Simple Fall Wreath

I love to decorate for Fall and lately, I'm all about wreaths.

I got a few things at The Dollar Tree and had some stuff at home already and spent 2 hours putting this little cutie together.  For me, the simpler and plainer the better, but you could totally deck this out with all kinds of fall leaves, pumpkins, gourds....there are tons of cute inexpensive things you could get to make it your own.

For this little diddy you'll need:
-a 12-14 inch wreath form, I used straw because it's cheap!
-2 fat quarters
-hot glue
-scrapbook paper
-sticker letters
-twine
-various decorations; leaves, crows, owls, scarecrows, etc. from the Dollar Tree

Cut the fat quarters into 9 long strips, and then cut those in half so that you have 18 short, squatty strips.Wrap each strip around the wreath attaching with hot glue. Embellish with all manner of fall decor!  I used an owl from Dollar Tree and a few leaves from there too.  I had a strand of berries already and I just cut a length for fun.

Before this, I'd never made any sort of banner. I mean, isn't that the kind of thing you just order off Etsy? After many, many tries, I couldn't get my triangles right.  Literally.could.not.

I had a good cry and put a Silhouette Cameo on my Christmas list.

Ready to forge ahead, I made the shape you see above.  I'm sure it has a proper name, but I don't know what it is.  I cut the paper in to 4-inch by 2-inch strips, cut a triangle out of the bottom (those turned out fine, wouldn't you know), and wrapped the top around the twine, sealing it with hot glue.  Since my paper was black and my letters were black, I needed a coordinating paper to offset the letters.

To hang the wreath, I took an extra fat quarter strip and used sewing pins to attach it to the back.  About 5 pins on each side of the strip.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

<3
Donna

Rotisserie Chicken Series: Doritos Casserole

I had you at 'Doritos'.

 Amiright?

It's not often that I have Doritos laying around. When I do, it's a problem. Doritos are a childhood favorite. I think because they were my dad's favorite. He's all healthy now, so he would probably scoff at them now-a-days. Doritos are my comfort food. I turn to them when I'm sad, or happy, or stressed, or bored, or when I'm procrastinating. It's a problem! I can't have these bad boys in the house unless I am truly craving them.

Enter Doritos Casserole.

I've seen recipes floating around Pinterest for a long time, so I finally decided to give it a go. The recipe, as is, is a little spicy for little kids. My 3 year old, who normally eats anything, cried. Poor baby. She got to have yogurt and a hug instead.

I think the Rotel tomatoes I used had a little zing to them, so if you want to avoid tears at the dinner table, you could substitute plain diced tomatoes and use your favorite salsa to spice up your own portion.

Doritos Casserole- barely adapted from blogchef.net

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about half a rotisserie chicken)
2 cups shredded cheddar or mexican cheese blend (divided)
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk
½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (drained)
½ packet taco seasoning
1 large bag Doritos
Shredded lettuce (optional)
diced tomato (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together shredded chicken, 1 cup of cheese, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, Ro-tel tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Mix well.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish, and add a layer of crushed Doritos across the bottom. Top with a layer of the chicken mixture. Add another layer of crushed Doritos, and then add another layer of the chicken mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

Cover and place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-25 minutes until bubbling hot. Remove from the oven and top with more crushed Doritos. Top with lettuce and tomato if you like.

Thus concludes my Rotisserie Chicken Series. I wasn't that great about posting as much as I wanted to, so it's time for a fresh start!

See you soon!

 ~Donna