I have a few tips to help you set a beautiful dinner table for your holiday feast. Whether you are preparing a meal for two or for twenty you can create a festive setting for your meal. It doesn’t matter if all of your place settings match, work with what you have.
First, make sure to created a welcoming table. You can use candles to do that. They don’t have to be twenty dollar pillar candles, use what you can afford. Make up a placecard for each guest and a napkin holder. I have the information for both placecard and napkin …read more

Well, we made it through the second day back to school. Phew!  I’m still not in the groove, still working out the kinks, but dinner was a no-brainer with this simple Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli dishthat I threw together in the crockpot.

I served it with brown rice, but it would taste equally good over white rice, noodles, or even a baked potato.
This recipe features  canned condensed soup which contains a lot of sodium. Slow cooking makes food taste saltier.
I suggest waiting until the dish is done before adding additional salt.
 
 
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli
1 can Cheddar & Broccoli condensed soup
1 cup …read more

I love quick and easy slow cooker recipes, especially when I can make a whole meal in one pot. This dish is one of those that I came by on accident one day, and it’s been a nice addition to my cooking repertoire when I’m really busy and just can’t think about dinner. The vegetable, starch, and protein are all in this one dish so it will save you time.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/4 cups rice, uncooked
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 (10.5 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. bag of frozen peas
Nonstick cooking spray
Spray …read more

Before I do my grocery shopping, I like to plan out what I’m going to be making for dinner for the next two weeks and then make my list.
From there, however, I don’t usually plan out what specific days we’ll be having each meal, and this has led me some mad dashes and scrambling some nights when I realize I’m down to just a few choices and haven’t defrosted something or gotten something else into the crockpot in time.
So I figured I’d plan it out here, complete with links to recipes if I’ve already posted it, to help keep things …read more

Or how not to balance your work and personal life.
Just returned from a few days in Vegas. It was a great trip, but there were certain things that had me thinking vacation is a lot like the office. Here’s my list of observations…let me know if any of these ring true for you. Read vacation = office:

Vacation wardrobe worries = office wardrobe worries
Men can wear the same outfit 2 days in a row = men can wear the same outfit 2 days in a row
Fabulous 4 inch, silver strappy sandles = just as dumb a puchase as fabulous 4 inch …read more

I think it’s been discussed here on occasion–how working from home can sometimes feel like you’re in a messy black hole; thoughts go through your head about how neat and structured corporate life is compared to this. This is what my to do list looks like today:

Bank
Blog Fabulous
Landscaper
Photo prints
Phone company
Printer
The Pet Set marketing
Dishes|Dinner

I called the landscaper and that turned in to a 30 minute discussion about retainer walls. Meanwhile, I have to get some heavy lifting done in terms of marketing/sales for The Pet Set…or should I post a blog…maybe the dishes…what should I make for dinner tonight…oh, you know …read more