O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...Texas Christmas Tree Recap 2012

So I put our Christmas tree up this week, and I wanted to take more detailed shots of our tree.  Yes, I am crazy and obsessed about my tree.

Here are a few I took of our tree this year...

 

Top of the Tree



Bottom of the Tree

 

Skinny Minny Recipe: Sauteed Chicken with Creamy Chive and White Wine Sauce

I love simple and healthy recipes that require a few ingredients, and this is one of them!

Ingredients (4-6 servings):
-4-6 Chicken Breast (ones that are either thinly cut or pounded to be about 1/2" thin)
-1/4 cup of Sliced Chives
-1/2 cup of White Wine
-1/2 cup of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
-2 heaping tablespoons of Light Sour Cream
-1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
-1/2 cup of flour
-2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
-Spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning)

First, season your flour (set aside 1 tsp of flour which will be used to thicken the sauce) with your spices.

Heat a pan with about 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Lightly dredge your chicken in the seasoned flour mixture.  Shake of excess flour. 

Place chicken in the pan.  Cook until lightly golden brown (about 2-3 min per side).  Set aside the chicken and cover with foil.

Next, saute the garlic in the same pan until lightly brown.  Stir in the teaspoon of the reserved flour.  This will form a "roux-like" mixture.  Add in the low sodium chicken broth and white wine.  Let the mixture reduce and continue to stir often.  This will take about 5-8 min. 

Add back in the chicken breast pieces.  Mix together the sour cream and Dijon mustard in a separate bowl.  Evenly add the sour cream/mustard mixture to the pan.  Mix the mixture so that it is evenly mixed with the wine and chicken broth sauce.  To ensure the chicken is evenly coated with the sauce turn it once in the pan.

Turn off heat and top with the sliced chives.

 

I usually serve this we sauteed vegetables, but you certainly can still keep it healthy by adding brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
Skinny Minny Calories: about 260 calories per serving

Love and Marriage...DIY Photo on Canvas Anniversary Gift

Tradition has it that you are suppose to give a "paper gift" for your first anniversary.  See Anniversary Symbols and Meanings.  This is suppose to symbolize the strength in paper that comes from the interlaced connection of the paper's individual threads. So, I wanted to incorporate paper into my DIY gift.

Here's what I came up with...

All you need is:
-4" x 4" canvas (Quantity 2)
-Mod Podge
-Ribbon
-Pictures printed on heavy wt paper (at least 90 lb card stock)
-E6000 Glue (or another type of heavy duty glue)
-Paper Cutter

-Disposable Paint Sponge or Brush

Print your picture and design on your paper.  I design these at a dimension of 3.8" x 3.8" so that there was no overlap on the canvas.  Cut your paper using your paper cutter.

Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the canvas.  While the canvas is still wet, center your picture onto the canvas.  Apply pressure and smooth out any bumps or bubbles that may form.  Allow this to dry for about an hour.

After the canvas is pretty dry apply another coat of Mod Podge on top of the picture to seal it on the canvas.  Allow the canvas to dry again for about an hour.  Then apply a second top coat, and allow it to dry completely overnight.

Then, turn the canvas over onto it's backside and apply the E-6000 glue to the back where you want to place the ribbon.  Apply pressure to the ribbon where the glue is to ensure it sticks.  I looped the ribbon on the top, so there would be a place to hide the thumb tack when you hang it on your wall or cubicle.

Here's the final product...

Domesticated Diva Cost:

Blank Canvas: $1.80 (originally $2.99 but 40% off) = $3.60 for two)

Mod Podge, Ribbon, Paper Cutter, Paint Brush, E-6000 Glue, and Paper: FREE (already had)

Total Cost of Project: $3.60

DIY Chic Holla-ween Nails...Black and Gold Glitter French Manicure

So nail art and design is really big right now.  Just check out Pinterest; it is flooded with different ideas.  Well my sis and I did a little DIY nail session, and I created this black and gold design.

All you need is...
-Metallic Gold Nail Polish
-Base Coat Polish
-Top Coat Polish
-Black Glitter (found at craft stores)
-Scotch Tape

First, apply a base coat to all your nails.  Allow your nails to dry completely.

Then, paint a coat of gold nail polish on all nails.  Allow your nails to dry completely again.

After nails have dried, place a small amount of tape across the nail about 2 mm from the top.  Make sure the tape is securely stuck to the nail to ensure a clean and straight french tip.  This will act like as your french manicure guide.

Apply a thick coat of gold nail polish to the upper part that is exposed.  Immediately after applying the nail polish sprinkle a generous amount of black glitter to the area of the nail that is wet.  I did one nail at a time so I didn't feel rushed.  Gently tap the glitter to ensure it adheres to the nail.

Then, carefully peel the tape off your nails. Ta-da!

Let your nail dry completely, which takes about 30-45 min.

Then, apply two coats of top coat.  Make sure you let your nails dry completely between coats.  That's all it takes to making this festive nail design!

Sissy and I browsing Pinterest for ideas

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams... DIY Caviar Manicure

So, the Ciate Caviar Manicure Set at Sephora caught my eye.  How fab is this...

But at $25, I wasn't willing to commit.  So I found that you can do caviar manicures yourself. 

Here's what I used...

-Clear Microbeads (found in the scrapbook section at Michael's...I choose clear beads because you can use them with almost any nail color)
-Clear Top Coat Paint
-Nail Color of your choice (I prefer black, soft pinks, grays, opaque colors)
-Plate to catch the microbeads (I would actually use a deeper bowl in the future, since these beads get everywhere)

The steps are fairly easy peasy!

I used fast drying nail polish, because I am impatient lol. 

1.)  Apply a thin first coat.  Allow to dry completely.

2.)  Apply a much thicker coat of nail polish and immediately sprinkle the beads on your nail over the bowl or plate to catch the beads.  Gently tap the beads that stick to your nail to ensure they stay secure.  Then sprinkle the microbeads again on areas where the beads did not stick and gently tap those in.  ***I actually did one nail at a time for this step and not the whole hand.  It was much easier, and I was able to take my time with each nail.***  Allow the nails to dry completely.  I waited 10 minutes, since I used fast drying nail polish.

3.) Then apply a thick clear top coat over the entire nail ensuring all the nooks and crannies are covered.  Allow to dry for about 30-45 min.

That's it!

The beads actually stay on pretty well.  I think it should last at least 3-5 days.

Here's the final product...

Domesticated Diva Cost Breakdown:

Clear Microbeads: $4.99 but with 40% coupon = $2.40
Nail Polish and Top Coat: FREE (already had)

TOTAL: $2.40 (and there's plenty of microbeads leftover to do this at least 15 times)

Sopa For The Soul...Braised Pork Posole Recipe

Being from San Antonio, I've had my fair share of Mexican cuisine.  Mr. Domesticated Diva and I had a wonderful bowl of Posole from Rosario's Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio, TX.



Rosario's Posole

Here is our version:

Ingredients:
(Approximately 6-7 Servings)
-1.5 lbs pork butt (cut in 3/4" cubes)
-5 Slices of bacon (chopped)
-1 tsp of the bacon drippings
-1 large Poblano Chile Pepper
-1 onion (diced)
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 Jalapeno (seeded and diced)
-1/2 tsp of dried oregano
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp of chile powder
-a pinch of ground cloves
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
-8 cups of chicken stock
-1 can of mild enchilada sauce
-1 can of hominy (drained and rinsed)
-1/2 a head of purple cabbage (finely sliced)
-2 limes (cut into wedges)
-Corn Tortillas (about a dozen)

Preheat oven on broiler setting.  Start by slicing the Poblano Chile in half.  Place the chile cut side down onto a baking sheet. 

Bake in the oven until the peppers are blackened and blistered.  This takes approximately 8-10 minutes.  Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until it is cooled.  This will take approximately 10 minutes.  Once cooled, peel the skin of the peppers and discard.  Dice the peppers and set aside.

Next, cook bacon on medium high heat until bacon is slightly crispy and fat starts to be release.  Place bacon on a paper towel lined plate. 

Remove some of the bacon drippings in the pan, but reserve approximately one teaspoon.  Place the one teaspoon of bacon drippings in a large pot or dutch oven, With the heat on medium high, cook the pork cubes until brown on all sides.  Remove the cooked pork pieces and place on the same plate as the bacon.

Next, stir in the garlic and about 3/4 of the onion into the dutch oven (reserve the remainder of the onion for garnish).  Cook until onions are tender and garlic begins to brown.

Stir in the roasted poblano chiles, jalapeno peppers, oregano, cumin, chile powder, cloves, salt, and cilantro (reserve approximately 1/4 cup for garnish).  Cook for 1 minute. 

Pour in the chicken stock and enchilada sauce.  Then, stir in the bacon and pork cubes.  Bring pot to a simmer over medium high heat.  Once the soup begins to bubble, reduce to medium low and cover.  Simmer with the lid on for approximately 1 1/2 hours. 

After 1 1/2 hours, mix in the drained and rinsed hominy.  Cook for another 1 1/2 hours until the pork is very tender.

Garnish your delicious Posole with the purple cabbage, onions, limes, and cilantro.  Also, serve the soup with one or two corn tortillas.  Enjoy!



Our Braised Pork Posole Soup

Save the Dates: Part Deux- Little Sissy's Save the Dates

I've been having wedding planning withdrawls.  I think I should just be a wedding/party planner on the side, because I love it so much.  Well, my little sister is officially engaged!  She looked to me to help her design her STDs, and like a giddy school girl I agreed with excitement.  Here are the two designs I came up with. 

I downloaded the fonts from www.dafont.com .  They have an endless supply of any font you could think of, and for the most part they are all free.  I used Tall Films, Enchanted Prairie Dog, and abeatbyKai fonts. 

I recommended my sister to use Vistaprint to print out her STDs.  She used their standard postcard and printed on linen paper.  I think they came out fantastic!  Here are the actual printed copies!