The Gingerbread Blog

Finding "My Mod" at The Land of Nod

2013-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Mixing different decorating styles is my favorite.

I'm a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll.

Wait, scratch that.

I'm a little bit modern and a little bit vintage.

Yep. . .that sounds better.

Finding a balance between old and new is a passion and goal I strive for when decorating any room of my home.

I love hanging an old vintage chippy paint mirror over an armchair that screams with bold and bright patterns.

Both items are totally different but compliment each other in a great way.

Balance is key.

If you're looking to find "your Mod" take a look at The Land of Nod's website. They offer a great harmony between classically styled interiors with modern design.

You can shop furniture, decor and housewares.

Here are a few lovely accents I found while browsing through their website.

I'm swooning over these "vintage inspired" metal chairs

and the modern typography on these canvas bins.

They need to come home with me.

And they now CAN!

Southern California has a new Land of Nod store opening at South Coast Plaza on May 31st!

During the grand opening you can enter giveaways and pick up some free goodies for those who head out early.

You can also enter a giveaway hosted by The Land of Nod called "Win A Room Sweepstakes."

The Land of Nod Win a Room Sweepstakes runs from now until 11:59 PM CT June 17, 2013.

GRAND PRIZE AND APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUE: One (1) Grand Prize is available to be won. The Grand Prize winner will receive a Room designed by The Land of Nod, including:

(1) Design consultation with The Land of Nod design team.

(2) Room makeover with selected product from The Land of Nod.

(3) Feature in The Land of Nod Real Families section of an upcoming Catalog.

Total ARV of the Grand Prize is $4,000.

If you're in need of inspiration check out The Land of Nod on

Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

Then stop by their website and store to find "you're Mod at Nod."

Happy decorating!

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Land of Nod, but all my opinions are my own. #PMedia #NODinCA http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

Be Summer Ready with a $50 Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2013-05-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Summer is waiting around the corner just waiting to be had!

Long days are made to be enjoyed wearing sandals and wide brimmed hats.
I have officially stored my sweaters and scarves in a tote under my bed.
And I couldn't be more excited.
Yessssss.

You can enter to win a $50 credit to Shabby Apple!

Shabby Apple is a vintage clothing line that is simply swoon-worthy.

Here are a few of my favorite items you can find on their website right now!

This giveaway will be open from today until May 24th, and is open to U.S. residents only.
Go check out their website and "pin" your favorites.
Summer awaits!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

W O R E // Wedges and an Anchor Necklace

2013-05-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

What an emotional week.

Full of both ups and down that I still haven't fully processed.

Mother's Day was beyond amazing. We did nothing in particular besides enjoy family time and feed our face. Sitting down and breaking bread with my boys filled my heart in a way I can not explain.

The past few days have been abnormally hot and dry, try 106 degrees.

I shall from this point live in sandals and tank tops.

Tank: Target

Skirt: Thrifted

Sandals: Target

Necklace: Sassy Lemonade

I had a blast attending the Elevate Conference this past weekend.

I enjoyed meeting new friends and connecting with old ones that I hadn't seen in ages.

Tee: Walmart

Sweater: The Loft

Jeans: Lauren Conrad

Wedges: Target

Nail Polish: OPI

My youngest son had a field trip to a local farm on my husbands' birthday. So of course we all milked some cows and watched out for cow patties together.

Obviously.

Headband: World Market

Tee & Jeans: The same as above :)

Shoes: Thrifted Converse

The peaks of this week were unbelievable, and the pits are some that I'm not yet able to write about, although I know soon I will.

I'm hoping your Mother's Day was spent either being pampered and adored and/or doing the same for the lady in your life.

Happy Tuesday.

xoxo

Make Your Own Photo Luggage Tags

2013-05-10T13:20:00.002-07:00

I'm reposting this tutorial because, would you believe, my mom wants these tags made again for Mother's Day! If you have not put a gift together for your mom or special lady in your life I HIGHLY recommend heading to your local copy store and making these.

It only takes about 15 minutes!

They're a great conversation starter when you are on business trips and will make you smile when if you are away from home missing your family.

Tie one on your carry-on, backpack and luggage.

First I took the kids to take pictures and then loaded them into Photobucket and added the "come home soon" message. I saved a few photos on a zip drive and went to Kinko's. I printed 4x6 photos on their machine and cut them to size on their paper cutter. Did you know they have an entire luggage tag section at Kinko's? You just put your photo inside and place in the mini laminating machine. This took 5 minutes!

Swoon.

You can write your info on the back of the luggage tag before you laminate it or write on the plastic with a Sharpie. So easy.

I love having things that are personalized, and I'm not going to lie, I have every intention of going back to make a few for myself!

april

xoxo

W O R E // Vintage Pumps

2013-05-07T16:59:00.001-07:00

It's my opinion that finding a pair of vintage pumps that are actually comfortable and in in halfway descent condition are only equal to finding a leprechaun on St.Patricks Day.

For real.

Every pair of pumps I find are comfy because they have already been worn in and scuffed up.

I generally end up buying brand new shoes that are vintage inspired, which are super easy to come by with vintage being so trendy right now.

I'm no Spring chicken, and my Fibromyalsia leaves me with crazy aches and pains.

I found these black pumps at the Salvation Army for a buck, yes I wrote one dollar, and am SHOCKED at how comfy they are.

I wore this snazzy outfit to a baby shower last weekend and came home with no blisters or backaches.
Kinda unheard of for me.

Tee: Walmart

Skirt: Vintage

Shoes: Vintage

All together this outfit was $8!

I have renewed hope that I can find more dress shoes that are in good condition and be comfy.

I won't be so quick to walk by the shoe department while at the thrift store.

Shame on me I know!

Apparently they aren't an urban legend.

A Birthday //Bash// via Vons Birthday Bundle

2013-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

As a parent I constantly place myself last, letting the kids choose where we eat on Friday night, what board games we play and eating Coldstone ice cream when it's common knowledge that Thrifty's ice cream is way better.

It just goes along with the territory. Most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it.
Which is totally O.K.
But on my birthday I get to make guilt free choices like choosing the cupcake flavor I want to bake for my birthday, and even putting strawberries on top insead of sprinkles.
Imagine my 5 year olds' surprise!

Although any reason I tell Dylan we are going to bake I get this reaction:

Right now until May 21st visit your local Vons, Safeway or Pavilions store to take advantage of their "Birthday Bundle" promotion.

For $5 you can purchase:

// Cake mix

// Frosting

// 24 pack of candles

// 2 two-liter bottles of participating soda

* Look for a display similar one set up behind Dylan

The boys and I went straight home to start baking and decorating our treats.

I'm partial to presentation, the boys are focused on the sweets, so we kinda made the perfect team.

After the table was set and the cupcakes were cooled and iced the boys sang Happy Birthday and even helped me blow out the candles.

Truth be told he jumped the gun and blew out the candle before I even realized the flame was out.

Such a sneakster.

So we sang again.

The cupcakes were delish, and yes I had three. Don't judge.

I know I say this every year, but THIS year was the best birthday.

I feel like the older I get the happier I am.

I can enjoy one day of choosing the cupcake flavor and eat Coldstone the rest of the year.

Life just keeps getting better, with more reasons to celebrate.

What would you celebrate?

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and SAFEWAY but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BirthdayBundle http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

Sweet Saturday Link Party V.77

2013-05-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

The winner of the $100 ModCloth giveaway is Kristelle M!

Please email me your addy so I can get your your credit!

Welcome to Sweet Saturday, where you can link your creative projects, meet friends and find inspiration.

Here are the features from last week:

Board and Batten Tutorial

By: The Turquoise Home

Peanut Butter Bird Treats

By: Pint Sized Treats

Grilled Garlic Shrimp Recipe

By: Joyful Healthy Eats

DIY Robe Bracelets

By: Made in a Day

Here are the details:

* Please link up your crafty, yummy or DIY post, not your blog address.

Features will be posted on next weeks' Sweet Saturday.* I "pin" each feature *HERE* on my Pinterest page specially made for features.

Happy Crafting!

Picture Perfect Polyvore Link Party // Latin Inspiration

2013-05-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Picture Perfect Polyvore!
Polyvore is a website that allows you to virtually search for current trends and brands all on one website, and then arrange them into neatly organized sets.
It's super easy, fun, and around here, I like to share my Polyvore at the beginning of every month.
Come have a glass of tea and link up your current inspiration!

<a href="http://www.thegingerbreadblog.com/"><img src="<a href="http://www.thegingerbreadblog.com/"><img src="http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m538/gingerbreadgirlblog/banner%20winner/The_Gingerbread_Blog/picture_perfect_polyvore_link_party_button_zps0dc72489.jpg" /></a>;

A few weeks ago my mom and mother-in-law told my husband and I that they were gifting us a 5 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico for our 10 year anniversary.

Picture me in shock.

Jaw hitting the floor.

My husband and I used to drive down past the border (we live in Southern California) when we first started dating.

I was 19, he was 25, and we would have the most wonderful adventures finding our way through Rosarito and Puerto Nuevo.

We even spent our honeymoon in a small hotel in the same area.

Unfortunately soon after we were married it became very unsafe to travel into Mexico. We ran the risk of getting mugged, pulled over by the police or worse.

We haven't been back since, and I have so missed those adventures.

This trip is such a blessing. I can't think of a better way to celebrate our 10 years together.

Our cruise will be docked in Mexico for an entire day, which I think is perfectly safe as long as we stay within the tourist area.

I am beyond excited to walk the streets, shop, eat fish tacos and have a beer with my hubby.

Here are a few items that have inspired me lately.

Latin Inspiration by the-gingerbread-blog featuring a bracelet bangle

The colors alone are to die for.
I will be bringing back an obnoxiously large amount of things home.
I must find a leather purse and sandals. The end.
Perhaps I should bring an empty bag, you know, just in case.
But mostly I'll be bring home memories, which are always more important.

Wore // Maxi Dress and Cheetah Cardigan

2013-04-30T22:01:00.001-07:00

I have an ever present feeling that Spring in Southern California will be especially short this year and give way to a scorching summer.

This past weekend hit almost 90 degrees!

That's pretty darn hot people.

Dressing for warm weather is great, for me at least, so digging out my tank tops and sandals are making me a very happy girl.

Although on day pictured below the clouds lingered until noon, so I had a cardigan layered over my tee-shirt.

Cardigan: GAP (thrifted)

Tee: Walmart

Necklace: Thrifted

Jeans: Target

Shoes: TOMS

I love wearing a maxi dress on a day when I feel blah. I can essentially hide under a large piece of fabric.

Maxi dress: Roxy
Flip Flops: Reef
Cuff bracelet: Thrifted
Coin bracelet: Bought in Chinatown

We have a serious photobomb offense right here, but with such a cute face who could be mad. . .

Skirt: vintage
Tee: Walmart
Necklace: Vintage
Sandals: Target

How's the weather in your neck of the woods. . .
Is it tank top weather or are you still rockin your boots and scarves?

Sweet Saturday Link Party V.76

2013-04-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

If you haven't entered to win the April giveaway you should, you could win a $100 gift card to ModCloth!

And you can check out a few other lovely ladies who are co-hosting the giveaway.

Swoon.

Welcome to Sweet Saturday, where you can link your creative projects, meet friends and find inspiration.

Here are a few features from last week:

Living Room Reveal

By: The Turquoise Home

Turkey Bacon and Spinach Frittata Recipe

By: Joyful Healthy Eats

Crochet Lamp Shade Makeover

By: Estrea Chikitu

Spray Painted Door Mat Tutorial

By: Two Ten Designs

Here are the details:

* Please link up your crafty, yummy or DIY post, not your blog address.

Features will be posted on next weeks' Sweet Saturday.* I "pin" each feature *HERE* on my Pinterest page specially made for features.

Happy Crafting!

Win a $100 Gift Card to ModCloth // April Group Giveaway

2013-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!
Today's gonna be awesome because you get to enter this rad giveaway.
To ModCloth!
I know, it's my favorite online shop to.
Just take a breath to ponder what you could order with $100. That's like an entire outfit!
Yep.
Here are a few of my favorites, all super vintage inspired of course!

I'm collaborating with a few sweeties for this months' giveaway, and I'm sure you'll want to check them out.

sew chatty // antlers and roses // delightful deets // polkadots and lemonade
fairly fabulous // the blue eyed owl // blueberrys blog

This giveaway will run from now until May 1st.
The winners' entry will be validated, so please play fair.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

W o r e // Rompers and Vintage Skirts

2013-04-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

I wore a piece of clothing I thought I would NEVER wear.

A romper.

I know, I'm 33.

I came across this grey romper while thrifting last week and I seriously hesitated buying it, but it was a buck, and I thought I would give it a try.

I have to say that the brand is New York and Company, so it's cut more "womanly", I don't think I could have pulled off a romper from Old Navy, who fits their clothes to more of a juniors body type.

I've had 2 kids people, these aren't "juniors size" hips.

Well as you can see I ate my words of "I'll never wear a romper." I loved the look and fit, and actually got several compliments the day I wore it.

Score one for the romper.

Romper: Thrifted (New York and Company)

Necklace: Thrifted

Sandals: Target

If you follow me on Instagram (@gingerbreadblog) you know that even though I'm 5'8 I have SUPER small feet (size 6) and can wear shoes from the kids department. Don't get too jealous, I'm super clumsy and fall all the time.

Like all the time.

I do get to browse the kids department, which is really fun.

I found these brown sandals at Target last week.

White tee: Walmart

Purple Skinnies: Target

Sandals: Target

Necklace: Vintage (my grandmothers)

Let's talk vintage.

I have a big mushy heart love for vintage skirts.

I love the shape of this shirt and the row of big buttons that run down the front.

I wore this outfit to my sister-in-laws baby shower.

Tank: Target

Skirt: Vintage

Belt: Vintage

Necklace: A locket from when I was a little girl (so I guess that's vintage)

Sandals: Target

Thrifting is my favorite, I find at times that the items I buy force me to think outside the box and arrange outfits in ways that I normally wouldn't.
The fun is in the treasure hunt.
And then making those treasure work for you.

Thrifted Metal Tray Turned Chalboard Wecome Sign

2013-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I thrifted a large, round metal tray that had a bright vintage pattern on it. At the time I thought it would be perfect in my kitchen, but after I brought it home I decided otherwise. The poor tray sat in my craft closet waiting to be upcyced into some else.

Hence this chalkboard sign tutorial was born.

You will need:

* Metal tray

* Chalkboard paint

* Paint brush

* Twine

* Hot glue gun

You could really use any metal tray, sign or even a pizza sheet for this project. Any size and shape will do.

Paint your metal tray front and back with several coats until completely covered. I was surprised how many coats of paint I needed, I think it was 5.

Crazy.

I used twine to hang my welcome sign, a little hot glue does the trick to keep it secure.

Rub chalk all over the tray to give it a "used" look. Then draw your "welcome" text and your done.

Happy crafting.

Sweet Saturday Link Party V.75

2013-04-19T16:51:00.001-07:00

Notice anything different. . .

I've been working on a new blog design for a few weeks now, and I'm super excited that it's finally starting to come together!

All the bells and whistles are the same, but upgraded to a fresh look.

I even made a new link party button!

If you have an old blog button you may want to update it, cause this one is so darn cute!

Welcome to Sweet Saturday, where you can link your creative projects, meet friends and find inspiration.

DIY Vintage Tray

By: Gamorous Affordable Life

Perfect Cupcake Frosting

By: High Heels and Grills

Cosmo Recipe

By: Willamette Valley Wonder Woman

Colorful Living Room

By: Meeha Meeha

Chipotle Butter

By: Steak and Potatoes Kinda Gurl

Image Transfer Tray Makeover

By: Nifty Thrifty Things

Here are the details:

* Please link up your crafty, yummy or DIY post, not your blog address.

Features will be posted on next weeks' Sweet Saturday.* I "pin" each feature *HERE* on my Pinterest page specially made for features.

Happy Crafting!

Redesign Your Blog Series : Add a Background Color To Your Sidebar

2013-04-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Adding a background color to your sidebar is a great way to add a pop of color to your blog. This tutorial is really easy and works with any blogger template. If you have a paid design you can try this code, but I'm not sure it will work, you may need to contact your blog designer.

Go into your blogger dashboard, open the template file, and click on the HTML button.

Look for the columns section of your code, it will look similar to this:

In order to add a background color I added the code:

background: #fcf6dc;

#fcf6dc was the color that matched my header image, and I also added it to the background of my blog buttons and labels so they would seamlessly mesh together.

You can find the tutorial for adding a background color to images *here*.

You need to add the "background: #fcf6dc;"

to your HTML code adding whatever color you choose. If you aren't sure what the color codes are you can start *here*.

After you change the column background color you may have a shadow around each image, if that's the case look for any "drop shadow" color codes in your columns or widgets section and change that to your new column code.

Always make sure to back up and your design before you attempt any changes and preview before you save.

It's really that simple.

Feel free to email me with any questions

at thegingerbreadblog (at) yahoo dot com.

Sweet Saturday Link Party V.74

2013-04-12T16:30:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Sweet Saturday, where you can link your creative projects, meet friends and find inspiration.

Here are the features from last week:

Summer Jumper

By: The Shaffer Sisters

Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

By: Lady Behind The Curtain

Using Rope To Repurpose Cans

By: Restoration Beauty

Living Room Update

By: Suburban Mama

Scarf Organizer Tutorial

By: The Crafty Scientist

Guava Berry Cake

By: Season of Treats

Here are the details:

* Please link up your crafty, yummy or DIY post, not your blog address.

Features will be posted on next weeks' Sweet Saturday.* I "pin" each feature *HERE* on my Pinterest page specially made for features.

Happy Crafting!

* I added a new mouseover feature to the photos for all my blog posts (tutorial here) so if you hover over a link thumbnail you'll see a Pinterest button, if you want to pin a link press that Pinterest button, if you just want to see the link press the link title.

Currently Loving

2013-04-11T15:17:00.002-07:00

There are so many things I'm diggin' right now! Spring is here and there is an influx of new craft trends, apparel catalogs and vintage lovelies that are just a feast for the eyes.

I'm loving any kind of non flowering plant. My general rule is if it flowers, it dies in the Orozco house.

I only have half a green thumb.

Check out my plants "pin board" *here*.

I love these mini Native American woven rugs.
I found this little lady at an estate sale a few days ago.

You can hang them as wall art or lay them out for decoration.
Perhaps on a side table used as a coaster. . .

I'm also diggin' flats, as in shoes. I've pretty much given up on any type of heal, and my feet thank me.

*These are thrifted vintage Liz Claiborne.
I'm also super clumsy, like I trip and fall all the time.
I'm 5'8 but I wear a size 6 shoe, not a very stable base right there. I also do this weird hunch over thing that I try to be conscious of, and when I wear heels of any kind I my posture resembles a very old woman.
Not pretty.

I recent bought these sandals from the kids section at Target, sadly they were just as expensive as the womens, but SUPER comfy, if you were a size 6 or 7 I reccomend checking out size 5 and 6 in the kids shoe department.

Let's talk about my ever growing vintage skirt collection. I keep buying them for my shop, but they somehow end up hanging in my closet. . .

Hmmmm, that's strange.

Such a sweet flowy, floral skirt has to be worn, even if it was too big for me and I pinned it tight.

I'm resourceful like that.

Cutting boards of any kind are amazing! If I see a vintage board it comes home with me. The end.

I would love to create some sort of wall collage in the dining room of cutting boards of different wood types, shapes and sizes.

You can see my cutting board "pin board" *here*.

Uggg I could go on forever!

What new Spring trends are you loving?

San Francisco in Photos // Part 2

2013-04-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

There are few vacation spots that make every member of the family happy, except for San Francisco.

Here are a few of our favorite moments.

All our favorite // Watching sea lions sun bath right off the pier.

These sea lions had the right idea. Pass the Hawaiian Tropic.

Dylan was in total shock at the number of them, he just crouched in a little boy squat staring. At one point he wanted to throw them some food, but I assured him they don't eat corn dogs.

Quite mesmerized, my little boy.

As the sea lions barked at each other, fighting over spots to sunbathe I stood with the other tourists thinking what a wonderful city San Francisco is.

The boys' favorite activity // The carousel and arcade.

For the first time they rode together, which made my momma heart swell.

And the food, don't even get me started! We inhaled clam chower in giant bread bowls and the kids were able gobble down sugar in mass quantities.

The boys don't really look very happy in this picture, but trust me, their irritation was because I made them stop eating their goodies long enough for me to take this photo.

My favorite // Shopping in Chinatown

Bustling. Always.

No matter what time of year this short stretch of street is packed with people.

I mean really, it doesn't get much better than drinking a boba tea while shopping for jewelry, slippers and cell phone cases.

I almost bought these snacks purley for the packaging. I'm a sucker for happy graphics and branding.

I can't tell you how many baskets upon baskets of jewelry there were.

Arm parties galore.

Yes I always buy the kids fireworks, it's pretty much like Christmas for them.

I bought a few of each, one was shaped like a chicken and had a balloon sticking out of it's butt. . . enough said.

Mother of year award right here.

We laughed, they cried at times, I gained 5 pounds from all the food and I spent way too much money.

Basically the perfect vacation.

Wore // Thrifted Vintage Sweater

2013-04-09T12:03:00.003-07:00

Do you wear vintage?

Do you love the feeling of hunting for a treasure that no one else has?

I LOVE thrifting for "new" items to work into my regular wardrobe.

Purses, belts, dresses, you name it, and I'll take it home.

Choosing your clothes can be as creative of an outlet as crafting up a pennant banner.

I found this striped, light weight sweater last weekend and I instantly fell in love. Maybe it's the pastel colors that scream Spring.

I layered a white tank underneath for coverage.

Paired with jeans and boots I was still comfy enough for errand running before the boys came home from school.

Swoon.

Sweet Saturday FEATURES !

2013-04-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here are the belated fantastic features from last weeks' link party!

Better late than never right. . .

Banana Bread Waffle Recipe

By: i heart eating

Butterfly Eggs

By: Creative Passage

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

By: Domestic Daybook

Dresser Makeover (tutorial)

By: Must Have Wear

Boys Bedroom Makeover

By: Sophisticated Yellow

Springtime Wreath

By: R & R Workshop

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Dreamy Maternity Photoshoot

2013-04-07T09:38:00.002-07:00

I was fortunate enough to take my sister-in-laws maternity photos yesterday.

What a gift it was to capture the sweet moments she will share, cherish and remember forever.

My favorite photo shoots involve no props.

Just a large open field and a bright setting sun.

I swoon for dreamy overexposed photos.

It doesn't hurt that she's absolutely gorgeous.

Inside and out.

We laughed, hiked through wildflowers and had a great adventure.

I can't wait to meet you baby Jesse!

Pause

2013-04-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Going on vacation gives you the opportunity to pause your normal routine and do things you would never normally do.

The boys and I took a short drive up to San Francisco to visit my mom.

We slept in, ate crazy yummy food and ran a muck.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a slave to my routine.

And responsibly.

But small moments like this. . .

Keep me going.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend of "running a muck".

Sweet Saturday Link Party V.73

2013-04-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Features from last week will be posted tomorrow. I'm still on vacation and knee deep in macaroons and margaritas.

Ya, I know.

Welcome to Sweet Saturday, where you can link your creative projects, meet friends and find inspiration.

Here are the details:

* Please link up your crafty, yummy or DIY post, not your blog address.

Features will be posted on next weeks' Sweet Saturday.* I "pin" each feature *HERE* on my Pinterest page specially made for features.

Happy Crafting!

Deli Olive, Mushroom and Pepperoncini Recipe

2013-04-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

My boys have a two week long spring break vacation, and last week we went for a picnic.

I kinda love picnics.

Who wouldn't get excited about throwing down a big blanket, watching the kiddos play while eating your favorite finger food?

We stopped by the store and bought salami, cheese, bagel chips for Kaleb and I, and a Lunchable for Dylan.

He wasn't very excited about the meat and cheese platter. Ha.

While paroosing the cheeses I found a deli mix of olives, peppers and mushrooms.

Let me tell ya I ate the entire pack!

We left our picnic and I was determined to create a recipe for those darn olives.

So here ya go.

You will need:

> 1\2 cup green olives

> 1\2 cup black olives

> 1\2 cup pepperoncini

> 1 small can mushrooms

> 1 tbsp Italian seasoning

> 1 cup olive oil

Drain the olives, mushrooms and pepperoncinis from their juice.

Pour them into your serving or storing container and add the remaining ingredients, stirring gently to mix the

dry seasoning.

*Side note- When you store your leftover deli mix in the fridge the olive oil will solidify and become thick, so make sure to pull it out and bring to room temperature before eating again.

I made the deli mix for Kalebs' birthday luncheon last weekend and served it with *this* chicken salad recipe.

Yum.

Do you have a picnic recipe you love?

Chicken Salad Sandwich Bar

2013-04-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was planning the menu for Kaleb's birthday party lunch I thought it would be a good idea to bounce few ideas around with my husband.

I was super excited about recipe that included dried cranberries and pecans. Yum right?

My husband was like "That doesn't sound good at all".

Wait. . . what?

I really wanted to make that recipe, but I know when you cook for a crowd you have to accommodate everyone.

The more I thought about that sandwich, I had the idea thought to have a sandwich bar?

I could just set the extra flavor items in bowls separately and guests could make their sandwich the way they want. . .

Everyone loved it!

Some people added nuts and onions while others had plain chicken salad.

For the chicken salad recipe I boiled 6 chicken breast for about 30 minutes on high until they were completely cooked.

Drain and let cool.
I dumped my chicken into my mixer with the paddle attachment and about 1 cup of mayo and mixed until the chicken was shredded.

So.easy.

Refrigerate your chicken salad to cool and serve.

The rest of the added ingredients were in separate bowls and sprinkled onto guests sandwiches.

My sandwich?

It had all the fixins' and was delish!