This or That with Taush.O (and a Fabulous Giveaway!)

It's Monday..

..which means vacation is over and it's time to go and get back into the swing of things..

*sigh*

We've had a wonderful time with family in Kansas but it'll definitely be nice to get home to Brandon & Bitsy--we've sure missed them! I'll hopefully have a photo recap up here tomorrow or Wednesday.. so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I have some exciting news--we have a giveaway and super fun post today!!

Today my friend Tausha from Taush.O (if you don't know this girl, you're going to want to change that--love her, her sweet little girl, and her blog! It's one of my daily reads!) and I are playing "This or That" and are giving YOU awesome readers a fabulous giveaway with a few of our favorite things.

Read on!

1.) Boy band or Big Band?

Annie: Big Band (I'm an old soul!)

Tausha: Boy band all the way.....I'm top 40's charts all the way!

2.) Sweet or salty?

Annie: Sweet

Tausha: Sweet!

3.) Gossip or Home Improvement Magazines?

Annie: Ooh, toughy.. I gotta go with Home on this one (Country Living is my jam!)

Tausha: Home Improvement, although I get mad when I can't pin something I like!

4.) Tea or Coffee?

Annie: Normally tea.. but lately gourmet coffee (more caffeine=more upbeat mamma)

Tausha: Coffee. All.The.Way

5.) Beer, Wine, or Cocktail?

Annie: PJ (Pre-Jackson) days, my answer would have been whiskey and diet coke.. today, it's wine (one glass does me in!).
 Tausha: All of the above. Kidding. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not an alcoholic.

6.) Email or Snail Mail?

Annie: Snail. 

Tausha. Snail - so much more personal!

7.) Movie or Book?

Annie: Book (when I can find the time to read!)

Tausha: Movie!

8.) Mexican or Italian food?

Annie: Mexican

Tausha: Mexican

9.) Cupcakes or Ice Cream?

Annie: Cupcakes 

Tausha: Ice cream!

10.) iPhone or Android?

Annie: iPhone

Tausha: iPhone - all day err'day!

11.) Harry Potter or Twilight?

Annie: Would you believe me if I told you that I've never read or seen either of these? With that being said, I'll go Twilight?

Tausha: Twilight. Obsessed - and proud of it!

12.) Manicure or Pedicure?

Annie: Pedi (my mani gets picked/chewed off within minutes)

Tausha: Pedicure, my manicures (unless gel) only last a day!

13.) Brad Pitt or Chris Hemsworth

Annie: Bradley Cooper.

Tausha: Both. Kidding. Chris Hemsworth

14.) Vanilla or Chocolate?

Annie: Chocolate!

Tausha: Vanilla! (With toppings of course!)

15.) Hot or Cold weather?

Annie: Cold (LOVE Christmas, snow, and scarves!)

Tausha: Hot, any day!

16.) Dog or Cat?

Annie: My answer used to be dog.. but now it's cat (I have Bitsy to thank for that)

Tausha: Dog! I love my puppy Dex!
 

17.) Drive or Fly?

Annie: Fly!

Tausha: Fly! I used to love to drive, EVERYTHING changes with a kid! Get me from A to B the fastest way possible!

18.) Silver or Gold?

Annie: Silver.

Tausha: Silver

19.)  Facebook or Instagram?

Annie: Instagram!

Tausha: Never make me choose! Okay, Instagram. 

20.) Target or Ikea?

Annie: Target (I had a really, really, really bad Ikea experience.. that story is for another time)

Tausha: Target

Now that you know basically everything there is to know about Tausha & me, it's time to give you a fun and fabulous giveaway! And what are we giving away? A few of our very favorite things! I'll be giving one lucky winner my favorite hazelnut gourmet coffee, dark chocolate, and homemade bar of goat soap (this stuff smells/feels like heaven, y'all); Tausha will be giving away (not one, not two, but) THREE fabulous fall colored Essie nail polishes.

Are you ready?!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow Cooker African Chicken Stew (Guest Post)

Remember the good old days when I used to post recipes on my blog (Annie One Can Cook)?

Yeah, me neither.

Since becoming pregnant, I have been all about my "famous" go-to recipes--recipes that are tried, true, and simple to prepare (like my Slow Cooker Green Bean Dumpling Soup, Jalapeno Chicken Casserole, and Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta). I just haven't felt that adventurous or daring in the kitchen..

But that is all going to change after today! I'm so excited to announce that we actually have a mouthwatering and easy to prepare meal today on AOCC--the perfect meal to warm you up during these chilly fall nights! I'll tell you one thing: this lazy pregnant mamma is looking forward to making (and eating) this stew this weekend!

Anyway, enough pregnant rambles..

Please give a warm welcome to my new friend, Meredeth!

Fall is here, meaning it’s the perfect time to get in the kitchen and start playing with new recipes and seasonal ingredients. When it’s cold outside, most of us start craving hot soups, stews and chili recipes, along with yummy fall foods like pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and anything cinnamon-flavored.

Another popular fall cooking theme is slow cooking, which is one of the easiest cooking methods out there. No matter how experienced you are in the kitchen, it’s hard to mess up a slow cooker dish. Some recipes require a little bit of prep work, but most slow cooker meals don’t require much more than tossing ingredients into the crock pot and letting all the flavors blend together.

Slow cooker recipes are great for days when you know you won’t have time to cook after work or if you’ll be eating over a long period of time and want to keep your food warm, like during a football game. And since you can cook almost anything in a slow cooker, from pulled pork and chili to bread and desserts, you don’t have to worry about repeating or running out of dinner ideas.

This slow cooker African chicken stew is the perfect recipe to make as we head into fall. Not only does it feature seasonal sweet potatoes, but it’s thick, hearty and perfect for cool fall evenings. There’s a minimal amount of prep work involved that can be done the night before or quickly in the morning, but the slow cooker does most of the work for you. Start this dish in the morning and you’ll come home to a yummy-smelling kitchen and a hot, delicious meal nine hours later. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker African Chicken Stew

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 7¼ hours

Serves: 6

·         PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

·         1 teaspoon Pure Wesson® Vegetable Oil

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters

·         ¼ cup Peter Pan® Creamy Peanut Butter

·         ¼ cup water

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 10 oz. can Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

·         1 pound (about 2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

·         2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion strips 

Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt all over chicken. Add to skillet and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in peanut butter, water, garlic powder and undrained tomatoes. Cook until mixture is blended and chicken is coated.

Layer sweet potatoes and frozen vegetables in the slow cooker and top everything with the chicken mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until chicken and vegetables are very tender. Gently stir to mix.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of ReadySetEat. Visit ReadySetEat online for more slow cooker meals from enchiladas to easy chili recipes.

Holy Eyebrows!

Today, I'm over at my friend Stephanie's adorable and fun blog, Never The Same Spice Twice!

The topic is eyebrows.. come visit!

http://www.neverthesamespicetwice.com/2013/03/holy-eyebrows-guest-post.html

Shop My Closet and a Betty Crocker Successful Fail

Happy Wednesday!!

First off, B and I are getting ready to move and I have A BUNCH of clothes I need to get rid of pronto--so I'm having a shop my closet sale! All clothes are in excellent condition and shipping on all items is only $2. If you see something you like, comment with your email address.

Here's a few items up for grabs..

Click here for more!

Also, I have some cool news...

Today I'm guest posting over at Arrow in the Eye! I will be telling you all about my successfully semi-failed attempt at making Betty Crocker cupcakes for a humane society benefit (it'll all make sense after you read it!). Head on over!!