chicken and biscuits crock pot

i was feeling a crock pot hankering the other day... so i had to bust it out and make some chicken and biscuits. i cooked this recipe once before with great success! the chicken gets super tender... yum!!

also it's a couple days worth of meals, at least. hallelujah convenience.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast halves, cut in large chunks
1 Tbs onion powder
1 cup chopped celery
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken or cream of chicken and mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
Dash black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
6 frozen biscuits or refrigerator biscuits


Directions:
In a slow cooker, layer the chunks of uncooked chicken breasts with chopped onion and celery. Combine the soup and gravy with poultry seasoning, thyme, and pepper; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Add the thawed mixed vegetables, turn the slow cooker to HIGH, and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bake the biscuits as directed on the package. Split a biscuit and spoon some of the chicken and vegetables over the bottom biscuit. Put the top half

casual mondays

hello again friends! another style post comin' atcha... BOOM!


i felt like this background was too busy for outfit pictures, but i guess it does create a cool effect. it certainly screams "BROOKLYNNN!!!!" in a way that only a graffiti'ed wall could...






i LOVED these flats from the moment i saw them. that crazy pattern... yes, please. it seems so unique... i don't think i've ever had patterned shoes before!

even though it was a pretty cold day, i really wanted to wear them. so i had to also wear socks. naturally, i kept getting that "sandal-with-socks" look, no matter what i put on.

i was about to scrap the whole idea... then i thought "if i'm doing sandal-socks, might as well go all the way." i dug out these patterned beauties, and the rest is history... i actually think they go quite well together!




hat- thrifted
cardigan- uniqlo
scarf- thrifted
shirt- urban outfitters
gloves- urban outfitters
jeans- uniqlo
socks- sock dreams
sadiki flats c/o blowfish shoes

sunday songs ~ robyn

i first heard this song about a year ago whilst browsing in urban outfitters. i then went home and looked up the video on youtube...




reasons why i think this song and video are awesome:

- it's catchy in a "song that never ends" sort of way.
- the outfit?!
- the "let her down easy" part.
- the way your stomach drops after the first time it goes dark, and the strobe lights flash.
- it reminds me that i want to go dancing.
- she is more entertaining and energetic dancing all by herself than a pop star with a 50 million-dollar budget and 50 backup dancers.

- and finally, the sentiment.

for example, remember this song? ...





it's the same subject, but the pussycat dolls are just being jerks about it. don't get me wrong, i used to grind my booty off to this song, even though it's totally trashy :D

it's just nice how robyn was able to put a compassionate spin on the message. she's not trying to take her competition down in a swirl of flames... she's taking the high road. sometimes things just work better with someone else, and you need to break up. and that's all. and that's why even though it's a dance/ pop song, i think its undertone is a wise one, which i appreciate :)

adults at play

when you're on a quest to survive without a traditional 9-5 job, you quickly find yourself becoming a jill-of-all-trades. so last week, i had a photography gig :)

i was shooting another singer-songwriter's recording session... which was awesome. it was at nola studios in midtown... this is the live room:




i also loved finding all the little nooks and crannies with things like cute pianos and vibraphones in the corner... musical instruments are so beautiful :)

dress swap!!

today, jenna posted the pictures of the dress that i sent her for our swap!! she even did a "chantilly" pose :P hop on over to sew savoir faire creations and check out her way cute pictures.




(this is what i did with it.)




it's been a slow, rainy monday for me. i did some yoga this morning... and i even ran into my friend alyson, and we ended up having a girl-chat afterwards!!

but rather than give me energy, the yoga just kinda pooped me out. at least i practiced guitar today for my show at pete's candy store in february! (if you're in ny, come.)


anywayyy, hope you all are having a lovely week so far :)



xoxo,

sunday songs

i've been meaning to make sunday songs a weekly thing, but i've fallen behind. it's meant to be a series of posts, dedicated to inspiring music/ what i've been listening to/ promoting indie artists. so i guess this is the second installment :) first one being with bloggy heroes hue and hum over a month ago...

oh well. start all over again, that's what i always say!


so anyway, i've been listening to this song this week-




a friend of mine started taking voice lessons with me recently. when she said she wanted to do this song, i was pumped. i *love* this album.

so i've been learning how to play the guitar part, which is not that hard. it's just i've been trying to play it on an acoustic guitar. i do have an electric, but only a tiny practice amp. i can't really get that distortion/ noise that makes the song so epic...


anyway, i hope you enjoy pj harvey :)


what are you listening to this week? recommendations are welcome!




xoxo,




********************************


BLOG CORRECTION.
yesterday, i posted a winner for the shabby apple dress giveaway, but it turns out that winner was ineligible. so i picked a new winner at random, and she is gina maddox. enjoy your dress, gina!

yarn bow hair tie!

i got into the habit of always having an elastic around my wrist when i was in middle school. i was... a cheerleader (yeah) and had to tie my hair back all the time. but over the years, i've often felt like plain elastics look ugly in my hair, and have wondered about ways to jazz them up.

so it was midnight. i was in my studio staring at some yarn, and it hit me... i could make little bows!! i came up with a tutorial so you can make them too :)


~ first, you need two pieces of yarn. one 56" long, and the other 20" long.
~ fold the longer piece in half four times over.








(a captive audience...)




~ string the smaller piece through a hair elastic with equal length on each side.




~ grab the "bow" by the middle, and start wrapping the smaller piece around it, tying it to the elastic. wrap it around maybe 5 or 6 times... or however much you feel like.





~ when you're finished wrapping, tie the loose ends into a knot.





~ straighten her out...




~ you can leave the loose ends, clip them, or incorporate more yarn for a fuller "tie" effect.




~ enjoy your fun new hair accessory!

sponsor chantillysongs in february

hello friends!!

i'm happy to be able to offer sponsorships and swap options for february :)

chantillysongs is the website and lifestyle blog of me! chantilly. your friendly neighborhood singer-songwriter/ crazy cat lady. my focus is music, style, photography, indie, diy, and food. i'd love to talk about featuring you here :)



as of right now the rates are *very* reasonable (including free), and i'm offering two options:






the free option is a popular one, and i'm happy to do it... however, i do want to start limiting the number swaps that i take on, so it's on a case-by-case basis, and preference goes to people who have a similar number of followers (or if i just really love your blog.) i hope this doesn't sound elitist- i just want a way to filter a little!



as of 12/19/11, i have:
~317 google friend connect followers
~355 twitter followers
~4,600 pageviews in december, and poised to reach a similar amount in january
~1,200 unique visitors so far this month


i LOVE connecting with new bloggers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and musicians, so don't hesitate to contact me :)



if you're interested, please email chantillysongs (at) gmail (dot) com.

xx

spring wishlist...

the cold weather has just started to pick up here in nyc, but already it's getting to me. i find myself yearning for flowers, picnics, and warm days. i'm also thinking about little dresses to go frolic in...

i've been finding myself browsing more and more online. held captive by the thought of spring dresses, skirts, and cute shoes. my fantasies include but are not limited to....




i've been looking for a pair of shoes like this for awhile. it's hard to walk in heels in nyc. but these ladies sandals seem to have a wide enough heel so that it would be comfortable. i see so many bloggers in ginormous platforms. i used to wear them too! i want to again...







casual and vibrant. i love the color and bold stripey print of this dress.







i've also always wanted something with a peter-pan collar, and i've seen a lot of other bloggers rocking this dress recently. it would be a perfect for valentine's day :) i would wear it with tights covered in hearts. but it could also transition well to summertime. it is so cute!!







now this one, i've been eying for awhile. the print is just too good. i've held out over months and months, and didn't even get it when modcloth had had their christmas sale a few weeks ago.

well, they finally had their cabin fever sale the other day, so i snatched one!! only thing is, i didn't get the size i wanted. so here's hoping it fits and/ or shrinks.

chantilly stuffed mushrooms

you really can't mess up this recipe.

i've been making these since i was twelve. i remember thinking to myself "when i'm an adult, there's going to be nothing stopping me from making these and eating them for dinner EVERY NIGHT." they're about the simplest, most delicious stuffed mushrooms ever (if not the most fattening.)

with this one, i usually just go by taste... not specific amounts of things. but for the sake of it being a recipe, i put some actual measurements...


ingredients:
2 packages ritz (or generic ritz) crackers
3 packages white button mushrooms
3/4 stick of butter, melted
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
heaping tablespoon minced garlic





directions
~ preheat oven to 400 degrees
~ mash packages of crackers in a large bowl
~ pick stems from the mushrooms, and mash them in with the crackers
~ pour butter over pulverized mixture, and combine. the consistency should be mushy... not too dry, but not too wet.
~ add parmesan cheese
~ add garlic
~ mix more (i get in there and use my fingers/ hands. no need for pretense...)
~ stuff mushroom caps with the mixture.
~ put in the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown on top.


* now when it comes to the garlic and parmesan, my opinion is always "more is more." feel free to experiment with the amounts to your taste
* also keep in mind that if your mixture is too dry, you can always add more butter. if it's too mushy, you can always add more crackers!





you WILL not be able to stop eating them. baker beware...



xoxo,

collar me

dress swap time!

the lovely jenna of sew savoir creations and i decided to swap some clothes, so she sent me this dress. i've been coveting it since miki posted it on her blog (yes, she has the dress too), so i'm so excited to finally wear it.


photos by matt panton


jenna warned me that the dress was short, and she wasn't kidding! i felt so scandalous and cutesy walking around the restaurant where we had brunch. i don't own anything quite so school-girly... i felt like madeline!

anyway, it was FREEZING yesterday, so we decided to do an indoor shoot. we ended up taking half the photos in the hallway, and the other half inside the apartment...


(hallway photos)





oh... and here is the patented jenna pose. if you don't know, check out her blog and find out :P






hat- thrifted, rhode island
dress- jenna's
tights c/o we love colors
socks- sock dreams
shoes- anthropologie levade clogs