chicken and chili quesadilla

A couple of years ago, my mom made this quesadilla for me and it was so yummy, we practically ate it all summer.  I completely forgot about it until she made it over the weekend so I thought I’d share it with you all.

Directions:

• Lightly spread butter on a flour tortilla.

• On medium heat, place the tortilla butter side down in a skillet.
• Add cheese of your choice (I used cheddar).

• Add your favorite chili.

• Add some chicken (marinated with a little taco seasoning).  These pieces of chicken are too big so I would definitely cut them smaller.

• Add sweet corn and more cheese.

• Fold the tortilla in half.  Cook until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly browned and crisp.

Looks like a lot of the ingredients tried to escape. =)  As you can see, I make the quesadilla pretty thick, but make yours as thin or as thick as you’d like.  To make it even better, add some sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Mel doesn’t like quesadillas, but he really liked this one so it’s a winner in my book!  He even asked for seconds. =)  Enjoy!!

cupcakes for jolene

When deciding what decorations to make for my friend’s birthday cupcakes, it was pretty simple.  Jolene loves nail polishes, makeup, shoes, coconut, and most importantly–Las Vegas.  We even call her Miss Vegas because it’s basically her second home and she knows the city like the back of her hand. =)

The cupcakes were originally in a cake box, but I found a Sephora gift box and thought it’d be perfect!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS VEGAS!!

simple gift tags

Do you ever need to wrap a small gift, but then realize you don’t have any wrapper paper or ribbon?  Look around your house and you might find other options.

I’m working on invitations for an upcoming wedding and the soon-to-be bride wanted to start addressing the 140 invitations right away (smart girl), so I gave her the envelopes first.  It would’ve been fine to simply put the envelopes in a bag and give them to her, but I love personalizing everything.

• Wrap the package with any type of paper you have around the house.
• Punch (or cut) out a piece of cardstock and design your label.

• Punch two small holes on each side of the label.  Thread a piece of string through the holes.
• Tie and secure the string around the package.
• NOTE:  If you don’t have a small hole punch, secure the string around the package and attach the label directly on top.

A few beauty items for a friend’s birthday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

diaper cakes

My best friend asked me to make a diaper cake for a baby shower and it was so much fun.

Here’s the before with some of the supplies.

And VOILA!  I wanted to venture out a bit so instead of using all pink, I incorporated some purples and I just adore the yellow giraffe!  Still looks girlie but not all pink.

The onesies and little dress were rolled up to blend in with the diapers and gave the cake a little more color.

Shopping was the best part of this whole craft project, especially since it was for a little girl.  Every dress I saw was adorable and I wanted to buy them all!!  This little coral dress with the blue flower was too cute to pass up (Target).  After seeing all the cute little clothes, it has really inspired me to try and make my babies’ clothes in the future. =)

The back of the cake is just as important. =)

Hello Miss Giraffe. =)

Here’s another diaper cake for my cousin that was super girlie and pink. =)  I’m SOOOOOO EXCITED for them and can’t wait to see the baby in a couple of months! =)

Not only are diaper cakes a nice gift, but they’re also great to use at the baby shower for decoration.

coconut oil hair conditioner

My hair is getting quite long so I’m trying to take better care of it by getting regular trims every six weeks and conditioning it as much as I can.

But some days it just feels really dry and blaaaaaaaah.

I heard coconut oil works well as a hair conditioner so I thought I’d try it out.  I went to my local Whole Foods Market and picked up Barlean’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  There were a few other brands and I’m sure they all work well.  I’ve been using it for the past month and so far I’m liking the results.

Directions:

• Take some coconut oil and rub it in your hands.  The heat from your hands will melt the oil.

• Divide your hair into sections and apply the oil to your hair.  I divide my hair into three different sections (bottom, middle, and top).
• Depending on the length of your hair, you may need more oil.  I use just enough to make my hair feel slippery and a little greasy.  Don’t drench your hair or it’ll be harder to wash off.

• Make sure to concentrate on the ends of your hair.

• Pin your hair up so it’s out of your face.
• Leave the coconut oil in for an hour or put on a hair cap and sleep with it overnight.
• Wash your hair and style as usual.

My hair isn’t super healthy to begin with so it doesn’t work miracles, but it does make it feel softer and smoother. =)  I use this treatment twice a week and it’s so quick and easy.  After dinner, I slap it on and sometimes I’ll wash it off before bed or wait until the next morning.

quick snack signs

I adore my coworkers and we always like to bring little treats to the office when it’s one of their birthdays.  Recently, it was our assistant/receptionist’s special day and I brought some donuts.  Since they didn’t look very appealing in the box, I rummaged around the office to find some supplies to spruce them up a bit.  Here’s how a quick sign can make your snacks a little more special:

Directions:

• Cut out a small piece of colored cardstock (we have some random colored index cards around the office).
• Using different colored highlighters, design your little sign.

• Using scotch tape, attach a toothpick to the back of the sign.  Don’t have a toothpick?  A straw from the cafe will work too. =)

• Arrange the donuts on a tray or display plate and stick the sign into one of the donuts.  Don’t have a display plate in your office?  Ask another department that frequently puts on events and functions.

We placed the donut display on my coworker’s desk so EVERYONE who came in that day knew it was her birthday.  I think it made her feel special. =)

This can also work for other snacks.  Awhile back, one of our employees was about to get married and we brought some goodies on her last day as a single lady. =)

wine bottle centerpieces

I work at a college and every year, the administrators and faculty members organize a Classified Appreciation event for our classified (non-teaching) employees.  We have a lunch and give away raffle prices that have all been donated by the administrators and faculty.  We typically do an Easter themed centerpiece but since the holiday has already passed, I took the idea of the wine bottle menu from our wedding and made little centerpieces.

Each wine label listed all 142 classified employees.

Directions:

• Design and print wine labels on full-sheet shipping labels (Staples).
  
• Cut out labels.

• Start by peeling off a small portion of the label backing.

• There is a faint vertical line down each side of the wine bottle where the two pieces of glass meet.  Use this as a guideline to line up and attach the left side of the label first.
• An inch at a time, slowly peel off the backing and press the label onto the wine bottle.  This will prevent air bubbles.

Fortunately, we have a viticulture and winery program at our college so we have a large amount of wine bottles on hand that we can cork and foil.

Five down, ten to go!  After the lunch, the wine bottles will be recycled.  Maybe some of the employees will take a centerpiece and leave it in their office. =)

sneak peek: client’s wedding invitations

Here’s a sneak peek of a wedding invitation I’m working on.  The clients wanted their invitations similar to ours and here’s part of their map:

And here is what the real venue looks like:

Another couple of weeks and they’ll be finalized and ready to go!

Etsy shop

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started this little blog.  I was hesitant and a bit scared to put myself out there, but with the support and encouragement from my family and friends, I finally did it.  I still remember when I got my first subscriber.  I was so happy and told Mel, “Someone’s following me!!”  =)  To this day, I still get uber excited when I get a new subscriber.  So to all 49 of you…THANK YOU!!!! =)

As the blog developed, the more I wanted to create an Etsy shop.  If you’re not familiar with Etsy, it’s a website where people can buy or sell handmade items such as arts and crafts.  So with more encouragement from family and friends (I love them so dearly), my little shop is officially open!

www.etsy.com/shop/msTapioca

Now I just have to list my first item for sale.  If I don’t sell too many items, that’s OK.  At least I tried and I’m sure it’s going to be a fun learning experience.  When (if) I sell my first item, I know it’ll be just as exciting as when I got that first blog subscriber. =)

Stay tuned…

favorite salad

A few months ago, I was flying out of the Burbank, California airport and I had the ABSOLUTE BEST salad of my life.  Since then, I’ve thought about that salad quite often.  Probably at least once a week…no joke.  Mel probably thinks I’m crazy because I’ll randomly say, “I want some of that salad.”  I ordered the Mexican salad but instead of the jalapeno dressing, I had the creamy Asian dressing.  I’m sure it’s just as good with the jalapeno dressing. =)

I tried recreating the salad but it’s hard to find the perfect creamy Asian dressing.  However, it’s still pretty darn good and even Mel enjoys it!

Salad Ingredients:

• romaine lettuce
• sweet corn
• turkey
• bacon (oooooooh yeeeea)
• guacamole
• cheese of your choice (I used American)
• cherry tomatoes (I don’t like tomatoes)
• tortilla strips salad toppings

Salad Dressing:

Trader Joe’s Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette is good, but I’m still searching for a better one.  In the meantime, I’m using my other favorite dressing:

• Newman’s Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing + brown suguar

• Mix in a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

• Shake it, shake it, shake it!

The KEY to making this salad so good (and probably any other salad) is all about execution.  Throw all the ingredients and dressing into a large mixing bowl and use a pair of cooking tongs to mix it all together.

So if you’re ever in Terminal A at the Burback airport, go to the cafe that serves fresh salads made to order.  Gosh, I can’t wait to go back to that airport…

ENJOY!!