Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Today I am going to share with you one of my all time favorite dessert recipes. It’s my husband’s homemade chocolate mousse. We make this for a lot of our catered events. It’s so rich and yummy!!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 a bag = 6oz of semi sweet chocolate morsels

The first thing you want to do is melt the chocolate. Either in a double boiler pan or use The Pampered Chef microwave cooker. I love this thing. You’ll see me use this in a lot of posts. It cuts down on so much time and melts things perfectly in about a minute. You can find them online for about $10.00

Once the chocolate is melted set aside for a few minutes as it needs to cool before mixing in with the other ingredients. (You don’t want the chocolate to cool until harden just so it’s not hot when adding it in with the other ingredients)

Blend the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until it gets to a whipped consistency. A good way to know if it’s ready is to put it on a spoon and turn it upside down and it should stay. You don’t want to blend too much because it can turn oily.

Now turn the mixer on low and add the cooled chocolate slowly to the whipped mixture. You will see a moca color appear. Once blended, scoop into a dessert cup and place in the refrigerator over night. It tastes the best really cold.

Add some fruit or a chocolate stick  and enjoy!!!

Sincerely,

Kimmie

Olympics Party Ideas

I love the Olympics!!! I remember as a kid watching May Lou Retton, thinking she was the most amazing, beautiful gymnast. The back stories are so inspirational. So why not throw a viewing party or do a fun dinner or dessert set up for your family.
Here are three different place setting ideas you can do. From fancy to a layed back BBQ feel.

Just take things from your home like plate charges, or clear or white dishware, your everyday glasses or bottles and add things to them. I bought some ribbon and stickers from Michael’s scrapbooking section. It adds a cute touch and is so inexpensive. Also, add a dessert and a cute drink glass or bottle and your place setting is complete. I found these  mini sparkling cider bottles at the Dollar Tree or use the ever versatile Starbucks frapp bottle and decorate. I love adding desserts like these cookies from http://www.the bakedequation.com Their work is just amazing. Look at the detail of the logo cookie and the gold medal. They make any theme for any occasion. Plus, they ship nationwide!!! Also, I love using cupcakes like these from Christal’s cupcakes. again adds such a cute touch.

Speaking of sweets, look how fun and yummy these are!!! Love these flame cupcakes and event cookies, so cute. You can order something like this or have fun making them. I tend to order I made these jello torch cups by making red jello first and filling the cup 3/4 of the way. In a seperate container make a batch of orange jello. After they have both set, take out and crumble the orange jello with a spoon and add to the top of the red jello. Put in a cute cup, add some gold ribbon, done.

It’s also how you serve the desserts. Put them on a long white serving piece. This is one of my favorite ways to display things and is such a good investment. You’ll get lots of use out of them. Or, use a cake stand like the pic below and add a cute ribbon, adorable.

Another tip is you can order undecorated white cakes like this one from any bakery and decorate it yourself like I did here. It cost me less than 15.00 to put this together.

Not only do I love the Olympics, I love that they are in London!!! Four years ago my Husband and I had the best vacation there. It was such an amazing city. We just loved it. I look forward to watching all the  events unfold and seeing all the history of England.

Have fun watching!!! And, throw a party while you’re at it

Sincerely,

Kimmie

Styling/concept: Sincerely Style

Photos; Heidi Lea Photography

Cookies: The Baked Equation

Cupcakes: Christal’s Cupcakes

Chicken Enchilada Recipe

I have another yummy, easy recipe I want to share with you. I made these the other night and my family loves  them.

Here’s what you’ll need:

9×13 pan
1 package of tortillas
3 chicken breasts
1- 8 oz bag of shredded mild cheddar cheese
1- 8 oz sour cream
1- can of cream of chicken soup
1- can of mild green chilis

Start with the chicken breast. Bake covered with foil at 350 for a half hour. When finished cooking chicken always check to make sure there is no pink in the middle. If there is, stick back in for another few minutes.

While the chicken is cooking you can do the mixture. Take the sour cream, soup and green chilis and mix. (I only mix half the can of chilis to make it a bit more mild for my kids)

Take the cooked chicken out and shred it. I use the Cuisinart.

Grease your 9×13 pan
Now that you have the chicken and mixture done, take the tortillas, lay them out and with a spoon dab the mixtue along the middle of the tortilla. Then add some shredded chicken on top of that and then some shredded cheese on top of that. You then roll the tortillas and place them in the pan. It’ll fit about 9 of them. You may have enough ingredients  to make 12.

Bake covered with foil at 350 for 20 minutes.
Take them out and spread remaining mixture and cheese to the top and bottom of tortillas, as seen in the pic.
Cover again with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese its melted.

Serve with some rice and enjoy!!!

Sincerely,

Kimmie

Brian’s homemade bicuits and gravy recipe!!!

We love breakfast for dinner in my house. It tends to be old faithful. Sometimes we are scrambling last minute with our busy schedule. You can whip up pancakes, french toast or eggs in just a few minutes. Plus, it’s so good. That leads me to a not so quick but so yummy recipe. My husband is an amazing cook. After all he is a chef and has catered for years but don’t get me wrong we eat Hamburger Helper like everyone else One of my favorite things he makes is his homemade biscuits and gravy. I had to share this recipe with you. It’s sooo delicous!!!

Here are the things you’ll need:

2 packages of Grands flacky biscuits (they are the best)

1- 160z tube of mild sausage

flour

3/4 stick of butter

1/2 a gallon of milk

This recipe makes a lot so you can cut it in half but it does make great leftovers.

First put your biscuits in the oven  so they are done when you have  finished the gravy.

 You want to start with a rue. I had no idea what rue was until I married my husband. This is a mixture of butter and flour that will thicken the gravy.  In a frying pan you want to melt 3/4 of a stick of butter. You then start adding  the flour slowly into the butter until it is the consistancy of playdough. It’ll thicken quickly. Then set aside.

Take the sausage  and cook it in a pot because you will be adding the rest of the ingredients to this. Do not drain!!!  It gives the gravy the yummy flavor.

 Add the milk to the pot of sausage and bring to a boil, slowly over medium/high heat . You need to be continuously stirring the milk, never walking away as milk will scald and the recipe will taste burnt. 

Now for the rue. Slowly add it to the boiling milk. You need to  keep it at a low boil as the rue needs to melt.  Your first instinct is to put all the mixture in and thicken the gravy. You don’t want to do this as it will make it too thick, too soon.  You probably won’t use all of the mixture , maybe 3/4 of it.   Keep adding the rue and stirring until it’s the consistancy of a milkshake. If it appears too thick or too thin you can add more milk or more rue to get the consistacy you desire.

Pour on top of your biscuits and enjoy!!!

Sincerely,

Kimmie

Picking a paint color

Over the years I have done hundreds of paint color selections for clients. The one thing people always say is how overwhelming it is looking at all those samples that are about an inch big that is supposed to cover their entire room or a complete house.
The best place  to start when picking a color is to find some inspiration. It can be a picture from a magazine or a pin from Pinterest, bedding, furniture, a piece of art work, or a shower curtain like my client had today. She bought this for her daughter’s bathroom and wanted to make it pop, so we chose a beautiful green called Early Harvest from Dunn Edwards. Once it’s finished being painted tomorrow all she’ll need is a few accessories  and the space is complete.

It also helps to only take on one space at a time, such as an accent wall, bathroom, or bedroom. If starting with the body or main color of the house, pick a neutral. You can always go back later and add pops of color with an accent wall.

So start looking around for inspiration pieces and you will be surprised at how quickly the colors will start jumping out at you. Get a fan deck  like the one in this pic from your local paint store like Dunn Edwards or Home Depot. If you’re  still not 100% sure about a color, paint stores offer samples. Get a few different colors and  put them up on the wall. This will help narrow down your choices and one will usually jump out at you.

Have fun with color. It’s your space and you should love it!!!

Sincerely,

Kimmie

Christmas in July

As a Mom of six kids there are certain questions I am always asked: how do you do the laundry and how do you shop for that many people? Oh, and when do you sleep.  Lets skip the laundry and the sleeping because we know I do a lot of  one and a little of the other  so lets go right to the shopping. I wish I could tell you I’m an extreme couponer, I’m not. I do try but just don’t have the time. Those people are amazing!!! I think we are all a bit budget conscience these days whether for yourself, one child or six. We can all use a little savings. I did a post  last November called “Shopping confessions” that you can refer to as well for more tips and a full detailed list of stores I shop at from groceries to clothes. But, today I wanted to focus on summer steals . OK, I know this may sound a bit obnoxious but I just bought my 10th Christmas present. The key is I have to start now. There are so many sales in the summer. Stores from Target to  Tilly’s, Justice, Toys R Us, etc are clearancing out for fall. Even grocery stores do this. I  got my daughter this awesome craft set that  was $30.00 for 8.00. Of course I don’t buy the big items as you know kids change their minds 10 times before Christmas but this is a great start for smaller items or stocking stuffers. Or, for the friends, family or Teachers you buy for. Also, check out Bath and Body works, they are having their 75% percent off sale right now.

 When looking for clearance  check all the end caps and the back of the store racks as they tend to  hide the clearance so you may have to look for it. These sales apply  to online shopping  too!!!

For back to school this is when I shop!!! Below is a pic of some clothes I got this weekend at Justice and Tilly’s $390.00 for $124.00. Also, check out Children’s Place Monster sale that is going on. I got the cutest Christmas jammies for $1.50, these would make  great gifts. I also got  11 shirts for my boys for $33.00. For the next few weeks  a lot stores will be marking things down 50% off with an additional 40-50% off. Abercrombie kids/ Hollister and Gymboree also have good deals with an additional 50% of the clearance price. These are not just summer items. Last summer at Abercrombie I got $50.00 jeans for 9.95 and $60.00 sweatshirts for $11.00 I think their sale is started or will be this week. Another fun Phoenix store I love for kids is Hissyfits resale on 7th and Glendale. The cutest high end clothes and toys for great prices.  The list goes on and on so check your favorite stores because there is bound to be a good sale right now!!!

Also, school supplies will be coming out soon. Don’t forget Walmart will price match all ads!!!

Happy Shopping. I hope to hear about the great finds you get.

Sincerely,

Kimmie

The crescent roll ring. YUM!!!

I have been making crescent roll rings for years. My family loves them. They are so easy to make and so yummy!!! There are so many different recipes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can even make up your own with leftovers or what you have in the fridge. It’s also a great way to get kids to eat veggies. Doesn’t everything taste good in a crescent roll Here is one I made today for lunch. It’s a sliced ham and shredded cheese ring. Served with some yogurt and fruit. I’m going to show you how to make this and at the end share some of my favorite rings to make.

 Step 1: Use a round pan or baking sheet. I used a round stone. You need two packages of Pillsbury Crescent rolls. Try to stick with these as the generic don’t quite work as well. Lay your crescent rolls onto the pan point side out. Keep going around until you’ve made a circle or a sun as my kids call it.

Step 2 : Add your ingredients. I made this for lunch so my kids wanted sliced ham and shredded cheese. Lay it out one ingredient at a time around the inside of the ring on the large end of the crescent roll.

Step 3: Enclose the ring by folding the pointed end of the crescent roll over the ingredients and tuck it underneath the large end. You will see a ring starting to take shape. Use your hands to form the dough like the pic below.  

Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and serve.

You can really put anything into your ring. Here are some of my favorites I’ve made:

Taco ring -1 pound of cooked ground beef with cheese and veggies. I serve salsa or guacamole  in a bowl in the middle of the ring.

Pizza ring- sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you like. I put a salad in bowl in  the middle of the ring.

Bacon,  Egg and Cheese ring- so good!!! One of my favorites. Cook scrambled eggs and bacon before placing in ring.

Shredded chicken, broccoli and cheese ring – YUM! Add cooked chicken, other ingredients and bake.

Cheeseburger ring- 1  pound of cooked ground beef, cheese and bacon. The kids love this. I serve steak fries in the middle of the ring.

You can also do leftover rings  like a Pot Roast, Meatloaf or Turkey and potato ring.

For more recipes you can go to  www.pamperedchef.com

Have fun trying these and coming up with some new ones. Share them with me

Sincerely,

Kimmie