Steppin' Up My Game

I hate to even admit this, but up until recently I hadn't purchased a necklace, earrings, or any other accessory for that matter, for myself in years.  YEARS.  I mean... what kind of lady am I?!?!  Normally I stick to my wedding ring and a beautiful necklace given to me by my husband and kids a few years back on Christmas.  But lately, I look at myself and feel like my look-of-the-day is lacking.  I'm noticing how other women accessorize and find myself totally loving what I'm seeing, where in the past I haven't had much interest.  I'm more of a simple statement kind of girl.  So far.  I've been eyeing up many super cute baubles (such as the large collar statement necklaces at www.baublebar.com) lately to adorn my neck and fingers, however, I get nervous wearing them out of fear they may look to excessive on me. 

So, when I was out and about the other day , I found an adorable, handmade necklace by Wild Ruffle (www.wildruffle.com) that I knew I must have and it's totally fueled my desire to step up my game for more accessories. 

I love that it's large enough to draw attention, but not too flashy.  Plus it says "love," and EVERYONE loves love, right?!

A few days later I was browsing some shops I follow on Facebook and Instagram (follow me @sarawuchko) and came across a necklace that I just knew had to be added to my newfound accessory addiction.

I found it at Primp, and I got a special surprise when it arrived in the mail... the chain is long enough where I can not only wear it as a longer necklace, but I can wrap it around for a different look, which is what I went for today.  MN love, right??

I can't wait to see what else I find!
So tell me... are you more of a simple statement kinda girl like me, or more of a dazzle girl?

A Crowd Pleaser

This morning I called up a good friend to wish her a happy birthday.  (She is celebrating 39... again.) My husband grew up with her husband and I have been fortunate enough to get to know her over the years.  She has become an unbelievable friend.  Trustworthy, kind, and super fun to hang out with... she is a total treasure! 
A few years ago her family bought a little cabin just a few hours away, and we have enjoyed many weekends together up there with our girls.  Between us we have four little girls, and that cabin is filled with pink blankies, pillows, swimsuits and girly giggles on our fabulous girls weekends together.
One thing we really enjoy doing together while we are on our weekends is cooking.  Whether it's summer or winter, we seem to fall back on those meals that are easy to throw together at the end of a leisurely day at the lake, and one way to do that is to grab the ol' trusty crockpot.  One of the easiest, most filling and delicious meals we've made up there is crockpot beef stroganoff.  I've made this for my family, for company and for a big cabin crew... it always gets rave reviews.

Here's what you need to make this hearty, delicious...

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

*2-3 pounds of round or chuck steak, cut into cubes

*1/2 c flour

*1.5 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp pepper

*1/2 tsp ground mustard

*1/2 tsp Lawry's garlic salt

*medium onion, sliced

*8oz pack of sliced mushrooms (white or baby portabellas)

*1 can of Campbell's condensed beef consommé (I've also made this with condensed beef broth or beefy mushroom and had the same wonderful results!)

*1.5 c sour cream

*bag of wide egg noodles, cooked (if you have any pasta haters in your house, you can replace the noodles with a baked potato instead)

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard and garlic salt in a shallow bowl.  Drop your cubed steak in and coat with the flour mix.  Then put the beef into your crockpot.  Top with the sliced onions and mushrooms.  Pour in your Campbell's condensed broth or consommé.  Cover and set to low for 7-8 hours.  Before you serve, stir in sour cream.  Leave the cover off the crockpot for a good 10 minutes or so while you boil the noodles or cook the baked potato.  This will help thicken the gravy.  Top your noodles with all that deliciousness and ENJOY!

This meal really is a big pleaser!  I love having friends over for pasta dinner nights, and usually make this, a seafood dish and meatless pasta dish.  Makes for a fun night with friends!  Who will you make this easy, filling, yummy meal for??



Three Ingredients, Phenomenal Flavor!

Sometimes, the simplest things are the very best. A hug from your little one, a wink from the love of your life, a smile from a stranger or an "I'm proud of you" from a parent. You know what else you can add to that list? A delicious main dish that is only 3 ingredients, 5 minutes to throw together and 30 minutes in the oven. 
I've been making these for years and whenever I do I get rave reviews, whether it's from my husband or when I make them for guests.  Friends are usually pretty surprised when I tell them how easy it is to put together. Plus, you guys... B-A-C-O-N.  Kind of a no-brainer, right?
So, here's what you need to make these fantastically delicious...

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts

*One package of your fav boneless, skinless chicken breasts

*One small container (8oz) of chive and onion cream cheese, room temp

*Bacon (thick cut works best)

Set your oven to 400. Lay chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound out so it's thinner. (I'd say between 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.) Grab a butter knife and spread some chive and onion cream cheese on them. Roll up the chicken breasts and wrap the bacon around it.  I usually use two or three slices of bacon per chicken breast. If you're worried about the bacon curling up and falling off the chicken, you could always secure with baking twine. I grab a 9x13 baking dish and lay a rack over it so the drippings from the cream cheese and bacon drop into the dish, but the rack helps the bacon wrapped chicken breasts cook evenly all around.  Bake for 30 minutes. Then turn on your broiler and let the bacon crisp up a bit more. Watch carefully so they don't burn!

You can serve this with anything from a loaded hashbrown, rice pilaf, or your fav mashed or cheesy potato.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I love a good crockpot dinner. I mean, is there anything better than investing 5-10 minutes in the morning, leaving for the day to do your own thing, and then walk in the door hours later to a delicious smelling home and a mouthwatering meal ready to dig into? No. There's not.
I have friends ask me all the time to share my fav crockpot recipes to use on their busy days. Or lazy days. Or just any regular old day. Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos are usually one of the first recipes to come to mind, and it never disappoints!
Yummy, right?

So here's what you need to do to make these tasty tacos:

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

*around 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

*1.5 cups of your fav salsa (I normally use my homemade salsa or something I find on sale)

*one packet of your fav taco seasoning (I usually use Lawry's or Ortega)

*one lime, juiced

*one handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Add this all to your crockpot, set to low for 7 hours and then shred.  It will shred SO easily.

That's it.  For real.

I usually set out some soft flour and corn taco shells, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and more salsa.  Because more salsa is RARELY a bad idea. 

I also like to throw together some cilantro lime rice to add to my tacos.  You certainly don't need it, but I just like to have a little something else in there.  Just take two cups of cooked rice, a teaspoon of butter, juice from one lime, a pinch of salt and a small handful of cilantro, chopped. Mix. Done!

A lunch idea for the following day would be to mix a bit of the chicken, rice and some black beans together and wrap it all in a flour burrito shell to make yourself a super yummy lunch burrito.

Enjoy, friends!



Get Over It, Cookie.

Yesterday. Was. Tough. 
Please, don't get me wrong.  I'm SO thankful I'm a mother.  I'm thankful to be a stay at home mother.  I even have "mom guilt" for admitting the fact that I had a bad day.  My kids pushed every single button and at one point, I even lost it.  I totally yelled.  I walked away and left them staring at me, wondering if they made me crack.  I took a deep breath, went back in the room, apologized and then ten minutes later my little button pushers were at it again.  Yelling wasn't an option, because it obviously did no good.  So I just trudged through the day and by the time my husband walked into the door, I was close to tears, admitting total defeat.
Doctors have bad days.  Engineers have bad days.  Cab drivers have bad days.  Receptionists have bad days.  Authors have bad days.

Moms (and dads) have their bad days, too.

I can honestly say, days like yesterday are (thank the Lord) few and far between for me... for that I'm so, SO grateful.  But they happen.  When they do... siiiiiiggggghhhhhhh...

So bedtime arrived!  Yippee!  But I wasn't even jumping for joy.  I was ready to cry.  Like I said, friends, DEFEATED.  100%.

I had a little pity cry.  I wiped my tears.  I ran a nice hot bath, grabbed my book and locked the door.  Slowly, the stress melted away and the promise of better days filled my head.  But juuuuuuuust for extra added measure, I grabbed a few cookies, headed to bed and watched Mean Girls... which never fails to make me laugh.

"Put it in the Burn Book."

The cookies completely sealed the deal.  If you need a cookie to cheer you up on an icky day (or to just make a good day even better!) I highly recommend you give these tasty treats a try!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Caramel and Sea Salt

(Seriously.  I mean...)

*stick of butter, room temp

*3/4 c butter Crisco

(Have I mentioned they aren't super healthy?  Have I mentioned they WILL cheer you up?? :) )

*1 c sugar

*1 c brown sugar

*2 eggs

*1 tsp vanilla

*3 c flour

*1/2 tsp salt

*1.5 tsp baking soda

*1.5-2 c chocolate chips

*jar of smuckers caramel topping

*sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350.

Beat Crisco, butter & sugars. Add eggs & vanilla.  In separate bowl, mix salt, flour & baking soda.  Gradually add to butter/sugar mix.  Add chocolate chips.  Roll rounded teaspoons into balls and place dough on ungreased sheet in the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes. Heat up the caramel for a few minutes in the microwave, grab a spoon and drizzle caramel over the cookies.  Top with sea salt.

You. Are. Welcome.

"Sometimes you need those bad days, because it truly helps you appreciate the good ones."

Spinach Pesto Pizza

Yesterday started out as a regular Saturday... wake up early and do some work in the kitchen before the kids get up.  Start laundry.  Then I got ambitious and organized the pantry. (That should've been my first clue that something else awesome would happen.)
My husband set out to do some ice fishing and the kids wanted to make their own pizzas for lunch.  I checked out the fridge to see what I had on hand and what I came up with ended up being absolutely wonderful. 


I mean... hello!

Here's what you need to make this delicious spinach pesto pizza:

* naan bread (I buy the Stonefire brand from Target in the fresh produce/bakery section)

* 1/2 cup  of pesto (I used some frozen that I had made months ago with my basil from the garden, but you can buy this premade)

* a handful of fresh baby spinach

* ball of fresh mozzarella (you won't use the whole thing on one pizza)

* salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 and lay the naan on a baking sheet.  Start spreading the pesto on the naan bread, making sure to get all the way out to the edges. You might not use the whole 1/2 cup of sauce, just kind of depends on how much of the pesto flavor you want. Start laying out the spinach leaves and then slice the ball of mozzarella into thin slices and lay on top of the spinach.  I used 4 or 5 slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for about 8 minutes or so, or until the cheese is all nice and melted.  Droooooool.


Had I planned ahead (and next time I'm going to!) I would have added more to it.  This is great just the way it is, but think of the possibilities!  You could add sliced tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, maybe some green onion.  Grilled shrimp also sounds fantastic as a topping with this, as well as grilled chicken.  Or even leftover chicken.  Or... pretty much anything sounds great with this!  I'm getting carried away...


Friends, try this.  Make it your own and then share with me what you did to make it so super delicious!

Like years past, I'm happily hosting Thanksgiving for my parents.  Both have retired this year, but in the previous years, my mom always had to work Thanksgiving Day so when I offered to do all the cooking they excitedly accepted our invitation. I wouldn't have it any other way, and Thanksgiving is quickly becoming one of my fav holidays.  I love being able to stay home and cook for them, after years of having provided such a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for our family growing up, my mom certainly deserves a break.  My kids love having the special time with Grandma and Grandpa, and I really do appreciate this time with my parents.  After all, Thanksgiving is about being thankful, and who better to spend that time with?
Whether you're having 6 people or 36 people, planning ahead is key.  Everyone likes to relax on Thanksgiving, so I do what I can before hand to make the actual holiday a breeze. Make as much as you can ahead of time and set in crockpots or just reheat in the oven.  I'm making the potatoes ahead to reheat in the oven, the pie, and I'm also throwing together a delicious swiss veggie bake that I can just throw in the oven when it's go time. I will NEVER (I repeat, NEVER) make the turkey ahead of time.  The "Thanksgiving smell" is part of what I love the most about Thanksgiving! (after family time, food and wine, of course)  Most potatoes, casseroles and desserts can all be made ahead and will give you more time with those you love best!
I also put together a very simple, yet pretty tablescape.

 Want to know the best part?  It was VERY inexpensive to do. I just used a few things I had around the house to start. To add a bit to it, Target sells wine glasses for about $5 per box, so I snatched up some of those along with a box of bulbs in the Christmas section.  (While I normally shake my head that they can't at least wait until after Thanksgiving to throw all the Christmas décor in our face, it does come in handy now and then...) I planned to put a pillar candle on the top of each glass, but when I opened the bulbs up and saw the pretty gold snowflakes, I just knew that was the new route I was gonna take.  After all... gold AND sparkly?  That's a no brainer!

It was bitter cold yesterday and the roads were slick.  I printed out some turkeys, pumpkins, etc.  I sat out some crayons and my kids went to town with coloring and creating placemats for our family, Grandma and Grandpa.  They turned out perfect! I took them in to get them laminated and the girls are SO excited to have such a big part in setting our Thanksgiving table.  I just know they will be the stars of the show and I can't wait to bring them to the table in the years to come.

Whether you are hosting or you are a guest this year, I hope you're Thanksgiving is full of good food, fun and those you love. Be thankful for all your blessings. Cheers!