China Cabinet Project: Finally Complete!!!

Okay so MONTHS after my first post on this, I have finally finished that beast of a china cabinet and could not be happier with the turnout.  It took so much longer than I anticipated, but so worth the wait.  I hastily purchased several fabulous fabrics to put on the back panels, but in the end I settled with a Vintage Gold paint by Martha Stewart.  Let me tell you, I love this color so much, I'm in the process of hunting down other things in my house that I can paint with this stuff.

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I think the gold really enhances all of the antique pieces with the contrast against the new pieces.  


Here it is again BEFORE:

Old Fashioned and NOT Working with my Style

My Muse:

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Sorry mom and dad - it's not that I didn't appreciate this beautiful antique, it just wasn't meshing with the style I'm trying to achieve in my new home.  


So without further adieu, here is the FINAL result:

Side View Without Any Accessories

Front View Without Accessories

It almost took me just as long to pick out and organize the perfect accessories to display.  But I think I did a pretty darn good job:

Fully Accessorized

What makes me so happy about the cabinet is that every single item I've displayed has some sort of history or meaning to either me or the bf.  The above picture shows an old autograph book that belonged to my great-grandmother, Amanda Caroline Fromm, for whom I was named.  This book dates back to 1897 - how cool is that?  The little girl in the frame is my grandmother Fromm as a baby.  Those books belonged to my grandfather; they are actually from the Harvard University Library - where he went to school.  That glass pitcher - well that has been in my family for centuries.  I'm ashamed that I don't know the full history behind that thing.  I just know that it's beautiful.  


Below is the room as a whole:

Please excuse the hideous chandelier.

Next steps:

~Replace Chandelier with something like this:

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~Find Fab Rug

~Hang these Peacock Prints on Either Side of Cabinet:

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Phewww....so glad this project is over.  On to the next project.........stay tuned to see what that may be:-)

xoxo,

Amanda

Weekend Warrior

Okay so I guess warrior may seem a little extreme, but I totally do feel like one since I am so happy to announce that I FINALLY finished my mother's china cabinet!!!!  Yayyy.......okay, well I can't rejoice too much since I haven't actually put the thing back together yet.  BUT, at least the hardest part of painting it is finally over.  Not only did I lock myself in my house to finish this beast this weekend but I also banged out three fabulous dishes that I've been dying to share with everyone.  Before I get to that, here's a little sneak peak of the fully painted, yet unassembled bottom half of the cabinet:

I will do a full post on the final product once I get it put back together (hopefully tomorrow).  On to my fab recipes:


The first thing I made was the easiest Banana Bread recipe ever.  I don't know why, but I have been craving Banana Bread ever since it's gotten a little bit cooler outside.  Feeling overwhelmed by my painting sitch on Friday, I wanted to make the bread but didn't feel like actually going to the store (since I was covered in paint).  So I found this recipe online and I just so happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry already (as I think most other people would as well).  This recipe is so basic and even though I made it as is, I can see myself adding walnuts, or chocolate chips, or whatever I want in the future.  Okay here it is:

Easy Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas  (I used about three large bananas)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Okay so once we got our fix of banana bread, I moved onto my next craving (I'm not preggo, I swear)...a little gem called the Enchilada.  I've searched high and low for the perfect recipe and have pinned several on my Pinterest, but who would have thought that the most delicious Enchiladas would come off the back of a cream cheese container?!  I was at the store Saturday, picking up some necessities when I stumbled across the new Philly Sante Fe Cooking Creme.  The recipe seemed so easy with very little ingredients so I couldn't pass it up.  Let me tell you, the result was absolutely mind-blowing.  

Not the most attractive pic, but wanted to show how MUCH you get from this recipe!

Serve with Spanish Rice and Dollop of Fat Free Sour Cream - What More Could You Want?

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp. oil

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (I took the lazy approach again and used Mojo Rotisserie Chicken)

1 can (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained (I actually used the diced tomatoes with added jalapenos)

1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Crème, divided

1/2 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

8 flour tortillas (6 inch)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

Cook and stir onions in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 4 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, 3/4 cup cooking crème and shredded cheese.

Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cooking crème. Cover.

Bake 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

I Repeat - Mind Blowing.

On to dessert!  Okay, so there is NOTHING fancy or creative about this.  Just one magic ingredient, mascarpone cheese.  The bf wanted cupcakes, specifically yellow cupcakes, so I took the lazy approach yet again and got the magical Yellow Cake mix out of the box:

I may not mind taking the shortcut on the cake part, but I absolutely refuse to take a frosting shortcake.  Yes, I am a frosting snob.  I saw Giada make a chocolate ganache awhile back that I thought looked so amazing. So I made it:

Ganache:

• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Nestle morsels)
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Using a fork, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Yes, it was delish, but the bf turned his nose up at the fact that it was extremely runny and he's accustomed to the super fluffy frosting.  Hmmm...what can I add to this to make it fluffy??  Bingo!  I just happened to have Mascarpone Cheese in the fridge since I had vowed to use it somehow.  

I plopped the entire tub of the cheese into the chocolate and mixed.  Enter the most rich, creamy and delish frosting I've ever had.  No lie.

 So do I even have to explain this...just make the yellow cake mix as directed.  Make the ganache and add the mascarpone.  Dip the cupcakes in the chocolate goodness. ENJOY.

What did ya'll do this weekend?

xoxo, 

Amanda

Look for Less: Geometric Mirror Plaques

Last week I stumbled upon these mirrored plaques at TJ Maxx and scooped up three sets of two at $19.99/set so roughly $60 for all six.  

I started to have second thoughts on them when I got them home...I wasn't sure if they were really cool or really not cool??.  It's not that I don't love them, it's just that sometimes it's hard to get an idea of what something looks like when it's haphazardly thrown in a back corner of the store rather than displayed (I mean no disrespect to TJ Maxx).  It wasn't until I walked past my FAVE home store, Z Gallerie, and saw almost the exact same plaques  displayed beautifully on the wall at double the price that I knew I had made the right choice.  My mom also found similar plaques at Kirkland's.  I cannot wait to hang all six together in my foyer for a nice statement right as you walk in our front door.  I will definitely post when I (the bf) gets them up.  


Kirkland's Version:

Source  $50/Set

  
Z Gallerie's Version:

Source $39.95/Each

Did you find any fab finds this weekend??

xoxo,

Amanda

Wedding Wednesday

Where does the time go?  I feel like I JUST left Charlotte/Richmond for Katina's (Recipe Gurl) Engagement Party - even though that was almost two weeks ago!  I know I said I'd do this post last week, but as I'm sure all of you know, catching up on work after a vaca is the worst!  So without further adieu - here are some great pics of us and our friends at her amazing party and fun-filled weekend:


First and foremost, when Katina picked me up from the Charlotte airport, we went straight to the most amazing sushi restaurant called Eez Fusion & Sushi in the most adorable part of Charlotte called Birkdale Village. Whoever said that landlocked cities don't have good sushi has obviously never been to this place.  Hands down, the most amazing sushi I've ever had (and I've had a lot!).

Sitting outside at Eez Fushion (we did not coordinate our outfits I swear)

Katina always gets the Mad Mango-Cado Roll: Shrimp tempura and kani roll coated with tempura flakes, topped with slices of fresh mango and avocado. Drizzled with our signature sweet sauce.......divine!


Since I'm obsessed with anything that has jalapeno in it, I got the Mango Tango Roll:  Albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, jalapeno and green onion inside. Topped with yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna and tuna mango salsa. Garnished with raspberry sauce on the plate.  Again - absolutely mind-blowing!!


If you are ever in the Charlotte, NC area, I HIGHLY suggest you visit this place and stuff your face like we did.  


Then it never hurts to top off your sushi with several glasses (or bottles) of wine with a friend:

Catching up at Katina's adorable house.  We'll have to blog on her decor and paint colors soon since she did an amazing job with her new home.

On to Richmond, VA for the party....

Katina (Recipe Gurl) and her soon to be hubby, Greg

Katina and me (in the middle) with our awesome friends!!

The weekend was so much fun and I had a really hard time coming back to Florida - but we have plenty of Wedding festivities to keep us busy over the next couple of months!  

xoxo,

Amanda 

What We Made This Weekend

Both Katina and I made two very successful yet very different recipes this weekend that we thought fabulous enough to share with everyone.....


Recipe Gurl's Buffalo Chicken Panini's:

So we recently received a panini grill as a gift for our engagement party. I think we’ve used it about 5 times and our party was only a little over a week ago. A Panini is such an easy and satisfying dinner! It’s also a crowd pleaser (esp for picky eaters). So I came across this gem on the fabulous blog over at The Grilled Cheese Social and just had to try it. I am always a little weary of blue cheese, I never like when it’s too strong. I followed this recipe to a T and it came out amazing, the blue cheese was not overwhelming at all, it was the perfect compliment to the chicken. And as always, I used a rotisserie chicken to make the recipe even easier, and lower fat ingredients whenever possible. I strongly advise cooking this on a panini grill or even a George Foreman grill would work if you had one of those, but it also works just fine cooking it in the pan. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

-4 thick slices of french bread **
-2 pads of real salted butter
-1 tbs blue cheese salad dressing
-3 tbs organic cream cheese
-2 tbs crumbled blue cheese
-1 tbs shredded cheddar
-1/2 cup cooked shredded organic chicken breast
-1.5 tbs Frank's hot sauce

Once you've got everything out, combine all the cheeses into a small bowl. Stir together until you get a smooth consistency. Now combine your finely chopped chicken with Frank's hot sauce and stir.

Ok, now you're ready to begin!  Smear on a little over a tablespoon of the mixture onto each slice of bread (or however much you want!).

Then divide half the chicken on top of each piece of the smeared bread.  Now smear the other slices of bread with cheese and put the top on the sammie.  Gently apply 1 pad of butter to the top of the grilled cheese and place it butter side down in your pan (or Panini Grill)!

This cheese mixture will melt really quick, so make sure to check the brownness of each grilled cheese about every thirty seconds or so.  It'll probably take about a minute and a half once the pans hot and you'll want to take it off when it looks like this on both sides.

You'll want to serve these immediately because they're super delicious when they're all gooey and hot.

**I used Whole Wheat French Bread just to make it just a smidgen more healthy**

xoxo,

Katina

Okay - now for my (much lazier dinner approach) One-Pot Thai Chicken and Rice:

So I went to my local grocery store and randomly picked up Taste of Thai's Seasoning Packet for Chicken and Rice.  I made it last night for the boyf and we scarfed it down like it was nobody's business.  Here's the uber simple recipe from Taste of Thai's Website:

INGREDIENTS

Salt and pepperOil for browning4 pieces boneless skinless, chicken breast (about 1 1/4 lbs)1 1/4 cups Jasmine Rice, uncooked2 cups water1-1.75 oz packet Chicken & Rice Seasoning, both inner envelopes1 red bell pepper, diced1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Salt and pepper chicken. In a large saucepan, heat oil on high and brown chicken. Remove chicken when browned. Set aside.

Add Jasmine Rice to saucepan and stir to coat rice. Add water and Chicken & Rice Seasoning. Stir well to combine.                                                                                                                          

Top Rice with chicken and bell peppers. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on a low heat 10 minutes.                                                                                                           

Uncover and add peas, re-cover and cook 5 minutes more.

I made this recipe to the tee, not changing a single thing and it was absolutely fabulous - as if we got takeout from our fave Thai restaurant.

Hope you enjoy one or both of these recipes!  

xoxo,

Amanda 

Sunday Round-Up

So this weekend I ran out of a lot of my normal cosmetics (why is it that I run out of everything at the same time?!), so I went to my local CVS (my FAVE place to buy drugstore brands since I always save money with my CVS card.  If you have a CVS in your area, I highly suggest you start shopping there since they always have amazing sales and discounts on cosmetics) and picked up some old faves as well as some new items that I am loving so I thought I'd share.

1.  First and foremost - Revlon's Nail Polish in 'Gray Suede' - this is the most PERFECT NUDE.  I have to say that I got the polish because it had the word 'gray' in it...but this is not a gray polish...it is the most perfect, not shimmery (which I hate), beigy-nude.  I have already blogged several times about Revlon's nailpolishes, but I'll say it again - these are my fave polishes over most of the more expensive brands since they don't chip, last forever, dry quickly and apply easily.  (I swear I'm not getting paid by Revlon - even though I probably should be by now).

2.  Revlon's Lipglosses - a) Super Lustrous in Coral Reef - again, the most perfect coral lipgloss.  It's lightweight, yet stays on (not all day) but for a good while.  I'm sure this coral would look good on anyone since it goes on semi-sheer but can be layered to get a deeper look.  b) Colorburst in Rosepearl - I wear this gloss almost everyday to work.  It goes with any look and it just the prettiest nude-pink with a hint of gold.  Again, I'm sure this color could look good on anyone. The Colorburst lipglosses stay on quite a bit longer than the Super Lustrous since it goes on a little thicker.  Since wearing the Rosepearl to work, I have received so many compliments from my co-workers.  

3.  Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Cloud Wine- I have to thank Katina (aka Recipe Gurl) for this find.  I usually never use Maybelline and especially didn't think my skin would appreciate a mousse-like blush - but I am loving this sheer color wash and dewy-look this gives my cheeks!  I've been wearing Nars Orgasm for the last like six years of my life but recently my make-up artist, David Frohmberg, told me that I needed to wear more raspberry-like colors instead of corals (don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Nars Orgasm and refuse to give it up)...so this Cloud Wine is that perfectly gorgeous raspberry color I've been looking for.  And I didn't think that a mousse would last, but it really does last all day.

4.  Covergirl Last Perfection Volumizing Mascara - I've always been a Covergirl Mascara kind of girl but this new mascara from them is by far my favorite.  It gives my boyish eyelashes volume and length and doesn't flake or wear off during the day - what more could a girl ask for?  

5. Olay Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream - So I've only been using this for a couple of days and thankfully I don't have major wrinkles around my eyes...yet...but I was using Garnier's anti-wrinkle eye cream for the past couple of months or so and I have to say that I just like how this stuff feels compared to Garnier.  Garnier's cream went on very thin and on many occasions burned my eyes if I got too carried away.  The Olay cream goes on uber thick and creamy and never even comes close to stinging my skin or eyes.  It then in turn, makes my under eye concealer go on more smoothly -making me love it even more.  So I can't say if I see a huge difference in my 'wrinkles' but it is a great cream for your eyes before you put on your makeup.  And hopefully I will notice a difference in the next five?...ten?.. years.

What are your favorite Drugstore Must-Haves??

xoxo,

Amanda

China Cabinet Progress

So I know we've been MIA the past week or so, but that's b/c both Katina (Recipe Gurl) and I were in Richmond for her engagement party!!  We will post on this tomorrow for "Wedding Wednesday".  I got back from my trip yesterday almost thinking that my China Cabinet would be magically put back together and completely finished, instead still in the middle of my Living Room and all over my poor Dining Room.  No such luck. I know I have been complaining about this project, but once I started, it's really not that bad.  It just comes down to finding the time to finish it.  I finally disassembled it and put two coats of White Primer on it.  First check out the before pics.  Here are some pics of my progress:

I'm being lazy by not painting the inside

I had to use a makeup brush to get into these crevices!

I used the Behr Undercoater Enamel Primer and Sealer and let me tell you - this is the best primer EVER because you don't have to sand your surface before applying it!  I absolutely HATE sanding and am so happy that this primer allowed me to completely skip this step.  Of course, if you have a really rough surface that really needs the sanding, then I suggest you do so anyways.  My cabinet was in perfect condition, it just had that shiny top coat on it that I thought for sure would need to be sanded off first.  


Next step:  Two top coats of glossy white; spray paint the brass hardware with brushed nickel spray paint; cover the back panels with fabric/wallpaper (did I mention that I changed my mind on painting the back panels that jade green?  I feared that it would make the china cabinet look too 'beachy' or 'shabby chic' instead of the modern look I'm trying to achieve.)


There will still be some space on both sides of the cabinet once it's in the Dining Room, so I'm thinking of getting some of these prints off Etsy to put on both sides:

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At $10 a print, how can you go wrong??


What projects are you all working on?

xoxo,

Amanda