What's Cracking?

Halloween is over...which means it is time for Christmas shopping and decorating! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! I like to add new pieces to my holiday decor every year. For 2017 I thought nutcrackers would be a great addition. My Uncle Ricky used to collect all types. Every Christmas I would help my mother pick out a new one for him. I'm excited to continue this tradition in his memory. 

The Clever Creations Christmas series is the best in holiday home and office decor.  This series features a wide array of unique and whimsical home décor perfect for celebrating the holiday season. They offer over 175 nutcrackers to fit any decor theme, or area of the house. Our traditionally designed nutcrackers come in many different colors, outfits and nationalities. Every Nutcracker is built from 100% real wood, painted and coated for durability, and decorated with care. Buy with the confidence that each nutcracker is long lasting and durable.

This Beach Santa Claus is my absolute favorite! He is 14" tall and wears a snowflake covered Hawaiian shirt. He carries an umbrella and an adorable stripped beach chair. His sunglasses are great and his flip flops on the "sandy" glitter base are the perfect touch. I love all things nautical so this one hits it out of the park.

The Lady in Red Nutcracker is 16" and super sassy. I love her red dress and furry hat. Her blond hair flips up into a fun style. The best part is her leopard print purse and trim on the base. Perfect for a fashionista. 

I also love this Traditional Chubby Scottish Nutcracker. He is smaller at 7" tall. He wears a kilt and has bagpipes. He is perfect down to his painted on teeth. 

I'm thrilled to add these guys to my shelves when the Winter comes. I will definitely be back next year to see what Clever Creations has. I will want another and may want to give some as gifts.  

While I was grabbing nutcrackers I also jumped on these Pickle Ornaments. My friend had one on her tree a few years ago and I thought the tradition sounded fun. I'm going to start doing a Pickle Present this year and I will be stashing the extra pickles in my mother and sister's trees. These are shatterproof, shiny green and has gold glitter.

Check out Clever Creations on Pinterest.

Happy Decorating!!

~Crystal Vicious

Easy Peasy Pasta

John and I had fun hosting our last Dinner Party so we decided to have another one. We even picked up some new chairs so more people could fit at our tiny kitchen table. My best friend Tammy made her famous "Gravy" with meatballs while I made with my favorite, Broccoli Aflredo. Garlic Bread in the oven and wine in our glasses. We were ready to talk about Barilla Ready Pasta.

 Ready Pasta is available in 4 cuts: penne, elbows, rotini and gemelli. I used Elbows for the meat sauce and Gemelli for the alfredo. We made Penne the week before with a yummy tomato basil sauce. They are all so good. 

Barilla Ready Pasta is a delicious, fully cooked pasta that is ready in just 60 seconds. Simply heat the pouch in the microwave then top with your favorite ingredients for a delicious dish in minutes. Each packages contains 2 servings, so they are perfect for a couple, kids or as a side. Great for people who have there hands full or are busy, because you don't have to wait around for water to boil.

I am not a fan of microwaves, so if you are like me, you can easily heat up Ready Pasta without the microwave. Just toss it in a skillet with some olive oil and heat it up for 2-4 minutes. Perfect! Not as convenient as the microwave, but still much faster and using a skillet keeps my pots free for cooking other things on the stove top. 

Barilla Ready Pasta has no preservatives and is made with 3 simple ingredients. A dash of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt & authentic Barilla pasta. Simple, Fast and Yummy. Everyone loved it. 

You can pick up Barilla Ready Pasta in Grocery Stores and Walmart.

It is even available on Amazon.

I love having Ready Pasta on hand in my pantry. It's the perfect way to whip up something quick and easy.

~Crystal Vicious

Follow Barilla on Facebook.

Swap Out Your Pasta For Something Better

My sister refers to me as a health nut, but I'm really not one. I just try to make better choices when it comes to food. I try to limit my gluten intake to help manage my autoimmune diseases. Sadly, I just discovered a love of a bunch of sauces other than the tomato sauce my mother made growing up, but I'm trying to avoid wheat noodles. Then I discovered Banza Pasta. It is made from chickpeas! 

I had never heard of a chickpea until I met my boyfriend's mother, who can basically make anything out of chickpeas. This legume is a secret super food, gluten free, low on the glycemic index and Banza's chickpeas are certified non-GMO. Just replace regular pasta in any recipe with Banza and you get double the protein, four times the fiber, and half the net carbs. 

This past weekend I did just that. Three Days, Three Recipes and Three Pastas.

Day One: Linguine

We invited a few friends over for a Pasta Game Night.

We made some turkey meatballs with a tomato and basil red sauce. The Banza Linguine cooked just like regular pasta.

Dinner was delicious.

Day Two: Shells

We visited my sister and brother-in-law with ingredients in tow. We whipped up some Chicken Alfredo and added Banza Shells. This one was also a hit.

Day Three: Rotini

This recipe was my favorite! Butternut Squash Alfredo! A perfect fall dish. The Banza Rotini cooked perfectly and held the sauce well. In this sauce, I couldn't even taste that the pasta was not wheat pasta. 

I wasn't the only one fooled by this dish. Even the kids loved it! That's a big deal. Totally a hit, I will be making this one again.

Banza is such a great alternative for those that are health conscious, have dietary restrictions or just want to add a great superfood to their repertoire.

You can find several varieties of Banza Pastas or their boxed Mac & Cheese at Target, Whole Foods or Wegmans.

Find Banza near you.

~Crystal Vicious

I Finally Signed Up With Birchbox!

Birchbox is a New York City-based online monthly subscription service that sends its subscribers a box of four to five selected samples of makeup, or other beauty related products. 

It's one of the least expensive beauty subscription boxes at only $10 a month. I've heard good things so I signed up. It's not a huge investment and you can cancel at anytime.

I love trying out new products, so I'm really excited about recieving my first box! Plus, getting a package of surprises in the mail is always fun! 

Use this link and get 50% OFF your first Birchbox!!!!

That's only $5 for a box full of awesome products! 

Stay gorgeous! 

~Crystal Vicious

The Knock Ups - Dionysius