Not So Homemade: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Follow Me on Instagram

So my BFF Nichole had told me about this iPhone app Instagram.

I finally went to download it and turns out I already had it.
It was one of those apps I had downloaded but never used.

So now I have an Instagram!
Follow me for photo updates of my life...
If searching from your phone, my username is notsohomemade.

Like the sunrise I see on my way home after working a night shift...

Or the yummy frozen yogurt piled with fruit I love to eat...

Or my view from a concert I attended...

Or a photo I took of the cheerleaders I coach...

I'm fairly new at it and I'm trying to remember to photograph meaningful moments.

But check out the new sidebar widget I added for more updates!

And you should TOTALLY check out/follow Nichole's!
If you're searching from your phone, her username is mrslavespere.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Banana Pudding Pie & 10/26 What's Cooking Wednesday

I know, I know...

I missed last week.

But to be fair I was out of town.

Plus my kitchen is out of commission while I do a little remodeling.
Check out the LOVELY harvest gold countertops I'm working with.

Can we say UGLY?
Don't worry... they're fixed now....
But you'll have to wait until it's totally finished to see the ending results :)

Anyways, enough about that.
It's time for this week's recipe!

I had the idea in mind when I saw these Nilla wafer crusts at the store.

What I did was layer some sliced bananas at the bottom.

Most recipes I saw called for 2 vanilla puddings.
Instead, I used 1 vanilla and 1 banana cream.

I mixed both pudding boxes with 2 cups of milk.
Mix until it gets to a thick consistency.
Use a mixer if you've got it.
Which I don't.
So I had to do it by hand.

Then I added 1 cup of whipped topping.

I spread that over the sliced bananas.

Then spread some more whipped topping over that.

Then decorated with Mini Nilla Wafers.
I love these things!
They're so cute!

Refrigerate for a few hours so it can set.
Then... Enjoy!
It was really good!
Although it does pretty much fall apart when you try to slice it.

Now for a few of last week's favorites!

Check out these DELICIOUS Pizza Sandwiches over at Young & Crafty!

And WHAT? Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies over at Small Town Life... YUM!

I LOVE these Jack-O-Lantern Burgers over at Tomatoes & Apple Pie!

Now.... It's time to see what you have been cooking up lately!

Add as many recipes as you'd like!

Look for featured ones next week too!
Your recipe could be a favorite!

Grab the NEW button and share with others!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Back in the Day...

Want to meet the younger me?

I thought I'd share some baby/younger pictures of me.

Baby Courtney:

Yea, I know... adorable right?

I swear... Did I EVER have clothes on Mom?

Yea.... don't ask.

Me and my 2 cousins.
We grew up together.

Oh 90s clothes... stay where you belong... and never come back!

5th grade in our neighborhood Mardi Gras Parade.
Yep, rocking the bleach streaks.
I was the coolest 10 year old.

Summer before 8th grade...
Nice sunburn huh?

Cheerleading Competition in Texas in 8th grade.
Hence the SUPER curly hair.
And if you look close, you can see my black eye.
You should've seen the other girl.
Just kidding.
It wasn't a fight.
Just another cheerleading injury.
That's a dangerous sport!

Cheering my sophomore year of high school.
I'm the one on the right.

Well that's just a little flashback into my life.
Hope you enjoyed a trip down memory lane with me!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Soup & Enchiladas & 10/12 What's Cooking Wednesday

I know, I know... REALLY late getting this done!

So no new recipe from me this week.
:(

But I did cook a few past recipes I've featured.

{Wanna hear something pretty pathetic?
I have to use the search tab on the top left sidebar to search for the recipes I've posted.
Because I'm TERRIBLE at remembering recipes!}

The first thing I made was Cheesy Enchiladas.
No picture, but it was OH SO GOOD!
Seriously, it never gets old.
And believe me.
It's just me in my house now.
So I have leftovers galore.
I was eating this stuff for DAYS!
And it was just as good every time!

The second thing I made was Coq a Vin Soup!

Mmmmm.... LOVE this soup!
I've still got leftovers for later :)
It's got a nice richness that's PERFECT for fall!

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So.... now it's time for a few of LAST WEEK's favorites!

Check out these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes over at Vibrant Serenity.
Makes me excited for Thanksgiving!

Oh. My. Goodness.
Look at these Lobster Rolls at Everywhere Orange... Looks SO GOOD!

And these Walnut Roca Squares over at Cook Lisa Cook look DELICIOUS!
Looks like the perfect sweet tooth dessert :)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Updated Bulletin Board

So I had gotten this bulletin board YEARS ago.
I had actually gotten 2 and given one as a Christmas gift.
I knew I'd want to do something with it myself.

It sat in my closet forEVER, waiting for some love.
I would occasionally glance upon it, wondering how I could give it a new life.
You see, purple is NOT my color.
Doesn't match anything I have.
But ever bulletin board deserves a second chance, right?

So fast forward a long time.
When I moved into my new house, it's purpose became clear.
And it finally got it's long-awaited makeover.

The first thing I did was get rid of the purple!
Then I added the fabric that will be coordinating with my craft room.
(you may remember this fabric from the front porch makeover a while back)
I didn't have any skinny ribbon but I did have some thick ribbon I used.
It's hard to see but I kept the silver pins.
This is great to tuck in messages, reminders, bills, etc.

For the other side, I ditched the photo thing.
I didn't need it and it could have a better purpose in life.
So I cut a piece of white scrapbook paper the size of the square.
I chose white because I wanted a neutral background.
Now I have a great dry erase board!
The glass is perfect to jot notes on and cleans SUPER easy!

I love repurposing old, unusable items into new, functional items!

Have you repurposed anything lately?

Don't forget to stop by and link up your recipes to this week's WCW!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Cajun Grilled Shrimp & 10/5 What's Cooking Wednesday

WHAT?

Yes. It's back.

What's Cooking Wednesdays is back!

I know, I know... it's been 4 months.

But hey, I've been working on getting back into the groove of things!

Anyways, I have a delicious southern dish to share with you guys today!

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But real quick.... shameless plug :)

Not So Homemade on Facebook is only 2 fans away from 100 fans!

You should stop by and become a fan... it would make my day!

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Ok... now onto the good stuff.... COOKING!

So I can't claim total credit for this recipe.

I saw it last year in one of my Taste of Home magazines.

Only I omitted some stuff.

But here you go...

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

First melt 1/4 cup butter.

Please excuse my lack of "pretty" bowls.

Tupperware is the extent of my small dishes.

Then add in 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning (like Tony Chachere's).

Add 1/4 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder.

Mix well.

Add your shrimp to your grill.

Now I don't have a grill so I'm using one of those lean mean fat grilling machines.

Larger shrimp is also better, this is just all I had.

You could also skewer the shrimp to cook it.

Drizzle the shrimp with some of the sauce, making sure to save some to use as a dip.

Grill until fully cooked, usually only a few minutes.

Then, ENJOY!

I love this recipe because it's got that spiciness that's perfect for me.

It's not "call the fire department" hot.

Just has that little kick we Cajuns down here in Louisiana like!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

garage sale finds

So my mom, my friend Nichole, my mom's friend and her 7 year old son (he LOVES garage sales) and I went garage sale-ing yesterday.

Want to see my finds?

A wreath, some pumpkins, vintage mason jars, a spice rack, and lots of clothes!

Price breakdown:

The clothes were one of those "fill a bag for $5" things. I got 2 dresses, 3 shirts, 2 skirts, a pair of leggings, a pair of sweatpants, and a sweater pull over (plus a pair of jeans my mom got and Nichole got a pair of leggings plus 2 shirts). --- $5.00

Large wreath --- $1.00

3 craft pumpkins (they are going in my living room as fall decorations!) --- $0.50

3 Vintage blue Mason Jars @ $1.00 each (I got these to match the blue I plan on doing in my kitchen... they also are collector items I found out!) --- $3.00

Empty spice rack, missing one jar (I plan on using this in my craft room for storage... I've been looking for something like this for a while now!) --- $2.00

Total --- $11.50!

I'm pretty happy with my finds!

Do you go to garage sales?

What's your best find?