Strawberry Chicken Salad Recipe & More

Eating lite is something everyone thinks about when the new year starts.  You can include me in that club.  I'm back to drinking more of my apple and cinnamon metabolism boosting water.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be a major pain.  Take this strawberry salad I whipped up.  Fast and ummmm, is it delicious.  I love fresh baby spinach in my salad. You know if you're eating something so green it has to be good for you, but really it's the taste that gets me - love it!  Here's a picture before the salad dressing gets added.

Now just look how appetizing it looks with the salad dressing. Un-hun!!

Let me tell you it's so easy to make.  Here's the recipe:

Water is a natural detoxifier. We all know that we should be drinking about eight 8-ounces of water daily to flush toxins from our body, but I don't really enjoy water plus I have a cocoa-cola addiction.  I also don't care for bottled flavored water, but I honesty love this apple cinnamon water.  I've been drinking it for a few months now.  It's helped me cut a lot of coke out of my diet.

This is so simple your cat could do it.  Well, maybe not but it's really simple.  All the recipes I've read don't include the step of boiling the cinnamon water, but I found it made the flavor a little bit more pronounced.  This beverage has a very subtle favor even then.  And I love breathing in the scent every time I take a sip.  Here's the recipe:

I gained a few pounds over the holidays with all the goodies around.  I'm not about to cut all of the sweets out, but I am trying to clean up my diet a little.  That with the added walking and the sit-ups I've been doing every night, should put me back on track and is doable.  Plus, it makes me feel better.

Did any of you gain weight over the holidays?  If so, are you doing anything to lose it?  Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your tips.

Have a blessed Sunday and enjoy Y'all...

Six days you are to do your work but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.

                                      ~ Exodus 23:12

Win a Honeywell True HEPA Air Purifier Review and Giveaway

Disclosure:  I received the following product from Honeywell to facilitate my review. As always all opinions are 100% my own.

Did everyone get what they wanted for Christmas?  My kitty Izzy got a Honeywell Air Purifier.  Look how proud he is!

Just kidding.  It's more for us than Izzy.  With 4 cats and a dog we can use an air purifier, don't you think?  Lucky for me Honeywell sent me a small room air purifier to review. Lucky for you too.  You know what that means....

GIVEAWAY!!! 

First, more on my review:

I have allergies.  I know, no wonder with all those animals right.  Well I also live in "Pollenville" Florida, with lots of Oak trees and more surrounding my house.  So having a purifier makes perfect sense.  

Honeywell sent me the Small Room purifier with

True HEPA Allergen Remover

Let's talk size:
I really like the compact size of the Honeywell True HPA060 Tower Purifier. It's just right for my laundry room, where by the way I keep the cat litter box.  Cha-ching - score for me and the cats!  Pee-eww!!!  That room's just down a short hallway from my bedroom.  We're sleeping a whole lot better now.  Here's the compact measurements:

• Height: 15"
• Width: 6-1/2"
• Depth: 9-1/2"
• Weight: 8.5 pounds

Don't let its compact size fool you.  You can improve the air in a room up to 75 sq. ft. with this hard working purifier.

The HEPA filter reduces odors and captures up to 99.97% of particles from the air to effectively remove airborne dust, pet dander, smoke, mold spores and pollen, and features 3 power levels for customized use.  You can see for yourself just how compact the size. Notice the small devotional and my 8" x 11-1/2" chromebook that I placed so you could see the scale of the purifier.  Small right!

Controls:

It's so easy to operate with the backlit manual control knob. Simply select the desired cleaning level by turning the knob. With 3 cleaning levels, General Clean, Germs, and Allergens it takes the guess work out of setting it. With a simple turn of the knob you can set it to fight cold and flu germs and when allergy season is here, up it to maximize it's performance.

Plus it's size makes it so easy to move it around.

There's even an electronic filter replacement reminder.  It lets you know when it's time to change it.  Love things that make my life simple! 

Yep, Izzy seems almost as happy as I am.

This would work really well for dorm rooms and those stinky teenagers.  (snicker).

This isn't my first review for Honeywell Products.  You can read my review about the awesome Honeywell QuietSet Whole Room Tower Fan HERE.  I love that fan.  I'm not kidding. Living in Florida we use it 9 months or more out of the year. Yes, we have central air and a ceiling fan in the bedroom but using the tower fan keeps that air circulating and cuts down on our a/c bill.  It's light weight, oscillates and has a handle making it easy to move from room to room.  Plus it's slender size and shape makes it easy find a spot for it.

Buy It:
You can purchase the Honeywell HPA060 True HEPA Compact Tower Air Purifier with Allergen Remover at Honeywell Clean Air for $99.95.
Follow Honeywell Plugged In on Facebook and Twitter.

Win It:
How would you like to win one for yourself or someone special?  Honeywell is generously offering to give one Cotton Pickin Cute reader their own.  Just use the Giveaway Tools form below to enter.

Entry-Form

**Be sure to click HERE and enter to win the Brylane Home Deep Fryer with Warming Tray giveaway.

Good Luck and Good Health Y'all...

Miss Tracy's Cotton Pickin Cute Simmering Potpourri

I love it when my house smells good.  One of the best and easiest, I might add, ways to do that is with simmering potpourri.  It's really nice to have a comforting scent filling your home on a cold winters day.

First, head out to the forest and fruit groves to forge for your ingredients.  Or maybe NOT! Just kidding, why not just try your local market/grocery store and your own pantry.  All you need are a few ingredients. 

In this batch I used:
1/2 orange
1/2 apple
1/2 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
approx 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
approx 1 teaspoon whole cloves
Water

Simply slice your fruit, you want to keep the peeling on.  Using ground cinnamon isn't necessary but I like to get that cinnamon scent right away.  Drop in a cinnamon stick and a few cloves and add water.  Once the liquid heats up, I turn it to simmer. You'll want to keep a check on it, and just add more water as it dissipates.

*Since I use a little pot, I fill it up to the top, but 2 cups of water is about right for a 2 quart pot.  If you're using a 2 qt pot, you could use more fruit as well.

My little little soup pots are perfect for simmering on my stove.

Get creative:
Add other items from your kitchen to change it up a bit.  Here are just a few things you can try:
Liquid Vanilla or Vanilla Beans
Dried Bay Leaves
Nutmeg
Cranberries
Pears
Dried Mint
All Spice
Dried Pomegranate Rind
Small Pine Tree Sprigs
Tiny pinecones

You can use this batch several times, no need to toss it right out.  I usually put a lid on it and use it again the next day.  To last even longer store it in the fridge.

As a gift:
Homemade potpourri makes a wonderful gift.  By just adding a few ingredients to a mason jar or even a ziplock bag, you have an affordable and much appreciated gift. If you want to add sliced fruit to your mason jar, the fruit will need to be completely dried out first.  You can do this in one of two ways. I have a dehydrator that I use but you can also dry them in your oven.  Simply pat dry on a paper towel and place slices on a rack or cookie sheet in the oven on the lowest temperature. *Check them often while moving them around so they don't burn. 

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
~ 2 corinthians 2:15

Have a blessed Sunday Y'all...

Giveaway - Brylane Home Deep Fryer Review and Giveaway

Disclaimer:  I received the following product from BrylaneHome to facilitate my review and giveaway.  As always all opinions are 100% my own.  Thanks to the #sponsor for providing this package. 

We're two holidays down with only News Years left to go in the crazy busy holiday season, but that doesn't mean the gift giving has to stop.

Thanks to BrylaneHome, Julie and I are collaborating again to bring you another awesome giveaway with our latest reviews.

Just in case you've been off the planet for a while let me give you a little BrylaneHome schooling.  BrylaneHome was created in 1998 to make it easy for you to decorate your home with today's latest styles, colors, and designs - at year 'round White Sale prices.

At BrylaneHome you'll find everything from decorative home items to personal items and everything in-between.  They even have your pets covered.

BrylaneHome makes shopping and paying easy.  You can apply for a brylaneHome credit card and take 20% off your highest priced item when you use your card. Plus defer your payment for 90 days.

Sign up to get the latest offers and promotions in your inbox and get FREE shipping on your first time purchase over $70.

When BrylaneHome asked me chose a product to review, I already had one in mind.  This old Southern house was hurtin' for some fried chicken and I was hurtin' for a better way to cook it.  Who needs the mess of using a frying pan? So I quickly asked to review the Deep Fryer with Warming Tray.

This was a great choice.  There's the easy to read LED dashboard for one.  It's simple to operate with a select button to set the temperature or time.  By hitting the plus/minus buttons you can raise or lower the temperature or time.  Last but not least is your power button.  Above the LED screen you find a temperature guide for all your basic fried foods.

This is no little fry baby.  I was able to fry a 1/2 a chicken in one shot.

One of the pains of trying to get dinner on the table is having everything warm at same time.  We all know that fried food just isn't the same when it's cold.  That's why this warming drawer has to be my favorite feature.  The warming tray even held 1/2-a-chicken.

When I tested the fryer out I wanted to see how the warming drawer would work out.  So once the chicken was fried, into the warming drawer it went, while I moved on to frying the squash and mushrooms.  Let me tell you having that tray made all the difference.  Everything was warm and delicious.  I was a happy homemaker.  Neil may have been even happier than me.

The heating element kept the oil at the precise temperature for what I was frying.

Look at how beautiful my veggies turned out!

I don't think my fried chicken has ever come out so crisp and good.  The basket made it so easy and there were no blackened spots from laying against the bottom of the frying pan.  I hated the mess of frying so much before that I gave it up.  When we wanted chicken, we'd go out.  Now, with my new deep fryer, we're back in the fried chicken business again! We'll be having it once a week now.

The features, like the splatter protection lid with a window for viewing and grease filter, the adjustable temperature, digital display, and cool touch handle make this an all around great kitchen appliance.  The removable parts make it a dream to clean and a bit of a life saver.  I can now keep my Southern badge of Deep Frying.  Plus the stainless steel housing is not only easy to clean, it keeps the counter attractive.

I bet you'd like to win one.  Well, keep reading - we're getting to that.

First I want to tell you about a few of BrylaneHome's other items, like the Betty Multi Piece Comforter Set - Sale From: $24.00 - $109.99.  This is the same bedding set Julie reviewed. You really should go checkout her review.  Julies a great seamstress.  I mean really good!  Which means she can attest to the quality of an item like this.  When I buy a fabric item, I want to know about more than just it's beauty.  I want to know about the quality, how it's made, does it have good stitching. Is the size generous?  Read Julie's review and let her answer these questions for you.  You'll be able to gain extra entries in the giveaway by visiting Julie's blog Mamawj's Moment Away.

Take a look at this beautiful bath collection.  Click over to The Sequins Bath Collection and see a close up.  The sequin circles are so pretty.  Love it!  The tans and blues have that wonderful beach look and the shiny sequins remind me of seashells.  I don't need a shower curtain and I'm wanting this one.  Maybe I'll have to get the towel and accessory set instead.  Priced great from $9 - $34.

I already have a Laundry 3-Bin Sorter similar to this, but this one looks sturdier and the bags are better tailored than mine, plus I like the color.  If you don't have one of these, seriously get one!!  It will make your laundry work so much easier.  As soon as Neil and I get undressed we toss our clothes into the appropriate bin.  That means no sorting laundry on wash day for me.  Yippeeee!!

BrylaneHome even has beautiful accent furniture like this Naples Hall Tree.  This is a great way to store all those shoes and coats to keep things neat by the front door and it's so pretty.

And why not check out their Holiday items while you're there. Finally an answer to my cord problems.  I've complained all season about all the extension cords from having wreaths in my EIGHT windows and TWO columns.  That's a lot of ugly cord mess.  Not a problem with BrylaneHome's Cordless Battery-Operated LED 30" Christmas Pine Wreath.
Originally $59.99 - Sale $24.99 / Save 58%

Oh' BrylaneHome, PLEASE make my wishes all come true and send me ten of these, so I can show them off and keep my sanity.

Now, how can you win a BrylaneHome Deep Fryer for yourself?  Easy just use this simple Giveaway Tools entry form below.  Ends 1/15/14 @ 10pm EST.

Entry-Form

After you enter this awesome giveaway be sure to stick around and enter my Swiss Colony giveaway HERE and my Ryans/Old Country Buffet/ Hometown Buffet featuring the game CLUE HERE.  You'll want to check out Julie's other giveaways too.  She's like the giveaway Santa right now!!!

Happy Sweeping Y'all...

Family Game Night with Ryans/HomeTown/Old Country Buffets Giveaway

Disclaimer:  I received the following product from Ryan’s^®,HomeTown^® Buffet and Old Country Buffet^®  and Hasbro to facilitate my review and giveaway.  As always all opinions are 100% my own.  Thanks to the #sponsor for providing this package. 

Ryan’s^®,HomeTown^® Buffet and Old Country Buffet^® want to clue you in on some family fun they're promoting during the month of December.

Thursday nights are Family Night at these family friendly restaurants every month, but during the month of December they partnered with Hasbro, the makers of CLUE, the classic mystery game. Every Thursday evening from 5-8pm there will be Clue themed activities for families to enjoy.  

If you stop in and dine this month, you will receive some great money saving coupons good on your next visit thru January 15, 2014.  

During their CLUE board game promotion you'll receive a 10% product discount at HasbroToyShop.com, and you also have a chance to win a $500 gift card!!  Plus, you definitely want to enter to win a free trip to Singer Castle on Dark Island in New York, worth $10,000!!! 

It's a giveaway BONANZA!!

We took a short road trip to Waycross, GA to visit our nearest Ryans.  I love road trips.  It's easy to find a location near you. Just visit the visit one of these websites and search for your zipcode:

• Ryans
• HomeTown Buffet
• Old County Buffets

We couldn't have had a better dining experience.  The staff at Ryans was gracious and helpful, i.e...everything you want for a pleasant night out.  When I mentioned that we were from out of town, the manager Nicole, who showed us to our table, even offered to give us a tour.  How's that for accommodating?  Our server Amanda, took very good care of us, filling our glasses and bread basket before we ever ran out. Neil hates to sit with an empty glass.

The fact that it's "All you can eat and drink - for one LOW PRICE" makes it a great place to take the whole family. Thursdays are even a better bargain because kids under 12 eat for ONLY .99 cents!!!  Now that's family affordable.

I love buffets because I can chose exactly what I want and have a taste of everything.  Who says I can't have a steak and pizza too. :)  And oh' my gosh, those rolls - well I could make a meal off of them alone!!

Ryans had a large selection of foods to choose from including:

roast beef, ham, ribs, seafood, chicken - fried and roasted, tacos, pizza, spaghetti and more.  

Of course you can't pass up the dessert bar.  With choices like chocolate cake, carrot cake, a mile high coconut cream pie, pumpkin pies, cheesecake, cookies, candies, and ice-cream, there is bound to be more than one thing you'll add to your plate.  Plus on Thursdays Family Nights they even have Cotton Candy!  And yes, I had desert and still left with a fresh cone of Cotton Candy in my my hand.  Have you ever eaten Cotton Candy in the South, the land of humidity?  Eat it fast before it melts. haha.  I love me some Cotton Candy!

As you'll read in Julie's review some locations even have balloons, FREE fun game sheets, game tables of foosball, a drop box to enter to win a prize and more.  I didn't see any of that at my location, but I did see a lot of satisfied people enjoying a night out with their families.  There was group of at least 20 family members having a reunion at a table near us. They were having a great time!

Clue has a new twist.  The classic mansion murder game now has a second crime scene.  The gameboard is two sided the mansion is on one side and a boardwalk on the other.  Just flip the board over for twice the fun!!  Neil and I did just that.  We played a double game while having snacks with a glass of cold apple cider.  When it's 80 degrees outside cold sounds better than hot, even by the glow of the Christmas tree. :)

Here's a holiday tip from me:  After Christmas is done and you're tired and worn out from cooking and cleaning, give yourself a break.  By then you're probably sick of ham and turkey, so why not head out to Ryans, HomeTown Buffet, or Old Country buffet Thursday night for a little bit of steak and everything else you can think of.  And if you don't want to cook for Christmas day, they've got you cover.  You'll find them open that day too from 12pm -6pm, serving all the holiday favorites.

The GIVEAWAY:

One Cotton Pickin Cute reader is going to win a prize pack that includes a family pack of four meal passes to Ryans/HomeTown/Old Country Buffets and the Hasbro CLUE Board Game - that's a $60 value!!

To enter just follow the easy instructions on the "Giveaway Tools" form below.  Be sure to leave a comment - that's the only mandatory entry - but you can up your chances by completing the addition entries.  

The giveaway will end Jan 1, 2014 at 11:59 EST.

**My blogging cohort, Julie over at Mamawj's Moment Away is having the same giveway there.  I hope you'll head over and enter hers as well and read her wonderful review about Ryan's and CLUE.  You'll even receive extra entries on my giveaway by just entering hers.  Hows that for upping your chances of winning one of these terrific prize packs.

Be sure to enter my other giveaways.  You can find them listed on the sidebar.

Entry-Form

Good Luck and Merry Christmas Y'all...

DIY Christmas Pallet Art Craft

Do you need one more project for last minute Christmas decorating.  I have one or two here.

You probably have just enough time to knock this baby out, all with things you can find right around your home.

Look around your house and see what you have that can spark your creativity.

After sitting my Santas out I need something in the middle with some height.  What to do, what to do?  I found one of these tacky little christmas trees in a plastic bucket sitting around.  I wasn't about to sit out untouched, as is.  I tore it out of the foam and looked at it like "what the heck am I gonna do with a wire post".  Inspiration struck when I went digging in Neil's room of weird treasures.

That's were I found this vintage cast iron bell holder. I love that it's stamped PHILA. PA and that it has that lovely scroll work!!  Upside down the hole was perfect for holding my tree. I just stuck a couple of styrofoam balls in to hold it up right.  I love it!!!

Remember when decorating balance is important.  Using lifts is a great way to achieve height.  One of my Santas was much smaller than the other.  They don't need to be the same size but more in scale than these really are.  By sitting the one Santa on a block of foam covered with a piece of scrap gingham fabric and sitting it in a basket basket, it's now more in scale.

Remember to just play with what you have and you'll be surprised how things come together.  I added a wrapped gift and these adorable pop-up cards to fill empty space.

Here's a simple tutorial to make your own pallet plaques.

The steps to making the pallet plaques, if that's what you call it, couldn't be more simple.

1. Grab a some old fence boards, saw, hammer, nails, clamps and gorilla glue.
2. Decide how big your plaques should be.  I used the bread size Christmas plates, so I made my plaques about 10"x14".
3. I didn't have any glue at the times so I layed 3 boards side by side face down.  On the back I used 2 paint paddles and nailed each board.  You know my motto - "Get 'er done" with whatever you have, do or die.  The nails were too long, so once I turned the plaque over I just snipped off the tips of the nails. **If you have gorilla glue just skip this step and glue the planks together side-by-side and clamp till dry.  I did come back and add glue later.
4. To make the hanger on the back I added 2 tiny tacks and wrapped floral wire between them.
5. I didn't want my plates attached permanently because I'd like to change them out later for a summer feel.  To solve that issue I made homemade hangers by snipping paper clips in half and then attached them to the plate with a combination of gorilla glue and hot glue to hold in place and then cover them with a bit of felt.

And that's how you create pallet art work on a zero budget.

I have to admit the pallet and plate art wasn't my idea but I think I made it my own for Christmas.  I got the idea from April at House By Hoff.  She's one super creative gal, be sure to stop by and see for yourself.  You can see her pallet art tutorial that I pinned HERE.  

Hey, don't leave yet.  If you enjoy that DIY project, click HERE to checkout my Hot Cocoa Beverage Bar. 

Be sure to enter my Swiss Colony - Make entertaining easy giveaway HERE.

Merry Christmas Y'all...

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

                  ~ Proverbs 18:10