DIY: Personalized Burlap Pillowcase

As promised, here is the second Valentines gift that is easy, cheap, and oh so cute. (If you missed the first gift, you can find it here) This can be extra special with a quote, saying, or verse that holds a special value to you and your valentine.  [This gift is great for any occasion because you can make it as personalized...

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DIY: Valentine Light Bulb

Lucky for those of you who have procrastinated  yet to find a gift for your valentine, my husband and I celebrated V Day early this year, so I can show you a couple homemade gifts that are sure to be a hit and won't hurt your wallet.  :]  The first gift I made is featured in this post.  I was inspired, of course, but...

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Fresh Linguine with Cream and Garlic Sauce

If you know me at all, you know that I love a good bargain.  I frequent thrift stores and garage sales in hopes of finding treasures...quite often actually.  Fortunately for me (and my hubby)  I found a pasta maker for $10 last weekend! I definitely scored.  So I wanted to use it right away and found a recipe that would...

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Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Stir-Fried Orange Chicken with Broccoli with Cashews

I have a special place in my heart for asian cuisine; partly because its scrumptious and partly because I get to pull out those chopsticks!  Another plus? It's pretty simple to make.  Especially stir-fry.   This recipe is straight out of my Cook's Illustrated book, which I featured here. Hope you enjoy! Ingredients: Sauce: 1/4 cup...

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Tomato and Almond Pesto with Penne

The great thing about this dish is how easy it is.  Seriously.  Throw everything into a food processor to get your sauce, and just cook the chicken and pasta separately and then you're done!  Who doesn't love simple meals with a quick clean up?  I altered this recipe a bit.  I put my changes in purple in case you'd...

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Nut-Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

I sure do love nut-crusted chicken.  Remember the almod, panko, and sesame crusted chicken?  This recipe is similar but has a twist.  Instead of the honey-mustard dipping sauce, this recipe calls for fresh squeezed lemon juice over top.  SO good. I got this recipe out of my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, which means...

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