Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup

you know those lazy nights when you don't feel like cooking...so you pick up a rotisserie chicken from the market, serve it up with some rice and veggies and call it good? (aka: every night of my life)

well, we know these nights all too well, but we are a small group and we never seem to finish the meal. while this makes a tasty and healthy meal, sometimes it's a bit boring to have it 2 nights in a row, so i came up a nice leftover over chicken & rice soup.  the lemons make it taste fresh and it's a nice soup for springy weather.

WHAT YOU NEED...
-LEFT OVER CHOPPED CHICKEN (ABOUT 2 CUPS)
-LEFT OVER BROWN OR WHITE RICE (ABOUT 1 CUP)
-LEFT OVER/PRE COOKED VEGGIES (ASPARAGUS AND CARROTS WORK NICELY)
- 1 LEMON ZESTED AND JUICED
- 1 LEMON THINLY SLICED
-SALT & PEPPER
-6 CUPS OF CHICKEN STOCK
-3 CHALETS (ONE DICED, 2 CHOPPED IN LARGE CHUNKS)
-1/2 TEASPOON ITALIAN SEASONING
-OLIVE OIL
-FRESH DILL (OPTIONAL, BUT YUMMY)

WHAT YOU DO...
-heat some olive oil in a soup pot (just a swirl around the pan is enough) and then add the diced onions (chalets) and add some salt and pepper (a few shakes of both) and let the chalets cook and sizzle. stir and shake them around a bit, then add the lemon slices. let the onions and lemons caramelize.
-when the onions are transparent and the lemons are soft, add the water, chicken stock, lemon juice and lemon zest, and the italian seasoning and big chunks of chalets. bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
-add the rice, veggies, and chicken. let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
-add a few stems of fresh chopped dill and serve.
add salt and pepper to taste.
ENJOY!

Around Here

There is nothing better than a sunny day in Seattle. There's inspiration at every corner. It's simply lovely. 

 XOXO Brittany

Jewelry Sale!

BAUBLES ON SALE! 

We've decided to simplify our inventory a little.  We like to support local artisans and their handmade jewelry and accessories, so we are clearing out all of our current selection of baubles!

30% off all jewelry with discount code: JEWELRY30 

Woodland Chocolate Cake

On Easter Sunday, I was asked to bring dessert to brunch with friends. I wanted to make a cake...but an easy one! I don't do complicated cooking or baking. I just don't. 

I made this "Woodland Chocolate Cake" using some "semi-homemade" tricks to keep it simple, but still tasting like it was made from scratch.

I started with a box cake. Any brand "Devil's Food Cake" will do. But rather than just follow the directions on the box, I used a box of chocolate instant pudding, chocolate chips and sour cream and altered the other ingredients. See recipe and instructions below...

I love leaving the sides of the cake uncovered. It gives it a rustic look, and you don't have to worry about perfectly smoothing frosting all around. What the cake lacks in frosting on the sides, is more than made up for by thick layers of frosting through the middle! 

 I decorated the cake with a plastic bunny that I spray painted gold, several days before, and fresh floral buds found at the market.

THE CAKE:

1 BOX DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE MIX

1 BOX CHOCOLATE JELL-O INSTANT PUDDING 

4 EGGS

1 CUP MILK

1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP SOUR CREAM

1 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS

In a large mixing bowl, beat or whisk together all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips, with an electric hand mixer. Mix until smooth, although the batter will be very thick. Much thicker than regular cake batter. Once smooth, gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Poor Batter into 2 greased cake pans (I used 9 inch round cake pans)

bake 26 - 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. 

(bake acceding to instructions on cake box depending on size and shape of pans)

Let cakes cool completely to room temperature before frosting. (this is really hard for me to do, because frosting the cake is the best part and I can't wait!!)

I made a simple, vanilla almond butter cream frosting. For me, the extra time is well worth a delicious homemade frosting!!

THE FROSTING:

4 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR

2 STICKS SOFTENED BUTTER

5-6 TABLESPOONS HEAVY CREAM

2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

2 TEASPOONS ALMOND EXTRACT

In a mixing bowl, whip butter with a hand mixer till smooth, then add 2 cups powdered sugar. Continue to blend sugar and butter till all the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the last 2 cups of sugar and the cream, vanilla and almond extract. Blend well with hand mixer. You can easily make the frosting thicker or thinner depending on your preference by adding more sugar or more cream.

OK, truth be told, I had to make 2 batches of this frosting, because I went a little heavy on the frosting layers!! 

Once cake is cooled, slice each round in half through the middle, making 4 thin cake rounds.  Layer a good helping of frosting in-between each cake round. 

The cake is rich and dense because of the pudding and chocolate chips, but the frosting is light and sweet to balance it out nicely. 

I'm not gonna lie...you might have a major sugar rush after you eat a slice, and you will not achieve a thigh gap if you eat this every day. 

But it's good. Real good.

XOXO, Brittany

living room dreams

we seriously need an entertainment center upgrade. we've had this piece of junk black one for a loooooong time, and it's time for it to find a new place to live. but…it's one of those things that's not really, truly a necessity and there's always other things that need to be replaced first, rather than the ugly box beneath the television. because, ugly as it may be…it's functional. 

so…during my online search for a new one (hypothetically) i found a whole lot of other great stuff for the living room too! (hypothetically)

i am on such a mid century kick right now (yeah..like everyone else)  but brandon hates mid century modern. he thinks it looks like crap in old people's houses. hahah…yep…it does, and that's why its brilliant!! so…somehow we will have to come to a middle ground. (a mid century middle ground)

here's a little mood board i put together, and then helpfully i can recreate it in my real living room using similar, and price friendlier pieces, because some of the best pieces i find are over my budget. 

where to find it all:

NIXON SOFA

MID CENTURY MEDIA CONSOLE

NESTING TABLES

BASKET & WOVEN STOOL

TRIPOD LAMP

SHELVING UNIT

CHEVRON RUG

FLORAL RUG

SILVER FLOOR LAMP

PAINTINGS 

**jenny vorwaller is my favorite aritst right now!! she's a local seattle artist…so it makes me feel cool. (cooler than i actually am) i've seen her paintings displayed down down, and the colors are gorgeous. i don't know much about art. nothing actually… but i really like her work. she sells prints via society 6, which is great for finding affordable, quality prints**

spring beauty

every spring it's always nice to freshen up! fresh wardrobe pieces, accessories, a good old spring cleaning in your home, and some fresh beauty products too!

take a look at our top 7 picks for a fresh look for spring!

1- KITTEN EYESHADOW BY STILA - we love this light shimmery eyeshadow for everyday wear. it's nude in color, with and extra shimmery finish to highlight your eyes without looking unnatural. It's been a staple in our makeup kits for years.

2- NATURAL GLOW BY JERGENS- OK, here in Seattle, we do not see the sun from November through May. No but really. So, a nice sunless bronzer is kind of a necessity around here! This one is light and doesn't stink. It actually smells pretty good! And, it doesn't leave that orange, carrot-like color on your skin. It layers nicely, and gives you a little sun kissed glow when you haven't been sun kissed in a really, really long time. 

3- ESSIE HIDE AND GO CHIC NAIL POLISH -Love this hue! So fun for spring! 

4- KAI PERFUME-I first discovered Kai at a resort in Scotsdale Arizona. I had never noticed it before, but I have been in love with it ever since. It's a really light fragrance with subtle gardenia scents. I am really sensitive to strong perfumes but this one has never bothered me. It's a great spring/summer perfume.

5- CAVIAR CC HAIR CREAM- This stuff is amazing. So good for restoring hair after the long harsh  winter months. It's fabulous. 

6- STILA LIPSTICK in VALENTIA- We are all about a bright lip, and orange is where it's at! It's one of our favorite beauty trends right now, and Stila makes a fantastic lipstick!

7- URBAN DECAY MASCARA- Color + conditioner = gorgeous lashes, baby!

Life in Squares // iPhone Happenings April 2014

Around here lately, from my iPhone...

XOXO

Brittany

Hoppy Easter // Gypsy Littles

some inspiration for dressing your littles this easter...

i love the idea of dressing littles a little more modern for easter. forget the fluff and ruffles, and stay with clean lines and simple, geometric patterns. 

here are some adorable pieces for the spring season and easter sunday!

ONE- the edie dress by welkin TWO- aruba freshly picked moccs THREE- mini bow tie from etsy FOUR- mint checked shirt by old navy FIVE- stone suede freshly picked moccs SIX-leggings by little bow and arrow SEVEN- custom easter baskets found on etsy

country spring...

shop our "COUNTRY SPRING" collection now!

Lighter Banana Muffins // Linden

I seem to always have some old bananas in my fruit bowl so I needed a good go to recipe for banana bread/ muffins. I always add chocolate chips to my batter because the kids and I love them with gooey chocolate. I guess it kind of negates the fact that these are "lighter" if I add a bunch of chocolate to them but I just can't help myself! This is a great grab and go breakfast if you stick some in the freezer!

Here is what you will need:

3/4 Cup all purpose flour

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour

1/4 Cup flaxseed meal

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 Cup choc. chips (optional)

3/4 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup vanilla yogurt (I use greek)

1/4 Cup canola oil

Pre heat oven to 325 . Wisk flours, flax, baking powder, soda and salt together in a bowl. In a separate bowl mash your bananas and add the yogurt, oil and sugar. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the choc chips. Spray your bread pans or muffin tins. Fill about 3/4 full in whatever pan or tin you choose to use. For bread bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For muffins bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!! -Linden