Southwest Corn Dip

This dip is my go-to dip to take to any gathering I am invited to. 

It is so simple, requires practically no prep time, and is always a hit! 

For this dip, you need: 
1 16 oz container of sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheese (I like Colby Jack, but use your favorite!)
1 can of drained Rotel (again your preference of the heat levels, but the sour cream really mellows it out)
2 cans of drained Southwest Corn 

Now throw all of those ingredients into a container, stir it all together, and chill until you are ready to serve! I find the flavors really come together if you can let it chill overnight.



The picture above does not do it justice! 

Wedding Madness: Photographer Found!

Ok, let's be honest for a second. I knew who was going to photograph my wedding a good 4 years ago after I met her. Before you say, "Shawna, that's crazy! You didn't even know your fiance yet!" let me explain. Valerie and I met when I was an incoming freshman to UCO where she was a sophomore. We were on the same leadership scholarship and Valerie isn't someone you don't notice when you are in the same room. Val has a spunk and glow about her that you can't help but admire. She can make anyone feel like they are someone. She rides horses, teaches yoga, and has her photography business. In short, she is Wonder Woman. There was no question she would shoot my wedding, not only because she is a fantastic person, but she is a rock star photographer as well! Valerie took some senior photos for me when I graduated college and I will put a few of my favorites below, but I will link her website here so you can go check out more of her work for yourself! Best photographer in Oklahoma? I think so! 

XXOO,

Shawna Jo

Wedding Madness: We have a venue!

Beautiful wedding venues are all over the place in Oklahoma, but finding one that can fit a more modest budget is a little more difficult. When I started the wedding venue hunt about 90% of the places I looked at one line were cut for being too expensive. I wanted something under $2,000, centrally located in Oklahoma, and I wanted it to have an indoor and outdoor option. I stumbled upon the Festivities Event Center in the Oklahoma Wedding Ideas magazine and instantly fell in love! Visiting the location only enforced that love and we booked it! So now I have an official venue and date! On March 28, 2015 I can officially switch from "Miss" to "Mrs"! Here is a wedding at Festivites for your viewing pleasure! Until next time!

XXOO,
Shawna Jo 

Wedding Madness: Theme selection

I love all things vintage. Cars, movies, music, dresses, aprons, furniture, you name it! When my step dad asked me where I wanted to go on vacation when I was 11, can you guess what my answer was? Graceland! Even as a kid I loved all things old, especially from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. So picking a theme for the wedding was a no brainer. I wanted a vintage 1950s styled wedding. It also helps that my wonderful fiance loves the classic look of vintage things as well! Here are some pictures that inspired me from around the web!

xxoo,

Shawna Jo

He popped the question! I'm ENGAGED!

April 11, 2014 the man of my dreams proposed to me in the most perfect way!

My senior sorority formal was a 1920's theme so we were all dressed up for the occasion, Andrew (or Drew as I call him) in a suit complete with suspenders and bow tie, and I wore a long black beaded gown and a jeweled headband across my forehead flapper style.

The formal was held on a rooftop in downtown Oklahoma City and the evening was perfect, not too hot or cold. Little did I know Drew had conspired with my roommates (who are also in my sorority) to spread the word that when the song "At Last" by Etta James came on to form a big circle around the dance floor.

Well if you can't tell, I burst into happy tears! It was the most perfect engagement I could have ever imagined. 

The ring is absolutely perfect. The center stone was the stone in my moms ring from my dad so it had sentimental value. The setting has a vintage feel about it which I love. 

So now the planning begins! Stayed tuned to go along with me in the wedding planning process!

xxoo,

Shawna Jo

Beauty Product I Love: Clarisonic Mia 2

So I may have been a little late on the Clarisonic party train, but I couldn't convince myself to spend $100ish on a face brush. Even though I have I seen it's praises all over the internet, and people posting about how they could never live with out it, my modest college budget just wouldn't budge for it. BUT that wouldn't stop me asking for it for Christmas! I was ecstatic when my mom called me to ask "If you were to get a Clarisonic what color would you want? You know, hypothetically." Good play Mom. Hot pink of course! 
After I opened it on Christmas morning I was like a kid again (even though some may argue that I still am). It came with the Plink magnetic charger, which is super easy to use, a sample cleanser, and a travel case. After I charged it I couldn't put it down! And the first time I used it, I was hooked! It came with the Refreshing Gel cleanser. It didn't leave my skin feeling tight at all. I have small bumps all over my forehead, not zits, just little bumps, and they were DRAMATICALLY reduced after a couple of uses! It has two speeds so if your skin is a little sensitive you can use the lower setting. It also has a timer to let you know just how long to spend on each area. It just does a little double pulse to let you know when to change areas. I was considering going to get microdermabrasion but I am so glad I didn't! I LOVE my Clarisonic! Now I guess I am one of those people singing it's praises! 

Direction Change!

Since this blog was created as a class project almost a year ago my life has had some changes so I figured I should change up the blog as well! When I started the blog I wanted to only do food and crafts. Well that was pretty ambitious for a full time college student! There are times where I simply have too much homework for a meal made from scratch so a bowl of cereal will have to do. Also with that realization, I have more interests and more going on in my life than just food and crafts! So why not change this up into a lifestyle blog? I am a college senior about to graduate, so why not document the biggest transition of my life! Keep visiting for product reviews, make up tutorials, personal posts, and of course my old stand bys of food and crafts! 

Green Chili Chicken

One of my favorite types of food is Mexican food. Or at least what Oklahomans have come to know as Mexican food. If it has cumin and green chilis count me in! One of my friends gave me this recipe to try and it was instant love. This is basically enchilada filling made for you in your crockpot! It's super easy and super yummy! It even the picky roommate stamp of approval!

Green Chili Chicken

2 Chicken breast

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Cumin

Salt 

Pepper

Cayenne

I line my crockpot with a crockpot liner (makes clean up a breeze) and place 2 thawed chicken breasts in the bottom. Next I layer in the two cans of soup and spread them around the chicken breasts. I use the salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne to taste. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The chicken breasts should shred easily with two forks. Serve warm over white rice.

Part of the reason I like this recipe so much besides how easy it is, is that you can make spice it up to your liking! Some people may like it hot, while others like it mild. It's up to you! Happy cooking! Enjoy! 

PINspiration

Where do I get my inspiration? Pinterest of course! Here is a link to my food board. You may just get inspired yourself! Happy pinning! 

A recipe to try!

My mom and step-dad went on vacation this June for their anniversary and while they were there they had what my mom said was the best chocolate cake ever! Of course she brought back the recipe for me to make since I got the baking genes out of the two of us! I haven't tried it yet, but here it is for any of you who may be brave enough to go before me!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup margarine
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup nuts, chopped
1/4 cup coco
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1- 6oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine in sifter flour, salt, coco, soda, and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, and oil until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately. Beat well. Stir in zucchini. Pour into greased 9x13x2 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for 55 mins at 350 degrees or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Veggies in your cake? Hey it has chocolate in it so it can't be too bad right? Enjoy!

Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Muffins

I have a confession. I am a sucker for anything that has cranberries in it. So you can imagine how much I love fall and winter! Cranberry bread, cranberry orange scones, cranberry salad, you name it I'll try it. And I will probably love it! When I had to do a presentation over an other blog I knew I would bring a treat to class with me. I did my presentation over the Brown Eyed Baker blog. My class is a morning class, so I wanted to bring a little breakfast treat for everyone! You can read Michelle's original recipe here. I was really hesitant to use dates so I just doubled the cranberries. Enjoy!

Ingrediants

1 cup traditional rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour½ cup light brown sugar1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon cinnamon¼ cup finely chopped pecans 1/2 cup dried cranberries ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled1 cup buttermilk1 large egg, lightly beaten½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.

 If you are like me, you hate buying buttermilk because you never use all of it before it goes bad. Well never fear! You can make your own buttermilk! Well, a substitute anyway! In a measuring cup add one tablespoon of lemon juice and then pour milk up to the one cup line. Let it set for 5 minutes then use as much as you need! My grandma has been doing this for years and you can't tell the difference in recipes!

 In a smaller bowl combine all your wet ingredients together until well blended.

 Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and combine until moistened with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides as you go.

 Pour into lined muffin pans about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 for about 15 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Now go enjoy your perfectly moist, perfectly textured muffins! Just try to let them cool down a little first, you don't want to burn the roof of your mouth like I did!

My Favorite Pecan Pie

Don't you just love old recipes you have had for what seems like forever? I do! My go to recipes I seem to use over and over again are always on sticky notes for some reason! Does this make me want to use them more? I don't know, but I do know I should really consider taking the time to convert them over to my recipe cards I have! Enjoy!

The Way to a Southern Man's Heart

Ladies, if I have picked anything up in my 21 years on this Earth it's this. There are three simple ways to catch any boys attention.

1. Be able to cook. You may be able to cook better than his mama but you will never out cook his grandma. Thats just how it is. But there is nothing saying that you can't try!

2. Be able to shoot a gun, and actually hit what you are aiming at! I have never seen my daddy more proud of me than when I shot my first deer. My step dad gets a little bit of pride every time I hit the target when we practice shooting. Ladies, I know hunting my sound boring, gross, or cruel, but it is actually pretty fun!

3. Know how to drive a truck. To me there is nothing more attractive than a guy in a truck. And you know what? Guys think it's awesome when you aren't afraid to jump behind the wheel of his truck and actually know what you are doing! Besides you feel pretty awesome driving it anyway!

So this is my list so far! I can say that I can do all three and break a sweat with number three knowing that their trucks are their babies so I better not mess it up! I just shot my first deer over Thanksgiving break and it was awesome! Here is a picture of me and my proud poppa! Be expecting recipes for deer chili in December!

Crafts for my littles!

I am a member of a sorority on my campus, Sigma Phi Lambda, and every semester we do a Big Sis- Little Sis appreciation week! Well this semester I was very inspired to make lots of crafts for my littles! I am telling you, if this is any sign of how I will treat my children they will be spoiled rotten for sure!

The first thing I made was a canvas I painted and then glued embellishments and a saying on. To paint the stripes I used blue painters tape and then painted the space in between. The flowers I purchased at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbooking section. I saw the little saying on Pinterest (of course right??) and I simply used Mod Podge to glue it down! They say "We're not sisters by birth, but we knew from the start; God put us together to be sisters by heart!" If you notice I did one with vertical stripes and one with horizontal stripes. Yes this is on purpose! I try to make things that are the same yet a little different since I have twins!

 

The next thing I made is a picture frame. Well I really just embellished it! I grabbed a spool of ribbon and a rhinestone "buckle" both from Hobby Lobby. I am thinking at this point they need to give me frequent shopper points or something! lol I made a bow from the ribbon, slipped it through the buckle and hot glued that puppy down. Viola! A super glam frame that was super easy to make! Or embellish ;)

The final thing I made them were aprons. I bought the red aprons at, where else, Hobby Lobby. I used blue painters tape to make my rectangle, painted inside it with basic black acrylic craft paint, let it dry and used glitter puff paint for the letters! Easy as that! You all know by now that I love to cook, so now when my littles' come over they can use their aprons and cook with me!

Easiest, Creamiest, Pot Pie Ever!

This is the version of Chicken Pot Pie my mom has been doing for years after getting the recipe from one of her friends. This is so simple and so satisfying it is great for when the weather gets cold!

Ingredients:
1 box stuffing
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed veggies, drained
1 large can of chicken, drained

1. Cook the stuffing according to the box directions and set aside.
2. In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients. Once combined place in a casserole dish.
3. Cover chicken mixture with stuffing in a even layer.
4. Place in 375 degree oven for 30 mins or until warm and bubbly.

Didn't I tell you this was simple?? Now go enjoy your "pot pie" and cuddle up!  

My Roomie is 21!!!!

One of my roommates Lindsey turned 21 last week, so what do I get her? Liquor of course! But I had to class it up and make it crafty so I turned to my best friend, Pinterest! I saw lots of liquor bouquets made with either flower pots or buckets, but for my glam roomie that just wouldn't do! Lindsey loves everything pink, leopard and shiny so I wanted to do all three! I found this large "margarita" glass in the floral section of WalMart and grabbed a Styrofoam ball when I was there too. To secure both the ball and the tiny liquor bottles I used golf tees. The tees were glued to the side of the glass and to the bottom of the bottles. I put pink tinsel and black tissue paper in the empty space around the ball. I purchased 8 flowers from Hobby Lobby, cut the stems and placed them directly into the foam ball. The cute glittery "21" are actually candles that I also got at WalMart. To finish it off I got some leopard print ribbon and tied a bow on the stem of the glass. Needless to say Lindsey LOVED it! I have a feeling I will be getting requests to do these more often!

The BEST Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting!

I'll admit it, I fit the girl stereo type of loving anything and everything chocolate, so any excuse I have to make something chocolate flavored I will! When I asked one of my friends what kind of cupcakes he promptly said chocolate with chocolate icing. I knew it was time to try a new chocolate icing recipe! I think I may have a new favorite chocolate icing! It was super easy to make and SO yummy! This will be my go to frosting from now on! YUM! Let's get started!

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar

2 sticks of butter at room temp

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened coco powder

1. Cream butter until white with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. You want the butter to be soft and creamy.

2. Sift in the coco and the powdered sugar slowly. You don't want your sugar to go flying out so set your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar and coco are combined. After they are just combined turn your mixer up to a medium speed.

3. Add your salt and vanilla and mix on a medium to high speed for three minuets. If your icing isn't as thick as you would like it to be you can always add more sugar to the mix.

Thats it! Easy right? And SO SO SO good! I had left over icing after piping it on to 18 cupcakes, so of course that meant me and my roommates just HAD to eat it over a couple of days, dipping graham crackers into it. Enjoy!

The Elvis

If you know me, you know I LOVE Elvis. But not in the weird "He's still alive, he just got abducted by aliens. The King will return!" kind of way. I love Elvis because I love his music. I love the era he was a part of. I love that his music defined a generation and closed a gap between races with his music. My love was taken to a whole new level when in the 5th grade my mom and step-dad asked me where I wanted to go on vacation. Without hesitation I said Memphis, Tennessee. I got to see all things Elvis including the Mecca of Elvis fans: Graceland. On our stop in the kitchen of our audio tour I learned that Elvis enjoyed fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. So today I decided to created my version of Elvis's favorite food. Let's get started!

"The Elvis"

Ingredients

2 slices bread

butter

peanut butter

banana

Butter one side of each of the pieces of bread. I never claimed this sandwich would be good for you ;)

Spread peanut butter on the "dry" side of the bread. A good layer, not too thick but you don't want to be able to see the bread through it either.

Cut about 6 pieces of banana and place them on the peanut butter on one piece of the bread. You can cut them as thick or thin as you like.

Assemble your sandwich and place it on a hot skillet. Grill it just like you would a grilled cheese.

And this is the result. A warm, melt-y, yummy, sandwich. I know why Elvis loved these so much now! I am a believer! Simple and delicious! Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Ahh, fall. It's time for sweaters, boots, and most important...SOUP! Growing up I was not a big fan of tomato soup because all I knew of it was straight out of the can. Eww. When in high school a bakery in town offered a creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese special on Thursdays. After that I was hooked and I had to find out how to make it on my own! In my searching I found this recipe, and while it isn't quite what that bakery makes, it is good in it's own right! And did I mention it is SUPER easy?? Let's get started!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 can tomato puree
1 can diced tomatoes
1 16 oz. block of cream cheese
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
1/2 Garlic Powder

 In a medium sized soup pot put all the canned ingredients and the milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Add in your spices and stir.

 Cover your soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

 While your soup is simmering, cube your cream cheese. This is easier if your cream cheese is cold. In other words don't keep it out on the counter while you are doing everything else. Keep it in the fridge so it will be firm when you try to cube it.

 After your soup has been simmering for 10 minutes, put in your cream cheese. The recipe I have said to "melt the cream cheese." Fun fact, cream cheese doesn't really melt. It just turns into smaller pieces. Still yummy!

 After your cream cheese is "melted" you can enjoy your soup! Be careful you will want more than one bowl!

Starbucks Announces Single Brewing Station

Starbucks, the coffee giant, announced that they are introducing their own coffee brewing system called Verismo. Their edge they say? A specialized coffee pod that will allow you to make lattes at home. The machine will use fresh milk and try to reproduce the product that you can get at the store. While this "milk pod" is a new turn to the products on the market I don't think I will be going out and getting one anytime soon. I have a little bit of an attachment to my current Kurig. Starbucks even has their own K-cups if you really just HAVE to have their brand of coffee. I may not have the most refined coffee tastes or maybe their really isn't that big of a difference between other coffees and Starbucks other than the name. I'm not sure. I do know that my Kurig can get me out the door with a cup of coffee in just under 2 minutes. Granted I do not normally drink milk in my coffee unless I am getting it from a coffee chain. Every once and a while I get a small health kick and decide I can drink my coffee without milk just to spare calories. For me, I will stick with my Kurig and Green Mountain coffee. Unless Starbucks wants to prove me wrong by giving me a free machine. In that case, I won't object! Starbucks to 

                                         Starbucks to Introduce Single-Serve Coffee Maker
                                                           (New York Times Article)