The Pioneer Woman and The Best Chocolate Cake EVER!

My best friend just gave me this cookbook... to borrowAnd... Holy Cow... a must for my household!!! Tried the chocolate cake recipe last night and... well my double chin, thunder thighs, and baby belly just said "thank you." This blog/cookbook are right up my alley:) I married a "meat and potatoes eater." Very hard to please and I aim to please most of the time...haha... check out her website at
thepioneerwoman.com
and check out her chocolate cake at
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/

btw... my hubby came home this afternoon for more cake and by more cake I literally mean, CAKE... he loved it and that makes my day!!!

Gross to Glam... Flip Flop Makeover

I have had this flip flop makeover idea in my head for weeks, however snow makes it difficult to think about flip flop weather... I started with these gross Old Navy Flip Flops I found in the garage and sadly this is what they look like after I washed them with a brush, soap, and water... brand new ones would have been ideal since they are $2.50/pair, however I live 300 miles from an Old Navy.

Gross...

To Glam... The flowers turned out a little larger than I had planned, especially for a size 9 women's shoe. (I'm not a frilly person) However, I am definitely making a pair or more for my girls:)

Adorable Canvas Frame Idea

Check out this cool canvas/frame DIY decor and tutorial at The Toasted Coconut http://thetoastedcoconut.blogspot.com/

Spring Centerpiece

It's trying to snow, so I thought I would encourage spring to head this way:)

Carrie's Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

This is the easiest dish to whip up and very kid friendly.

-1-2 pounds chicken breast cooked and diced (I prefer to boil mine)

-1 1/2 cups instant rice

- 1 can cream of mushroom

-2 cans cream of chicken

-2 cups shredded cheddar

- salt, pepper, and onion flakes

Heat oven to 350. Combine all the indredients in a bowl and mix well as seen below.

Grease a 9 x 13 and spread mixture evenly in the pan. Bake for 1 hour. I bake covered for the first 45 minutes. Serves 5-6.

Family Rules Subway Art

Because Family Comes First... Enjoy this printable from Sassy Sanctuary

Click here for the free printable.

I copy and pasted mine into Microsoft Word and then resized it to fit a 8 x 10. Then printed on photo paper. Framed it in a frame I already had. So it cost me nothing:) ... the best kind of home decor!

Diet Black Bean Turkey Chili

Diet Black Bean Turkey Chili

Diet Black Bean Turkey Chili
This is quite the bowl of soup if you are looking for a filling low calorie soup. I hate the word diet but I usually consume a lot of this if I am dieting:) I have even served it to my husband and he didn't know I used turkey instead of beef!!!

-1 pound of lean ground turkey
-1 small onion diced
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can of chili beans
- 1 can of dark red kidney beans
- 1 can of diced tomatoes for chili
- 1 can of whole kernal corn
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp chili powder
- 1-2 tbsp tabasco sauce
- 1-3 packets of Equal or other artificial sweetner

*Brown the turkey and onion in a medium size soup pot. Once the turkey is cooked add the rest of the ingredients, drain nothing, and bring to a boil. Simmer at least 30 minutes before serving. I like chili sweet. I think the spicy tabasco and sweetness of the sweetner make a great flavor combination. If you don't like things too sweet then try it without and add from there. Serve with 1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream on top and there you have it... a filling, yummy soup for right at 200 calories per serving. Team it up with a diet coke and you will be in heaven and won't even know it is "diet food." Serves 4-6.