January 18, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

It’s The Little Things: Magazines

There is nothing… And I mean nothing… Better than getting a new magazine in the mail. I used to receive many. Now my magazine choices have been narrowed down to four-five.

Here is the crazy part. There are no fashion magazines in the mix.

Gasp!

I just have not gotten into them. I could never afford to purchase most of the things in the magazine. I get that it is about ideas and pretty pictures, but there are so many fashion blogs showing me the same concept for less, I don’t buy them.

Lately I have been bombarded with medical bills from both of my children’s recent ER visits. Getting a magazine mixed in with the crazy treatment costs has helped ease the pain.

A little.

I purchase most of my magazines from Amazon. Here is what you need to be careful of: do not check the automatic renewal price, if you do not want to automatically renew for the next year. I just purchased Elle Decor last night, because I had a magazine credit to use up. It was $10 for a year, but at first the button was checked for auto-renewal. I checked the simple one year subscription box instead, for the same price. I dislike auto-renewal. I want to decide if I will continue receiving something I am paying for…or not.

I store all of my magazines in this antique Moroccan fabric chest.

My favorite magazine of all time is Anthology Magazine. It is expensive at $38 for a one year subscription (four magazines). I treat these magazines like books. They are so beautiful. The pages are thick, almost like card-stock. I love the different people and artists they feature. It is mostly a home decor magazine. It features funky different houses. I get so many amazing ideas from this magazine. Getting one in the mail is like finding treasure.

They feature a lot of people that buy or work for Anthropologie. They also feature some of the contributing artists. They have the neatest collections.

I have subscribed to Country Living Magazine for as long as I can remember. This ain’t the country style people fear. Oh, wait. Is that just me? It is fun. Lots of bright colors and ideas. Very inexpensive magazine. I think I paid $20 for a 2 year subscription.

National Geographic. Okay. I admit it. Most of the time these magazines will stay in their plastic pouches for a solid couple of weeks before I get to them. But I love history. I love stories from around the globe. There are a few writers that are amazing in their story-telling for this circulation. I love being transported to a different place. Amazon has some fantastic deals on magazines sporadically throughout the year. I got my subscription for $15.

And House Beautiful. You know how I don’t buy the fashion magazines because I cannot afford anything in them? In my contrary way, the same could be said about the items and homes in this publication. However, because I have spent longer decorating than styling, I am more comfortable relating ideas from this magazine into my home than I am clothing onto my body. Perhaps as the years go by, I will find the fashion magazines less boring and intimidating, too. Plus, this magazine was $8-10 for a year’s subscription (I cannot quite remember exactly the small price I paid).

It’s The Little Things: Paying a small price to send yourself something fun instead of an endless supply of bills? Sign me up.

What magazines do you subscribe to? Do you receive any of the same ones I do?

January 6, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Easiest Tortellini Recipe

My friend, Kerri, made this for me awhile back. It is a recipe from Southern Living. I have adapted it just a bit. I loved it so much at her house.

I memorized what was in it so I could search the internet for the recipe. This is such an easy and delicious dish. I like to make it on nights I don’t have a lot of time to cook, but still want my family to have a homemade meal. It takes about fifteen minutes to make start to finish.

I added just a few things.

As I do. But if you want to follow the original recipe, just click the link above. I like it both ways.

Ingredients

20 oz. package of tortellini (I use Costco’s 24 oz. package and I use the whole thing)
1 16 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce with sun dried tomatoes (I believe Classico is the only brand that makes this)
1/4 cup white wine
1 14.5 oz. can drained petite diced tomatoes
1 clove minced garlic (I use one packet from the frozen pack)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I use one packet from the frozen pack)
1 pinch of dried red pepper flakes (1/8 tsp.)
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Optional:

2 cooked diced chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. Red pepper spread

First, boil water in large pot. Add tortellini and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the boiling water and cook pasta according to directions on package. Before draining, carefully reserve 1/3 cup water.

In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium low . Sauté garlic for one minute (if you are using red pepper spread add this with the garlic).

Add Alfredo sauce to skillet.

Add wine to empty Alfredo sauce jar. Gently shake. Pour wine into skillet.

Add tomatoes and basil to skillet. Let mixture simmer five minutes.

Add chicken with the tomatoes and basil if you are using this.

Add drained tortellini. Mix in pepper flakes, reserved water, and parmesan cheese.

Stir.

Heat for one minute. Turn off heat.

Serve up this easy meal. And enjoy!

Thanks Kerri for making me this. It was so good! My family absolutely loves it.

October 29, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

Tangy Biscuits

I read an article in Country Living Magazine about the most amazing looking biscuits. I knew I had to try them. This is not my recipe and I did not change it one bit. So I am not posting the full directions. To see the super easy directions, click here.

I have made biscuits before. But I cannot remember them being this simple. I am now sold on making them from scratch.

But only with this recipe.

This biscuit is tangy through the incorporation of cream cheese and buttermilk. I made it two times in the last week. Once with parchment paper in a pan. Another time in my cast iron skillet. The skillet was easier and the biscuits got a nicer color with it. This is the method I would recommend. For some reason, the first time I made these I got ten biscuits from the dough. The second time, 12.

Ingredients

2 cups of self rising flour (plus more to sprinkle when rolling out and on top)
1/2 stick softened salted butter cut into small pieces
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened cream cheese cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk (Mine was room temperature)
1 Tablespoon melted butter

This is what I went through to make my biscuits.

Whenever I serve any type of bread or roll, I usually place the pieces in a bowl draped with kitchen towels. This keeps the bread dry and warm. Plus, I just think it adds a pretty rustic touch on the table.

I did not have a square cutter, so I just used a plain old biscuit cutter. I mentioned above that the first time, I used parchment paper in a baking dish. This worked out fine. My biscuits ended up taking 19 minutes to cook with the parchment method. And 17 minutes in the skillet method.

This was so easy. Probably five minutes to make, roll out, and cut. And then it is just the baking time.

Enjoy! Please let me know if you try these. My family adored them.

* Also, I do not know how long they keep their recipes up. If you like these, I would print it just in case.

I have to eat my biscuits with a bit of jelly and no butter. Although, my grandmother would be so ashamed. She loved butter on her biscuits. And, of course, honey. How do you like yours?

I shared this on Savvy Southern Style

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It’s The Little Things: Magazines

Easiest Tortellini Recipe

Tangy Biscuits