Allie Thelen, Author at Thistle & Palm

12 Items to Buy Second Hand

Posted on November 9, 2015November 17, 2015 by Allie Thelen

Here are 12 items that you can buy second hand to save you money and add more character to your home and wardrobe

Life can get expensive. Filling your home and your wardrobe with pieces you love on a budget can be quite a challenge! I have been thrifting and garage saleing my whole life…before it was cool. When my Mom had 4 little ones under 5 on my Dad’s teacher salary, she learned how to shop, thrift and garage sale like a pro! And I’m very grateful for all the tips I’ve learned from her. When it came to decorating and organizing my home and buying clothes for myself and my family, thrift stores are my go-to. If you’re looking for some great thrifting tips, my sister has some great ones here. In this article, I’ll be recommending some items to be on the look out for when you hit thrift stores, antique stores, and garage sales.

1. Solid Wood Furniture and Shelves

2. Genuine Leather

3. Unique/ Old Items

4. Baskets

5. Vintage Glassware

6. Name Brand Clothing- Especially with tags on them!

7. Linen napkins

8. Books

9. Throw pillows

10. Wall Art/ Mirrors

11. Lamps

Used to be gold, navy and burgandy and I spray painted it white for a totally different look. Added a $10 burlap shade for a total of $13.

12. Organization Items

These are the items I always look for when thrifting. Always look for high quality, genuine leather, solid wood. Don’t settle just because you’re at a thrift store! Happy thrifting!

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Southern Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on November 6, 2015November 17, 2015 by Allie Thelen

I looooooooooooovvvvvveee chicken pot pie. Like. So Much. And it can’t get more Southern than this: coming home to Mama pulling out a golden brown chicken pot pie, loaded with creamy, vegetable, chicken goodness. I grew up with vegetable-less chicken pie because I was a silly picky eater. We always ate it on top of rice with sides of green beans and corn. This pot pie recipe is the love child of the traditional veggie chicken pie and my Mama’s creamy chicken pie recipe. Because I love not sticking to a recipe. And I love onions and veggies now. Chicken Pot Pie can often vary to extremes based on your preferences. And I’ve tried them all! Personally, I love the thick, flaky homemade pie crust. Others like the buttery soft crescent roll type of crust. Or maybe you’re daring and go crustless! *gasp* And after having more than my fair share of dry chicken pot pie filling, it is time to remedy that! No more thick, dry filling. Only creamy, rich, satisfyingly decadent pie filling here! No, this pie may not come out in one nice, neat slice, but I promise you won’t regret it.

Pie crust. Let’s talk pie crust over here for a minute. Shortening or butter? Vinegar or not? 3-2-1 ratio or some other ratio of flour, fat, and liquid? Pastry flour or all-purpose? Oh, the dilemma. So many questions! For the flakiest, most flavorful crust… this will not fail you….

3 cups of all-purpose flour, thoroughly sifted
3/4 cup of butter, cold, cut into squares
1/4 cup shortening, cold
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup of cold water

Another trick for SUPER knock your socks off flaky crust? Don’t go pea size with your butter chunks, go rock size. The bigger the butter, the bigger the pockets in the crust. Trust me on this. I also do a combination of butter and shortening because shortening is 100% fat where butter is only 80% fat. I like the shortening to hold everything together. But no more than 1/4 cup because you want butter to take center stage!

Rock size butter chunks look something like this…

Your dough should look something like this when it comes together.

Flour counter and fold in half once, then in half again. You want layers upon layers of butter. Therefore, flaky. Split in two and wrap in saran wrap and put on the top shelf of your fridge where the freezer air comes out for at least one hour. You want these babies ice cold.

Meanwhile, you can be working on your filling. Put a few breasts of chicken into a saucepan and generously salt and pepper. Cover with water about 2 inches over the breasts. Boil for about 10 minutes or until juices run clear. SAVE the chicken water! <–you’ll need this later. Cool on a cutting board and chop or shred chicken into small pieces. I do a little combination of both. I like smaller pieces because I want every bite to have a piece of chicken in it! Mine looks something like this, but do whatever your heart wants… this is YOUR chicken pot pie.

Now, it’s time for some veg. I’m boycotting the whole peas and corn thing. No thank you. I’m all about the classic mirepoix mix: onions, carrots, and celery. That’s all you need. No, peas! No, corn! Just go home.

And if you happen to have a little green onions and garlic that want to come to the party, then let them. They add a little somethin’ somethin’.

Time to pull out “Big Red” and do some sauteein’! First, melt one stick of butter in a dutch oven or stockpot.

Then add your mirepoix. Saute for about 5-10 minutes over medium high heat until tender.

Add green onions and garlic and saute a few minutes more.

Then add 1/4 cup of flour.

And it will soak up all the butter like so.

Remember that chicken water I told you to save? Add 2 cups of that to the veggies along with 1 cup of milk and salt and pepper to taste.

Time to cheat a little and add 3 heaping spoonfuls of condensed cream of chicken soup.

Simmer on low until heated through and thick, then add your chopped chicken and turn off the heat.

It might look like soup. And that is GOOD. No dry pot pie here.

Take your crusts out of the fridge and roll them out and place the bottom half in a deep 1.5 qt. round baking dish. Fill with the pie filling. THEN, you’ll slice some Velveeta (or any melting cheese of choice) and lay it on top. Weird? Yes. Good? Yes! I mean who says no to cheese…

Take the other half of your pie crust, roll it out and lay over the top. Do your awesome pie magic skills and make a fancy design if you want to. I’ll just go novice and do that classic pinch rim.

Add some vents and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Fast forward 40 minutes. *insert Jeopardy theme here*

Southern Chicken Pot Pie- flakiest crust, creamiest filling

Hello, pie. I think I love you.

Now, let me just show you the flakiness of the crust.

^ Yeah? Yeah? You see that? If it goes crunch, congrats.

Let me just serve some ‘o dat up with some rice, and I’m in pure Southern comfort right there.

Southern Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Recipe for 2 pie crusts (see above)

2 large chicken breasts, salted and peppered, boiled and shredded

1 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1 whole onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup of chopped carrots

3 green onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups of water that chicken was boiled in

1 cup of milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 heaping spoonfuls of condensed cream of chicken soup

5-6 slices of Velveeta cheese

PREPARATION:

Make pie crust and chill in refrigerator. Put chicken breasts in saucepan and generously salt and pepper. Pour water about 2 inches over the chicken and boil for about 10 minutes until juices run clear. Cool chicken on a cutting board. Once cooled, chop or shred chicken and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In dutch oven or stockpot, melt 1 stick of butter. Add chopped mirepoix mix and saute for 5-10 minutes until tender. Add green onions and garlic and saute a minute more. Add 1/4 cup flour and stir. Add 2 cups of leftover water from boiling the chicken along with 1 cup of milk. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 heaping large spoonfuls of cream of chicken soup. Simmer on low for 5 minutes until heated through and thick. Turn off heat and add chopped chicken. Meanwhile, take crust out of fridge and roll into 2 crusts. Place one crust on bottom of a deep 1.5 quart baking dish. Spoon in pie filling. Top with sliced velveeta cheese. Then, place top of crust on pie and crimp edges and vent the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

***Options: Make an egg wash for the crust by mixing one egg with a Tbsp. of water and brushing over top of pie crust and add sea salt and fresh cracked pepper!

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Cream Cheese Berry Coffee Cake

Posted on November 2, 2015November 17, 2015 by Allie Thelen

Easy, beautiful Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Something about rainy days always puts me in a baking frenzy. And if it’s a rainy Monday, you can bet your bottom dollar, I’m in an apron, in my kitchen, whipping up something to put in the oven.

I was sitting in my rain boots, sipping on coffee, when I suddenly needed to make this cream cheese berry coffee cake.

Oh, how I begged my mom to make this over and over. And when she pulled it out of the oven, it always looked like she slaved over it. The presentation is gorgeous, but the effort is minimal. That’s my kind of thing. Can I get an Amen??? It’s light and biscuity, and it just sings like heaven when it melts in your mouth with the jam filling and the vanilla icing.

And when something so heavenly has basic pantry ingredients, I say yeah! baby!

2 cups of Bisquick go into a large mixing bowl. I usually make my own Bisquick. Then cut in the cream cheese and butter.

With this thingamajig. A pastry cutter? Whatever they are, they are brilliant, and I love mine.

It should look something like this…

Now, add the milk and mix until it becomes a crumbly dough ball.

Next, you’ll need a large cookie sheet and a rolling pin.

*Interesting story about this rolling pin: it belonged to my Great Great Grandmother and has been passed down 4 generations! And one day, I hope to pass it on to my daughter. They don’t make rolling pins like they used to; this thing can do it all!

Anyways… back to coffee cake.

Gather it into a ball and shape it into a log on the cookie sheet.

Dust your rolling pin with flour, and roll the dough into a rectangle.

Here comes the fun part. Take a sharp knife and cut slanted strips on the two sides about 1 inch apart, leaving a long strip in the middle of the dough.

It will look something like this.

Next, take your jam of choice. The original recipe calls for strawberry jam, but when you have the best homemade blackberry jam made by a friend, you always use that, of course 😉

Spread the jam evenly along the middle of the dough.

Then starting at the top, fold the strips over one another, moving from left to right.

Then, you’ll have a lovely (looked like you slaved over it) braided coffee cake! But, easy peasy, right?!

Put into a 375 degree oven and wait it out for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, it’s time to make the icing.

Put 1 cup of powdered sugar into a bowl along with a little milk and vanilla and mix until drizzle consistency.

When the coffee cake is done, it should look like a perfectly baked golden biscuit.

Once the icing is mixed and the cake has cooled for about 20 minutes, it’s time to drizzle it over.

And then, of course, we all know the next step… cut into it and try not to eat the whole thing.

Cream Cheese Berry Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS:

FOR CAKE:

2 cups of Bisquick

1/4 cup of cold butter

3 oz. of cold cream cheese

1/4 cup of cold milk

1/2 cup of berry preserves

FOR ICING:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. of vanilla

PREPARTION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put 2 cups of Bisquick in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the cream cheese and the butter until crumbly. Stir in the milk. Knead until dough forms a crumbly ball. Place on large cookie sheet and roll into a rectangular shape about 1/4 in thick. Using a sharp knife, make slanted cuts in 1 inch intervals down the sides of the dough, leaving a long strip in the middle. Spread preserves down the middle of the dough. Take the 1 inch strips and fold over the filling. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, stir powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small mixing bowl. When cake has cooled about 20 minutes, drizzle icing over the top. Cut and serve!

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There’s Always Room for S’more Love- A Baby Shower

Posted on October 10, 2015November 16, 2015 by Allie Thelen

Since when did ladies get to have all the fun at baby showers? Per request of the soon-to-be-parents, we planned a low key backyard couples shower to welcome the new little one. And I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable showers I’ve ever been to… and probably the prettiest. The deck streamed with globe lights and candles, the fire flickering, tables layered with a delectable s’mores bar and Fall treats, and chairs filled with the best of friends.

And who doesn’t love a good s’mores bar…

s'mores bar

And how cool is my friend’s deck… and greenhouse…??? So. Cool.

deck

The best part about this was getting to decorate and plan out beautiful things with my best friends. And it all started coming together so well. The wildflowers were indeed locally sourced (as in legally or ehem… illegally… picked from a nearby highway).

drinks

bread

creamandsugar

mallows

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popcorn

pumpkinbread

smoresbar

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table decor

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But the real magic happened when the sun started going down, and the globe lights and candles came out to play…

tablescape2

mallows3

nighttime

porch

s'mores bar

tablescape

Then the guests arrived and the fun began.

Our Eagle Scout started the fire. It wasn’t always burning since the world’s been turning.

lightingfire

The father-to-be enjoying the freshly lit fire.

fathertobe

together

The gentlemen. Contemplating gentlemanly things.

guys

everyone

The roasting starts, and s’moregasboard commences.

frank

stew

smore

The lovely hostess.

bekah

The glowing mother-to-be.
mothertobe

So blessed to get to be able to celebrate these wonderful first time parents.

parentstobe

Rounding the night up with gifts, and I’d say it was a good time had by all.

gifts

Like our “s’moregasboard”? Pin it!

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5 Tips for a Productive Morning

Posted on September 3, 2015September 3, 2015 by Allie Thelen

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Mornings. You either love ’em or hate ’em. I tend to be more of a morning person, but how a morning goes can determine my mood for the rest of the day! A bad morning can make you reach for your pillow and chocolate by noon begging for it to be bedtime again… Bless it. Here are a few tips I’ve learned that help set the mood for the rest of the day…

Get the dishes done the night before. Oh dear, yes, this is a hard one. I’ve been married 7 years and have been a mother for 5, and am JUST NOW learning the importance of waking up to a clean kitchen. If I wake up to a pile of dirty dishes, I literally feel like crying even before the day starts. NOT what I need. And if you start with a clean kitchen in the morning, you may even have the desire to make pancakes and waffles… who knows. Or toss cereal bowls in the general direction of your children and have a mere 5 minute clean up. To piggyback on this, this also means starting your dishwasher the night before so you can unload them in the morning. There is something so refreshing about having a cupboard stocked full of clean dishes and an empty dishwasher.
Go to bed on time. This may seem like a no brainer, but how hard is it, right??? My husband works long hours and oftentimes, he doesn’t get home until 8 or 9pm. When I still have to eat and clean up from dinner and my bedtime is at 11pm…. it just doesn’t leave much room for quality time! But one trick that my husband and I observed was when we didn’t watch shows at night, the time passed by much SLOWER! It felt like we had so much time together. I’m not saying you should never watch TV with your husband at night, but maybe try 2 nights a week to turn off the TV and just sit and talk or play a game or have a guitar and singing jam session or whatever your interests are. Think outside the box and change up a weeknight.
Wake up BEFORE the kids. I cannot stress how important and crucial this has been in my morning routine. Thankfully, my kids sleep in until 8, so I can be up by 7 (6:30 if I have a run planned for that morning). This is when I brew my coffee, make my husband’s lunch, do breakfast prep, and put away clean dishes. Then I sit down with my coffee, plan out the day, read my morning reads, and collect my thoughts before I’m needed by 3 hungry toddlers. If this step doesn’t happen, I hit the ground running and I feel like I’m playing catch up for the rest of the day. Some days, I don’t get a full hour, maybe just 30 minutes or even 15 minutes makes a world of difference!
Eat breakfast. When you’re mom, you’re used to skipping breakfasts. Most of the time, you just FORGET. Yeah, it happens. But by mid morning, my brain is in a fog and I feel like I need a nap already. After fasting for 8 hours all night, your body needs something to get your blood pumping and your blood sugar up. Mommy breakfasts are usually a bit different than what a 5 and 3 year old might eat, so a little planning goes a long way to make sure you get your stomach full and brain jump started. Try my 3 ingredient protein smoothie that takes all of 2 minutes to make! (And it’s dairy and sugar free!)
Turn off your tech. Sometimes, this isn’t possible, but I strive to have my mornings computer free and cell phone free. Emails, texts, facebook, and calls can wait until lunchtime. There are some exceptions, like when I use my phone to pull up a video we need for school or to look up where a peregrine falcon lives (my 5 year old apparently wants to know this RIGHT NOW). But ladies, Facebook… it can wait. Focus on your kiddos. You will be happier, they will be happier, and you can have uninterrupted time later in the day. I have now designated “online times” for myself. During “rest time” every afternoon, I catch up on emails, blog, do a little Facebook browsing then shut it off until my evening online time. Believe me, a tech free morning will make you MUCH more productive!

As a mom, it’s easy to fall into survival mode. I know, I’ve been there, and I still go there. But these 5 tips can help you THRIVE. The more you put these tips into practice, the easier it will become, and you will wake up looking forward to your mornings. Take productivity into your own hands, Mama!

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on August 29, 2015November 20, 2015 by Allie Thelen

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I step outside Monday morning with my morning coffee. I had actually gotten dressed that morning before the kids were awake: SUCCESS. But when I stepped outside in my jean shorts and t-shirt, I ran right back inside to grab my jeans and hoodie because y’all….. get this…. it was 59 degrees. In August. In Georgia. I mean, can it get more heaven than that?! I may be a Georgia girl, but man do I love my cold weather! I spent a full winter in South Bend, Indiana where it literally snowed every day from November to April. So I know a harsh winter when I see one. And Georgia, you’ve got nothin’. But I digress. So here I am in jeans and a hoodie, sipping my ~~hot~~ lukewarm coffee, in August. Dream weather. Suddenly, I got this ~~hankerin’~~ need to make something pumpkin. Yep, I definitely be that white girl in boots sippin’ on a pumpkin spice latte. No shame. I loved pumpkin before it was trendy, ok?

Anyways, I happen to have in my possession the best pumpkin bread recipe known to man. Passed down from generation to generation. It was a MUST HAVE on our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. This was my aunt’s specialty. Yes, I was lucky enough to grow up just miles from ALL my aunts, uncles, and cousins. So our holiday gatherings were 30 plus people, and let me just say, the food was “slap yo mama” good. No joke. My dad was the ONLY Northerner who married into our Southern family. Everyone else has been cooking biscuits and gravy from birth. So I don’t kid when I talk about my family’s Southern cooking. It’s really something. Like no-one-ate-the-whole-day-leading-up-to-it- something.

I’ve had some REALLY good pumpkin bread (um, Starbucks anyone???) and some really bad pumpkin bread. It has a tendency to really dry out if you’re not careful. This recipe is super easy and super fool proof. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, combine together and voila! Pumpkin bread… or muffins… or cupcakes. Did I say versatile too?

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Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups of sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

dash of ground cloves

1 tsp. salt

_____________________

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 can of pumpkin or 2 cups of cooked pumpkin

3 eggs

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients. Stir just until combined.

FOR BREAD:

Pour into 2- 9×5 greased loaf pans. Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture on top– or pecans or pumpkin seeds (the possibilities are endless!). Bake @ 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks.

FOR MUFFINS OR CUPCAKES:

Line 2-12 ct. muffin tins with paper liners. Fill cups about 2/3 full. Bang on counter a few times to level batter. For muffins: top with cinnamon/sugar or nuts or seeds. Bake @ 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes. Until tops are springy. Cool in pans for a few minutes, then move to cooling racks. For cupcakes: Cool completely before frosting.

I almost forgot about the best part…. the frosting! I have a love affair with cinnamon. My husband hates cinnamon. Sad day. I’ve tried just normal cream cheese frosting on pumpkin cupcakes, and it’s good. Really good. But this cinnamon cream cheese frosting… it’s to die for. It just brings out the soft spiciness of the cakes, just giving an even stronger Fall flavor. And that’s what we’re going for. Yes. In August. Don’t judge.

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See those cinnamon specks^ YESSSSS.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/8 cup of milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

PREPARATION:

Mix the cream cheese, shortening, and butter with a mixer until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, little by little. Add milk (if it’s too thick, add more; too thin, add more powdered sugar). Add the cinnamon and cloves and beat until fluffy and smooth. Top with chopped pecans.

You can either slather it on or pipe it on. I personally love piping cupcakes more than almost anything in this world. I used a 1M nozzle and did a rose design. I hope to do a video tutorial on this sometime soon.

And there’s a little taste of Fall heaven in your mouth. Enjoy!

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