Don't Dress Like A Mom

US-31 BBQ Inspired Chicken Sandwiches

February 18, 2016

As a child, my family traveled often to Muskegon, a smallish town on the Western coast of Michigan. An absolute must was a stop at US-31 BBQ. It is a tiny restaurant with a very memorable, delicious relish sauce that gets poured over smoked ham and pork. I decided to give it a try on pulled chicken and just as I thought, it is incredible.

A friend recently told me you can (and should) put chicken breasts in a slow cooker and heat on low for about 4 hours. The result is juicy chicken with minimal effort. It shreds well and is a base for so many options – enchiladas, chicken salad, pulled chicken sandwiches, etc. This was a life-changing discovery. Gone are the days where I dry out chicken.

This recipe may seem absolutely ridiculous because it mixes every basic condiment, but I tell you it is magical and amazing. Just take my word and give it a try. If you ever find yourself around Muskegon, Michigan, go directly to US-31 BBQ and try the real thing.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Relish Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet relish
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage (do this by using a cuisinart food processor – cabbage should be VERY finely shredded)
4 chicken breasts
about 12 slider buns

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. At this point, you can place sauce in an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a week.

To make sandwiches, place chicken breasts in slow cooker and heat on low for 4 hours. Once cooked through, remove breasts (allow to cool slightly) and shred. If there is a lot of juice left in the slow cooker, remove a little so relish sauce does not get too thin. Replace shredded chicken and add 1 cup of relish sauce. Heat on low for at least 30 minutes, but can leave on warm until ready to use.

Heat remaining relish sauce on stovetop to warm through. Place about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of shredded chicken on each slider bun. Top with additional relish sauce and serve warm.

Variation: Use thinly sliced deli ham instead of chicken, warm slightly, and top with relish sauce. Use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken yourself for a super quick meal. You can use just about any meat.

Sports Bra + Favorite Leggings

February 16, 2016

I recently published a post about all the workout tops that have given me plenty of motivation to get through a work out. I have to make an addition. This sports bra is both comfortable and cute and I wish I could wear it for every single yoga class.

Before last month, I had not bought any new work out clothes in a long time because I hadn’t worked out in a long time. A good friend asked me to try barre classes, and now we are on to trying a yoga studio so I needed to refresh what was in my drawers from before my first child. Seriously.

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This sports bra comes in two colors, and the back is so fun and looks great with any racerback workout top. It’s also under $15. And yay! My favorite workout leggings are back in stock at Old Navy. They have an awesome geometric print to make basic black so much more interesting. Links to all below.

Sports Bra // Black and Gray Sports Bra // Geometric Print Leggings // Favorite Leggings (Tights)

LPD (Little Pink Dress)

February 14, 2016

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When you find a dress you love, and the problem is you don’t have an upcoming event, you buy it anyway. You put it in your closet and dream of somewhere to wear it and hope it comes true. Or, you have a tea party in your home and wear it. I am a fantastic problem solver.

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If you are wondering what the gold is on the floor, it’s confetti. My shoes are blingy and so are my floors. It’s how I roll on holidays. My daughter and I had a Valentine’s tea party and spared no decorative expense.

Check out the back of the dress detail. Love the criss cross straps.

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This dress is perfect for a bridal or baby shower, date night, girls night out, bachelorette party, or again (just to reiterate) a party in your home on a whim. Below I paired with black shoes and even red. Just match the cutest pair of red shoes you can find with a pretty little red bag and you have an adorable and unique color combination.

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I might add this dress is under $50.

Pink Dress // Blingy Shoes // Necklace (similar) // Earrings (similar)

Black Shoes // Red Shoes

Candy Heart Cookies

February 11, 2016

If you are in the baking mood and want to get in touch with your artistic side, these cookies are both fun and challenging to create. While the actual mixing and roll out portion is super easy, the decorating is more of a mindful practice. My cookies are in no way perfect, but I enjoy the process and love making them my own.

I know we all have a basic sugar cookie recipe, but this one is my favorite because of several reasons – it is super simple, you have baked cookies in no time at all, and they taste the best with the kind of soft texture I require of a sugar cookie. No crunchy cookies in my house.

I like to use a mix of almond and vanilla extract in the dough. I love the flavor of vanilla and can’t be without it in a sweet confection. I use almond because the icing has almond as well, and they compliment each other. If you like a certain flavor, by all means use it instead. These cookies can be your blank canvas to experiment on.

The best part of this dough is it does not have to chill. You can make and bake with no time in between – which is great for people such as myself who cannot wait to eat a cookie once they’ve started the process. I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that requires DAYS between making and baking and its basically torture (if it weren’t for the cookie dough I sneak in the mean time).

So whether you want to eat a great sugar cookie, to test out your cookie icing skills, or need a gift for someone sweet, this cookie recipe is something fun to try.

Roll Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
2 1/2 + a little more all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and flavorings, blending well. With a sifter on top of your large bowl, sift in flour, baking powder and salt, then mix until ingredients are just incorporated. You will know when the dough is ready by touching it – the dough shouldn’t really stick to your fingers. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. Let dough sit for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut with heart shaped cutters (any size works – I used small and medium). Place on silpat lined cookie sheets and bake for 7-8 minutes, being careful not to let brown. I take them out when they look completely dry, but have no browning whatsoever.

Icing:

one bag confectioners’ sugar (2 pounds)
5 tablespoons meringue powder (available at Michaels)
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water (+ more if necessary)

Stir extracts into water. Using a whisk attachment on a stand mixer, slowly mix confectioners’s sugar and meringue powder. Add water and extracts slowly, with mixer on low. Once incorporated, whisk on medium-high for about 2-4 minutes, or until thick, fluffy and glossy. Icing should form a soft peak.

Separate icing evenly into four bowls (or into 5 if you want to do another color). Add pink food color to one, purple to another, green to another and yellow to the fourth. Since I used small amounts of frosting, only a little coloring was needed – so start with just a tiny bit, adding more until you get the color you want.

Here is an amazing trick for getting colors into piping bags. For each color icing, I place about 3 tablespoons into piping bag and pipe an outline around each cookie. Then you fill the outline with about 2 teaspoons matching icing and smooth to edge with an offset spatula. If your icing seems to thick, you can add a touch of water (works best with a spray bottle until you get proper flooding consistency). The flood icing stops at the outline, and dries smooth and flat. Place cookies by a fan to dry if you want them extra glossy. Let cookies dry for about 2 hours before piping any lettering.

To pipe lettering, dye leftover pink or leftover white frosting red. Use trick for piping bag above, and use #2 wilton tip to write phrases on cookies. Take your time and don’t get frustrated! It takes patience and practice. By the last cookie, I’m sure you will feel like a pro.

Depending on cookie cutter sizes used, this recipe makes about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen. Can be doubled.

food coloring // Wilton tips // icing bags // heart cookie cutters // Silpat // off-set spatula

Overalls

February 9, 2016

I have always loved overalls for their comfort and simplicity, and I’m so happy they are back on trend. I wore them as a small child and again in high school, but took a break for many years until I saw them popping up everywhere. I can vividly remember the pair I bought in high school – a medium denim by Oshkosh B’Gosh, very farmer-esk, and I LOVED them. This pair is from H&M and couldn’t be more comfortable while being more feminine and fitted than previous overall incarnations.

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They are fitted and slightly tapered with a little stretch. I love the black – I’m finding it super fun to pair them with stripes, denim, and plaid. Next up will be animal print and florals.

To dress them up, I can cuff the bottoms and pop on a pair of booties. The versatility is just about endless. The best part of wearing overalls at this point is that I can bend down to pick up the toys, pick up my kids, grab the groceries, etc., and I don’t have to worry about pulling my jeans or pants up. Overalls have magical built in suspenders. It’s a work outfit for hard working ladies.

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If you are ready to try a pair, which I highly recommend you do, head here. Shirt options:

striped long sleeve tee // denim shirt // plaid shirt // floral tee // leopard print shirt // solid tee

The one. The Chocolate Cake.

February 4, 2016

Do you like chocolate? Do you want the ultimate chocolatiest chocolatey chocolate cake as in chocolate on chocolate on chocolate? Here it is.

It is tall, dark, rich and handsome. I mean delicious. Well it is handsome too, and if I weren’t already married I would consider marrying this cake. But that would be silly, right? NO.

For this cake I use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. In the description of the cocoa, Hershey’s actually uses the words “premium” and “sophisticated.” It’s like the Chanel of cocoa only its under $6 and you can buy it at your local grocery store. It does not exponentially increase in value sitting on your shelf (and why would you leave it sitting on your shelf?!), but otherwise it is in the same category. There are four layers of dark chocolate cake with a smooth and creamy milk chocolate frosting, but because that just isn’t enough chocolate, it is then glazed with a dark chocolate ganache.

So if you have a birthday coming up, or need a dessert for Valentine’s Day, or finished all your errands (yay! reason to celebrate!) I recommend you give this cake a whirl.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Chocolate Ganache…with sprinkles

Chocolate Cake

non-stick spray
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Hershey’s Special dark cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt (table salt works just fine)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 4 8″ round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray (if you do not have 4 cake pans, grease two and bake in two batches). In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, yolks and vanilla, beating until combined. Add buttermilk and mix again, scraping down bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add flour and cocoa mixture and beat until just combined. Do not over mix! Pour evenly (layers will be thinnish) into 4 pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
6-9 tablespoons milk

In a medium bowl, cream the butter. Combine sugar and cocoa, and slowly add to the butter. Add 4 tablespoons milk, mixing until combined, then whipping until desired consistency is reached, adding more milk as necessary. You want a light and fluffy frosting.

To assemble, start by taking four rectangular pieces of wax paper and lay on cake stand or plate in a circle (there will be no wax paper in the center). This is my trick so when you frost the cakes, the extra frosting lands on the wax paper that you simply remove when you are done. Your cake plate remains clean.

Place one cake layer on wax papers. Dollop a healthy 1/2 cup (or slightly more) frosting on top. Spread evenly and over to sides. Add second and third layers, and repeat. Finish with final layer. Place rest of frosting on top and spread down sides. Once cake is frosted, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate chips in a medium glass mixing bowl. Pour heavy whipping cream into a liquid (glass) measuring cup. Microwave until boiling. Carefully remove from microwave and pour over chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5-7 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and whisk until glossy and smooth. Let sit for another 2 minutes, then pour over cake, letting ganache drip down the sides. Top with sprinkles and ENJOY!

Wardrobe Staple: Striped Dress

February 3, 2016

We all want a comfy cozy dress that can be dressed up or down, layered, and not too revealing for everyday. I found mine at H&M for $24.99. It’s slightly ribbed and super soft. I want to wear it all. the. time.

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I almost want to buy two in case anything happens to the one I have (dogs, children, etc. can do a real number on your wardrobe). I paired it with a faux fur winter white vest and I’m ready to go. Ciao!

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I’m not leaving yet – here are a few more images with my favorite bag.

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Now I’m ready to bust a move. Here are the links.

striped dress // alternate striped dress

faux fur vest // vest option 2 // vest option 3 // vest option 4

quilted crossbody // gold detail crossbody // option 3

Chicken Chili with Cornbread Croutons

January 28, 2016

I am a huge fan of chili and I’ve experimented with recipes a fair amount, but I always come back to this same stellar red chili. It has a smooth red base with chunky tomatoes and hearty beans. I use ground chicken, but you can easily substitute with ground turkey or ground beef.

This particular time around I added cornbread croutons. I love a good crunch, and these are absolute perfection on top. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They soak up the chili and make every bite better, especially when the cheese slightly melts on top of them.

I bake the cornbread a day ahead and let it sit out. The day I am making the chili, I cube the cornbread and brown it up in the oven. You can use any box recipe you like or you can follow the recipe below.

If you are looking for a recipe to feed a crowd, something for a little football game coming up, or to win a chili cook off, try this recipe out. It’s a winner.

Red Chicken Chili with Cornbread Croutons

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium sweet or yellow onions, diced
2 pounds ground chicken
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can pizza sauce
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
shredded cheese
cornbread croutons (see recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add ground chicken and break up with wooden spoon. Cook through, addingseasoning salt, salt and pepper- you will add more to taste shortly. Once meat is browned, add tomatoes, pizza sauce, beans, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with croutons and shredded cheese.

Cornbread Croutons

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the bottom of and 8 or 9 inch square cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a glass bowl in the microwave (takes about a minute). Pour into a large bowl and add the milk and egg. Whisk until well combined. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once. Stir until the flour is moistened – batter will be lumpy and that is OK! Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread out and smooth the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in refrigerator or better yet – let sit overnight.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut cornbread into cubes and put into a large bowl. Pour olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer cubes to a silpat lined baking sheet, or just line a baking sheet with a wire rack.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden and crisp on the outside. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Delicate Details for Valentine’s Day

January 26, 2016

Dainty gold jewelry is great for so many reasons. It looks beautiful, layers well, adds a little shine to any outfit, and is perfect for everyday. It also works for women of all ages and makes a memorable, cherishable gift – Valentine’s Day is around the corner!

You can find little gold (or rose gold or silver) pieces anywhere from Forever 21 to Etsy to Nordstrom because it is trending. And the glory is, there are beautiful options for any budget. I have linked my favorite necklace and a few earrings I recently picked up for less than $6 each. I’ve also gathered a selection for all the ladies on your gifting list.

Flower ear pins from Forever 21. Perfectly petite, sparkly and feminine.

Star pin earrings from Forever 21 – they are ear cuffs at a totally wearable length. Not the total crawler, but edgy and taking advantage of the current trend.

heart necklace // rose gold heart necklace // you can never go wrong with Tiffany’s necklace

cutest heart earrings // Ted Baker heart earrings // Pandora heart earrings

want bracelet list Wanderlust Bracelet // Ted Baker bracelet // Rebecca Minkoff bracelet // Follow Your Arrow Bangle

Arrow Ring

In case you missed it, see my favorite ring + where to buy link. If the man in your life needs a hint, send him to this post!

Soft, Dreamy PB Cookies

January 21, 2016

Ever feel like a cookie will make everything better? Yes? Ok good, me too. A batch of these heavenly peanut butter cookies have the ability to not only make everything better, but they make the future bright too. Because you know there are more to devour.

They are super soft, chewy and rich with peanut butter deliciousness. A perfect match for a glass of cold milk.

I need to stress the importance of doing the criss cross pattern. You have to. It’s how you know it’s a peanut butter cookie and is simple/fun to do. Just take the tines of a fork and press into the dough once, turn fork and press again.

Sprinkle with some regular good ol’ granulated sugar, bake, and eat. YUM.

Note: So I accidentally bought salted peanut butter at Traders Joe’s. Apparently the normal peanut butter we all use is unsalted. As I dumped the cup into my softened butter, I licked the spoon before putting it in the sink. YUCK. Salted peanut butter tastes, well, over salted. I feared the batch ruined. In an attempt to fix it, I left out the 1/2 teaspoon salt and all was right in the world. Cookies turned out fine. This note is in case you somehow buy salted PB. If you are allergic to peanut butter, I am sure a soy nut butter would work just fine in place of regular PB.

Dreamy PB Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar, for sprinkling

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Use a cookie scoop (whatever size you would like) to measure out balls of dough, and roll with your hands to make perfect. Place on a silpat lined cookie sheet. Press down with a fork in a criss cross pattern and sprinkle with sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and refrigerate cookies for 15-30 minutes while oven is heating. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake! Unless you like crunchy cookies. Store in an air-tight container. Makes around 2 1/2 dozen with a medium cookie scoop.