I would normally start this post by making a comment about my lack of food photography stills, but

{1} I bought { this } book to learn how to take better pictures, and

{2} this dish is so good you won’t mind the less than stellar photo.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I want to tell you about this dish. There’s a restaurant in Atlanta that serves Spicy Mango Chicken that I loooove. What I didn’t love was the price tag each time we went out to eat, and the fact that I had no idea what exactly went into the food I was putting in my body. I had no clue how many preservatives were in the sauce,  how the chickens were raised or even how many pesticides were in the vegetables. I wanted to simplify the dish so I could make it inexpensively at home and know exactly how it was made.

Enter, Sticky Mango Chicken. This dish isn’t an exact replica of the chicken I loved, but honestly, I think it’s even better. It’s easy to make, full of flavor and satisfies that Chinese food craving we’re all known to have on occasion. (Okay, just to be honest I probably get that occasional craving more than the normal person. Hence, the need to make it at home.)

Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have in the fridge to this dish. Just make sure to keep the red pepper, mango, garlic and jalapeno. It would be terrific with snap peas, green beans, bok choy, carrots…you get the point. I’m all about using what you have! For a healthy swap, try brown rice instead of the traditional white variety. It’s chock full of nutrients and an easy way to take a step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Also, make sure to use real maple syrup. If it has Mrs., Butter or Worth in the name, it’s not the real deal. My cousin Carrie over at Deliciously Organic turned me on to { this } maple syrup. I use it for cooking, baking and obviously waffles. Since it’s much sweeter than the fake stuff, you use less and so it lasts longer. A jug lasts us a couple months easy. And the best part is if you order it from Amazon, you can “subscribe and save” and get it for much cheaper. They’ll send you a jug as often as you like. Gotta love that Amazon.

Sticky Mango Chicken

{serves 4 }

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 TBS arrowroot

1 TBS rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1.5 cups brown rice flour

2 TBS Chinese 5 Spice Powder

2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1 pound chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 TBS coconut oil

1/2 large onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 mango, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (more if you like it spicy!)

1 TBS, minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, lightly packed

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

2. Add brown rice flour, Chinese 5 Spice powder and 2 tsp. sea salt to a large ziplock bag. Shake bag to combine. Add diced chicken to bag and shake to coat.

3. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from ziplock bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Add half of the chicken to the pan in one single layer. The chicken should sizzle when you put it in the pan. If it doesn’t sizzle, the oil isn’t hot enough. Cook chicken until browned on first side for 1-2 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until other side is browned, 1-2 minutes more. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Once done with step 3, set all chicken aside and cover to keep warm. In the same skillet, turn heat to medium and add the onion and red pepper. Season with 1/2 tsp. sea salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add diced mango and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

5. Make a well in the center of the pan and add the minced ginger, garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 30 sec – 1 minute.

6. Turn heat to medium low and add the sauce mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Add chicken back to pan and toss to coat.

7. Garnish with cilantro leaves and enjoy!

In the past few months, I’ve gone from not having any close friends who are pregnant, to having a few that are now expecting. That, my friends, is very good news for me. Why? Well, now I can shop for cute baby clothes and look at all the sweet nursery pictures I want! (And trust me, I’m taking full advantage of every opportunity for all things baby.) Since I’ve been scouring Pinterest for nursery inspirations, I thought I’d share what I’ve found! All of these images were found on Pinterest. (Told y’all it rocked.)

Image via Pinterest { here }.

How sweet is this nursery? I love that it feel so calming. It looks like the perfect spot to rock a baby to sleep.

Image via Pinterest { here }.

This room looks like a really cool kid would live in it. You know, the eclectic “I-don’t-listen-to-main-stream-music-because-I-only-go-to local-coffee-shops-to-hear-bands-that-play-songs-about-raindrops-and-eat-tofu” type kid. See, cool.

Image via Pinterest { here }.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this incredibly bright room looks like a kid’s dream. I wouldn’t translate it exactly as I see here, but it definitely has fun elements like the Ferris wheel toy box.

Image via Pinterest { here }.

I ADORE these windows! There’s just something so “Father-of-the-Bride-Part-2″ about window seats. Anyone else remember the dreamy nursery from that movie?

Image via Pinterest { here }.

I’m not a huge fan of the dark brown furniture in this picture, but the wall behind the crib is so fun!

Image via Pinterest { here }.

In all of my “pinning”, I never saw a brighter nursery than this one. I think it has every color of the rainbow! I love the curtains, the light fixture and the rug. Oh, and the pops of yellow and turquoise. Oh, and some of the art. Ok, you get it. I like this nursery.

I actually found these lamps at TJ Maxx (where else?) and thought they would look so cute in a little girl’s room. Gah, they make the best stuff for kid’s!

Image via Pinterest { here }.

And finally, you’re daily dose of cuteness for the day. This post wouldn’t really be “Oh, Baby” without an actual baby now would it?

P.S. If you’re expecting and need some help with your nursery, give me a call! I promise, your baby will thank me.

(Image borrowed from { this } site.)

I love a good table centerpiece, so when I saw this tablescape (above) on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to use it as inspiration for my own table. The elegance of the flowers and silver trim paired with the rustic wood on the box…well you know how much of a sucker I am for that combo. I’m nothing if not predictable!

I started with a simple wooden box I found at Hobby Lobby for $20 and some silver ribbon I got for 50% off. (Score!) I played with the idea of  staining the box a darker color, but my table is already a dark wood so I figured I’d leave the box lighter for contrast. A little hot glue, (a designer’s favorite tool!) and box + ribbon started to equal a pretty fantastic new centerpiece.

Next, I used my all-time favorite design tactic: mixing old with new. I had several of these white flowers that I had used in a previous arrangement so I decided to cut costs and reuse them in this piece. Still wanting it to feel like a new arrangement (and not just same old thing in a new box) I picked up these fun sparkly jewels for 50% off to add something a bit unexpected. Every girl needs a little something sparkly, right?

And finally, here it is! I bet you didn’t expect to scroll down and see apples, huh? Well, I had them and thought they added a bit of whimsy to an otherwise predictable centerpiece. I have to say, I’m so happy with the finished product.

Design is all about finding inspiration, but truly making each and every project your own. If you look at my inspiration picture at the top of this post, you can see where I used a similar box and ribbon trim, but really personalized the centerpiece with a few other touches. Now that I’ve told you about Pinterest, you can really find ways to be inspired and take on fun projects. Go on, get started!

P.S. Yes, the title to this post is lame. BUT the centerpiece is not. Pick your battles, people.

This is only about 1/3 of the stuff I’m using for a project today.

It all has to fit in the cab of Justin’s truck.

A Ford Ranger.

Wish me luck.

Anyone looking for a neon green frog relaxing with a belly button jewel?

I’ve got you covered.

(People make the darnedest things.)

Make sure to check in next week because I have some really fun projects

to share with you! Trust me, you won’t want to miss them.

Well, I’m off to a weekend filled with Harry Potter, BBQ, and friends.

“Accio” weekend.

(And yes, I’m a little bit Nerd. I am married to a Georgia Tech guy after all.)

Here’s a quick and easy recipe if you’re doing some entertaining this weekend. What can be better than the perfect bite of salty sausage and sweet apple? If you answered nothing, then you are in fact correct. This appetizer is really easy to make and inexpensive!

It’s also one of those “work with what you have” recipes. You can use whatever kind of sausage or apples that you like, and make it as sweet or as spicy as you can handle. I’ll give you the amounts I used, and it’ll be up to you to make it your own!

Sausage and Apple Bites

{serves 8-10 as light appetizers }

- 4 links of sausage, cooked

- 2 apples

- 2 tsp. coconut oil

- 1/2 cup maple syrup

- 2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Slice the sausages into 1/2″ rounds. Slice apples into bite-sized chunks.

In a medium sized skillet, add oil and turn heat to medium-high. Once oil is hot, add half the sausage rounds in one layer. Cook on one side for 1 minute or until browned. Flip over and brown the other side for 3o seconds to 1 minute. Remove sausage from pan, set aside, and repeat with remaining sausage.

Remove all the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add the diced apples to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute or until apples have barely started to soften. Season apples with a pinch of salt.

Add sausage back to the pan with the apples. Add the maple syrup and cayenne pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the glaze has begun to thicken.

To serve, skewer one apple and one sausage on each toothpick. Enjoy!

{ Helpful Notes }

- I used chicken sausage.

- Once you’re completely done browning the sausage, check to see how much oil is left in the pan before you add the apples. If there is more than 1 tsp. of oil in the pan, remove all the excess oil to leave just 1 tsp. You want the apples to soak up some of the oil, but not too much!

- This appetizer is best when hot, but I’ve also eaten it room temperature and it’s still delicious.

If you haven’t heard about Pinterest, go ahead and get out your calendar. You’ll want to allow for 3+ hours a day to do nothing but sit in front of your computer and obsess about this site.

Trust me, I’m serious. This is the most addicting site I’ve ever been a part of. Even more so than Facebook. (Yes, more than Facebook.) I never thought it was possible either, but this site is just that good.

I’m not going to get into a detailed explanation of it in this post because my friend Meghan over at Loquacious Lady already did that { here }. Head on over there to read all about the goodness that is Pinterest!

Then, you can follow me { here } and see where I get so much of my inspiration.

Happy pinning!

I used to despise cilantro. I refused to eat even the tiniest leaf. And forget salsa. It ruined it.

And then, one day I woke up and cilantro wasn’t so bad.

In fact, I started to like it. And then love it. And now, I’m obsessed.

Isn’t it weird how that can happen?

I’ve heard it takes children at least a dozen times of trying a new food before they will like it. So often, we give up if we try something once and don’t care for it. I say, try and try again. If you don’t like boiled carrots (who does??), try roasting them. Not a fan of brussell sprouts? Try shredding them with bacon and onions. I challenge you to take a food that you don’t normally like, and try preparing it in a way that you’ve never tasted before.

Every single one of us is going to have foods that we genuinely don’t like, but we also all have foods that we simply don’t like prepared certain ways. Take one food this week and try to figure out which category it falls into: wrong food or wrong preparation.

This cilantro dressing is sweet, tart and oh so delicious on salads. In the pictures, I paired it with a salad of strawberries and sliced almonds which was inspired bythis { Cheeky Lady }. I’ve also tried it with diced tomatoes, peaches and red onion on a bed of lettuce, which I have to say was my favorite variation. It’s ridiculous, in the best way possible.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

{serves 4-6 }

- 1 large clove garlic

- 2 TBS plain low-fat yogurt

- ½ cup cilantro, not packed

- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar

- ½ cup olive oil

- juice of 1 lime

- 1 TBS sugar

- 1 tsp salt

Blend together and serve.

What foods have you disliked but are now among your favorite foods?

You know the drill…

This cute little lamp caught my eye as I was walking through TJ Maxx. (Yes, I semi-live in that store.) At only $29.99 a pop, it’s an inexpensive way to add some texture and sparkle to your room.

I actually bought the desk above for a project I’m currently working on. I know some people who are Ikea snobs, but honestly, I love the store. I don’t recommend buying everything from Ikea, but when it’s mixed and matched with more expensive pieces, it looks flawless. At only $69, I would have a hard time finding a cheaper desk option at a thrift store! (P.S. It looks fantastic in the room I’m currently designing. I’ll share pictures when it’s all done.)

I also loved this table and chair set from Ikea. I really wanted to use those chairs in another design I’m working on, but at $99 a chair, they were over budget. Cue sad music.

Moving on to another favorite store of mine, Cost Plus World Market, this rustic meets modern table had me at hello. This picture doesn’t even do it justice. It’s gorgeous. I’m a sucker for rustic woods in modern settings if you haven’t been able to tell. And the price? Oh, so nice. Love that store!

And lastly, good ol’ Hobby Lobby. These stools were a steal at $14 each. If I had needed bar stools, they would have come home with me for sure. Sometimes it’s so dang hard to leave a good deal behind!

I’m guessing you already know based on these posts, but I go shopping a lot. A lot, a lot. I try to stay on top of what’s in the market so I can make my designs as affordable as possible. If you’re looking for a specific item to go in your home, I’m happy to keep an eye out wherever I go. Email me for more information!

I love this chair.

I love the $129 price tag even more.

Sadly, it didn’t come home with me.

BUT, it could be yours. Contact me for info.

End of story.