Watch out though--necklaces tend to get stuck in the little cut-outs!

Top: Limited (no longer available)
Shorts: Limited (similar)
Sandals: Marshalls
Necklace: Forever 21(similar)

2. Say it with Layers
These shorts have a small multi-colored plaid pattern. I just picked out a couple of colors and layered my tanks accordingly. The lime green accents are the perfect added detail to make this look pop.

Tanks: Gray- Old Navy (similar)
            Lime- Target (similar)
Shorts: Target (similar)
Necklace: American Eagle (similar)

Sandals: Herberger's


3. Dot your I's
I ended up purchasing this Lauren Conrad shirt from Kohl's after I saw the gray version on J's Everyday Fashion blog. It was super inexpensive but has high end details. The turquoise color looks fantastic against these printed shorts. I pulled it together with a navy light weight cardigan and a cream statement necklace. I went with nude flats to let the color on top have the limelight.

Sweater: Limited (similar)
Top: Kohl's (same) They have it in coral too!
Shorts: Limited (similar)
Shoes: Kohl's (similar)
Necklace: Groopdealz

4. Scarf--meet shorts
Love the color combos possible with these shorts. They have dk brown, lt brown, beige, mustard, and blush tones. These colors ease into the fall season, so I chose to grab a scarf. This outfit would be super cute with a mustard shirt and a cardigan if it gets cool out but you're still committed to wearing shorts. Heels to kick it up a notch! Pun intended...haha!

Shirt: Target (similar)
Shorts: Kohls (similar)
Heels: Target (similar)
Scarf: Home made by yours truly (Pinterest)

5. Belt it Out
One of my favorite color combos is mustard yellow and blue. In this outfit I use the mustard as my color pop and then accented with several shades of blue in the shorts, shirt, and necklace. The cognac belt and shoes are the perfect accent to this color palette. 

Top: The Limited (similar)
Shirt: Kohl's (similar)
Shorts: Limited (similar)
Shoes: Target (similar)
Belt: Von Maur (similar)
Necklace: Groopdealz

6. Tee it up
Turquoise Tribal print!! Love tribal print! All these shorts need is a white T and some color poppin' accessories. The shorts carry the entire look. It took me like two seconds to get ready... EASY!

Shirt: Target (same)
Shorts: Old Navy (similar)
Belt: Old Navy(similar)
Necklace: American Eagle (see link above)
Sandals: Herberger's


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Pinspiration: A Passion for Pinterest!

Wow. Pinterest is such a blessing and a curse.
So many great ideas.
So many many cute outfits.
So many yummy looking desserts!
Such a time sucker.
Such a guilt creator and builder.
I will never create, wear, or eat all the things I pin but how great is it to have them all in one place, "just in case?" In an effort to share some Pinterest love (also known as Pinspiration) I am going to share something once a week that really inspired me or that I actually could see myself creating or making.

TODAY's PINSPIRATION:

I really found this graphic super helpful. It is hard to decide at times which necklace would work for which neckline. You need to balance out the features of the neckline with the features of the right necklace.

You can follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emangel/boards/
You can follow Holly on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hmuilenburg/