Family Dinner Faves: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Alfredo with Asparagus & Mushrooms
Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Alfredo with Asparagus & Mushrooms

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello! Hope you all are doing well. I have a new recipe to share!

Today I’m sharing one of my family favorites: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Alfredo. This is so good and comes together fairly quickly. I made my own meatballs, but you can use store bought if your pressed for time and it will be just as good. I served it alongside a bagged Ceasar salad kit for a balanced meal. Read on below to see pics & how I made this.

For the meatballs:

you will need 1lb ground chicken (you can skip this if you want to sub with readymade meatballs)

1 egg

1/4 cup. breadcrumbs

1/4 cup. shredded parmesan cheese

seasonings of choice (I used a sprinkling of Italian, Garlic, Onion, Salt & Pepper)

For the sauce:

1 jar alfredo sauce of choice

Olive oil for sautéing

1 bunch of chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped mushrooms

pasta of your choice (I used a chickpea pasta for fiber and lower carb content)

I started out with seasoning my ground chicken, then added egg, breadcrumbs, & Parmesan cheese. I mixed that up and then scooped the meatballs onto a greased pan using my cookie scoop. I cooked these in the oven about 25min or until golden brown.

While the meatballs cooked, I boiled & drained my pasta and set it aside. I then sauteed my chopped mushrooms & asparagus.

Once the mushrooms were tender and my asparagus had turned bright green in color, I added my pasta back to the pan. I stirred in 3/4 jar of alfredo sauce and seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, & onion powder. I let this simmer for just a couple of minutes to blend all the flavors together.

After the meatballs were done in the oven, I added them to the pan of sauce & stirred in the remaining sauce, and a 1/4 cup of milk to help loosen the sauce and get the meatballs coated.

Here is the finished pasta all melted together. So good and filling! I plated this up and added a little sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese & a side salad for balance. So good and comforting.

I hope you enjoy this in your home with your family! Thanks for stopping by. Until next time….

MiniWeekday Thrift Haul
Home Decor

MiniWeekday Thrift Haul

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello friends! OMG, it has been a minute since my last post. I’m back today to share my goodies from one of my very favorite things to do…thrift shop!

You never know what you’re going to find. I just love finding inexpensive, one of a kind decor pieces and mixing them in with some of my newer items. Scroll down below to see what I scored and how I styled some of the pieces.

I loved this sign. So clean and pretty! Goes along with my modern farmhouse vibes I have going on in my home. I have yet to decide on a place for it but for $5.00 I couldn’t pass it up. It’s from the Ashland Collection at Michael’s.

This actually had an At Home tag still on it. Don’t know what it is but I loved the shape and metal texture. I think it is some sort of outdoor decor. I thought this is so fun and unique. I don’t have anything like it, so it definitely came home with me.

This banana hanger/fruit basket combo was in really good shape, and I have been wanting one, so I brought this home too. Made a nice little spot for it here on the counter. It’s full of clementines and bananas now!

You can always find some good baskets at the thrift stores for a really great price. I found this pretty woven basket and put it here alongside my tub to hold all my bath salts, scrubs, & sponges. Very calming and spa like.

Lastly, the star of the pick…this brass globe! How cool right? I added it to my sofa table along with the metal silver piece I showed you earlier, & a faux plant I also thrifted. It all comes together nicely here. Super happy with my finds and looking forward to my next trip!

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my treasures. Let me know if you love thrifting as much as I do!

Thanks for stopping by,

Family Dinner Faves: Chili Alfredo Pasta
Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Chili Alfredo Pasta

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello friends, welcome back! I got a new family favorite recipe to share. Chili Alfredo Pasta! It’s so good you’ll want to eat the whole pan, I promise! Read on below for this quick, easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cubed chicken tenderloins

1/2 a box of Penne pasta (I used gluten free)

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce

seasonings: Salt/Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder

handful of chopped Cilantro for garnish and flavoring

  1. Start by browning your chicken pieces seasoned with the Salt/Pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder. While it’s browning, boil your pasta according to directions, then drain.
  2. Once chicken is browned, add your Alfredo sauce, season again with the Salt/Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Chili Powder to taste. Add your drained pasta and stir. Let simmer for just a couple of minutes and remove from heat.
  3. Garnish with chopped Cilantro & dinner is ready! It’s spicy & cheesy and the fresh Cilantro adds the perfect touch!

Happy to share this recipe with you! Let me know if you make it and if you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

DIY Wooden Valentine Conversation Hearts
DIY

DIY Wooden Valentine Conversation Hearts

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hey friends! Omg, I’m so not ready for this artic blast coming our way. I’ll definitely be staying in crafting & keeping warm!

Since Valentine’s Day will be here soon, I’m sharing these cute wooden Valentine conversation hearts I made.

They were super inexpensive and something fun you can even do with the kiddos. You’ll need a few craft paints/brushes, wooden hearts, & a red marker or alphabet stamps with red ink.

I found this wooden heart set on a Target run for $5.00 in the Valentine decor section. I thought they would be really cute in a bowl or out on a tray for decor.

I painted each heart a different color then let them dry for a few hours. Once they were dry, I stamped different sayings on them to look like the sweet little candies I enjoyed as a kid!

I hope you guys enjoy this little project! Stay safe & warm!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Family Dinner Faves: Braised Bone-In Chicken Thighs with Savory Veggie Sauce
Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Braised Bone-In Chicken Thighs with Savory Veggie Sauce

The Dimestore Gypsy4 Comments

Hey friends! HAPPY FALL!! What better way to celebrate than with a comfort food recipe. I made this for dinner the 1st day of Fall & it was a hit!! So of course, I have to share with you guys. Check out the recipe & pics down below.

Ingredients:

4 bone in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of Cambpells Harvest Carrot & Ginger sipping soup

1 can of chicken broth

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 cup canned baby carrots (drained)

1/2 white onion, (sauteed)

1/2 bag of frozen french style green beans, (cooked per instructions & drained)

Olive Oil

Plain Bread Crumbs

Seasonings-(Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Parsley)

Cooking Instructions

First, sauté the onion with a little bit of olive oil in a large frying pan, then cook and drain the frozen French style green beans according to package. Set that aside for later.

Clean & trim any excess pieces of fat from the chicken thighs. Season with salt & pepper. Add about 1/4 cup of Olive Oil to the pan you used for onions & add your chicken. You want to get a golden crust on each side. Cook for around 8-10 minutes on each side.

Next, add the can of soup, stewed tomatoes, & chicken broth. Add your 2 chicken bullion cubes, sauteed onions, and seasonings. Stir to mix. I used a generous sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, & parsley.

Bring to a boil, then cover & let simmer on low for about 45 min.

After 45 minutes, add half the bag of drained French style green beans, & the can of baby carrots. Continue to simmer on low for 15 min.

After 15 minutes, remove the chicken & set aside. Add 2-3 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs & stir to thicken the sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and let cook for an additional 5 min. After 5 minutes, remove from heat & let cool before serving.

Dinner is served!

I served this over warm Basmati rice with a side of Brussel sprouts. This dish is so filing, warm & comforting. It’d be perfect for a cold winter night! Look at those veggies & that sauce!

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you decide to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by,

DIY Basket Wall Decor
DIY

DIY Basket Wall Decor

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hey Friends! As promised, here is my DIY Basket Wall project. If you didn’t catch my last thrift store haul post, I found a set of woven trays for under $5.00 that I used for this.

I had been looking for light & travel friendly wall decor for our camper when I saw these woven trays at the thrift shop. I immediately thought about making a basket wall for the bathroom to go along with the tropical theme I have going on in there.

I marked a pattern with a sharpie as a guide to get an idea of how I wanted the pattern to look. This is where you can really get creative. Use the sharpie as a base and start painting. Let that dry for a day and then come back and add more if you like. I wanted these to be really colorful & tropical. I came back to these at least 3 or 4 times and really layered the paint.

Here is the final look done and hanging. They came out so good and I love how they bring so much color in here! I hung them on the wall using command hooks and they stay perfectly in place.

I hope this brings you some fun home decor wall inspo.! If you find a decor piece that you love but isn’t the right color or fit, give it a new paint job! You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks for checking out my project,

DIY Dollar Tree Apothecary Cabinet
DIY

DIY Dollar Tree Apothecary Cabinet

The Dimestore Gypsy8 Comments

Hey friends! I made this cute, inexpensive apothecary style cabinet and I wanted to share it with you. It was so easy to put together, you can make one too!

I started with 12 of the wooden square craft boxes I found at Dollar Tree. (You can add more to make your cabinet as tall or as wide as you like.)

https://www.dollartree.com/crafters-square-wooden-boxes-with-drawers/296732

I removed all of the inner drawer pieces and aligned the outer pieces the way i wanted. Keep in mind, the boxes will not all be exactly the same size. You will have to arrange them in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. As you can see in the photo, they are not exactly aligned horizontally or vertically.

After I got them arranged to my liking, I glued each piece together with E6000. I used mini clamps and clothespins to help keep the pieces together while the whole piece dried.

After the piece was completely dried, I inserted the drawer pieces and added two coats of my favorite stain color: Jacobean from Minwax. *Be sure to wear gloves & an old pieces of t-shirt or cloth will suffice for applying the stain.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Wood-Finish-Jacobean-Oil-Based-Interior-Stain-Actual-Net-Contents-8-fl-oz/999913811

I found my hardware on Amazon. I wanted the card catalog style pulls. I wasn’t able to find a 12 pack so I found the cheapest 5 & 10 pack of pulls and ordered them.

https://www.amazon.com/binifiMux-10-Pack-Drawer-Cabinet-Holder/dp/B07KC2PDP5/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=apothecary+pulls&qid=1616446040&sr=8-4

Here’s the final piece with hardware added!

I’m super happy with how this cabinet came out! It actually looks like an antique! It and adds the perfect farmhouse, vintage/antique vibe to my decor & it all came together for under $30! If you decide to make one, I’d love to see!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this project!

Thrift Store Haul
Home Decor

Thrift Store Haul

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello friends, and welcome back!

I scored lots of goodies on my latest thrifting adventure, so I thought I’d share them here with you all!

I have a bunch of stickers for scrapbooking/card making and the black card catalog is perfect storage for them. I love decorating with pumpkins in the Fall and was happy to find this cute set to add to my collection. Can we talk about this brown suede fringed bag? So cute! It was in mint condition so I had to have it! I picked up a few old linens to use for table runners/covers. They are worn in and so soft. I have a thing for baskets/trays and wood pieces!! I can’t help it, they bring so much texture & warmth into your decor. It’s currently being used as a bed tray now. I loved the look & texture of the last piece, so I think I may hang it in my bedroom gallery wall or our travel trailer. I haven’t decided yet!

I found this awesome throw for our travel trailer for $3. I’m decorating in a Southwest/Boho theme and thought this was perfect!

I picked this up because it reminded me of those antique sugar molds. It was only .99 cents and I was able to keep the plant for something else!
I got it all cleaned up and washed! Now it’s ready to be styled!!

I hope you enjoyed this little haul. I love thrifting and finding things I can re-purpose or re-style! Don’t be afraid to get out and shop your thrift shops. You can find some really fun & unique pieces for next to nothing. Follow me on Instagram to get more home decor ideas or to see how I use my thrift store finds in my decor!

Thanks for stopping by,

Thrifted Sewing Chair Make-Over
DIY

Thrifted Sewing Chair Make-Over

The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello & Welcome Back! Can we just talk about this chair make-over for a minute??? I mean…I just love the finished project!! I have my great, great grandmother’s Singer sewing machine that I made over a few years ago when I first received it. I didn’t have a chair to go with it and have been searching for the perfect piece…I finally found it!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know how much I love thrifting!! I cam across this chair at the Goodwill and although the seat was hideous, the bones were great! At only $9.99, I knew I had to have it.

I started by removing the legs & seat cover, then I gave the frame a good cleaning with soap & water. After it was completely dry, I added a coat of white chalk paint & a matte sealer to help keep scuffs & nicks away. I had this gorgeous 1 yard cut of material stashed away in my cabinet that I thought would be so perfect.

I cut away the dirty fabric & since my cushion was in good shape still, all I had to do was wrap my material around and staple it down. See the final piece below. Such a transformation!

I hope you love this piece as much as I do! Don’t be scared to shop the thrift stores, you just might find exactly what you’re looking for.

Thanks for stopping by,