Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Recipe Time: 
Pumpkin Black Bean Turkey Chili


This is one of my favorite fall recipes! It's perfect on a cold day with a fresh loaf of bread. There are many different versions of this recipe, but this is my own personal take. 



I got a little excited when cooking this recipe and ate it before I took a picture. So I am using a picture from "Fix-It and Forget-It", but mine looked something like that. 


Ingredients: 
1 Pound of Ground Turkey (or Chicken)
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Small Zucchini
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 Can of Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
1 Can of Yellow Corn
1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 tsp of Cumin
2 tsp of Chili Powder
1 tsp of Parsley 
1 tsp of Oregano
Chicken Broth


Directions: 
1. Chop Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic into small cubes. 
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add ground turkey, onion, peppers, and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes, until veggies are tender and turkey is browned. 
3. Add garlic and cook for another minute. 
4. Add diced tomatoes, black beans, yellow corn, pumpkin puree, and spices. 
5. Add enough chicken broth to loosen everything up a bit. 
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. 
7. Optional: Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. 


This is a quick and easy recipe everyone will enjoy. Make a big batch because it makes for great leftovers! 


Happy Eating! :)
~meg xoxo

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

DIY Project:


The "Almost" Free Paint Chip Artwork




For the last month I have been in a crafty mood. I have been obsessed with decorating my newly designed basement, which I will be showing everyone very soon. I wanted the decor in the basement to reflect my creativity and passion for design. I thought this artwork would be perfect! It can be easily changed and can work with any color scheme.


I saw this idea on Young House of Love and thought it was great. I changed mine slightly by arranging the paint chips in gradients rather then a random pattern.


The other thing worth mentioning is how cost-effective this artwork is... IT'S FREE! However, due to a few complications (i.e. my lack of patience), mine turned out to cost a small amount of money. 


Materials:
Picture Frame - any size and shape
Paint Chips
Scissors
Double-Sided Tape.... I didn't have any so I used good old fashioned scotch tape.





Directions: 
1. Decide what colors you would like to incorporate in your artwork. I picked colors that worked well with my basement color scheme. The great thing about this piece is you can change it according to the seasons, or modify it to work with a new color scheme. 
2. Decide on the pattern and begin laying out your paint chips. I decided to use six different colors and display the gradient for each color, going from light to dark. When cutting out your paint chips make sure to measure the width and height of the frame, and divide the paint chips equally. All the paint chips should be exactly the same size. 



3. Tape the paint chips to the frame insert. Make sure to align the paint chips perfectly. 
4. Carefully lay picture frame glass overtop of the paint chips. Make sure everything is lined up correctly. 
5. Patiently insert the glass into the frame... this is where my "free" artwork turned out to be expensive... I got a little too excited and tried to rush this step, and cracked the glass. 
Being upset and a little annoyed, my wonderful boyfriend offered to assist me in a late night Ikea trip to pick up a new frame :) How sweet is he!


6. Once I picked up another picture frame, I was able to assemble the picture and hang my beautiful new artwork!




I was very happy with the way this project turned out. I am excited to continually change this artwork to complement my ever-changing color schemes... because we all know I change my color schemes on a fairly regular basis :) 

Make sure to check out Young House of Love for their version of the Paint Chip Artwork. 

Happy Crafting!

~meg xoxo