Crockpot BBQ Chicken + Leftovers!

It was a dismal winter's day and just seeing the scary "storm of historic proportions" forecast for our old stomping grounds (New England) was enough to make us want to cook up a big pot of something hearty. You know, just in case Ol' Man Winter came looking for us...
We turned to Pinterest (source of pretty AND yummy things) and found just what we needed. We added onions, because onions are tasty, especially when they're soft and plumped up with smoky-sweet bbq flavor.
Quince Cottage is a big fan of leftovers, and there are plenty of ways to recycle this dish (tacos, on a toasted open face bagel with cheddar cheese on top, mixed up with some beans and corn served over rice, etc.)
Night 1 we had it with cole slaw and a baguette.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Today we enjoyed it with sweet potato fries, mmmhmmm, good.

 Crockpot BBQ Chicken & Fries

RECIPE:
Ingredients
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 C honey barbeque sauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C zesty Italian dressing
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Place the sliced onion in the bottom of the crockpot and put the chicken breasts on top
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together
3. Pour over chicken to coat
4. Cook on high about 4 hours
5. Remove breasts and use two forks to shred the meat. If there is too much sauce for your liking, remove some and set aside. Put meat back in crockpot with remaining sauce and turn to Keep Warm until ready to serve.

SWEET POTATO FRIES
1. Peel and cut to size
2. Toss in bag with small amount of oil to coat
3. Spread on baking sheet and season as you wish (salt, pepper definitely and then add chili powder, garam masala, cumin or whatever you like)
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-13 minutes, flip, bake for 10-13 minutes
Dipping Sauce: mayo with ketchup or sriracha, add a bit of honey if you want

Quince Cottage style is where rustic and opulent rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror against a weathered plank wall, and you'll know what we mean. 

We prefer our opulent a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

The Framers Are Here!

For a week or so nothing much happened on our lot. Either it was raining buckets, or the crews were working on our future neighbors' houses.
BUT, since then there's been quite a bit of activity. There was a major wood delivery-joists, trusses, plywood sheets, etc.

Wood Delivery © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Then framing began. Here you can see the back corner of our house, with what will be our screen porch closest to the camera. We're going to need to figure out some way to make that dark covered space under the porch floor unattractive to wildlife, and therefore boring for our terriers. Maybe we'll try to use it for storage too. I've been using Pinterest to source some good ideas!

Porch Construction © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

In the distance you can see the fourth house under construction. It's still in the lead, and we're still in second place, which is just fine. We don't want to put our current house on the market until some time in February.

This past week we had good weather, and look at all they managed to accomplish! Pretty incredible really, and SUPER exciting! From this angle you can see where our garage door will be, and our screen porch on the back right.

Photos © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As you can see from the photo above this one, the house beside us is coming right along too. We wonder if they drive by almost every day, the way we do?

Quince Cottage believes a typical subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, we mix vintage Southern style with some global spice. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and distressed plank walls. 

Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own signature look. 

A Tale Of Two Cookies

For many of us it's close enough to January 1st that we're still trying to keep the resolutions we made, including eating healthier. But man can't live on kale alone. Nor can woman. So, when a tempting photo of chocolate chip cookies drifted through our Facebook feed, it didn't take long to decide we needed to make them. About three seconds actually. Besides, even though there was no visible oatmeal, those Mrs. Fields-lookalike cookies purported to be full of oatmeal, and to be low in fat and sugar. You CAN have it all. Or so we thought... You've probably seen this duplicitous cookie because it seems to be the darling of social media. Don't be fooled. It's a big fat liar.
These are what the actual cookies look like. They didn't taste BAD, but they sure tasted healthy. REALLY healthy. We ate a couple, and then put them in the fridge, where their one redeeming quality (moistness) turned to something less appealing (sogginess). A couple of days later they somehow ended up in the trash. The terriers must've done it.

Cookies © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

But IF you're looking for a super healthy cookie recipe, here you go.

RECIPE:

Ingredients
3 mashed bananas
1/3 C applesauce (we used an individual snack cup, close enough)
2 C oats
1/4 C almond milk
3/4 C mixed dark and white chocolate chips (or your preferred chip or combination of chips)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Mix ingredients. Place by rounded tablespoon on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack.
Makes about 18 cookies

So, having sampled the DISAPPOINTING cookies, of course we craved the real deal. Butter. Sugar. Flour. We found the following recipe on lifeloveandsugar.com and were intrigued by the addition of cornstarch to keep the cookie nice and thick (because nothing's sadder than a cookie-pancake that spreads all over the baking sheet). Aren't these babies gorgeous?

Coooookies!!!! © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Now that you're drooling...

RECIPE:

Ingredients
3/4 C butter (a stick and a half, people)
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 C chocolate chips

Directions
1. Cream butter and sugars in mixer until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes)
2. Add eggs and vanilla, mix thoroughly
3. Combine dry ingredients and then mix into wet ingredients a cup or so at a time
4. When dough is thoroughly blended, stir in chocolate chips
5. Use 1/4 cup scoop to measure out each cookie
6. Bake at 350 degrees 11-12 minutes
7. Remove from oven, let stand 1 minute, remove to cooling rack
Makes about 18 cookies

Quince Cottage believes a *vanilla subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, we mix vintage Southern style with some global spice. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. 

Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own signature look. 
*vanilla = bad, in decorating, not in cooking

Butter Chicken in the Crockpot

At Quince Cottage we like to spice up our decorating with a touch of the exotic, and the same is true of our cooking. Case in point, this Butter Chicken recipe which we first saw on Facebook. It's from ifoodreal.com and it's absolutely delicious and super easy to make. We made only a few modifications based on what we had on hand, and the fact that we like actual butter (the original recipe had none).

Butter Chicken © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

RECIPE:

Ingredients
+/- 3 lbs. chicken breasts (about 4 breasts), skinless and boneless, cut into 2" pieces
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic in oil (keep this on standby in the fridge, it's easier and faster than dealing with fresh garlic)
1 large onion, chopped small
1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and grated (we like grating vs. mincing, more flavorful!)
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 oz. tomato paste
14 oz. can light coconut milk
1/4 C flour
1/4 C cilantro for garnish (if you're one of those people who loathe cilantro, scallions work too)

Directions
1. Put oil and butter in medium to large sauté pan and heat until bubbly
2. Add onion and sauté until clear
3. Add garlic and spices. Sauté 2-3 minutes more
4. Add flour, stir to coat onions, sauté one minute (until flour is no longer white)
5. Add coconut milk and tomato paste. Stir until blended, and sauce is thick and bubbly
6. Arrange chicken pieces in bottom of crockpot. Pour sauce on top and stir to coat
7. Cook on High 3 hours or on Low for 5 hours
8, Serve over grain of your choice. (Brown rice shown). Garnish with cilantro.

Bonus 1: Leftovers (unless you're serving a crowd). This should be plenty for 6 people.

Bonus 2: you get to smell garam masala, all spicy warm and sweet!

Bonus 3: flexibility-you could certainly make this with other meats, or go strictly vegan with it.

Quince Cottage style is where rustic and opulent rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror against a weathered plank wall, and you'll know what we mean. 

We prefer our opulent a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

Floor Plans

We've now shown you the exterior elevations for our new home, so it's time to share a glimpse of what the interior will look like.

We'll be doing the version with an expanded porch and a morning room. Quince Cottage loves screen porch living!
The bonus room has a full bath option, making this a great space for our younger daughter.
The optional study will be our office, and we'll be moving the fireplace to the wall that backs up to the screened porch.
This plan has everything we need, and almost all of it is on the first floor which is super convenient.

Quince Cottage believes a vanilla subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, we mix vintage Southern style with some global spice. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. 

Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own signature look. 

Warm Breakfast for a Chilly Morning!

We don't know about you, but braving these freezing cold mornings is a little easier when your tummy is full of something warm and yummy. A Quince Cottage favorite is Baked Oatmeal. Like all our best-loved recipes, it's easy, "flexible", and delicious! And if you still need convincing, this one makes great leftovers too.

Baked Oatmeal © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Baked Oatmeal © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

RECIPE:

This amount would  make about 6 servings, depending on appetite. It can easily be doubled.

Ingredients
Combine the following in a large bowl
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 apple, peeled and chopped
Combine the following in a small bowl
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
Now pour wet mixture into dry mixture, stir until blended. Pour into baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees about 20-25 minutes (make sure it's cooked through since there's egg in there, but don't dry it out - when it's no longer jiggly and just starting to brown around the edges, it's done).

Remember earlier when we mentioned "flexible"? 

Don't have pecans? (Clearly you're not a Southerner). No worries, use walnuts. Prefer tart to sweet? Fine, replace dried cherries with cranberries (or whatever your dried favorite is, maybe blueberries or apricots, or a combo). You can substitute some maple syrup or honey as a sweetening agent, and almond milk instead of cow's milk. Make it your own!
Also. Leftovers. Yes! Cut the chilled, baked oatmeal into a slice and reheat in a frying pan slicked with a bit of butter. Drizzle with syrup. YUM.

Quince Cottage style is where rustic and opulent rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror against a weathered plank wall, and you'll know what we mean. 

We prefer our opulent a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

Quince Cottage On Paper - Elevation Drawings

As promised here are the elevation drawings for our new home!

Montpelier Plan Photo © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We decided to change a few things, and are lucky to work with Capitol City Homes, who allowed us to customize the plan to our liking. So, we flipped it, and made the garage a side-entry, and we're having board and batten siding on part of the front. Isn't it adorable?

Our actual plan. Photo © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

In an upcoming post we'll talk about our "Inspiration" house, and our color choices for the exterior! We'll show you the floor plan too, as well as our selections for flooring, cabinetry, lighting and so on.

Quince Cottage believes a vanilla subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. 

In our own place, we mix vintage Southern style with some global spice. 

Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. 

Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own signature look. 

Foundation Is IN!

It's a blessing and a curse to live a mere five minutes away from the spot where your new home is being built. We get to go have a look at the progress any time we want, but when it's a rainy day or a weekend, we feel sort of empty inside because nothing changes. Not that we IN ANY WAY begrudge the crews their time off. It's just so EXCITING when stuff happens!

So, between the holiday and the rain we've had we're actually pleased and surprised by the progress. The site was graded, the foundation was dug, the concrete poured, and pilings are in, AND we even have some brick in place. We love that our foundation will have brick facing all the way around, such a great look!

There are also three other houses going up beside ours, so it's kind of like a race. We're currently in second place.

Foundation © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Yes, the dirt really IS that orange around here. Full of clay. Lots and lots of clay. Watch your step in that stuff when it's wet, it's slippery as all get out. It also LOVES little white dogs...

And here's how things looked a few days later...

We have some brick! © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We're hoping the front will be low enough that the building code won't require a porch railing, but it's too soon to tell.

Soon, we'll post the Elevation Drawings!

Quince Cottage believes a vanilla subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. 

In our own place, rustic, opulent, and exotic rub shoulders. 

Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. 

Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own special style. 

Follow @Quince_Cottage