Amazing Vintage Atomic Tray But, I Can't Raise Our Family's Debt Ceiling

Fans of Cafe D know that I've been collecting holiday place settings from Goodwill, Etsy and other sources for sometimes now.

The plates came first - we had a bowl like this growing up. And, I found a mess of plates at Goodwill and grabbed 'em up.

Then came the glasses - found them on Etsy. Cute, huh?
 So, today we find this piece.

No, it's not an exact match. But, it's so atomically adorable, non? And, it's a great price! And, sure, it's may or may not be food safe. But, we wouldn't let that stand in our way, would we? Nah. We could put silverware on it for a buffet...(And, if it *IS* food safe, why the world is our oyster! Not that I like oysters.  Anywhoo...)

I could use it for a myriad of other things I can't think of right now because I'm too busy trying to NOT by this plate that I would only have out during the winter months.

Heck, I *live in Chicago!* It's "winter" most of the year. And....no. No, I really can't buy one more thing that I just have to store most of the year. But, YOU could! Buy it, not store it, that is.

So, if you have that special place for an adorable atomic plate/tray thingy in your kitchen/livingroom/den/bedroom...you can buy it from my pal Kelly over at Zenful Goods on Etsy. (And, no she didn't give me anything for saying any of this. But, if a cute atomic snowflake, no, no.)

If you buy this, please stop back and let us know it has found a good home - lol.

Do you have a collection you are looking to add pieces to?

Or, any other collection for that matter?

What is the last thing you passed on...that called loudly?

Tell us below in the comments!

Super Cute Ideas - For a Functional Locker! Back To School

Boy, has "Back to School" changed. My locker was so boring! To decorate, we just put up a Shaun Cassidy pic torn from a Teen Beat magazine. If we were lucky, we might have a pic of our boyfriend. More likely, it was a shot of our BFF girlfriends. *Shout out to Jill, Sue, Suzanne, and Jo.*

All that has changed. I mean, isn't that vanity mirror adorable?

There's even self-adhesive (and removable) wallpaper!

I'm seriously thinking about getting this organizer for myself! Steel file cabinets will never LOOK SO GOOD!

Maybe I'll get the pencil cup, too.
(Wait, this is supposed to be for teens.
Aw, watevr! I'm so getting it.)

Okay, this would be so handy...and adorable.
I used a small flowery makeup bag in college as a purse - big enough to hold my ID, driver's license, what few dollars I might have had that week - and the all important lipstick. Who am I kidding...it was strawberry Lip Smackers!

Oh, I almost forgot, all of these are new from Slice available exclusively at the Container Store. (And, no, this is not a paid endorsement - I just love The Container Store, is all.)

If you were in school, what would you locker look like?

What DID your locker look like?

Tell us in the comments below!

7 Minute Meal - Citrus Glazed Chicken with Toasted Cashews over Rice

Wanna know a secret?
I love Trader Joe's frozen food. Especially the Chinese. And, the veggies. And, the Mac and Cheese. (Shh, don't tell.)

And, (sadly, really) I'm not receiving any free Mac and Cheese or a few pennies or anything else from T.J.'s - just a warm smile at the checkout like everyone else.

See that bowl up there full of tasty citrus glazed chicken with green beans, water chestnuts, carrots, cashews (which I forgot in the picture) and rice? Well, that took me 7 minutes to prepare.

It actually happened so quickly that I knocked on the door and told my hubby to make it a quick shower because dinner was unexpectedly ready NOW!

Guess how much?

Yep, you saw the price in the pic, right? $3,99. And, this makes 2 small main entrees or 1 generous serving. Yep, for $3.99

So, how does it only take 7 minutes to make?
The directions are easy and clear. Open. Take out the frozen glaze packet and set it in a bowl of water to defrost. Take the freeze-dried rice, dump in a small saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water, lid, cook on high for 5 min.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet till hot, add the chicken and veggies. Heat till chicken is at least 165. (When I make this again, I'll pick out the chicken and cook a 30 seconds in the microwave to start the process, then I'll add it to the veggies - that way the veggies won't overcook.)

Open the glaze and pour into the cooked chicken and veggies. Stir for 30 seconds. Serve over rice.

Next, forget to top with cashews.
Take a picture.
(Oh, wait, that's just me.)

Serve to hungry hubby. Ask how it is. When he raves, tell him it was only $3.99. When he's done complimenting you on your outstanding hunter/gathering skills, ask him how he enjoyed his freeze dried rice. Or, you can just keep that part a secret. We won't tell.

Now, could you make this yourself?
Sure! It's not like par-cooked chicken, some Asian veggies, orange sauce, cashews and rice are difficult to come by.

But...I like the option of having this in the freezer for an instant healthy meal - where I would normally just pull out a frozen pizza, ya know?

Hungry for more?
Browse everything in our How Quick (Meal) category!

Do you like Trader Joe's?

Do you have a favorite frozen meal?

Tell us in the comments below.

We've love to hear!

Foods to Help Stay Cool in Summer Southwest Chicken Salad recipe

It's 110 in Chicagoland if you include the heat index. And, while this might be normal for Arizona or Texas, over here we are melting like popcicles.

I saw the forecast, but I couldn't change the weather.
What I *could* change was the way our family ate this week.

We had cold Southwest Chicken Salad, Broccoli cauliflower pasta salad, antipasto salad over mixed greens and finally a chopped garbage salad. So, we ate tasty food, it was ready in 5 minutes (everything was made on Sunday), it was inexpensive, and I didn't have to turn the oven or stove on all week. Score!

Here's how I make our Southwest chicken salad.
Easy-peasy.

On Saturday night I defrosted some boneless chicken breasts that were Buy On Get One Free (love that) a few weeks ago. On Sunday I popped them in the oven with a little salt, pepper, oil, and oregano for about 25 minutes. (I didn't even bother to butterfly them.)

See those Bird's Eye Southwest Veggies above? I stock up at Dominick's/Safeway when they are on sale - our Jewel/Albertson's store doesn't carry them for some reason.

I tossed the veggies in the microwave. Drained them. Then I added some salsa - my preference is Frontera's Roasted Tomato or Chipotle. Sometimes I use some adobo sauce from a 39¢ can of chipotle chilis. Or, some chiotle chili powder. You can also use cumin. (Boy, I'm using the word chipotle a lot today...) Salt and pepper to taste.

Then I tossed in some diced chicken.
And, served.

This salad can be served hot or cold.
This week it was surely cold.

Hungry for more?
Browse everything in our How Quick (Meal) category!

So, tell us!

What are your favorite cold salads?

What else do you love to eat when it's scorching outside?

We'd love to hear.

Linking up to:

Handmade Cutting Boards and Cabin Living

Isn't this cutting board from Red Onion Woodworks amazing?
Handcrafted in Oregon by a very unique family. Love the look of their products.
Today, I found out through facebook that they also have a blog. Today's post, Two kids in One Bed and a Tour of Cabin Living Quarters was very interesting. Two parents, 2 kids, a dog and a cat....a bazillion windows - all in one tiny cabin. Fascinating. I'll be following their blog - and I thought, who knows, maybe you would be interested, too.

When we opened our little Etsy shop we had no idea we would meet so many creative and authentic people. It's so fun. Now...I'm off to drool over more cutting boards. *wink*