Foodie Friday (3) Chicken and Tortellini Salad

I'm late to the party today, but don't let that stop you from trying out this delicious dish.  Preparations call for this salad to be served warm, but it is equally delicious served cold...and the next day!  Bon Appetite!

 Please join in on the party at Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Chicken and Tortellini Salad

(Adapted from the June 2011 Issue of Southern Living magazine) 

• YIELD: Makes 12 to 15 appetizer servings
• HANDS-ON: 20 MINUTES
• TOTAL: 30 MINUTES
• COURSE: Appetizers, Salads

Ingredients

• 2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

• 1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions.
• 2. Process olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil mixture with tortellini, chicken, and next 3 ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Pair with: La Torrazza Erbaluce di Caluso, Italy, or Chablis, or an unoaked Chardonnay.

 As you can see from my pictures, I am missing the flat leaf parsley and green onion (picky eaters!) which would an additional burst of color to this dish.  I'm just counting my blessings that my little ones like sweet peas!

This particular recipe called for serving this dish as an appetizer.  I took the liberty of serving it as a luncheon salad with crusty french bread and Moscato wine.

The Need to Edit

Sometimes, I just feel the need to edit.

Stuff.

Don't get me wrong.  I love, love to walk into a well-loved home.  A home that houses a lifetime of collections, whether that be seashells, Willow Tree folk art, or teapots.  A home that has art and photographs on its walls and bookshelves.  Overstuffed chairs next to coffee tables brimming with art books and magazines.

But sometimes, in my own home, I feel suffocated by my stuff.  Like I can't breathe and my "collections" have turned to clutter.

This week, I edited our master bathroom.  I hid all the necessities...moisturizers, lip glosses, toothbrushes, drinking cups.  Dusted off the photos and moved elsewhere.  And added a simple vase of silk hydrangeas, new candle, and crisp white bath towels.

Simplicity.  I love it.

Outdoor Wednesday (1), Magnolias

Today, I am participating in Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.  Please feel free to hop over and join us to see other beautiful outdoor shots.

This is the first year that my magnolia tree has been in full bloom.  Since we planted it, I've only gotten 1 to 2 blooms per season.  This year though, I have had continuous blossoms.  Her fragrance is intoxicating!

Majestic flower! How purely beautiful
  Thou art, as rising from thy bower of green,
    Those dark and glossy leaves so thick and full,
      Thou standest like a high-born forest queen
        Among thy maidens clustering round so fair,--
          I love to watch thy sculptured form unfolding,
            And look into thy depths, to image there
              A fairy cavern, and while thus beholding,
                And while thy breeze floats o'er thee, matchless flower,
                  I breathe the perfume, delicate and strong,
                    That comes like incense from thy petal-bower;
                      My fancy roams those southern woods along,
                        Beneath that glorious tree, where deep among
                          The unsunned leaves thy large while flowercups hung!
      - Christopher Pearce Cranch,
        Poem to the Magnolia Grandiflora

House Beautiful

One of the things that my husband and I love to do is to pour over house plan books and dream big.  It's a hobby of ours...dreaming and putting ideas to paper about what layout and amenities we would love in a future home.

We built our first home in 1995. It was in a subdivision with cookie-cutter, look-alike houses, but we enjoyed choosing a floor plan and then tweaking it so that the home was unique to us...and to potential buyers.  Located in Platte County, Missouri, north of the Missouri River, it was nestled in the rolling hills above the bluffs that overlook the Mighty MO.  A story-and-a-half, the home featured a huge country kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows and comfortably fit our dining room table to seat eight.  We also had the builder design built-in bookshelves to flank the wood-burning fireplace from wall to wall...including a mirror that ran the span of the width of the wall...not just centered over the fireplace.  With vaulted ceiling, the room offered a dramatic view upon entrance.  A few mistakes were made...carpet in the bathroom (the vanity area was off of the master giving it that "hotel" feel...and two (too!) small guest bedrooms.  Regardless, the economy was good and the house sold quick.  We listed on a Thursday and were signing a contract on Sunday of that same weekend.

Infertility specialists and jobs found us relocating to the Kansas side of the state line where we currently reside.  This time, we chose to build in a subdivision that allowed for individual builders and larger lots.  The actual home was designed and built by a friend of ours who is a home-builder.  I spent hours driving around, snapping photos of farmhouses that I fell in love with and Danny was able to create our unique fingerprint in our subdivision.  Our current home is, a "Greek Revival Farmhouse"  and sits on a 1-acre subdivision lot.  Lots of green space allows for a three-sided wrap-around porch and small kitchen garden on the south side of the property.  Our home sits on a basement foundation and includes a third story...a finished attic...which is currently a shared bedroom for our two young sons.  Our third story also houses a separate room which has hardwood flooring and can be an office or crafting room.  It currently serves as walk-in closet/toy room for the boys.  Our 2nd story has three bedrooms, including master/master bathroom, and formal living and dining rooms on the 1st story in addition to the kitchen and family room which open to each other.  Our home also features a wood-burning corner-situated fireplace (real fireman don't use gas..ahem!).  Our basement is currently unfinished, but plans for this space includes a storage room, bulk dry goods pantry, and media space.

Our "Greek Revival" Farmhouse, Circa 2002

Thus, each of our homes have showcased unique features for us that have also appealed to future home buyers...I'm hoping that my 3rd story and wrap-around porch are "must-haves" for a future bride/home owner!

So what is next...?

I've begun my collection of house plan books with my most recent purchase of Southern Living HOUSE PLANS.  One house in particular appealed to both my husband and me...the "Carolina Island House".  This house features formal living and dining rooms (a must for my formal dining room furniture!), a study, media room, kitchen and "keeping room".  The "keeping room" is new lingo to me!  I need to do some research...is this like a family room?  The "study" includes a full bath off of it, so I'm assuming that this is where the "potential 4th bedroom" comes in.  The second story features a master bedroom, plus two additional bedrooms.  The piece de resistance....the wrap-around porch!  After having lived in a home with a wrap-around porch, I'm not sure I could ever live without it!

Dream House...

To learn more about the "Carolina Island House", including different views and interior shots, go here.  Or to see any of Southern Living's house plans, click here.

What would you include in your dream home?

Magnolia Love

My magnolia tree is finally blooming.  

 

Her fragrance is sweetly intoxicating...beckoning us to move South!

Oh, how I love thee.

Wishing you a blessed Sunday,
Valerie

Diana: A Celebration

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you have a true friend like that?

I do.

Friends since third grade, my girlfriend and I have celebrated many of life's celebrations together...including high school/college graduations, weddings, and births.  We've also weathered several storms...the death of her mother from breast cancer while we were still in our 20s...miscarriages and infertility.

And although there are nearly 300 miles between us, it feels like only 3!  We pick up the phone often, send note cards, email. 

We tend our garden of friendship.

When we were 11 years old, a lady-in-waiting married a prince.  It was a joyous occasion and both of our mothers insisted that we get up early to watch this historical event.

I remember being in awe of Princess Diana's wedding gown...that 25-foot train!  And all the attendants.  And the church.  I thought she was so beautiful.

As we know, the story did not end, "happily ever after", but many of Diana's friends and family are working to keep the "people's princess" memory alive and well.

Earlier this week, my girlfriend came to Kansas City for a visit.  We usually shop, eat, giggle, etc.  And while we did all the same this week, our main priority was attending this attraction...

Banner outside of Kansas City's Union Station

The team of artists designing this tribute did an incredible job.  Inspirational quotes, home videos of Diana, and different rooms dedicated to her childhood, wedding day, charity work, sense of style, and death made for a memorable experience. 

My own princess was smitten with it all...even though she knew not who Diana was. 

And since we were fortunate enough to have the tribute in Kansas City at the same time as the wedding of Prince William (back in April), I made sure my own girl woke up in time to see a "commoner" marry a prince. 

Let's hope their "happily ever after" comes true!

My daughter and I at the exhibit.

My best friend, Shannon, and me.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the exhibit, so no photos of the beautiful gowns or childhood memorabilia.  Trust me when I saw it was fantastic and well worth the price of admission.

Wishing you all a Happy Saturday!

P.S.  A truthful moment here...I hate sharing pictures of myself because I struggle with my weight.  Recently, though, I made a decision to begin to love myself right where I am at in life, and allow myself to be photographed more often.  My biggest fear is that when I leave this earth behind, my children will have no photographs with their mother.  I have decided to change that!

Flip Flop Love

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."

-Marilyn Monroe

I love shoes.

And yet, as a busy mom of three petite ones who seem to be growing out of their own shoes every three months, I rarely buy myself a new pair.

Except for flip flops.

I adore flip flops.  (I buy several new pair each Spring.)

My podiatrist...and physical therapist...not so much.

I am supposed  to be wearing sensible shoes on a daily basis...and I did really good this past Winter and Spring.  But since summer arrived, I'm not sticking to the "rules" so well.

What's a girl to do?

Invest in a "sensible" pair of flip flops!

I discovered these beauties at a local day spa this afternoon...

These are the Madison Slate, ML

They are manufactured by OKA b (Shoes That Love You) and feel wonderful! You can learn more about their shoes and OKA b here.  I love that they are made from recyclable materials and are made in the USA!  Their website even has a ribbon tying tutorial!  I can't wait to hit the ribbon aisle at Michaels!

Doctor endorsed...I think they are the perfect compromise between "sensible" shoes and bare feet!

And as a small side note...while doing my research on these shoes, I discovered that they are made in the South...(Buford, GA).

Flip flops and the South...what a perfect combination!

My newest pair of summer sandals.

What type of shoes do you love?